📦 - Who Takes The Throne? 👑

Amazon Q4 Images, Dream Job Alert, TikTok Hooks, Utilizing Customer Insights, Walmart Marketplace Monday, October 23, 2023 In this newsletter, you’ll find: - 📦 Inspiration for your Q4 Amazon gifting and holiday creatives - 📦 The science behind successful hooks on TikTok - 📦 Can Amazon be dethroned by another ecommerce marketplace? Let’s dive in: 👇 HIRING 🚨 DREAM JOB ALERT - Join one of the fastest-growing tech companies in DTC* Looking for a career-defining move? You're in luck! 🤩 Motion — the pioneers of Creative Analytics — is hiring an [Account Executive]( and a [Performance Marketing Expert]( to join their team. If you're excited about: 🛍️ The DTC community 🏃 ♀️ Moving fast 💥 Having an impact Motion is the place for you! Work with some of the top brands and agencies in DTC alongside some of the most talented people you've ever met. Oh, and Motion is fully remote 🌎 Not sure if you're ready to switch roles but interested to learn more? Reach out anyway! Performance Marketing Expert, Paid Social [Learn more here]( and say hi to [Kyra Richards on LinkedIn]( Account Executive [Learn more here]( and say hi to [Evan Lee on LinkedIn]( AMAZON CREATIVE 🎁 Amazon Q4 Holiday and Gifting Creatives Welcome back to another week of DTC’s Creative Corner! If Q4 has you feeling a little queasy, the [Pilothouse Studios team]( has you covered. This week, we’re focusing on how to conquer Amazon. 🤺 From the just passed Fall Prime Day to the near future Black Friday/Cyber Monday and holiday sales, the hustle of Q4 in the Amazon space can overwhelm even the most seasoned ecom expert. But have no fear, below are some creative angles you can implement on your account to tame the beast that is Q4. 🤑 Here we go 👇 Big Blanket Amazon Store Page Skip the seasonal stress scramble; instead, start crafting a festive masterpiece well before the first snowfall hits the ground. Amazon store pages are perfect vessels to hold all the cheerful holiday creative. Whether it be “Gift Giving” “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Grinchmas” pages, be sure to build them nice and early. ❣️ Why we love this creative: The page includes multiple product variations, giving the viewer a comprehensive understanding of the product options at a glance, and uses multiple shoppable tiles, making it easy for the customer to make a purchase. It also provides a landing page for seasonal sponsored brand traffic, taking another thing off of your Q4 to-do list! 💥 Super tip! Make the pages OVERLY shoppable. Throw in product grids and shoppable tiles, making it as easy as 1-2-3 for customers to click that beautiful “add to cart” button. We’ve got two more killer Amazon creatives to help you crush this Q4, [click here to view them](. CUSTOMER FEEDBACK 🚀 Unlock revenue with customer insights!* Did you know that a recent Forbes study showed that 77% of consumers favor brands that embrace customer feedback? With Zigpoll's engaging and fun surveys, more customers will share their insights, allowing you to personalize offerings and skyrocket sales. Allison Klein (Forbes 30 U 30 in Retail/Ecommerce) used Zigpoll and transformed her store's post-purchase rate to 74% and sold out in 8 hours! 🤯 Join the top Shopify brands and make your customers feel truly seen. 🌟 [Discover Zigpoll Success Stories]( TIKTOK 🪝 The Science of Hooks TikTok user [viral video.club]( analyzed over 50,000 videos to compile a list of the most effective strategies that keep your viewers “hooked” on your content. Here’s what he learned: 👇 - Six words is the ideal length of your hook. - ‘Negative’ promos are the most compelling (think FOMO!). - The grade five reading level is the most accessible and informative. - Be funny - people want to be entertained. - Lean into a narrative since listicles are oversaturated. The message you deliver in the hook of your video plays the most significant role in ensuring you retain your viewer’s attention. By fulfilling the promises you make in the hook, you’ll support the growth of your community and elevate your reputation and authority to become a significant player in your space To see each of these examples in action and discover even strategies to master TikTok advertising for BFCM, [check out the full article here](. ECOMMERCE 👀 At This Point, Can Anyone Catch Up to Amazon? Walmart is Going to Try Walmart is intensifying its efforts to expand its e-commerce offerings, especially its third-party marketplace. The retail giant is focusing on attracting a variety of independent sellers to diversify its virtual stock, ranging from cosmetics to luxury watches. As the holiday season approaches, Walmart's online strategies will be thoroughly tested. While Walmart is a dominant player in physical retail, it remains an underdog in ecommerce, especially when compared to Amazon. ([Image source]() However, Walmart is leveraging its vast network of physical stores as mini-warehouses to provide faster delivery options to customers. The company is also investing in various features and services to make its platform more attractive to third-party sellers, such as waiving storage fees during peak seasons, offering fulfillment for larger items, and providing local delivery services. Despite being years behind Amazon in online sales, Walmart has made significant strides, such as simplifying the process for new sellers to join its platform and launching the Walmart+ membership program. Walmart's advantage lies in its expansive physical store network, with over 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart store. As Walmart continues to expand its third-party marketplace and leverages its physical stores for faster deliveries, it could pose a significant challenge to dominant online marketplaces like Amazon in the future. So, what do you think? Would you be interested in selling through the new Walmart marketplace? Respond to this email and tell us why or why not. 👀 SPONSOR DTC 📥 Promote your product to 160,000 digital marketing professionals DTC Newsletter + Podcast reaches a highly qualified audience of Shopify merchants, eCommerce founders, and digital marketers. [Talk to our team to learn more](. ⚡ QUICK HITS 🌋 [5,000 DTC marketers have registered for the 2023 Creative Strategy Summit](. It's all happening live on October 26th. Save your spot & learn how to up your game with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube ads. * 📸 [Instagram adds polls to the comments]( of Feed posts and Reels as another engagement option for users. Only some users have access to the feature but Mark Zuckerberg notes a platform-wide rollout is under way. 👻 [A new study reveals that Snapchat users are surprisingly reluctant]( to use social media platforms like TikTok or Twitter/X. These findings might encourage brands to develop more unique content for their Snap audience. ✖️ [There’s been confirmation of two new X subscription]( tiers in development from Musk. He details one tier that has all of the Premium features but with ads and another higher tier with the same features but no ads. 😬 [Google Ads now has stricter requirements]( to complete some certifications. Exams are now prefaced with photo verification and rules like no open books and mandatory video recording of the test. 👀 BANTER We promise it sounded smart in our head… Words just didn’t come out right 😅 Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 💋 [Form, Function, and Fragrance](: Cosmetic Industry Vet Sherry Jharwar on her Beautiful Journey in DTC - 👀 [AKNF 344](: Is Amazon Anti-Consumer? - 💤 [Pillows, Sleep, and the Journey of a DTC Founder]( - Larissa Hildebrandt and Henrie.com - 🚀 [AKNF Archive](: Rux Rockets to Meta Ads ROAS with the Pilot Test - 🌱 [Moss Amigos & Chia Pet Legacy]( - Jared Olivia on Becoming America's New Favorite Class Pet - 📊 [AKNF 340](: Google Ads Q4 Psyche Up + GA4 Gut Check Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) Got an awesome DTC brand story to tell? Calling all brand-side founders and team leaders! Fancy joining us on the DTC Podcast as a guest? [Tap the link to toss in your application](. DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and [Michael Venditti](. Edited by [Claire Beveridge]( and [Eric Dyck](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. 💰Check out our course on [Facebook and Instagram]( ads! 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]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](