DTC790: Why You Need To Track Category Lifecycle

Good morning,

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

🤔 Understanding Your Category Lifecycle  
Are customers only buying your core product?

📦 Daily Tariff Update
Catch up on the latest news and see our poll results concerning how brands impacted by tariffs plan to make cuts.

💡 Drive More Email Revenue
Without killing your brand with discounts.

⏱️ Optimize Without Spending More
Do this for one hour today to get more revenue.

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You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: urbAna Shop, Gesser Notary, and Logisco. 👋

🚨 Free Tariff Response Audit for 7-Figure Brands

New U.S. tariffs are shaking up the ecommerce landscape. For some brands, it means rising costs. For others, it’s a chance to grab market share.

Pilothouse—one of North America’s top performance agencies—is offering a free Emergency Marketing Audit to help you navigate this moment. Whether you’re in-house or with an agency, if you’re not 100% confident your strategy is built to protect margins or seize opportunity, this is for you.

We’ve helped brands like Four Sigmatic, Chamberlain Coffee, and Selkirk Sports drive over $750M in revenue—even in volatile markets.

You’ll get expert insights across:

• Paid Media + Amazon
• Email + Retention
• CRO
• Omnichannel Efficiency

Over 90% of audits reveal actionable improvements—fast. Share the results with your team or lean on Pilothouse to get it done.

If you’re a 7-figure+ brand, there’s no strings here, just strategy.

Schedule Your Free Audit Now‍

Yesterday, we asked how brands impacted by the tariffs were planning on making cuts. Here’s how your fellow DTC readers responded:

• 22% COGS
• 26% OPEX
• 12% Ad Spend
• 14% Salaries
• 6% SaaS and services
• 20% All of the above

Today’s poll question: Do you think the new tariffs on China will stick?

• Yes
• No

Check back in tomorrow for the results!

❓ Have any specific questions you want us to ask re: tariffs? Respond to this email and send them our way.

📦 China Responds, Trump Hits Pause

Whether it’s a minor tweak or a major shift, we’ll keep you posted on the latest tariff changes—so you’re always in the know.

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April 9, 2025 update:

• President Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for all non-retaliating trade partners.
  • Tariffs temporarily drop to a universal 10%
  • China excluded from the pause
  • S&P surged 7% — its biggest one-day gain in 5 years
• China Imposes 84% Tariff on U.S. Imports in Response to Trump’s 104% Tariff
  • Beijing raises tariffs from 34% to 84%, effective Thursday, escalating trade tensions.
• U.S. Stock Market Opens with Mixed Results as Dow Jones Slips Early
  • Investor uncertainty drives early losses despite mixed trading activity.
• Oil Prices Plunge Below $60 as WTI and Brent Crude Suffer Major Drops
  • WTI falls to $55.60 and Brent to $58.84—the lowest levels since February 2021.
• Trump Urges Calm Amid Market Volatility: “BE COOL!”
  • President Trump encourages optimism, saying it’s a “great time to buy” in a social media post.
• EU Tariffs on $20.9 Billion Worth of U.S. Goods to Roll Out in Three Phases
  • Tariffs to hit €3.9B in April, €13.5B in May, and €3.5B in December.
• Recession Risks Rise as U.S.–China Trade War Intensifies
  • Analysts warn escalating tariffs could tip the global economy into a downturn.

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We’ll be back tomorrow with a quick, reliable update from DTC Newsletter, delivered daily.

💡 Are You Tracking Your Category Lifecycle?

You have a great product and paying customers but do you know if customers are exploring your product catalogue?

Jordan Gordon, host of TWBERP and Head of Email Retention at Pilothouse, explains that a common problem businesses face is having customers engaging with their hero product but not seeing an uptick in sales for secondary categories and add-ons.

Let’s look at the customer journey. 👇

Most customers discover your brand through a core product before branching out.

But if they only buy your hero product and never explore accessories, refills, or complementary items, you’re losing share of wallet.

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Why This Matters:

Your lifecycle marketing strategy should guide customers deeper into your catalog, not just optimize for repeat hero product sales.

To track your category lifecycle, compare buyers who have purchased from a secondary category vs. those who haven’t.

👉 If core product-only buyers are growing faster than revenue, it means your other product lines aren’t gaining traction.

This signals either a lack of demand or a need to refine how you position and market your broader catalog.

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The Trade-Off?

Reducing underperforming products may increase profitability, but it also shrinks your customer base, limiting future expansion opportunities.

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The takeaway?

Growth companies must track these three key lifecycles—customer, promotional, and category—to stay ahead of shifting revenue trends.

They provide a clear picture of what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next.

🎧 How To Drive More Email Revenue Without Killing Your Brand

On this episode of the World's Best Email & Retention Podcast, Jordan Gordon from Pilothouse dives deep into the biggest issue DTC operators are facing right now—email systems that don't perform when you really need them to.

Whether you’re dealing with an overbuilt automation system or trying to squeeze more revenue out of every email, this episode is your email revenue playbook.

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In this podcast, we cover:

• Why inbox placement is the single most important factor in email performance.
• How to diagnose and fix attribution issues with Klaviyo metrics.
• When and how to declare “automation bankruptcy” safely.
• The role of brand-building content in improving open/click rates and retention.
• How to balance frequency and segmentation to avoid burning out your list.
• Why measuring the funnel—addresses, first-time buyers, repeat buyers—is the best way to know if email’s working.

👉 You can listen to the full episode with Jordan here.

🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE

Rather than spending more on ads, carve out one hour to optimize your landing pages.

Create duplicate versions of the same page and A/B test your copy. Uncover winning headlines quicker.

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📅 EVENTS

SocialNext - Social Media Week (SMW) Next is a conference series focused on social media, digital culture, and technology. Attendees can expect to learn about the latest trends and best practices in social media marketing and digital strategy.

🗓️ Apr 25, 📍 Toronto, ON 💰 $399 -1,695

Config - Figma’s Config is a developer-focused conference exploring the future of design and development. Attendees can expect insightful sessions on topics such as collaborative workflows, design systems, and innovative Figma plugins. Participants will learn practical skills and best practices to improve their design and development processes.

🗓️ May 6-8, 📍 San Francisco, CA 💰 Free - $399

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📰 NEWS

• Trump announces a 90-day pause on tariffs for some countries, excluding China.
• China raises its retaliatory tariff on the U.S. to 84% effective today.
• Snapchat launches a new generative AI ad format called Sponsored Lenses.
• Mattel releases the first ever ‘Kenbassador’ doll featuring LeBron James.

📥 Got a B2B Biz?

Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 150k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.

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Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• 🏆 How Tito’s Built America’s #1 Vodka Brand Without Celebrities or Flavors
• 💻 AKNF 494: Why 2025 is the Year of Post-Click Optimization
• 📧 TWBERP 26: Building the Continuation Flow: A Lifecycle Email Strategy for Large Catalog DTC Brands
• 👜 Scaling a Luxury Resale Empire with Luxe Du Jour
• ⚡ AKNF 492: How To Win on Amazon in 2025: Rising Tariffs and AI
• ⭐ TWBERP 25: The Role of Email in Branding and Retention

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Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

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Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.