📦 - Perfect Score 💯

DTC 598 - TikTok Back To School Stats, FFUPs, and Imperfect Ads Wednesday, July 10, 2024 Good morning, We hate to be ‘that person’ and pull you out of vacation mode but you’ll want to get a head start on those Back To School campaigns. Now, not later. TikTok recently published their Back To School report and it turns out a lot of parents do their BTS shopping in July so finish polishing and perfecting those campaigns and then you can go back to lounging poolside. 😎 Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: 💯 TikTok shares insightful Back To School stats and identifies three shopping periods you can target to maximize sales. 💰 Baked corn puffs? Say no more! We sat down with FFUPS founder Sam Tichnor about how he perfected his snack recipe and the challenges of moving from DTC to retail. 💡 And…sometimes done is better than perfect when putting ads live. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Fierce Whiskers, LATHER, and Pearls and Pages Boutique. 👋 DATA ✅ Know You Need A Data Science Team But Don't Know What Your Next Step Should Be? Keep Reading Whether your growth looks like converting one-time buyers into loyal subscribers, winning back lost customers, or increasing repeat purchases, [Segments Analytics has you covered](. 👀 With [Segments](, identify and target key customer segments with personalized email and SMS campaigns. Why? So you can ensure the right message reaches the right audience at the perfect time. ⏰ Plus, uncover profitable audiences, analyze customer purchase behaviors, optimize your marketing flows and targeting, and watch your subscription rates soar. Your data shouldn’t just be numbers in a spreadsheet. 🙅 With Segments, take the guesswork out of retention marketing and [turn your data into actionable insights to drive incremental revenue for your brand](. Ready to build lasting customer relationships and maximize their lifetime value? 👇 [Start Your 28-Day Free Trial]( *Sponsored TIKTOK INSIGHTS 💯 Study Up On These Back To School Learnings TikTok recently released its Back To School trends report for 2024 and shared three high intent shopping periods and how you can capitalize on them. 1️⃣ Early bird shoppers: Did you know that 29% of parents start their back-to-school shopping in July? So, while kids are still in vacation mode, parents are already making lists and ordering supplies for the academic year. ✏️ Last year, an uptick of #BackToSchool videos started as early as July. There was a 127% increase in videos posted compared to 2022. What this means: Parents are looking to discover new brands and products they can purchase to set their kids up for success. Creating content and running your ads now can help keep your brand top of mind and boost your July sales. 📈 2️⃣ August is the peak BTS shopping period: During August 2023, the app's peak shopping period, 300K user videos using #BackToSchool was created. What this means: It's time to crank up your content production during this month to maximize your online visibility and generate more sales. Partner with creators to get the message out there. 46% of users say they want to see ads featuring creators who are teachers, professors or instructors. 3️⃣ Don’t forget the late shopping crowd: 79% of parents admitted they purchased products after the school year had started. What this means: Keep your BTS ads running even after school starts to capture this late wave of buyers. Here are more interesting Back To School learnings: - The top five categories parent users purchased: office or school supplies, clothing or accessories, food and beverage, personal care products, and tech. - Top considerations for BTS shopping: Price followed by product quality and promotions. - Popular hashtags brands can tap into: #DormDecor, #StudentLife, #HomeworkHacks, #ClassroomEssentials, #StudyWithMe, #MindfulLearning, #ClassroomFun, #StudyPlaylist, and #FirstDayOutfits - Users want recommendations! 59% of TikTok users want to hear recommendations on which Back To School products to buy. - Parents want to prepare their children for academic success. 50% of parents made an education-related purchase through TikTok and bought an education app subscription. How can brands stand out? Brands can partner with parent, student, or teacher TikTok creators to educate users on how to find the best deals, provide product tips and tricks, and advise them on where to shop. Capturing interest early in July can help brands increase their conversions for their BTS campaigns. 🚀 AMAZON 🤫 Unilever, P&G, Magic Spoon and More Are Using This Strategy To Grow On Amazon… Influencers. Yes, that’s right—[Influencers for Amazon growth](. 👀 Stack Influence's unique influencer marketing strategy is designed to help you turn influencers into genuine Amazon brand advocates. With access to over 11M U.S. based Influencers, [the Stacked network helps their clients see increased sales, increased rank, and MoM growth](. 🏆 By having influencers who purchase and use your product, you get heartfelt and influential promotions to significantly enhance your brand’s online presence. Gain authentic reviews, increase social proof, and drive more sales with Stack Influence. ⭐ [Learn More OR Get Started Today]( *Sponsored PODCAST 🎧 Innovating The Cheese Puff: Sam Tichnor Scales Snacking Today, we're excited to have Sam Tichnor, the founder of [FFUPS](, a snack brand disrupting the traditional puff snack market. With a background in finance and brand growth at Harry's Razors, Sam brings a unique perspective to the world of consumer packaged goods. In this episode, Sam shares his journey from the personal care industry to creating innovative snack flavors that aren't just another cheese puff. He dives into the challenges and strategies of launching a new snack brand in both direct-to-consumer and retail channels. In this podcast, we cover: - Transitioning from DTC to retail: Sam talks candidly about FFUPs journey from DTC to store shelves. - The importance of product sampling: Why sampling and in-store demos is such an important strategy for in-store marketing and creating customer engagement. - Striking a balance in product development: Why there needs to be room for practicality but also novelty. 👉 You can listen to the full episode with Sam [here](. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Sometimes done is better than perfect. Getting your ads published more quickly will give you more time to analyze which ones are the top-performers and which ones are duds so you can reiterate as you go. Can't view the image? [Click here]( 🎉 CELEBRATE THIS! 🍟 July 13: Embrace Your Geekness Day, National French Fries Day, National Nitrogen Ice Cream Day 🦈 July 14: Shark Awareness Day, National Macaroni and Cheese Day, National Nude Day 📦 July 15: National Give Something Away Day, Tapioca Pudding Day, Gummi Worm Day 🥨 July 16: Fresh Spinach Day, World Snack Day 🌭 July 17: National Hot Dog Day, World Emoji Day 👂 July 18: National Caviar Day, World Listening Day 😝 July 19: National Daiquiri Day, National Raspberry Cake Day, and Stick Out Your Tongue Day ⚡ QUICK HITS 🤖 Having trouble setting up AI integrations? Get custom AI solutions tailored for your business with Askkelly.ai. Plans start at $9. [Book your free consultation here](. * 👀 Wondering which event you should go to this year? Hint hint: DTC C-Suite Mastermind. Join 50 DTC peers for two days of learning and networking in Victoria BC. [Don’t miss your chance—secure your seat](. 📰 NEWS - Amazon [expands brand and product keyword targeting capabilities for advertisers](. - TikTok Shop sellers [can initiate partial refunds starting on July 16th](. - E.U. regulators [give Amazon three weeks to show they are compliant with the Digital Services Act](. SPONSOR DTC 📥 Got a B2B Biz? Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 160k brand leaders and founders this year. [Talk to our team to learn more](. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🌽 FFUPS founder Sam Tichnor on [How He Scaled Snacking]( - 💰 [AKNF 419:]( Bidding on Branded Keywords on Google Ads - 🦙 Paka Founder Kris Cody on [His Peruvian Retail Journey]( - 🤖 [AKNF 417:]( Learn How To Build Your Own Brand GPT - 🦁 Sarah Carusona [Tames the Omnichannel Beast for Alpha Lion]( - 💡 [AKNF 415:]( The Gucci and Ralph Lauren of Effective Email Design Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and [Frances Du](. Edited by [Eric Dyck](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. [Direct To Consumer]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( [Unsubscribe](