📦 - Fine, I’ll Do It Myself 🙄

DTC 647 - Walmart Fulfillment Services, Google Ads, and Pop-up Friction Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Good morning, Looks like those Temu and Shein prices are about to go up. 📈 The Biden administration announced last week that they are looking to limit a trade rule called de minimis, which allows packages to be shipped from foreign countries to customers without paying tariffs. Ecommerce retailers like Temu and Shein have taken advantage of this rule to gain rapid market share in the U.S. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: 💡 Reasons why you shouldn’t ‘set and forget’ landing pages. 📦 No clue how to deliver your winning product? Here’s how Walmart Fulfillment Solutions solved Dude Wipes' shipping issue. 💸 Expert tips on how to optimize your Google Ads account for maximum profitability. ❌ And…Are your pop-ups negatively affecting your conversion rate? You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: [Hazley Builders](, and [Kreenuts](. 👋 EMAIL 🫣 Suspense. Twists and Turns. A Wild Ride — All Great In a Hollywood Thriller… Not Great In Your Email Marketing Platform Let’s be real. Email marketing isn’t the “sexiest” member of the marketing family. And that’s okay. As a business owner, you have enough “exciting” stuff happening. Sometimes, what you need is reliable, stable, and effective. [That’s Omnisend](. When you [choose Omnisend](, you choose: - To send campaigns that pay off. Brands using Omnisend make, on average, $73 for every $1 spent. 💵 - No steep learning curve. Omnisend’s platform is so intuitive, you can hit the ground running. 🏃 - 24/7 support. 💡 - What you expect for less. Get everything you expect from other platforms at a price that doesn’t make your heart drop. 💲 Embrace the calm. Expect the expected. Choose a platform that doesn’t add more stress on your plate. 👇 [Check Out What Omnisend Has to Offer]( *Sponsored A/B TESTING 💡 Don’t Set and Forget Your Landing Pages! One of the biggest mistakes [Pilothouse]( sees brands making is taking on a 'set it and forget it' mentality regarding landing pages. Like paid ads, there should be fluidity to your landing pages – changing and updating content on the homepage to trending angles and topics but not too much where it overwhelms the users and hinders performance. Increasing earnings per click (EPC) is as simple as changing out one element of the page. There is no need to create completely different page designs to increase revenue. Start simple, always. Split test the headline feature image or the page headline copy. Pilothouse has seen a 4X-7X increase in EPCs just by making this tweak. RESOURCES 👀 Study These 2023 BFCM Success Stories to Crush Q4 Brands are gearing up for BFCM '24. And [minisocial]( is giving you their success stories from last year's BFCM and a roundup of this year’s trends to help you succeed in Q4. minisocial has put together a [Black Friday Deep Dive](, featuring: - TikTok Shop Q4 forecast - case studies from successful BFCM campaigns - early trends for this year - a cheat sheet on how to scale with UGC and micro-influencers Gear up and get ready to smash this year’s BFCM with the insights in minisocial’s Deep Dive 👇 [Take Me To The Deep Dive]( *Sponsored PODCAST ⭐ Structure Your Google Ads Account by Unit Economics Today on the pod, we're joined by Brian Juhos from [the Pilothouse Google Ads team](, who shares key insights into optimizing Google Ads campaigns for maximum profitability. In this episode, Brian breaks down common mistakes brands make in their Google Ads strategies and explains why aligning ad campaigns with real business objectives is essential for sustainable growth. Brian discusses how many brands rely on generic ROAS targets or arbitrary product categories, which can lead to wasted ad spend and missed opportunities. ❌ He introduces a more strategic approach by segmenting Google Ads campaigns based on real unit economics, such as margins and contribution margins, to ensure every campaign is profitable and well-targeted. In this podcast, we cover: - Align Google Ads with Business Realities: How to move beyond a single ROAS target and optimize campaigns based on product-specific data like margins and fulfillment costs. - Avoid Common Mistakes: Why using blanket ROAS targets or arbitrary product categories can hurt your bottom line and how to structure your campaigns for success. - Leverage Smart Bidding Strategies: Insights on using smart bidding effectively and when to consolidate or segment campaigns for optimal performance. 👉 You can listen to the full episode with Brian [here](. LOGISTICS 💰 How WFS Fixed Dude Wipes' Shipping Situation You have a great product. Customers are willing to pay for it. But you have no clue how to ship it. So you think…Fine, I'll do it myself. But it turns out to be more challenging than you thought. After delays, delays, delays, customers are angry and cancel their orders. Or worse, they tell everyone online that your brand is unreliable and not worth purchasing. 😕 This scenario is so common for DTC brands looking to scale. You can have a great product and willing customers, but if you can't figure out how to get it to them quickly, you will lose their attention and business. Once the orders come piling in, mistakes can happen, and instead of sending that package to Paris, France, it winds up in Paris, Ontario, and you’re hit with another one-star customer complaint. 😥 But there's an easy way to turn this stressful scenario around. [For Dude Wipes, it was partnering with a world-class logistics company—Walmart Fulfillment Services]( (WFS). WFS can… ✅ Turn this logistical nightmare into a golden opportunity for businesses. ✅ Manage your shipping and logistics for you. ✅ Ensure customers get their packages promptly. ✅ And help you scale fast. That way, you can spend more time doing what you do best — creating and marketing amazing, innovative products without worrying about delayed shipments ruining your brand's stellar reputation. Still need convincing? [Learn how WFS fixed Dude Wipes' less-than-squeaky-clean shipping situation](. 👇 The flushable wipes brand Dude Wipes had a problem. Their business was growing fast but carrying their own boxes and shipping their own orders became a pain in the butt. They promised customers they could ship nationwide, but this quickly became unsustainable with just one shipping location in Chicago and limited staff. Their goals: - Expand their product assortment - Get orders out to customers quickly - Scale and grow market share from 1% to 8% in 10 years The challenge? How could the brand grow when it can't solve its ever-growing shipping problem? So, they sought a shipping and logistics partner to help them scale and improve their shipping times so customers could receive their orders within two days. Why did Dude Wipes choose Walmart Fulfillment Services? ✅ Big-time cost savings. Compared to competitors, Walmart's Fulfillment Services cost 15% less. ✅ Inventory visibility: WFS can tell if a product is out of stock or running low and alert the brand so they can make more strategic decisions. ✅ Additional revenue channel: Dude Wipes also partnered with Walmart Marketplace. They can easily upload products and make them available to millions of Walmart customers in this online marketplace. This gets the brand more sales and the opportunity to gather more data about the customers and what they like and dislike to create more customer-centric products. The explosive results? Dude Wipes experienced big gains with WFS: - 475% YoY increase in WFS GMV - 807% increase in WFS units sold - And…413% YoY increase in 2-day delivery promise Partnering with WFS positioned Dude Wipes to get a more significant share of the $15 billion bath tissue category, which means they can focus more time on creating innovative products and delivering more solutions to customers and earn their loyalty long term. Want to read more? [Check out the full WFS x Dude Wipes case study here](! OR [Learn how you can get started today with Walmart Fulfillment Services](. *This editorial piece was created in collaboration with Walmart. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Your pop-ups may look great on desktop, but don’t forget to check how it looks across mobile devices. You wouldn’t want your widget or pop-up to cover up your CTA and create unnecessary friction during the purchasing process. Can't view the image? [Click here]( 📰 NEWS - The Biden administration [cracks down on Shein and Temu by changing tariff rules](. - Pinterest [launches ‘It’s Possible’ ad campaign to promote their effective ad tools](. - Post Malone [joins Poppi as their newest investor and brand partner](. - TD Bank [launches an ecommerce platform for small Canadian businesses](. 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? - 🏜️ Dosso Beauty [Tackling Hair Deserts with Hypoallergenic Products]( - 📧 [AKNF 437:]( Mastering Email Marketing with Quadrant Framework - 🐶 Ollie on [The Role of Brand in Scaling a Pet Food Company]( - 🦆 [AKNF 435:]( Stocking the Pond and Planning for Q4 - 👟 How VKTRY Gear [Achieved 240% Growth with Niche Marketing]( - 🆚 [AKNF 433:]( All In on Amazon v.s. Diversified DTC 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](