#154 HTE - 'Temu Is The New Trend!'😳

Hey E-Commerce Enthusiasts! 🙋🏼

It's almost the weekend, which means it's time to kick back and relax. No need to stress about sales figures or shipping logistics. It's time to unwind and recharge for the week ahead. 😋

So put on your comfiest clothes, pour yourself a drink, and let's take a break. 😎

Whether you're in need of some solo relaxation or you're looking to have a fun-filled weekend with friends and family, make sure to carve out some time to just chill. You deserve it! 🥳

Before you kick back and relax this weekend, make sure to check out our newsletter for the latest updates and happenings in the world of e-commerce.🧘🏻‍♀️

Stay updated and inspired with HTE's newsletter filled with tips and tricks for DTC brands and beyond!

Alrighty then, let's dive right in!

Look Below 👀

📱 Metaverse Could Potentially Be Worth Whopping $5T By 2030

💸 Utilizing Discount Pricing Strategies And Tactics

🥇Brand Week Of The Day: Chubbies Shorts

🛍 Temu Offers Wide Selection Of Products At Affordable Prices To Attract American Shoppers

🍎 Apple's Crackdown On Data Collection Sparked Resurgence In Use Of Catalogs By DTC Brands

🎁 Brand Deals Of The Week

📕 Top Reads Of The Week

⚙️ Plenty Of Jobs Await You!

So, keep scrolling and discover all the exciting things coming your way!

Metaverse Could Potentially Be Worth Whopping $5T By 2030

Metaverse has the potential to be a really big deal in the future, with experts estimating it could be worth up to $5 trillion by 2030. In order to make that happen, there are a few key things that need to be in place, like AR/VR technology, sensors, haptic feedback, and other gadgets.

It's also important that the Metaverse is able to work seamlessly with other systems and that there are easy-to-use platforms and tools for building things within it. But most importantly, the Metaverse needs to be designed with the human experience in mind, making sure that it's a positive and enjoyable place for everyone.

It looks like the Metaverse is already starting to catch on in a few areas, like marketing, education, and virtual meetings. But according to a survey, there's still a lot of room for growth in other areas.

The good news is, it seems like the Metaverse has a ton of potential, with experts predicting it could be worth a whopping $5 trillion by 2030. And get this: it could also become a hot spot for modern-day romantics, with a third of singles saying they'd be down to date in the virtual world. Talk about taking things to the next level!

Utilizing Discount Pricing Strategies And Tactics

Here are some strategies and tactics that businesses can use to discount pricing to increase average order value and acquire new customers:

1. Offer special deals or discounts to new clients: By enticing clients to make purchases and possibly increasing AOV, businesses can attract new clients to make purchases. 

2. Products can be combined and offered at a discount: By encouraging buyers to buy multiple items at once, bundle discounts can raise the total cost of an order. 

3. Offer loyalty or referral discounts: By providing repeat customers with loyalty or referral discounts, firms can entice them to make more purchases and raise AOV. 

4. Utilize one-time deals or flash sales: Customers may be persuaded to make a buy before the deal expires by being given a sense of urgency, which could increase the value of their transaction.

5. Offer discounts to consumers who spend more: Giving discounts to customers who spend more can entice them to spend more money overall. 

6. Create a loyalty program: By offering discounts or other benefits to loyal consumers, a loyalty program might encourage them to make more purchases and boost their AOV.

Brand Week Of The Day: Chubbies Shorts

Chubbies was founded in 2011 by a group of friends who found the traditional world of men's fashion unappealing and lacking in authenticity. 

They were put off by the idea of clothes being sold with the message that purchasing them would make the consumer as cool and attractive as the models in the advertisements, often depicted as shirtless men with toned abs. Instead, Chubbies aimed to create a more relatable and authentic brand for men.

While observing the market, the founders of Chubbies noticed a trend of men's shorts becoming longer and more complex, with more fabric, pockets, and features. 

They saw a lack of options for traditional, well-made shorts with personality and craftsmanship, and recognized that this was an important and overlooked category of men's apparel. In response, they founded Chubbies to offer a range of high-quality, shorter-length shorts that harken back to the classic styles of past generations.

Temu Offers Wide Selection Of Products At Affordable Prices To Attract American Shoppers

Looks like Temu, a shopping app based in Boston, has become super popular among American consumers for its amazing selection of products and unbeatable prices. The app was even the most downloaded one during the holiday shopping season.

And it's not just young people who are into it - even 68-year-old office managers in Massachusetts are getting in on the action. One woman reportedly filled her cart with 14 items totaling $90 and had her order delivered within a week to two weeks. She even came back for more during Christmas, spending a whopping $223 on 34 items.

Temu has been seeing some serious success lately. Not only has it been downloaded 10.8 million times since launching in September, but it's also become the most popular app in any category between November and December, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A big part of Temu's success seems to be due to its referral program, which encourages users to share the app with their friends and family. And once you've made a purchase, you can expect your items to be shipped within a week to two weeks.

Temu, the new kid on the block, is shaking things up in the e-commerce world by offering unbeatable low prices straight from China. How do they do it? By using PDD Holdings' "deep network of merchants and logistic partners, and its established ecosystem built over the years," according to the company's website. Translation: they've got connections, baby!

And it's paying off - just check out these prices. On Temu, a pair of slippers for women will set you back a mere $7.19. On Amazon, you're looking at anywhere between $18 and $24 for a similar pair. No wonder Temu's sales were roughly four times its October numbers in November, peaking at a whopping $7 million in daily sales during Black Friday shopping.

Looks like Amazon and other Western online stores better watch out - Temu's deep discounts are resonating with US consumers and giving them a serious run for their money. Just ask Bene Neumann, who scored some sweet deals on children's toys, shoes, and a bathroom rug from Temu during the holiday shopping season. Or Marcia Stocker, who raved about the "most comfortable slippers" she's ever owned in a Temu product review. Looks like Temu's got it all - good prices, happy customers, and a bright future ahead.

Apple's Crackdown On Data Collection Sparked Resurgence In Use Of Catalogs By DTC Brands

Apple's recent data privacy measures have made it harder for DTC brands to target shoppers on platforms like Google and Facebook. As a result, some of these brands are turning to more old-school marketing tactics like catalogs, postcards, and brochures to get the word out about their products.

Direct mail has been slowly making a comeback in recent years, but the interest in it has really taken off since Apple implemented its App Tracking Transparency framework in April 2021. This has made it harder for platforms like Facebook and Instagram to track consumer data, which has made them less attractive to brands looking to advertise.

Not only are catalogs a good way for DTC brands to get around the challenges posed by Apple's data privacy measures, but they can also serve as a substitute for a physical storefront. That's what Smartwool is doing, at least - the brand is known for its wool socks and base layers, but it's using catalogs to show off its entire product range, including activewear.

Smartwool puts out a giant holiday catalog with over 36 pages, which allows it to really show off all the different things it has to offer. As the head of global marketing and creative for Smartwool points out, it's not always possible to fit all of a brand's products onto a website, but a catalog allows for much more space to showcase everything. Plus, it's a great way to get people excited about all the different products a brand has available.

It looks like DTC brands are starting to lose interest in Facebook and Instagram, with many of them cutting their advertising budgets on these platforms by around 8% between January 2021 and January 2022, according to Insider Intelligence.

A lot of these brands have redirected their spending to other digital channels, but some have also started investing in more traditional marketing tactics like direct mail and other offline channels. In fact, offline marketing has grown from making up about 12% of DTC brands' ad budgets in early 2021 to over 15% at the start of 2022.

For many of the roughly 400 DTC clients of the marketing agency Belardi Wong, this holiday season has been a "culmination" of this shift away from Facebook and Instagram, with many of them cutting their Meta budgets by an average of over 20% since last holiday season and 10% to 15% of them switching to more old-school marketing methods.

📕 Top Reads Of The Week

Morphe closes US stores to focus on wholesale, e-commerce

Everlane lays off nearly 9% of employees

Walmart made over 6,000 drone deliveries in 2022

Boxed considers selling itself amid cash crunch

DoorDash launches package pickup service

⚙️ Plenty Of Jobs Await You!

E-Commerce Intern - Campbells

E-Commerce Merchandiser - Range

Key Account Manager - Bosch Group

Ecommerce Specialist - Southeastern Grocers

Lead Engineer - Sephora

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