#54 The Least Boring Weekend Newsletter

Good Morning readers! ☕

Hope you have a crazy weekend!🤪

Let's play a quick game of "would you rather?"

Would you rather read quickly, and get fewer insights?

Or

Have fun reading and learning a lot!

The majority of you are most likely to choose the second option.

As the saying goes, the faster you read, the less you comprehend. So sit back and relax as you read this. We may seem lengthy, but we offer content that will help you learn and grow as a person.🥳

Almund's newsletter will let you in on all kinds of tips for D2C brands and much much more. 

Alright, so let's get right to it! 

This newsletter is going to dive into :

🌏  Direct-to-consumer brands dip their toes in the world of NFTs

👌 Headless Commerce! What’s that?

📜 Top reads for this week

👩🏻‍💼 Plenty of jobs awaiting you!

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

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D2C x CRYPTO

Direct-to-consumer brands dip their toes in the world of NFTs

If the NFT craze took off in 2021( It definitely did), 2022 appears to be the year that direct-to-consumer firms figure out how to become involved.

So far, the brands who have dabbled in this market have primarily concentrated on two things: raising funding and capitalizing on the excitement surrounding NFTs.

Keeps, a direct-to-consumer hair loss company, was the first brand (it claims) to sponsor an NFT in December😍 , and is one of several attempting to grasp the marketing worth of NFTs. Keeps provided CryptoPunk #6457 owner Jeff Krantz with a new NFT avatar that replaced his old CryptoPunk's thinning locks with a full head of hair. Krantz also received $10,000🤯 in Ethereum, which he says is currently stored in a wallet owned by his CryptoPunk.

Are consumers willing to pay for NFTs?🤔 

The trick will be to pique customers' interest. As a result, it's possible that the businesses that have the most success with NFTs — and the least criticism — will be those that use them to develop community rather than create pricey assets for people to flaunt.

Brands may tap into the communities that already exist around different NFT artwork collections, in addition to leveraging NFTs as an entrance card to their community services.

It will also be critical to make it easy for customers to obtain NFTs. Because most NFTs are acquired in Ethereum, customers must first register with a crypto exchange, obtain the money, and set up their digital wallets before purchasing or utilizing their NFT. ( Sounds easy? 🧐) 

Buyers and brands should remember💭  that no matter how popular NFTs become, the laws of our physical reality (such as the global supply chain) will continue to apply. 

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SPONSORED

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We’re designed to scale with your business, offering clear product feature breakdowns and a variety of pricing models to suit merchants at any stage.

Want to learn more? Try out LimeSpot Personalizer for free on the app store now, or book a demo with us if you have specific customization needs, advanced use case requirements, or questions.

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Headless Commerce! What’s that?

Think of the last 10 purchases you’ve made off the internet. Did you use your smartphone? Or placed the order during a work break on the PC? Or perhaps use your tablet while enjoying a quiet evening in your study? We’re sure your shopping spree involved more than 2 devices. 

Much like you, your customers are everywhere. They are looking to interact with you from different mediums & if you’re not ready to meet them halfway, might as well bid them farewell. This is where headless commerce can help take your business to the next level. 

What Is Headless Commerce?

Things are changing in the D2C industry rapidly. With customers flying in from every direction, headless commerce is a great way to provide your customers with a great user experience at all times. 

Headless commerce is a method to decouple your website’s front-end with the back-end. It segregates the interactive front-end layer with the infrastructure that’s responsible for the e-commerce functions. This allows back-end developers to use APIs for e-commerce functions while the front-end developers can work their magic to make user interaction as seamless as possible.

So, for instance, a user could use their mobile, desktop, voice assistant, or any other medium to click on the ‘Check Out’ button. The front-end layer would send an API call to the back-end to get the process going. The back-end would then send an API call to the front-end to display the ‘Order Placed’ message for the customer. Simple!

This decoupling of layers provides developers and designers a lot of ground to work with and exercise their creative freedom to their hearts’ content. But the benefits of headless commerce don’t just end with them. Businesses benefit far more from headless commerce; here’s how.

😁 Better User Experience

Headless commerce architecture, which is API-based, allows customers to have a better experience with your website. The pages load significantly faster, therefore decreasing the abandonment rate of your website. It also allows the front-end developers to take into account shoppers’ needs more efficiently as they aren’t held back by limitations from the back-end functionalities. 

👥 Access To More Digital Touchpoints

With the headless approach, brands can provide their customers with consistent experiences on various platforms. Your customers can shop from you using their phones, smartwatches, voice assistants, smart fridges, and other devices. 

🤹🏻‍♀️ Flexible Business Model 

Adapting to a different model is a drastic change for a business but not unheard of. With the headless architecture, transition to a different business model gets a whole lot smoother. Since the back-end processes (such as pricing, discount calculations, dispatch, etc.) remain the same, you can simply make changes to the interactive layer of the ecosystem and call it a day. 

👩‍💻 Development Freedom

With the development team free of any restrictions related to the front-end layer, they can create customized solutions which are apt for any further market trends and developments to come. It gives them the creative freedom to work with things they are comfortable and familiar with. ( Comfort>>>>>) 

🏁 Keeping Up With The Competition

Competition is fierce in the D2C market💪 . With new trends taking off every day, new opportunities up for grabs, and something new to adapt to every day, you don’t wish to be left behind. Headless commerce allows you to seamlessly and quickly make changes in every aspect of your business. 

🏆 Building An Omni-channel Presence

Omnipresence isn’t easy in a developing market. But with headless solutions as a part of your business architecture, being available on every platform will be easy for you. 

So now you know just HOW much would you be missing out on if you don’t switch to headless commerce soon. If you still need more inspiration, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at some outstanding examples of brands adapting to headless commerce. 

🔍 Amazon

Amazon is breaking boundaries again(More to come). They have a headless integration of Echo (voice assistant) and Dash along with the existing web interface and app for customers to shop from. 

📺 Sony

Other than the eCommerce marketplaces, Sony provides its customers with unique experiences(Love it already) for B2B, IOT, and B2C-based platforms. 

🍔  McDonald’s

As if they had to do more😂; McDonald’s is providing its customers with personalized experiences via the website, app, and IoT. They have integrated additional payment options, such as WeChat.

So many brands aren’t just shifting to headless commerce to acquire more customers and revenue (although that’s a big push), they’re making the big moves to be ready for the NEXT BIG THING! The D2C space has seen some drastic shifts in recent years and to be ready is the key to success here. 

In the next edition, we will talk more about how you and your business can be ready to make the big shift!

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TOP READS FOR THIS WEEK

👪 Il Makiage parent company secures $130M in funding

🔓 Billie to enter physical stores for the first time via Walmart

📄 Harry’s files paperwork for fresh $139.9M financing

🌍 Tiger Global backs Accrue Savings’ ‘save now, pay later approach to consumer purchases

🍻 BlockBar, Democratizes Traditional Spirits Industry Selling Maison Hennessy's First-Ever NFT Collection to a Crypto Community Club

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In need of a  job? We’ve got plenty awaiting you!

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CHOOSE SUCCESS below and have a great week! 'Get that D2C business runnin'.