DTC Pod: How Jess Chan generated $300+ million for DTC brands with Retention Strategies

In this episode of DTC Pod, we’re joined by Jess Chan, CEO and Founder of Longplay, a lifecycle and retention agency for DTC brands that has generated over 300+ million for brands in 22+ different industries.

Jess gives insight into retention marketing, the role of strategic tools, optimizing email flows, and examples of successful tactics you can implement today.

Join us as we dive deep into:

• 3 Big Lessons from Jess

  • 1. Mapping Brand Growth with Retention Strategies

  • 2. Key Strategies for DTC Growth

  • 3. The Importance of Buyer Intent Flows

  • 4. And more! (Transcript & Notes)

• Amazing DTC Job Positions!

  • Rate this Newsletter!

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3 Big Lessons from Jess

1. Mapping Brand Growth with Retention Strategies

Jess outlines the different stages of a brand's growth:

Beginning Stages: She advises starting with basic email setups in the early stages of brand development. These fundamental setups include simple welcome emails, thank you emails, and promotional emails.

Intermediate Stages: Once a brand has established a strong email base, Jess advises progressing to more complex flow and segmentation. This involves creating specific flows for customers who regularly browse certain categories on your website, or developing more personalized re-engagement flows for users who haven't interacted with the brand in a while.

Advanced Stages: As brands mature and reach an eight-figure mark, Jess encourages the exploration of additional channels like SMS and direct mail. At this stage, it's crucial to implement programs such as loyalty, affiliate, and subscription programs.

Listen to this segment on Spotify or skip to 11:19 on any other listening platform.

2. Key Strategies for DTC Growth

Strategies such as loyalty programs, affiliate programs, and subscription based models drive sales, reduce churn, and integrate them into the overall business ecosystem.

Loyalty programs: Typically incentivizing repeat purchases or customer referrals with points or rewards, they serve to cultivate a strong sense of brand loyalty and encourage customer retention. This provide a tangible way to thank customers for their continued support.

Affiliate programs: By involving affiliates who promote your product or service in exchange for a commission on any sales they generate, this can greatly extend a brand's reach and if done correctly, can drive new customer acquisition and boost sales dramatically.

Subscription-based models: They provide a consistent revenue stream and improve customer retention by offering ongoing value in a convenient and often cost-effective way. It's a way of constantly keeping the customer engaged and provides a predictable revenue for the business.

Listen to this segment on Spotify or skip to 16:18 on any other listening platform.

3. The Importance of Buyer Intent Flows

Jess Chan discusses the four buyer intent flows:

1. Active on site: This flow refers to the engagement and activity driven while a customer is actively using the website. This might involve sharing personalized product recommendations, promoting discounts on items the customer has viewed, or providing helpful product information in real time.

2. Browse abandonment: If a customer spends time browsing a site but leaves without making a purchase or adding an item to the cart, this stage of flow aims to re-engage that customer. The aim is to encourage them to revisit the site and take a second look at products they showed interest in.

3. Abandoned cart: Sometimes customers will add items to their cart but leave the site without completing the purchase. This stage of flow is designed to re-engage these customers, perhaps by offering incentives like discounts or free shipping, or simply reminding them that they've left items in their cart.

Listen to this segment on Spotify or skip to 25:22 on any other listening platform.

4. And more! (Transcript & Notes)

If you’re looking for detailed insights from the podcast episode, feel free to listen to it or download the transcript and notes here.

Amazing DTC Job Positions!

Join Pattern Brands as GM, DTC Revenue Growth

Job Description: Pattern Brands seeks an experienced DTC General Manager with 8+ years of ecommerce experience to own P&L, growth strategy, and day-to-day execution for one of their portfolio brands.
Responsabilities: Optimizing merchandising, marketing KPIs and pioneering new opportunities to drive revenue and profitability growth.
Salary: $145k-$175k plus incentives and equity.

Join Pattern Brands as Director of Paid Media

Job Description: Pattern Brands seeks an innovative Director of Paid Media to lead paid campaigns across social, search, and more for its growing portfolio of home goods brands.
Responsabilities: Oversee media strategy and a team of specialists, optimizing budgets to boost performance and ROI. 8+ years of paid media expertise required.
Salary: $135k-$175k plus incentives and equity.

Join Pattern Brands as Director of CRO

Job Description: Pattern Brands seeks a Director of CRO to implement strategies to enhance the overall digital experience, drive customer satisfaction, and optimize conversion funnels across their digital platforms.
Responsabilities: Develop and execute strategies to optimize user engagement, conversion rates, and the digital customer experience across our growing portfolio of brands.
Salary: >$135k plus incentives and equity.

Join Jupiter as Design Director, Social Media Director, or Director of Supply Chain & Production

Jupiter seeks to expand its team with three open positions Design Director, Social Media Director, and Director of Supply Chain & Production. If you have work experience in those fields, this opportunity is for you!

That wraps up this week’s newsletter!

As always, reply any time with thoughts, reactions, or ideas for future issues. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to unlock new episodes of DTC Pod each week!