Good morning,
Hereās what youāll find in todayās DTC:
š ļø Tips to optimize your Shopify store: Shopify expert Kurt Elster shares underutilized features that drive conversions.
ā„ļø The buzziest Valentineās Day product drops: We take a look at UGGs and SKIMS' latest V-day drops and clever tactics.
š¤ Andā¦thereās a new AI model in town thatās already outperforming OpenAI.
Youāre reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Naturally Nourished Nomad, Decor Haus, and Flushmate. š
šØ Are Your Meta Ads Stuck In A Rut?
Meta ads that arenāt consistently tested and refined eventually hit a wall.
š One-off quick wins wonāt fuel long-term growth. š
Without a proven framework, uncovering what truly worksāand scaling itāis nearly impossible.
Thatās where Pilothouse comes in. Using their data-backed, repeatable 7-step creative testing process, they helped GrowOya and hundreds of other brands unlock high-performing angles, creative styles, and scalable content.
The results? Massive reach. Better ROI. Ads that donāt just workāthey win.
Take the first step toward better ads and consistent growthābook a call with Pilothouse now.
š° Top Contenders Bidding On TikTok
ICYMI last week, MrBeast put in an all-cash bid to purchase TikTok, teaming up with tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley.
Kevin OāLeary also expressed interest in buying the social media platform and declared his offer as the only āviableā option.
The latest? Perplexity AI has also submitted a bid proposing a new merged entity between Perplexity and TikTok, and promised the U.S. government a 50% stake in the new company upon a future IPO.
And who wouldnāt want a piece of TikTok?
According to MediaRadar, advertisers spent $4.8 billion on TikTok in 2024, a 27% year-over-year increase from 2023.
š§ Shopify Optimization Strategies Every DTC Founder Should Know ā With Kurt Elster
In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we welcome Kurt Elster, Shopify expert and founder of EtherCycle, a consultancy specializing in optimizing Shopify stores for ecommerce brands.
Kurt dives into tactical advice for DTC founders, focusing on Shopify's most underutilized features and strategies that drive conversions.
Whether it's improving your store's navigation, creating high-converting landing pages, or running better promotions, Kurtās insights are laser-focused on helping Shopify brands grow.
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In this podcast, we cover:
š You can listen to the full episode with Kurt here.
Now you can. ā
Ahrefs' Content Changes allows you to see what changes were made to a web page over time and if these changes resulted in traffic growth. š
You can also look at your competitors' performance chart and see if traffic spikes were caused by updating their content and in which way.
Ready to skip the trial and error stage and go straight to success?
See what your competitors do and get inspired by what works with Ahrefs' Content Changes. āØ
ā„ļø Falling For These V-Day Product Drops
These product drops and collabs drew major buzz in the past few weeks and were some of the top trending items for Valentine's Day on Google Trends.
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Here's what you missed:
UGG released their Valentine's Day collection, which promptly sold out on their website.
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They leveraged two best-selling SKUs, the viral Tazz platform slipper and Lowmel sneaker, and offered these products in a new shade, Tropical Pink, just in time for V-Day shoppers. The shoes also feature a small embroidered finger heart.
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š This shows how leveraging a best-selling product in a different colorway with a personal touch can be a winning recipe.
SKIMS partnered with global pop star RosƩ for their Valentine's Day drop.
The collection includes 20 limited edition items plus hundreds of other SKUs that lean into shades of pink and red.
The drop also included items for men, kids, pets, and V-Day-themed accessories to help drive AOV.
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š The campaign targeted multiple customer personas (not just couples) and the vast product range boosts chances of conversions.
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The takeaway?
UGG's product drop demonstrates there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
Pairing a bestseller with a seasonal twist can result in a boost in sales.
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And remember, customers aren't just shopping for their partner.
They are also shopping for themselves, friends, and family so having a large product assortment targeting different audiences can work in your favor.
š CELEBRATE THIS!
š» Feb 1: Change Your Password Day, Cake Pop Day, Get Up Day
āļø Feb 2: Grammy Awards, Groundhog Day, Crepe Day, Self Renewal Day
š¢ Feb 3: Elmo Day, Take A Cruise Day, Golden Retriever Day
š Feb 4: Sweater Day, Facebookās Birthday, World Cancer Day, Friendās Day
š« Feb 5: World Nutella Day, Chocolate Fondue Day
š„¢ Feb 6: Pay A Compliment Day, Frozen Yogurt Day, Chopsticks Day
š¹ Feb 7: Bubble Gum Day, Go Red Day, Rose Day
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š IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE
Users on X cannot stop buzzing about DeepSeek and its AI advancements.
This new AI model only cost $5.6 million to train and its performance already rivals ChatGPT.
The most impressive part? It costs way less to operate which makes it possible to run generative AI models with less computing power.
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š„ 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?
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Donāt forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø)
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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