DTC Newsletter 📦

we’re hosting a networking event where you hopefully forget you’re at a networking event. DTC Dines is coming to Vancouver! 🗻🌊 there’s no stage, no speakers and no formal agenda. the whole evening is off the record, so people can talk openly! dinner + drinks are covered by our friends at Klaviyo 🍷 grab a drink, find a seat, meet the people next to you, and see where the conversation goes. space is intentionally limited and attendance is application-only. apply today: luma.com/uug6187u

A late Thanksgiving can seriously compress the Black Friday calendar. ⏰ Jacob and Abby from Pilothouse explain why brands can launch earlier, add urgency as the weekend approaches, and keep winning creative running even when the promotion gets sweeter. Watch the full breakdown on AKNF: open.spotify.com/episode/7fS…

What deserves priority on Black Friday: the offer or the creative? 👀 Abby from Pilothouse explains why brands should make the promotion immediately clear, then use diverse formats, especially video, to expand reach and manage rising traffic costs. Hear Abby’s full take on AKNF! open.spotify.com/episode/7fS…

“I’ve never seen AppLovin at scale.” Sounds familiar? Last episode, our guest said he'd never seen a brand scale AppLovin and make more money. Keen's CEO, Greg Dolan, disagrees. Every brand is different, and what matters is the objective, where the customer is, buying efficiently and timing. Listen to the full discussion in today’s Harness the Halo episode: open.spotify.com/episode/7HA…

When costs go up and you can't take price, marketing is always the first cut. @keen_decisions CEO Greg Dolan says that's the mistake. Coming back from dark costs more than staying in market, so cut the non-working dollars first. How should you spend your marketing dollars? Find out in this week’s Harness the Halo episode: open.spotify.com/episode/7HA…

Can your marketing mix model tell a creative problem from a channel problem? @keen_decisions co-founder and CEO, Greg Dolan, answers: average creative barely registers. Only great creative stands out, and where and when you spend usually matters more. So what do you do? We dig into your marketing mix in the finale episode of Harness the Halo: open.spotify.com/episode/7HA…

AI might be influencing more purchases than brands can actually see 👀 53% of AI-assisted shoppers have bought from a brand they’d NEVER heard of because AI recommended it. And 82% say AI has helped confirm a purchase from a brand they already knew. So how much of the customer journey is AI already shaping? We surveyed 556 shoppers and 146 DTC operators to find out. Download The Invisible Shelf: The DTC AI Discovery Report for the full data! directtoconsumer.co/theinvis… *Data collected in Q3 2026.

Most Black Friday buyers may only open one email before purchasing. On this ep of TWBERP, Jordan explains why every campaign should clearly communicate the main offer, since brands can’t assume shoppers have followed the full sequence of emails leading up to it. Jordan breaks it down further on TWBERP: open.spotify.com/episode/3UC…

What if your best Black Friday subject line doesn’t mention Black Friday? 👀 Pilothouse’s Jordan Gordon breaks down why normal-looking subject lines can stand out in an inbox packed with discounts, plus how brands can build a testing plan before November gets hectic. Catch the full breakdown on TWBERP: open.spotify.com/episode/3UC…

Should you resend your Black Friday email to everyone who didn’t open? 📩 This week on TWBERP, Jordan explains how targeting less-engaged subscribers can drag down engagement signals and hurt future BFCM deployments. He also shares why list size can be seriously misleading. Hear Jordan’s full discussion on TWBERP: open.spotify.com/episode/3UC…

Why can one $100M brand sell for $500M while another trades near revenue? 👀 Norwest partner Lisa Wu joined the DTC Podcast to explain how buyer appetite and category dynamics shape exit multiples, including why personal care and supplements can command premiums. Lisa breaks it down further on the DTC Podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/1LI…

Can consumers tell when a brand is “science washing”? 🧪 Norwest partner Lisa Wu joined the DTC Podcast to explain how brands borrow clinical language, experts, and surveys to chase growing demand for efficacy, and why consumers are increasingly good at sensing authenticity. Hear the full conversation on the DTC Podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/1LI…

What happens when DTC brands get funded like tech companies? 💸 Norwest partner Lisa Wu joined the DTC Podcast to explain how excess capital can hide weak unit economics, encourage inefficient acquisition, and create customers with little loyalty. Hear Lisa’s full perspective on the DTC Podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/1LI…

How far can Amazon sellers push their listings before Black Friday? Tyler, who leads Amazon at Pilothouse, joined AKNF to discuss experimenting with deal-day messaging, Amazon’s evolving listing rules, and the conversion upside of testing within the platform’s boundaries. Catch the latest AKNF: open.spotify.com/episode/0LF…

Premium shoppers may be getting more strategic about when they buy. 👀 Tyler, who leads Amazon at Pilothouse, joined AKNF to explain how deal-savvy consumers are timing purchases around major sales periods, especially for higher-ticket products. Catch the full conversation on AKNF: open.spotify.com/episode/0LF…

Why did consumables surge during Prime Day? 📈 Tyler, who leads Amazon at Pilothouse, joined AKNF to share how some brands grew 150%+ YoY during October’s event, with shoppers increasingly stocking up around major deal periods. Hear Tyler’s full take on AKNF: open.spotify.com/episode/0LF…

Getting the first purchase is only the first step of the customer journey ‼️ What happens next can have a major impact on repeat purchases, retention, LTV, and long-term growth. With @getresponse, brands can connect email, SMS, push notifications, automation, and customer data to build journeys around how customers actually behave, from first purchase to repeat purchase to reactivation. One connected lifecycle system, built to turn more customers into repeat customers. Convert more customers, and keep them coming back. Learn more about GetResponse and how lifecycle automation can help drive repeat revenue! 👉 getresponse.com/solutions/ec… #ad

Reward the behaviors that lead to revenue. You already pay Meta a CPM. Yash Chavan's tactic: run the same CPM as a challenge for your affiliates, so 10,000 organic views earns a creator $200. Tune in to the latest episode of the DTC Podcast: spotifycreators-web.app.link…

Most affiliate dashboards show you thousands of affiliates and hide how few of them post. Yash Chavan from Saral shares why moving activity from 6% to 12% doubles affiliate revenue. If you’re running an influencer affiliate program, you can’t miss this episode. Listen: spotifycreators-web.app.link…

It’s a cheap ticket, but you pay for the luggage anyway. This episode, we talk with Yash Chavan, founder and CEO of Saral, the team behind the Sathi affiliate platform, walks through the math on an $80 AOV supplement brand and lays out how to build a creative flywheel. Catch this episode of the DTC Podcast: spotifycreators-web.app.link…