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** The Growth Newsletter for
UK DTC Brands
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Hello everyone, Rebecca here!
Last week was my first-ever DTC Live Gamechangers, and it was a great experience, bringing together a diverse group of attendees, from small-business founders to representatives of larger brands.
The workshop really does provide a wealth of valuable insights into the real challenges of running a DTC brand and showcased how embracing new technologies can make a significant impact on business growth and customer engagement.
One of the key highlights of the workshop was the in-depth discussion on live shopping. We explored how this trend is rapidly gaining traction in the Western market, particularly in the UK and US.
The session provided practical advice on how brands can leverage live shopping to create more interactive and engaging shopping experiences for their customers, driving sales and building stronger customer relationships.
Another major focus of the workshop was TikTok. We examined the platform's explosive growth and its potential as a powerful marketing tool. It’s all about consistent content creation and how brands need to think about display and engagement strategies that resonate with mobile-first audiences.
To finish the day off, we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunny afternoon on the terrace at Dear Grace - a great opportunity for tech partners and brands to connect and share ideas!
So if you want to join us at our next one in SEPTEMBER - you can - just sign up here! (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gamechangers-by-dtc-live-free-ecom-workshop-for-brands-september-2024-tickets-880911087777?aff=oddtdtcreator)
Finally, if you are looking for the LinkedIn Newsletter version, you can subscribe here (https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7026930083269353472) :)
Harnessing the power of TikTok
Tash here.
Yesterday, I had the incredible opportunity to visit TikTok’s London HQ and share with the TikTok lifestyle and ecommerce team how TikTok has revolutionised the way I approach my various ventures: Biz Kids, The Notting Hill Company, DTC Live (now wholly owned and operated by Rebecca), as well as the select brands I work directly with.
I’m so proud that my work on TikTok has been recognised by TikTok themselves, and I was given the opportunity to join their industry leaders series and talk to their team.
I’m looking forward to supporting TikTok in the UK as they grow their own business and the success the platform achieves for others, whether that is ecommerce brands or initiatives such as Biz Kids.
Here are the key takeaways from our conversation.
TikTok: A Different Mindset
TikTok is a dynamic ecosystem that requires a fresh mindset. Unlike traditional platforms, TikTok thrives on creativity, spontaneity, and high-volume content. It’s a fast-paced environment where success depends on understanding and leveraging its unique algorithm.
Adapting to a New Production Model
The chances are, your existing creative production (whatever it looks like) will be unlikely to meet the demands of TikTok.
Joanna Jensen put it beautifully at London’s DTC Live when she shared how on TikTok, you feed the platform with content, whereas on Facebook, you feed the platform with cash. This means the days of lengthy creative approval processes and minimal monthly outputs have to be halted or you just will NOT get where you want to go.
TikTok demands a high volume of content that can capture attention quickly and engage users consistently. One of the primary challenges TikTok themselves are finding brands face is the cost of creative production in a landscape where both the organic feed and the ads feed require an extremely high volume of assets.
Many of you have heard me talk about this many times before - to meet these demands, I set up an offshore editing team, the Edit Squad, which has dramatically reduced production costs while increasing output efficiency. The Edit Squad is now used by a number of household name brands to reduce their TikTok production costs and The Edit Squad and its editors remain at the heart of my personal success on Tiktok.
Willingness to Use TikTok and All Its Functionality
Success on TikTok requires a willingness to embrace its functionality and to be present. This means embracing new tools, functionalities, and content formats, spending time on the platform, going live, and really accepting that unlike Facebook, which you might run campaigns on without ever visiting the main feed, TikTok is a world you live within. You should expect to be in the ‘backend’ of Tiktok at the same time as on main feeds, which rarely happens with Facebook For instance, through Biz Kids, we leveraged live streaming and interactive content to engage with our audience in real-time, achieving viral success and building a strong community.
Success Stories and Lessons Learned
TikTok is a game-changer for businesses willing to embrace its distinct mindset and production model.
As I transition the way I am working, TikTok will remain one of the key areas I focus on and support brands with. I’m thrilled to now be able to work more closely with TikTok to drive success for both my own endeavours and support the efforts of those in my community.
Now onto today’s topics
📣Bankers to Beauty Gurus - The Unlikely Journey Behind 'You're Looking Well'
📣Are You Maximizing Your Website's Potential? Top Tips to Boost Engagement and Conversions
📣How Are Leading Fashion and Beauty Brands Winning the Ecommerce Game?
📣The New Way to Shop and How to Boost your AOV by 20%
Bankers to Beauty Gurus - The Unlikely Journey Behind 'You're Looking Well'
After feeling the impact of years of working long hours, friends and research analysts Joe and Anthony became fascinated by the impact your gut health and sleep have on external appearance and overall health.
They left their jobs to assemble a team of top scientists, dietitians, and chemists, all sharing a passion for leveraging the latest breakthroughs in microbiology into skincare and supplements that help people feel good about themselves.
Hypergrowth with Rainy City
Before joining forces with Rainy City (https://www.rainycityagency.com/) , You’re Looking Well (https://www.ylwclub.com/) was receiving around 50 orders per month.
Last month they hit an impressive 1,500 orders. This partnership has driven a staggering revenue growth of 1,900% from February to July 2024, with revenue doubling each month.
Both teams understood that creatives are the biggest needle movers in meta ads and developed a system to run and produce lots of creative tests.
By analysing these results in detail, Rainy City pinpointed what made the winners succeed and the losers fail.
These insights allowed them to iterate and create variations of successful ads, scaling the account with remarkable efficiency.
Strategy for the rest of the Year
Both Rainy City and You’re Looking Well are meticulously planning inventory levels and setting up for Q4 to be as explosive as the start of their partnership.
New product lines and ads are continually tested, with a focus on maintaining the rapid growth momentum throughout 2024 and beyond.
“Rainy City have an incredible understanding of how to drive profitable growth on META. They work with great pace, skill and have been fundamental to our growth over the last 6 months.” - Joe Bloomfield (Founder)
Are You Maximising Your Website's Potential? Top Tips to Boost Engagement and Conversions
Having a website is just the beginning. It’s the first step to opening your online store. But that isn't what will necessarily keep customers engaging and coming back! That’s why, you constantly need to be thinking about how you can optimise it. What are the small quick easy wins that can help boost your conversion?
Let’s get into some of Rainy City (https://www.rainycityagency.com/) ’s TOP TIPS:
Your homepage is the virtual storefront of your brand. Here's how to make it as effective as possible…
⚪️Sticky Navigation: Ensure that key directional items such as the menu, search, account, and cart are always visible.
⚪️Highlight Key Pages: Use the menu to drive users to essential pages.
⚪️Unique Value Proposition: Clearly state your brand's unique value proposition.
⚪️First Fold Information: Include the most critical information within the first fold to showcase your brand identity and lead with your most enticing products or offers.
⚪️Page Speed and Load Animation: A fast-loading homepage (aim for 2 seconds or less) significantly reduces bounce rates and sets a positive tone for the user's experience.
⚪️Build Trust: Use trusted review apps and industry endorsements to assure users of your site's security.
⚪️Strong Imagery: Lead with high-quality, memorable imagery that elevates your brand.
⚪️Informative Content: Provide details about product and service quality, delivery, returns, and contact information. Highlight any ethical and sustainable practices.
Product Detail Pages (PDPs) are where conversions happen. Make sure they are optimised for user experience…
⚪️Easily Accessible Information: Include comprehensive product details, both visual and textual, to prevent user bounce.
⚪️Upselling Opportunities: Introduce upsells through one-click add-ons within the product form.
⚪️Cross-selling: Display related products to guide users towards more suitable options.
⚪️Clear Payment Options: Clearly outline available payment methods.
⚪️Information Hierarchy: Ensure the "Add to Cart" (ATC) button is the primary attention grabber.
⚪️Subscription and Loyalty Opportunities: Evaluate if any products are suitable for subscriptions and introduce loyalty programs to boost retention.
⚪️Social Proof and Reviews: Use customer and industry reviews to reassure potential buyers.
⚪️Transparent Delivery and Returns: Provide 100% transparency on delivery and returns policies.
⚪️Long-Form Content: Include additional information and FAQs below the main product form to address potential customer concerns.
To learn more about having a well-organised collection page, cart and checkout Optimisation and more quick wins, check back next week!
How Are Leading Fashion and Beauty Brands Winning the Ecommerce Game?
Fashion and beauty ecommerce brands face the ongoing challenge of capturing and maintaining customer attention across multiple channels and devices. Nowadays, with everyone having a smartphone always on hand, even significant purchases are made directly from their phones, not just on laptops. Smart brands are integrating digital channels with traditional marketing tactics to increase visibility, engage customers, and drive sales.
Let’s get into the key strategies that top brands employ to keep their core customer base loyal while expanding their reach and diversifying their audience…
🌐 Multi-Channel Marketing Mastery
Forward-thinking brands know that embracing digital channels is crucial. However, they don't abandon traditional marketing methods such as billboards, TV commercials, and magazines. Instead, they use these to support their digital efforts, creating a cohesive and omnipresent brand image. This blended approach maximises visibility, drives website traffic, and enhances customer engagement.
Tip: Understand and leverage the Research Online, Purchase Offline (ROPO) effect to integrate online and offline strategies effectively.
🔗 Building Strong Direct Channels
Direct traffic is a vital indicator of customer loyalty and brand recognition. Brands that receive high levels of direct traffic are often those with a strong fan base and customer trust. This channel allows brands to control the customer experience from start to finish, ensuring a seamless and engaging journey.
Tip: Invest in direct channels to reflect the brand’s strength and ability to retain loyal customers.
🔍 Enhancing Brand Recognition Through SEO
Organic search traffic is heavily influenced by brand awareness and recognition. Successful fashion and beauty brands invest significantly in SEO to ensure they appear prominently in search results. This not only attracts new customers but also reinforces the brand's presence to existing ones.
Tip: Focus on creating quality content that resonates with your target audience and optimising your website for search engines.
🎯 Strategic Use of Paid Search
While social media often gets the spotlight, data shows that paid search and SEO are critical drivers of sales. Fashion and beauty brands should utilise Google Shopping ads and other paid search channels to target specific keywords and consumer segments. This approach leads to higher conversion rates and a better return on ad spend (ROAS).
Tip: Use paid search to target specific keywords and consumer segments for more conversion-ready traffic.
📱 Leveraging Social Media for Engagement
Social media remains a powerful tool for fashion and beauty brands to engage with their audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok offer unique opportunities to build rapport, showcase products, and directly interact with customers. Brands should use a mix of organic posts, paid ads, and influencer partnerships to create a dynamic and engaging social media presence.
Tip: Mix organic posts, paid ads, and influencer partnerships for a dynamic social media strategy.
📲 Embracing Mobile Marketing
With a significant portion of traffic coming from mobile devices, optimising for mobile is non-negotiable. Brands should invest in mobile-first technologies, such as headless architecture, which offers flexibility and fast load times. Mobile SEO is also crucial to ensure that mobile users can easily find and navigate the site.
Tip: Invest in mobile-first technologies and mobile SEO to cater to the growing number of mobile users.
🧩 Exploring Untapped Channels
Platforms like Reddit and Pinterest offer unique opportunities to reach niche audiences and drive high engagement. Fashion and beauty brands can use these platforms for community management, market research, and direct engagement with potential customers. Pinterest, in particular, is excellent for showcasing product portfolios and driving traffic to e-commerce sites.
Tip: Leverage niche platforms like Reddit and Pinterest for high engagement and community building.
🛒 Investing in Marketplaces
Selling on established marketplaces like Amazon, Zalando, and Farfetch can significantly expand a brand’s reach. These platforms offer access to large customer bases, advanced analytics, and logistical support. For brands, particularly those in the fashion and beauty sectors, marketplaces provide a valuable avenue for growth and exposure.
Tip: Use established marketplaces to expand reach and gain advanced analytics and logistical support.
The New Way to Shop and How to Boost your AOV by 20%
If you're looking to stay ahead in the e-commerce game, live shopping is where it’s at.
As DTC has become the main way for customers to shop, it is no surprise that it is becoming increasingly more competitive, especially with social media.
That being said, a new phenomenon has been introduced - Live Shopping. Although TV Live shopping has been a thing for a while now, with QVC for example, this is in a realm of its own.
Not only does live shopping engage customers like never before, but it also drives significant sales growth. In this edition, we’re sharing insights, success stories, and actionable tips to help you harness the power of live shopping and shoppable videos.
To put the speed of how fast live shopping is evolving in perspective, there were 3.5 million buyers on TikTok using live shopping events in 2020. By 2021, that number skyrockets to more than a whopping 13.7 million shoppers. For example, one study found that livestream purchasing increased by an average of 76% worldwide from pre-pandemic times to 2021.
LiveMeUp (https://www.livemeup.io/) is the go-to platform for live shopping and shoppable videos. Recognised as the top choice on Shopify with a perfect 5-star rating, LiveMeUp gives brands the tools they need to create immersive shopping experiences. This platform empowers brands by offering engaging live shopping sessions and captivating shoppable videos, enhancing customer connections and significantly boosting e-commerce growth.
Live shopping might be a new concept, and it’s natural to be uncertain about its outcomes. However, many beloved brands are already seeing incredible results.
Here’s how they’re doing it:
TajineBanane (Apparel)
With 248k followers, TajineBanane has successfully used LiveMeUp to host live fittings, monthly sessions, and associate hosts. This strategy attracts over 700 attendees per session, increases the average order value by 50%, and generates over 15k€ in sales per session.
Tip for Brands: Integrate live fittings into sessions to provide a real-time, authentic view of apparel, enhancing customer trust and engagement.
Oden (Cosmetics)
Oden, with 85k followers, hosts live Q&A sessions led by the founder. Each session attracts over 300 attendees, with an average attendance time of 20 minutes, resulting in over 3k€ in sales per session.
Tip for Brands: Host live Q&A sessions to answer customer questions on the spot, fostering a deeper connection and driving informed purchasing decisions.
SBC Skincare (Cosmetics)
SBC Skincare’s live tutorials, hosted by a QVC host, attract over 300 attendees per session. With 13k followers, these sessions result in an average attendance time of 15 minutes and generate over £4k in sales per session.
Tip for Brands: Use tutorials to showcase the effectiveness of skincare products, providing step-by-step guidance to encourage immediate purchases.
Blume (Cosmetics)
Blume’s quarterly live events, hosted by co-founders, attract over 900 attendees per session. With 133k followers, each session sees an average attendance time of 15 minutes and generates over $15k in sales.
Tip for Brands: Leverage the credibility of co-founders by having them host sessions, adding a personal touch that resonates with the audience.
Maximising Engagement with Shoppable Videos
Kookai (Apparel)
Kookai, with 81k followers, uses shoppable videos on product pages, resulting in 20% of page visitors viewing the videos. This strategy increases website session duration by 1.5 times and boosts the average order value by 20%.
Tip for Brands: Create a video lookbook to highlight the latest collections, driving visitors to explore more products and increase their cart value.
Pomponne (Cosmetics)
Pomponne’s shoppable videos, featured in Instagram Reels and brand content, reach 43k followers. Their videos are viewed by 40% of page visitors, doubling website session duration and increasing website conversion by 1.5 times.
Tip for Brands: Encourage user-generated content and feature it in shoppable videos to build community trust and drive conversions.
Vuarnet (Cosmetics)
Vuarnet’s shoppable videos and brand content, with 66k followers, see video views by 30% of page visitors, extend website session duration by 1.5 times, and uplift ROAS by 35%.
Tip for Brands: Use paid ads to boost shoppable videos, expanding reach and enhancing return on ad spend.
Want to find out more? Check out livemeup.io (https://www.livemeup.io/)
LiveMeUp offers real-time analytics to help brands fine-tune their live tactics and measure progress. Plus, their AI Magic Content feature boosts post-live sales by generating ready-to-share content summaries, extending the reach of live sessions.
That's it for this week!
Thank you for reading :)
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We'll be back with more growth strategies and insights for eCom and tech brands next week.
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