Free on 9th October, and live in London? We've got the workshop for you!

View this email in your browser (*|ARCHIVE|*) Logo ** The Growth Newsletter for UK DTC Brands ------------------------------------------------------------ Hi everyone, Big news, you can now watch DTC Live New York on demand 🎥 All of the sessions are live on YouTube, (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcdERTpDxO2S-nHiqcTiwSnihZJzObeYW) so whether you want to catch a talk you missed or rewatch that moment that had everyone nodding along, it’s all there for you. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcdERTpDxO2S-nHiqcTiwSnihZJzObeYW Next up: London 🏙️ On Thursday 9th October we’re running our Annual Planning Learning Lab – one of the most impactful days we host all year. It’s not a conference, it’s a hands-on workshop. You’ll work in small groups to map out your 2026 strategy, swap ideas with other founders and marketers, and take home practical frameworks you can actually use. Q4 is hectic, but that’s exactly why this day matters. It’s a rare chance to step back, plan properly, and leave with clarity for the year ahead. 🗓️ London: 9th October at Menier Lounge Sign up here (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/to/jnwEWzZM) The funnel is circular, not linear The traditional funnel has been flipped on its head, it’s circular, not linear - Gavon Broomfield. At DTC Live New York we were joined by the brilliant Gavon Broomfield, Senior Strategist at Highsnobiety. (https://www.highsnobiety.com/) It was the perfect way to end the day, sharp insights, practical lessons, and plenty for DTC brands to take home. Here’s what we learnt 👇 🎯 On cultural capital in 2025 “Cultural capital in 2025 is really about authentic cultural fluency and that is the ability to speak the language of the communities that matter most, not just broadcast to them. The smartest brands are sort of viewing culture as a two-way communication. And they're showing up to cultural movements early as participants, not as advertisers.” 👉 DTC takeaway: don’t wait until a TikTok trend or cultural moment has gone mainstream. Work with niche creators or communities early, it’s fiscally responsible, more authentic, and builds long-term credibility. 🔄 On the new e-commerce funnel “The OG funnel is linear, right? It's like we're going to push you from awareness all the way to conversion. And this new funnel is really about circularity and it's about community. There's this extra layer called postconsumer advocacy, where your consumers are really your cultural ambassadors and they fuel the top of the funnel. So, it creates this circle where the top is where your biggest consumers lie, your stans, which are your super fans.” 👉 DTC takeaway: superfans are your growth engine. Give them early access drops, referral perks, or ambassador status. Their word-of-mouth cuts through more than paid ads ever can. 👖 On a campaign that nailed it “My favourite probably brand is a person. Her name is Beyoncé. She recently… did a collaboration with Levi. It was like a four-part series about denim. What I really loved about that collaboration was how inevitable it felt… Beyoncé is an American icon. Levis’s is an American iconic brand… Beyoncé is behind the resurgence of Western aesthetics. The collaboration wasn't just like a cultural conversation. It was also commercially successful. It drove Levi's stocks, I believe, 20% and they had an additional 1.5 million in sales.” 👉 DTC takeaway: the best collabs feel obvious. Partner with brands or people your audience already associates with your values, it makes the story stick and drives sales naturally. 👥 On community vs audience “The way we see community versus audience is an audience just consumes and a community is about participation. We really believe in building community around shared cultural values not just like product interest. And as far as long-term growth, you know, it's about making people feel like an insider, not an outsider looking in.” 👉 DTC takeaway: don’t just build a following. Create forums, Slack groups, or private IG/WhatsApp communities where your customers can actively shape your brand and feel like insiders. 📣 On culture vs commerce “It's not about putting your product first. It's about leading with cultural value and allowing the commercial value to follow suit.” 👉 DTC takeaway: content that educates, entertains, or connects people to cultural moments will outperform pure product pushes. Lead with value, let sales follow. 💭 The closing thought “If you really want to win in this game of culture and earn cultural capital is… show up and consistently build relationships with cultural communities before you have anything to sell. It's really important that you start a conversation with creators or with a community or… cultural movements before they pop off… Cultural capital really compounds over time. It's like an investment.” 👉 DTC takeaway: invest early in creators, niches, and cultural conversations. It compounds, meaning by the time the spotlight hits, your brand already belongs there. That’s how we wrapped up NYC: culture, community, and commerce all tied together. Can AI replace humans in ecommerce cx? Ai isn’t coming. it’s already here. from shopify apps to recommendation engines, tools, and bots it’s everywhere. Brands are asking the same question: Can I take over the customer experience? The honest answer? not fully. because cx isn’t just about solving problems. It's about how you make customers feel. ** Where ai shines ------------------------------------------------------------ * speed & scale → ai can handle thousands of queries instantly. no queues, no breaks. * personalisation at scale → product recommendations, “you might also like,” abandoned cart nudges — done in seconds. * consistency → no off days. Every customer gets the same level of service. * data power → ai sees patterns and opportunities humans might miss. for dtc brands, this means less friction, faster answers, and higher conversion rates. ** Where ai falls short ------------------------------------------------------------ * empathy gap → ai can sound polite but not truly care. customers notice. * complex issues → “my order is late and i’m upset” needs more than scripted replies. * trust factor → shoppers hesitate to trust bots with sensitive issues like refunds or billing errors. The difference between a saved sale and a lost customer often comes down to human reassurance. ** The human edge ------------------------------------------------------------ Humans bring emotional intelligence, creativity, and connection. it’s not only what you solve, but how you make the shopper feel. a customer remembers the agent who listened, not the bot that replied fastest. ** The future is hybrid ------------------------------------------------------------ Winning dtc brands already blend ai + humans: * Ai handles FAQs, product recommendations, and order tracking. * Humans step in for high-stakes, emotional, or complex situations. This balance saves money, boosts efficiency, and keeps the human touch alive, the part that builds trust, loyalty, and repeat orders. ** The real question ------------------------------------------------------------ it’s not “will ai replace humans?” it’s “how do we let ai do what it’s best at and humans do what only humans can?” Brands that master this mix will win. because in ecommerce, the transaction is digital, but the experience is always human. 👉 takeaway for your brand: don’t fear ai. don’t ignore it. use it to scale efficiency, but never remove the human touch that keeps customers coming bac Book a call with our CRO expert (https://calendly.com/rainy-city/cro-growth-strategy-call?month=2025-02) Check out our FULL events calendar here 📅 (https://www.dtclive.com/events-calendar) That's it for this week! Thank you for reading :) To help continue to build the DTC Live community, please forward this email on to someone you think might like it. 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