📦 - 2 Ways to Improve The Checkout Experience

DTC 489 - STARRY’s Super Bowl Tactics, Meta Ads Reporting, Checkout Experience Thursday, February 8, 2024 Good morning, Amazon has partnered with the UK’s largest publisher Reach to access first-party customer data for targeted advertising. Which means they are now using…second-party data? 🤔 As the third-party cookie phase out continues, brands will need to rethink how they capture customer data so they can continue running targeted ads in Q4. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - A step-by-step beginner’s guide on Meta Ads reporting - STARRY’s creative Super Bowl marketing tactics featuring Ice Spice - And two Obvi(ous) ways to improve your checkout experience You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, Paper Shop Bakery, and Snug Sofa. 👋 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HELP SCOUT 👀 Want To Scale Faster And Grow A Loyal Customer Base? [Help Scout]( empowers some of DTC’s fastest growing brands to deliver best-in-class customer experiences. ⭐ [Their 2024 guide]( for growing online businesses combines CX and growth insights straight from successful DTC brands like Fishwife, The Sill, Franc, Uncommon Goods, and more. Find blueprints for: - Building better internal systems - Increasing brand awareness - Taking better care of your customers ❗ Plus, stock your toolkit with the best AI tools, Shopify apps, and social media resources that will power your growth in 2024. [Get The Guide Today To Get GROWING]( ANALYTICS 🔧 Are You Using Meta Ads Reporting? If you’re using Meta Ads, you’ll want to become familiar with custom reports so you can accurately measure performance in your account. The [Pilothouse Meta team]( uses custom Meta reports daily to view campaign performance, make optimization decisions, and allocate budgets based on 3, 7, and 14 days of data. Here’s how you can easily recreate a custom Meta Ads report: 1️⃣ Click on the hamburger menu on the left side of the Business Manager and select “Ads Reporting.” You’ll end up on a page that looks like this. Click the green “Create Report” button. 2️⃣ Choose your ad account, name your report, and click “Create.” 3️⃣ You’ll have the option to choose a layout - either a pivot table, trend line chart, or bar chart. A pivot table is typically a good starting point and you can adjust to a trend line or bar chart at any time. 4️⃣ A report similar to the one below will open and this is where the fun comes in - customizing your report! To view the rest of the steps on how to create your own custom Meta Ads report, [click here](. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BLOOMREACH 📰 Skimming AI News Isn’t Enough To Get Your Brand Ahead… Get real actionable insights at the [Bloomreach Commerce Experience Summit]( this February 27th-28th. The free virtual event (yes, you can be comfy cozy at home) will equip you with the tactics, knowledge, and confidence you need to use AI to create better customer experiences. Speakers from Etsy, Manscaped, Bloomreach, and more will help you navigate: - How AI will transform ecommerce - Building loyalty through efficiency - The rise of retail experience - The non-boring guide to ethics in AI Stop trying to play catch up with AI. Join the can’t miss virtual event. [Register Here]( SUPER BOWL AD 🍋 STARRY Aims To Win Over Gen Z with Ice Spice Pepsico’s beverage brand [STARRY]( aims to make a big splash by releasing their first ever Super Bowl ad with hip hop phenom Ice Spice. The campaign: The cheeky [“It’s Time To See Other Sodas” campaign]( shows how STARRY’s animated mascots Lem and Lime win over Ice Spice’s heart and get her to ditch her ex-lemon lime soda. When her ex shows up to the same party she tells him she just needs something more refreshing and crisp. [Ice Spice is featured with STARRY mascots Lem and Lime in Super Bowl ad] STARRY is encouraging social media users to use the hashtag #SeeOtherSodas on their page for a chance to win a four day trip to see Ice Spice perform at Coachella in April. The brand is hoping that by having Ice Spice’s stamp of approval, it will encourage other Gen Z consumers to “see other sodas” and help them gain more market share in the lemon lime beverage category. The beverage brand will also be taking advantage of other popular online platforms like the dating app Tinder, playing heavily into the relationship concept. Users who swipe right on Lem and Lime mascots during the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, or Singles Awareness Day can win free drinks to help win over their new love interest. But that’s not all. Starting on Valentine’s Day, users who block their ex-lemon lime soda on Instagram and TikTok will be entered to win a STARRY Break Up Kit which includes a STARRY sweat set, phone ring, and heart candies with custom messages. The takeaway? - The cohesive breakup campaign bolstered by Ice Spice’s star presence and irreverent humor makes this ad super memorable. - This is a great marketing play for STARRY to gain more exposure as they are quickly becoming the third largest lemon lime beverage in the U.S. despite being a new brand. - By targeting platforms like Tinder post-game, it extends the shelf life of their campaign and keeps them top of mind for major holidays like Valentine’s Day. Which Super Bowl teaser ads are you loving so far? Let us know by replying back to the newsletter! 🧰 THE TOOLKIT 🛑 STOP WASTING YOUR CREATIVE BUDGET… Living Proof saved by automating and scaling their influencer gifting program and saw an impressive 16M impressions with a 4.5% engagement rate. [Find out how](. * 📰 NEWS - Google Ads is looking into [‘confusing ad text’ error messages]( impacting ad campaigns. - Coke [launches a new drink inspired by tears of joy]( exclusively on TikTok Shops. - Meta plans to [watermark AI photos across Instagram, Threads, and Facebook]( to battle misinformation. - Ikea [launches a generative AI assistant]( which makes it easier to picture your dream home. - AI-driven ecommerce platform [Octup gets $4 million in funding]( to improve operational efficiency. 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](. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Here are two things you can add to your checkout page and improve revenue. 👇 Can't view the image? [Click here]( 👀 BANTER That wouldn’t be our first thought but OK! 😂 Have you heard our latest podcasts? - ⭐ Niclas Bornling on [the Art of Brand Storytelling]( - 🚀 [AKNF 375](: ‘The Three W’s’ of Email CTR - 🥟 Eric Ji Sun Wu’s [Entrepreneurial Journey with Sobo Foods]( - 💗 [AKNF 373:]( The Art of Valentine’s Day Advertising - ⭕ The Rumpl and Houdini [Partnership Story of Innovation and Sustainability]( - ❌ [AKNF 371:]( Biggest Amazon Return Mistakes 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](. NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. 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](