#178 HTE - Ready to rock the DTC world? 🌎

Discover the insider secrets, hacks, and strategies to become a DTC rockstar and dominate the e-commerce game like a boss! 🎸🤘

April 05, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes

Hello ecommerce champions! 💪🛍️

Are you ready to conquer the e-commerce world like a boss today?

Don't forget to grab your ☕️ and take a deep breath before diving in. And if you need a little boost, HTE is here to sprinkle some ecommerce magic on your day! ✨🎉

Our team of ecommerce wizards are always on the prowl for the latest and greatest trends and news, so you can count on us to serve up all the juicy tips, insights, and strategies you need to stay ahead of the game.

Want to level up your website's user experience, dominate social media, or explore new ecommerce channels like a boss? No problem, we've got your back like a trusty sidekick. 🦸‍♀️

So, sit back, sip your coffee, and indulge in our awesome collection of articles and resources that'll make you feel like an e-commerce superhero.

Let's make today another epic win, ecommerce fam! 🏆🚀

Ready to stay ahead of the ecommerce game? Subscribe to HTE's newsletter and get all the latest and greatest tips, insights, and strategies delivered straight to your inbox! 📩🤩

Hold onto your hats and buckle up for a wild ride, because we've got something special in store for you.

Alrighty, let's take a peek at what we have for you today! 😎

🤝 Let's collaborate and conquer: Tips for a successful brand collab!

📢 Podcast: Unlocking the Secrets of Entrepreneurship and Optimal Mental Health with NooWave Founder, Greg Frontiero

🔖 COHORT BASED MARKETING: To build communities and drive a subscription revenue model

📦 Launch Cart just announced their new AI image creator feature! 

🍋 Get the juicy scoop: What's the deal with Lemon8 and its ties to TikTok?

📱 Walmart's Website and App Get a Major Glow-Up!

Let's collaborate and conquer: Tips for a successful brand collab!

Brand Collabs: When Surprising Meets Sensible

Let's face it, some brand collaborations are just too good to be true. Take Doritos and Taco Bell, for example. But then there are collabs that make us scratch our heads, like Balenciaga and Crocs. Regardless, the goal of a successful brand collaboration is to benefit both parties involved, but it's not always easy to achieve.

Don't Do It Just To Do It

As Stacy Taffet, SVP of brand marketing for Frito-Lay, puts it, "Setting out to do a collab just to say you’ve done a collab...it never works, because people see right through that." So, when is it worth doing?

According to experienced marketers, brands should focus on creating something unique and finding brand alignment.

Offer Something New

Frito-Lay isn't interested in simply partnering with another brand for the sake of it. They focus on "unlocking a new experience" that they couldn't offer on their own. For example, when they partnered with Skullcandy earlier this year, they were able to offer limited-edition gaming headphones to their fans, many of whom are gamers.

And when they teamed up with Netflix for season 4 of Stranger Things, they offered a livestreamed concert that was viewed by more than 17 million people and resulted in 4.4 billion earned media impressions. It also led to an 11% increase in dollar sales for Doritos during the promotion window.

Create Synergy

Brand alignment is crucial in a successful collaboration. As Taffet explains, "It’s definitely not worth hurting the equity of your brand."

Magnolia Bakery, for example, has co-released products with companies including Tula and Casely, and recently collaborated with luggage brand Monos, resulting in about 45 different media stories and a 350% spike in traffic to its social channels on the day it debuted.

According to Sandra Habib, strategy director at global brand experience firm Siegel+Gale, collabs don't necessarily have to be within the same industry or have the same audience demographics, but they do need to have shared goals and some overlap in the target audience.

Be Relevant to Your Audience

Angela Vranich, co-founder and chief product officer of Little Spoon, believes that the partnerships that stand out the most "are extremely relevant to our target audience."

Little Spoon has collaborated with brands like Andie Swim, Compartés Chocolates, and Banza, and Vranich finds that there's always some sort of crossover in terms of demographics.

For example, their collaboration with Banza was a hit because it's a product and brand that their parents are already buying for themselves at home.

So, there you have it folks. When it comes to brand collabs, make it unique, find alignment, and be relevant to your audience.

Podcast: Unlocking the Secrets of Entrepreneurship and Optimal Mental Health with NooWave Founder, Greg Frontiero

Let's take a dip into the world of eCommerce with our special guest, Greg Frontiero!

This guy has been in the game for over a decade, working with bigwigs like Yext, Twitter, and Stack Overflow.

But wait, that's not all - he's also the founder of NooWave, a company that creates products to help you achieve optimal mental health. Cool, right?

In this episode, Greg spills the beans on how he built his brand from scratch and what it takes to be a real entrepreneur.

Plus, he drops some nuggets of wisdom on how to level up your game in the eCommerce industry! 💪

But that's not all, folks.

We also get to learn more about NooWave and how brand loyalty can be built up.

And of course, we can't forget about Greg's future goals for his company. Gotta love that crystal ball action! 🔮

So sit back, relax, and join us for a fun-filled chat with the man himself.

Trust us, you don't wanna miss this!

Oh, and don't forget - exclusive DTC swag awaits you at the end. 😉

COHORT BASED MARKETING: To build communities and drive a subscription revenue model

We've got two C's that are a match made in heaven - cohorts and community! Together, they form the backbone of a killer subscription revenue model. Don't believe us?

Get your hands on our guide to unlock the secrets!

Launch Cart just announced their new AI image creator feature! 

Launch Cart's got you covered with their latest breakthrough technology that allows users to create custom images quickly and easily. 🤖📷

According to Percy Master P Miller, Launch Cart's Chairman, "We understand the challenges entrepreneurs face when creating professional-looking images for their eCommerce stores." But with this new AI image creator, all of those struggles disappear! 💪🏼

How it works 👩🏽‍💻 Using Launch Cart's custom page builder, users can simply tell the AI what image they want, and the AI genie will create it and add it to their page! It's that easy! ⚡️

High-quality images in no time 🤩 The feature is fast, efficient, and produces high-quality images that can be used in a variety of applications, from product pages to promotional materials. 💻📈

But wait, there's more! Launch Cart is not stopping at just the AI image creator feature. They have even more exciting features in the pipeline that will help empower eCommerce entrepreneurs even further. 🚀

Don't have a Launch Cart account yet? 

No worries!

You can easily sign up for a free online store by visiting their website. 🛍️

Follow Launch Cart on social media 📲 You can find Launch Cart on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube @LaunchCart. Stay up to date on all their latest developments and exciting features! 🤳🏽

About Launch Cart 🚀 Launch Cart is an on-demand eCommerce platform that enables entrepreneurs and small businesses to build and manage online stores easily.

Their technology is designed to create efficiencies and solve problems across all aspects of eCommerce, ultimately helping businesses succeed in the competitive online marketplace. 💻💰

Get the juicy scoop: What's the deal with Lemon8 and its ties to TikTok?

🍋 Get ready for the newest app on the block: Lemon8! 📱🤳🏼

👀 As TikTok faces increased scrutiny, Lemon8, owned by the same Chinese company ByteDance, is making waves with its surge in downloads in the US. Here's what you need to know:

🍋 What is Lemon8? Lemon8 is a content sharing platform that allows users to make longer blog-like posts about topics such as fashion, fitness, travel, and cooking, accompanied by relevant pictures and videos. Unlike TikTok, Lemon8 is more akin to a mishmash of Instagram and Pinterest, with a customized feed of posts based on what users like and other creators they follow.

👨🏻‍💼 Who owns it and what's its relationship with TikTok? Although information about the app is murky, Lemon8 is believed to be owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. Its Singapore-based owner, Heliophilia Pte, is located at the same address as TikTok's local headquarters and is overseen by Alex Zhu, senior vice president of product and strategy at ByteDance and former CEO of TikTok.

🤔 What's the big deal over the app? Lemon8's ties to ByteDance may expose it to similar scrutiny faced by TikTok over data security fears, leading to concerns that the US might force ByteDance to divest from the app or even impose a total ban.

🗓️ How long has Lemon8 been around? Lemon8 was launched in Japan in April 2020 and has been launched in multiple territories, including Singapore and Indonesia.

🌟 Why is Lemon8 gaining popularity in the US? ByteDance has been promoting the app in markets like the US and UK by paying creators to post on Lemon8. Its rise may also be attributed to the ultra-low prices and promotions of other Chinese-owned apps like Shein and PDD Holdings Inc.'s Temu that have gained popularity in the US.

🍹👀 So, what are you waiting for? Time to grab a lemonade and check out Lemon8!

Walmart's Website and App Get a Major Glow-Up!

Move over, old-fashioned online shopping experience! Walmart is embracing its digital transformation journey with a bold new redesign of its website and app. 🤩

Say hello to a snazzy new home page that features a "social-inspired scroll" with drool-worthy images and live video. This means that shoppers can now browse through Walmart's product selection just like they would on a social media app. 📱💻

But that's not all, folks! The new and improved Walmart online shopping experience is designed to highlight products that are most relevant to customers at that moment. Whether it's holiday gifts 🎁 or items for watching a sporting event 🏈, Walmart's got you covered! This creates new opportunities for suppliers and third-party marketplace sellers to showcase their products and tell their stories. 📈

And here's the juicy scoop: Walmart is diving headfirst into the world of social shopping, complete with a focus on video content. It's no secret that TikTok is becoming a hotbed for online shopping, and Walmart's arch-nemesis Amazon has even launched a TikTok-like digital shopping experience called Inspire. But Walmart isn't one to be left behind, and word on the street is that they might even be creating a new TikTok operation separate from ByteDance, the Chinese majority owner. 🤫

Get ready to shop till you drop (in a good way) with Walmart's new online and mobile customer experiences! 🛒👀

Why is it crucial in e-commerce business? 

Revamping a website and app in ecommerce is crucial for several reasons. First, it improves the overall user experience, making it easier and more enjoyable for customers to shop online. This, in turn, can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

Second, a revamped website and app can help retailers stay competitive in a rapidly evolving ecommerce landscape, where customer expectations are constantly changing. By offering new and innovative features, retailers can differentiate themselves from their competitors and attract new customers.

Finally, a revamped website and app can provide retailers with valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. By tracking user data, retailers can gain a better understanding of what products and services are most popular and adjust their offerings accordingly. This can lead to increased sales and profits over time.

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