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đŸ”„ What Your Competitors Know (That You Should Too)

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 In today’s newsletter 

  • Competitor Research – Steal What Works, Avoid What Fails

  • Unlock New Growth on Amazon

  • Top 3 Trends in Ecommerce for 2025 

  • 7-Step Iteration Process On Winning Ads

  • Your Email List is a Goldmine—If You Actually Use It Right

  • Get Your Team Booked on 3.8 Million Podcasts Automatically

  • Latest News: How are marketers using AI to create hyper-personalized experiences? & more


    Let's Dive Into It! 👇

Competitor Research – Steal What Works, Avoid What Fails

Sai Teja - Paid Ads Expert

Yesterday, I shared about “Extracting Insights from Reviews – The Right Way”

Today, let’s dig deep into analysing your competition.

If you’re not analyzing your competitors, you’re running your business with blinders on.

Your competitors have already spent thousands testing ads, messaging, and positioning—why start from scratch when you can leverage what’s working?

Here’s how to conduct smart competitor research to uncover their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for your brand.

1. Find Your Real Competitors

  • Google your product category and see who dominates search results.

  • Check Meta’s Ad Library (Facebook Ad Library) for active ads in your niche.

  • Search Amazon, Reddit & TikTok to see trending brands in your space.

2. Analyze Their Core Messaging.

  • Go to their website & social media—what’s their core message?

  • What pain points are they addressing?

  • Do they rely on social proof, pricing, or product benefits?

  • How do they position themselves? (Luxury, budget-friendly, problem-solving, etc.)

ChatGPT Tip: Copy their homepage text and ad copy, paste it into ChatGPT, and ask:
“Summarize the core themes of this brand’s messaging.”
This helps you decode their positioning in seconds.

3. Find Their Weaknesses (Your Opportunity)

  • Check their 1-3 star reviews (Amazon, Trustpilot, Reddit).

  • Look at customer complaints on social media.

  • What’s missing in their offer that you can capitalize on?

Tip: Just like yesterday, you can copy and paste all their weak reviews into gpt & ask: “Summarize common complaints about this product.” 

This will highlight gaps you can turn into your USP.

4. Study Their Ads & Content Performance

  • Go to Meta’s Ad Library and look for patterns in their creatives.

  • Are they running mostly video or static ads?

  • Do they use UGC, testimonials, or founder-led content?

  • How frequently do they refresh their creatives?

Pro Tip: Tools like Atria or Minea help you with this part of research.

Make notes of everything you have analysed so far:

  1. The real competitors.

  2. Analysing their core messaging.

  3. Their weaknesses.

  4. How are they presenting their messaging in Ads?

We’ll utilise this information to refine our core messaging on day-4

Tomorrow, let’s dive into Discovering that One Thing customers you want customers to remember.

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Top 3 Trends in Ecommerce for 2025

Kaushal Pratap - DTC Owner

1. Hyper-Personalized AI Shopping Experiences 

Why it matters: 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that personalize their experience (McKinsey, 2023), and AI-driven recommendations can boost revenue by 15% (Gartner, 2024). 

Actionable steps: 

  • Audit your customer data (purchase history, browsing behavior) and invest in AI tools like Dynamic Yield or Clerk.io to automate personalized product suggestions.

  • Segment email campaigns using AI platforms (e.g., Klaviyo) to trigger tailored offers (e.g., “Left your size in the cart? Here’s 10% off”).

  • Test AI chatbots for real-time product Q&A (tools like Gorgias or Octane AI reduce support costs by 30%).For startups: Use Shopify’s native AI recommendations. For 7-figure brands: Build custom models with a data engineer. 

 2. Sustainability as a Revenue Driver (Not Just a Buzzword) 

Why it matters: 66% of global consumers will pay more for sustainable products (NielsenIQ, 2024), and brands promoting eco-friendly practices see 2x higher customer retention (Deloitte, 2023). 

Actionable steps: 

  • Switch to compostable packaging (partners like EcoEnclose or noissue offer bulk discounts). Highlight this on product pages with a “Sustainability Calculator” (e.g., “Your order saved 500g of plastic”).

  • Offer carbon-neutral shipping via platforms like Shopify Planet or Pachama. Promote it at checkout: “$1 offsets this shipment’s emissions.”

  • Launch a recycling program (e.g., send a prepaid return label for used products) and reward participants with loyalty points.Bonus: Certify your efforts with B Corp or Climate Neutral to build trust. 

 3. Instant Checkout Dominance 

Why it matters: 76% of shoppers abandon carts due to complicated checkout processes (Baymard Institute, 2024), but one-click solutions like Shop Pay increase conversion rates by 35% (Shopify, 2023). 

Actionable steps: 

  • Integrate one-click checkout (Shop Pay, Bolt, or Fast) to auto-fill customer details.

  • Offer multiple “Pay Later” options (Afterpay, Klarna)—users spend 45% more on average (Forbes, 2024).

  • A/B test guest checkout vs. account creation—brands that remove forced sign-ups see a 30% lift in conversions (Yotpo, 2023).

Pro tip: Use sticky checkout bars that display security badges and free shipping thresholds to reduce bounce rates.  

Final Takeaway: 2025 winners will leverage AI for relevance, sustainability for loyalty, and frictionless checkout for instant sales. Start small—test one tactic per quarter—then scale what works. Need help implementing these? Hit reply. We’ll share our vendor shortlist. 

7-Step Iteration Process On Winning Ads

When it comes to iterating on winning ads, everyone’s got their own ways of how they go about it, and the 7-step process that was shared by Pascal was actually quite good, and we wanted you to check it out too..

You can check out Pascal’s 7-step iteration process here.

You can check out the tweet and the discussion on X here.

Your Email List is a Goldmine—If You Actually Use It Right

Ibrahim - DTC Growth & Retention

You know, most brands treat their email list like a backup plan. They’ll send a blast when sales dip, throw in a discount, and hope for the best. Then they wonder why their open rates are bad and nobody’s clicking. Email isn’t a last resort. It’s one of the highest ROI channels you have—if you stop treating it like an afterthought.

Here’s how to make it work:

Send Emails People Want to Open

If the only time they hear from you is when you’re pushing a sale, they’ll start ignoring you. Keep them engaged before you need to sell:

  • Content they actually care about—behind-the-scenes updates, UGC spotlights, useful tips

  • Subject lines that don’t scream boring promo emai

  • A personality—your emails should sound like a person, not a corporate announcement

Segment Like Your Revenue Depends on It (Because It Does)

One-size-fits-all emails = low engagement = wasted opportunities. Instead, send based on:

  • Purchase history – First-time buyers shouldn’t get the same email as VIPs

  • Engagement – Someone who always clicks deserves different messaging than someone who never opens

  • Product interest – If they browsed but didn’t buy, hit them with a targeted reminder, not a generic newsletter

Turn Every Email Into a Step Toward More Sales

Not every email has to sell right now, but every email should build toward the next sale.

  • A good welcome flow gets them hooked from day one

  • Post-purchase emails set up the next purchase, not just a ‘thanks for buying’

  • Winback emails don’t just offer a discount—they remind them why they loved your brand in the first place

The Bottom Line

Your email list is not just a bunch of names, it’s an audience that’s already interested in you. Use it wisely, and it’ll be one of the most profitable channels you have!

Need help with taking of your email flows and campaigns? We do it without putting a dent on your pocket.

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📰IN THE NEWS

AI is helping marketers deliver hyper-personalized experiences by analyzing customer data, predicting preferences, and automating tailored content across channels. Brands are using AI to create dynamic emails, personalized ads, and real-time product recommendations. This level of customization boosts engagement, conversion rates, and customer loyalty. 

Reviews still play a crucial role in consumer decisions, but their influence is shifting. Shoppers now rely on a mix of reviews, social proof, and brand reputation rather than just star ratings. Fake reviews and AI-generated content are making consumers more skeptical, pushing brands to focus on authenticity and trust-building. 

Have any questions that you need help with?

Ask here - look out for Friday’s issue where Ibrahim will answer them.