A quick note:

Hey DTC Pod fam! We have some thrilling updates to share, and guess what? We're delivering exactly what you've been requesting – our Tool of the Week!

In this weeks newsletter we'll delve into the challenges facing Amazon's brand incubator as it faces bankruptcy, Tom Brady's brand amid fierce competition, Chewy's impressive sales performance, Amazon and Shopify’s integration & much more!

As always, we're all ears for your feedback. Slide into our DMs on Twitter or drop us an email at [email protected].

Stay inspired!

- Blaine, Ramon, & the DTC POD crew ✌️

Wanna get your product or service in front of our audience, click here

A Look Back at Our Best Moments

Presenting our top-rated episodes, ranging from exploring key investor considerations in a company to topics like product sampling, pricing strategies, building relationships, and much more.

Episode #276- Chris and Jo Kippenberger join Blaine and Ramon to discuss transforming their $1000 niche magazine on powerboating and avant-garde transportation into a billionaire-favored luxury lifestyle brand. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #268- Athan joins Blaine for a deep dive in what it takes to launch one of the fastest growing travel brands. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #267- Justin Seidenfeld joins the pod to talk product development, supply chains, and the Canopy success story, addressing challenges and strategies for new product launches. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #260- In this episode of DTC POD, we uncover the essentials that investors look for, important success indicators, and invaluable insights for launching and funding your brand. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #252- Jack and Blaine discuss brand building today: problem-solving, bootstrapping, channels, capital, suppliers, pacing, cash conversion, subscriptions, data, timing, and more. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #243- Kian joins Blain and Ramon to share insights on working with manufacturers: partner selection, quality vetting, credibility, sampling, spec sheets, pricing, relationships, agreements, production, shipping, and supply chain scaling. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #225- Max and Blaine discuss launching a side-project brand, bootstrapping, Shark Tank success, product positioning, branding, digital strategies, retail, fundraising, market entry, and more. (Full Episode Here)

Episode #219- JT and Blaine discuss unlocking growth through creative thinking, covering TikTok strategy, algorithms, content types, brand voice, consistency, organic audience building, SMS communities, and more. (Full Episode Here)

📰 DTC & eCommerce News

• Amazon Brand Incubator Files for Bankruptcy- Amazon brand incubator Benitago filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. The company said macroeconomic forces caused e-commerce growth to stagnate, leading brands it acquired to underperform. Benitago hopes to right-size and refocus on in-house brands after taking on significant debt to fund acquisitions.
  More on this here.

• Tom Brady's Apparel Brand Brady Goes Quiet. Tom Brady's athletic wear brand Brady has slowed down releases and social media promotion lately. The brand hasn't posted on Instagram since August, and Brady himself hasn't promoted the brand since May. While the brand said new collections are coming, the pullback indicates Brady may be struggling to compete with major players like Nike and Adidas.
  Learn more here.
  

• Chewy Beats Q2 Estimates But Sees Consumer Shift. Online pet retailer Chewy exceeded Q2 guidance with 14.3% sales growth, driven by its Autoship subscription service. However, it saw a shift from wet to dry pet food indicating value-seeking behavior. The retailer predicts challenging forecasts ahead as household formation remains muted.
  All the scoop here.

• Credit Card Defaults Hit 10-Year High Amid Inflation. As inflation squeezes Americans, credit card and auto loan delinquencies have hit their highest level in over 10 years. Lower income consumers have relied more on credit cards for essentials like groceries, while interest rates climbed over 20%. With savings depleted and holidays approaching, experts fear consumers will rack up more debt.
  Click here.
  

• Target Rapidly Expands Sortation Centers to Localize, Speed Up Delivery. Target is rapidly expanding its network of sortation centers, which it calls the "secret sauce" for faster, more efficient delivery. The centers allow for next-day delivery by removing the sorting process from stores. Target now has 10 centers and plans to add more, including larger capacity delivery vehicles that hold 8X more packages.
  Discover more here.

X of The Week

Rohit Bhadange (@RoOnBrand) dropped valuable insights about Shopify letting merchants use Amazon's "Buy with Prime" button. On one hand, it's gonna be way easier for Shopify stores to tap into Prime's huge customer base and fast shipping. But Rohit calls out how it gives Amazon even more data and power to squash competitors. Still, Rohit says customer experience is most important. Even with industry drama, gotta keep your eye on what really matters - customers.

What do you think?

Tool of the Week

Looking to better understand your customers?

Meet ChatGPT for Shop, your new product research assistant. This clever browser extension summarizes and analyzes reviews for any product page. Backed by OpenAI's ChatGPT, it surfaces crucial user feedback so you can optimize your product selection.

Features: Summarizes reviews, analyzes user profiles, and surfaces key insights.

Use Case: Visit a competitor's product page, and click the icon to see summarized reviews. Use the insights to improve your products.

DTC Event

Digital Marketing Conference North America 14-15 SEPT (MIAMI) is a two-day event that explores the latest trends and strategies within digital marketing and digital transformation. The conference covers topics such as digital marketing technologies, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, influencer marketing, UX, CX, eCommerce, content marketing, data, analytics, and mobile
Buy your tickets here

Wanna get your product or service in front of our audience, click here. 

Interested in being a guest? Sharing a cool event?

Suggestions on how to improve the pod? Email us at [email protected] n