#112 The Least boring Weekend Newsletter

August 06, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Good Morning Readers!

Here’s to wishing for a successful day ahead!

There was a lot of discussion at the beginning of the year about the possibility for Livestream shopping, a type of commerce that has been successful in China, to catch on in the United States. That assurance doesn't seem to be shared by Meta, at least not for its Facebook platform. Facebook Live Shopping, which was initially introduced in 2018 in Thailand, is being discontinued as customer-watching habits change. As a result, the social networking giant is refocusing on Reels for Facebook and Instagram, a short-form video product from Meta.

Facebook's live shopping feature allowed influencers to hold their live shopping events where they could sell a variety of goods directly from their store or through an affiliate. This was another money source for content producers on Facebook. Facebook broadened the service and added a specific shopping tab two years later. But in other regions of the world, Facebook's live shopping feature was not well-liked.

Almund’s newsletter will give you all kinds of tips for DTC brands and much more.

Alright, so let’s get right to it!

This newsletter is going to dive into:

🥽Joaquin "Guac" Oliver's Life Is Celebrated Through A Virtual Party Called Guacathon

🛍How Can The Metaverse Revolutionize Immersive Customer Experiences In E-Commerce?

🥇 Brand Of The Week - Hot Ones

🎁 Brand Deals Of The Week

📕 Top Reads Of The Week

⚙️ Plenty Of Jobs Await You!

So, scroll down to THE VERY END & read up on what’s yet to come your way!

Joaquin "Guac" Oliver's life is celebrated through a virtual party called Guacathon

Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, who was murdered in the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting, had an annual birthday celebration known as "Guacathon," which involves throwing a party in the metaverse. Change the Ref, an entity created by Oliver's parents with the stated goal of "raising awareness about mass shootings via strategic interventions that will limit the power of the NRA on the Federal level," began hosting Guacathon in 2020.

This year's virtual Guacathon celebration, hosted on Roblox, will include a performance by rapper Denzel Curry and an image of Oliver created by renowned artist Shepard Fairey, who also created the Obama 'Hope' poster and the iconic Obey brand artwork. Oliver's digital avatar will also be present.

This event is being planned by MELON and will contain many minigames, including a street art minigame made by Shepard Fairey, the creator and designer of the renowned company, Obey. It will be comparable to previous, more popular events on the Roblox platform. Oliver's family reveals in an interview with Obey Giant that he spent his whole 17-year life loving basketball and street art, which makes the in-game minigames and the partnership with Fairey all the more poignant.

How can The Metaverse revolutionize immersive Customer Experiences in E-Commerce?

By 2024, it is predicted that the Metaverse, valued at $47 billion owing to a spike in interest in 2020 when the epidemic peaked, might reach the $800 billion level. As a result, as consumers spend more time in the Metaverse, companies must adapt. Given that Gartner's research projects that by 2026, 25% of people would spend at least an hour each day online, firms who are already thinking about how their customers will interact with them will have an advantage. 

Customers may have the most thrilling, immersive experience with Metaverse, which includes gamification, personalization, and quick problem-solving. Companies now have the chance to provide meaningful, tailored client experiences because of the rise of the "verse."

How will this area innovate the buyer's experience, then? How can you design a setting that makes visitors to your website never want to leave? Thus, it all begins with:

📈Increasing Personalization Levels: Whether it's the gaming experience, the user experience, or the consumer experience, the Metaverse has shown to be a place where experiences may be highly customized. This is so that each customer may receive an experience that is specifically tailored to them, thanks to the Metaverse's extensive personalization capabilities.

Customers may customize how they interact with the Metaverse by selecting their avatars depending on their gender, age, social media networks, self-interests, and other preferences like color or theme. Additionally, customization is a two-way street. Additionally, businesses may personalize adverts and make it very simple for customers to select from various choices. This extreme personalization increases client loyalty and helps to create a very memorable experience.

💥Gamifying the Customer Experience: The newer generations are not just accepting of living online but also looking forward to it. 48% of Millennials and 38% of Gen Z think that in 10 years, the Metaverse will be a part of their daily life. Having unique assets in the Metaverse is a justifiable expenditure, according to 51% of millennials and 37% of Gen Z, which indicates that these generations are planning financially for the area. Therefore, these generations are ready to live a significant portion of their lives online. eCommerce is included here. 

When IRL brick-and-mortar stores are closing, the Metaverse presents a chance to alter this area. 

Gamification advances the customer journey by using avatars as customers, videogame-inspired environments, and readily customizable products. By making the customer journey game-like, you may provide your customers incentives for progressing through the various "levels." However, this necessitates creating a metaverse consumer journey.

🎯Creating Content Specific to a Brand: The "verse" allows businesses to get a little wild and create wholly unique immersive experiences for their clients. Companies may build complete ecosystems with their laws, environments, and physics, opening up a world of gaming and narrative possibilities. 

For instance, Roblox and Gucci collaborated to create a cutting-edge user experience last year. On the Roblox platform, the businesses sponsored the "Gucci Garden," a two-week art display designed to increase brand recognition among younger users. Visitors to the area could try on and purchase digital Gucci items before exploring the themed rooms. The avatars absorbed aspects of each location as they traveled across the virtual world. The goods were sold using a revenue-sharing approach, which ensured that the collaboration was equitable and cooperative and that both the platform and the brand got value from any sales of the virtual clothes.

📦Providing a "Try Before You Buy" Experience for Customers: Customers can test your goods before buying them thanks to an immersive, engaging, and realistic experience, saving you money on expensive returns and customer service hotlines. Retail businesses in the automotive and cosmetics sectors are already utilizing these immersive technologies to provide clients with the ability to get a clear visual impression and make educated selections.

This may be helpful for furniture manufacturers as well. For instance, Ikea's Place AR app allows buyers to place digital furniture in their homes to choose the size and color that is best for them.

👥Relating to the Public Better: Companies and brands may increase their reach to a worldwide audience and guarantee their engagement with customers is enjoyable and participatory by utilizing the Metaverse to launch PR campaigns. 

Additionally, the Metaverse offers businesses the chance to develop a brand-awareness-boosting experience that, as a result of this strengthened relationship, increases client loyalty. Therefore, a business may develop a virtual reality tour of its office, store, or facility or even conduct a virtual event that enables consumers to discover the business and engage with its goods and services. They could even have a media tour or virtual press conference throughout the multiverse.

Brand Of The Week - Hot Ones🐔 

In order to introduce five new types of Hot Ones Boneless Chicken Bites that are partnered with the genuine sauce tastes from the program, Hot Ones has expanded its cooperation with John Soules Foods and FoodStory Brands. The line debuted this month in Walmart's freezer section, and it will soon be available in more stores throughout the nation. Following the successful debut of the limited-edition Hot Ones family-size product offering, which was only offered by Walmart in the spring, these additional bites were introduced. 

The range has since been expanded to include five more inventive tastes with different levels of heat as a result of its resounding popularity. Sean Evans, the host of the cultural phenomenon Hot Ones, conducts celebrity interviews while having them eat chicken wings that are getting hotter and hotter.

One of the top producers of chicken and beef fajitas in the US is John Soules Foods, a major producer of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook chicken and beef products. The business was founded in 1975 by John Soules Sr. and is currently run by the second generation of the Soules family.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) firm FoodStory Brands was established in 2015 and is family-owned and led/operated. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and has regional satellite offices all across the nation. Their retail partners specialize in speed-to-market solutions, product development, brand creation, and prime sourcing.

Brand Deals Of The Week🛒

Save Up To $300 On Selected Macbook Purchases With Best Buy!

Big Bike Sale At Rei 75% Or More Discount. Save Money On Items Including Bikes, Helmets, Clothing, And Accessories.

The 18-Pack Of Charmin Ultra Gentle Mega Roll Toilet Paper Saves As Much As $18.

Save 20% By Using The Coupon Code At The Checkout For Mr.Alpha Scalp Therapy Biotin Shampoo.

Just $13 For The Adidas Air-Mesh Mini Backpack.

Top Reads Of The Week📣

Beyond Meat Lowers Its Projected Revenue And Claims It Is Reducing Staff.

Wayfair's Q2 Loss Increased Due To Consumers' Churn.

Why Does This Dtc Nut Butter Brand Work With Food Brands And Influencers To Make Its U.S. Debut?

How Pinterest Plans To Keep Up With The Growth Of E-Commerce.

Doordash Raises Key Forecasts By Riding Strong Delivery Demand.

IN NEED OF A JOB?  WE'VE GOT PLENTY AWAITING YOU!

Retail Sales - Alaska

Information Systems Engineer - Android - Whole Food Market

Store Employee - 7 Eleven

CHOOSE SUCCESS below and have a great weekend! Get that D2C business runnin’.