Good morning,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
🌷 Mother’s Day Prep
Use opt-out emails to reduce unsubscribes.
🔑 Costco Playbook
How Mid-Day Squares won at retail.
📦 Daily Tariff Tracker
Today’s key updates and new steep tariffs.
❌ Founder Fails
Top mistakes (and how to fix them.)
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Bombas, SalonCentric, and HubSpot. 👋
🌷 Brands Are Letting Customers ‘Opt Out’ of Mother’s Day Emails
While Mother’s Day is an important gifting holiday, it can also be a difficult time for some customers.
Mother’s Day can bring up mixed feelings for those who had a complicated relationship with their mother, or who have lost their mother, or are struggling to become a mom.
Why brands should pay attention:
Getting Mother’s Day emails can be a painful reminder for some, and the messaging may cause some customers to unsubscribe.
Once a customer unsubscribes, getting them back on your list is difficult.
To stop customers from unsubscribing, do this instead: create an opt-out email.
Here’s one Aesop sent out recently to their list, which is simple and to the point:
You can still run a Mother’s Day promotion without alienating some customers.
Sending this email before you start your Mother’s Day email campaign allows customers to opt out of this specific campaign, so they don’t have to see any Mother’s Day messaging during this sensitive time.
The takeaway?
Brands that give customers the option to opt out during challenging times show empathy — and in return, customers feel seen and appreciated.
Creating an opt-out email for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is a great way to maintain your list size and prevent loyal customers from unsubscribing.
🎯 Ads Aren’t Enough For Today’s DTC Brands—Here’s What Works Now
The DTC landscape has shifted. Big brands with massive budgets compete directly for customers, while new startups launch daily.
Ad costs keep rising, and standing out in the crowd gets harder. 😬
But smart brands (think Obvi, Graza, Hexclad) have found a better approach. 👀
By partnering with influencers who already have your customers' trust, you build a highly effective marketing channel that continues working even when ad campaigns end. 💥
This is where SARAL can help.
Find the right influencers, track everything in one place, measure what works, and build lasting relationships that drive sales. 📈
SARAL customers are spending less on ads while watching their sales grow faster than ever. 🚀
Ready for a better approach?
* sponsored
📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In
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.
April 22, 2025 update:
🤔 Is Coachella A Recession Indicator?
This month, more than 60% of festival goers used a payment plan to pay for exorbitant Coachella ticket prices to see their favorite artists in the desert.
A three-day general pass starts at $649.
While Coachella payment plans are not new, the number of festival-goers using buy now, pay later (BNPL) services has increased.
In 2009, only 18% of concertgoers used a BNPL payment plan.
🎧 How Mid-Day Squares Scaled to $36M with Careful Costco, Costly Cacao, and a Bitcoin Supply Chain Makeover with Nick Saltarelli
In this episode, we sit down with Nick Saltarelli, co-founder of Mid-Day Squares — the disruptive functional chocolate brand rewriting every rule in CPG.
From sourcing cocoa with Bitcoin and breaking sales records at Costco, to scaling with a relentless focus on market penetration, Nick walks us through the tactics behind their $36M run rate and how they built a new refrigerated snack category in mass retail.
In this podcast, we cover:
This is a tactical, no-BS episode for operators who want to break molds, not just grow linearly.
👉 You can listen to the full episode with Nick here.
🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE
Founders! Don’t make these two common delegation mistakes.
As you continue to scale, delegating is key. Just make sure not to delegate too soon.
Letting go at the right time is key.
🎉 CELEBRATE THIS!
👽 Apr 26: Alien Day, Celebrate Trails Day, World Healing Day, No Make up Day
🐕 Apr 27: Pet Parent’s Day, Morse Code Day, Little Pampered Dog Day
🦸 Apr 28: Blueberry Pie Day, Superhero Day, Pay It Forward Day
📹 Apr 29: Viral Video Day, Zipper Day
🧋 Apr 30: Denim Day, Bubble Tea Day, Honesty Day, Stop Food Waste Day
🍫 May 1: Lei Day, Chocolate Parfait Day
🍵 May 2: Truffle Day, World Tuna Day, International Space Day, National Matcha Day
📅 EVENTS
Config - 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.
📅 May 6-8, 📍 San Francisco, CA 💰 Free - $399
EmTech AI - MIT Technology Review’s signature AI leadership event, bringing together top business and tech leaders to explore the real-world impact of AI breakthroughs.
With exclusive, in-person discussions and immersive experiences, the event features leading AI experts and provides an opportunity to shape the future of generative AI.
📅 May 5-7, 📍 Cambridge, MA 💰 $900
📰 NEWS
📥 Got a B2B Biz?
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Have you heard our latest podcasts?
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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