The BOLDCUBE Guide to Retail Scaling & What You Need to Know about Data Privacy in E-Commerce

View this email in your browse (*|ARCHIVE|*) :loudspeaker: r (*|ARCHIVE|*) Logo ** The Growth Newsletter for UK DTC Brands ------------------------------------------------------------ Hey there, We’ve just released our latest podcast episode today, with Liam Founder of Full Power Cacao, and if you haven’t tuned in yet, now’s your chance! Whether you like to listen on your commute, while you work, or with a cup of coffee, you can catch the full episode right here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FweKHGa9zHE) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltCss_hwEPQ We’re always on the lookout for fresh voices from the DTC world. If you’d like the chance to feature on a future episode, maybe you’ve got a story to share, a win to celebrate, or a challenge you’d love to unpack with us, just email amelia@dtclive.com (mailto:amelia@dtclive.com) . We’d love to chat and see if it’s a fit for one of our upcoming releases. Looking ahead, the next few months are absolutely packed. September in particular is all about taking DTC Live abroad, and we’ve got two away events we’re genuinely super excited for: DTC Live Brand Retreat 🌴 Gran Canaria, 24–27 September We’re heading back to Gran Canaria for our annual Brand Retreat, and it’s shaping up to be a brilliant few days. All expenses are covered except flights. This year’s theme is Trends, Tactics and Transformations, a mix of strategy sessions, honest brand chats, and plenty of time to recharge with like-minded founders and decision makers. Expect morning yoga, scenic hikes, and space to actually connect, away from the usual day-to-day noise. Curious about what it’s like? You can watch our highlights video, flick through photos from last year, or check out the previous agenda for a taste of what’s in store. If you’d like to join, just fill in this quick form and we’ll be in touch. 🎟️ Sign up here (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/brandretreat) Check out our FULL events calendar here 📅 (https://www.dtclive.com/events-calendar) Curious to see what it’s like? 📹 Check out our highlights video from our last retreat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_0YscPaf6w) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_0YscPaf6wCheck out some pics from last time (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fzDcP7h0T4rr7prfb-m6ZULur-vS5STN?usp=sharing) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fzDcP7h0T4rr7prfb-m6ZULur-vS5STN?usp=sharingTake a look at last year’s agend (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VOaL_O_goqUdp2ZmK9ikxcPcs4T-dS65/view?usp=sharing) a Email amelia@dtclive.com, if you've got any questions, we would love to see you there. DTC Live New York 🍎 Thursday 4th September We’re also crossing the pond for DTC Live NYC at The Standard, High Line. The event runs from 11am to 5:30pm and is shaping up to be a brilliant day with some incredible people in the eCom space. We’ve got the founder from OGEE confirmed, plus plenty more speakers and brands lined up so if you’re in New York, or fancy an excuse to visit, definitely sign up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltCss_hwEPQ 🎟️ Sign up here (https://www.dtclive.com/dtc-live-new-york) 🛡️ What You Need to Know about Data Privacy in E-Commerce In today’s digital world, data is valuable, and your customers are well aware of it. While personalisation and a smooth checkout are key parts of modern e-commerce, shoppers are increasingly asking important questions: What data are you collecting? How is it used? Is it secure? Data privacy in e-commerce refers to how your business collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information, such as names, email addresses, payment details, and browsing activity. Handled well, it leads to better shopping experiences and stronger trust. Handled poorly, it can result in breaches, misuse, and lost confidence. ** Why Data Privacy Matters ------------------------------------------------------------ Ignoring privacy isn’t just about risking fines or penalties. The bigger risk is damaging customer trust and loyalty. In fact, 73% of consumers say they only share data with brands they trust. Issues such as cyberattacks, data leaks, and unwanted marketing can quickly erode that trust. ** Key Privacy Laws to Be Aware Of ------------------------------------------------------------ If you sell online, it’s essential to understand these regulations: * GDPR (EU): Strict penalties for misuse of personal data. * CCPA (California): Gives customers rights to access and delete their data. * PIPEDA (Canada): Sets out rules for data management and protection. * SHIELD Act (New York): Requires robust security and prompt notification in case of breaches. ** How to Build a Privacy-First Approach ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Understand Your Legal Obligations Stay informed about the regulations that apply based on where you operate and where your customers are based. 2. Be Transparent Clearly communicate what data you collect, how you use it, and why. Allow customers to view, update, or delete their information easily. 3. Get Clear Consent Use opt-in mechanisms for cookies, marketing emails, and data collection. Always provide an easy way to opt out. 4. Secure Your Data Protect customer information using encryption, secure payment gateways, and multi-factor authentication. Always use HTTPS. 5. Only Collect What You Need Minimise data collection to reduce your risk and simplify compliance. 6. Train Your Team Most breaches happen due to human error. Regularly train your staff on data privacy and security best practices. 7. Be Ready with a Breach Plan If an incident occurs, respond promptly. Contain the issue, notify those affected, and communicate openly about your actions. Data privacy in e-commerce is much more than a compliance box to tick. It’s a key part of building trust and maintaining strong customer relationships. Brands that put privacy first are the ones most likely to earn, and keep, customer loyalty. 🔒 If you have questions about data privacy or want to learn more, feel free to get in touch. Want to find out more? Book your CRO call here (https://calendly.com/rainy-city/cro-growth-strategy-call?month=2025-02) 🛴 The BOLDCUBE Guide to Retail Scaling At DTC Live London, we were joined byBOLDCUBE (https://boldcube.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOorOu9fnA-Jl_S8MTmUYyQzrSq22cPNZiq9OhauK9ooKd4sCCh1M) and their CEO, Zaid, who shared exactly how they’ve taken the brand from DTC success to retail scale.Zaid talked us through (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKewV0_QUD4) the real steps, the challenges, and the practical lessons every founder needs if they’re thinking about taking their own brand into retail. Let's get into it… 1️⃣ Lay the Foundations 🧱 Start with the basics: get your brand, processes, and pitch deck sorted before you even think about retail. "The best analogy that I could think of is it's like building a house, you've got to get the foundations sorted and sort of front load a lot of that effort first and then it's maintaining." ** 2️⃣ Nail Your Retail Pitch 📋 Retailers want to know why you? Build a compelling deck and bring a clear sales strategy to the table. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Example of foundation is building out a retail pitch deck, hey Mr John Lewis, hey Harrods, this is why we want to, why you want to stock us. So you got the retail sort of pitch deck, you've got sort of a sales team, a brand positioning that leads list, a lot of the fundamental stuff that you build out for the foundation." ** 3️⃣ Plan for Efficient Logistics 🚚 Don’t approach retail until you’re certain you can deliver on time and on budget, every time. ------------------------------------------------------------ "On logistics is making sure that you can logistically send out these goods in a cost efficient way." ** 4️⃣ Keep Up the Maintenance 🛠️ Winning the listing is just the start. Keep your pricing and service sharp, and don’t let your brand get diluted. ------------------------------------------------------------ "The maintenance is just around pricing, customer service, making sure that… they're not getting priced, the wrong positioning for the brand. So yeah, I'd position it that way, it's foundation and then the maintenance of the house basically." ** 5️⃣ Decide: Profit or Revenue? 📈 Don’t chase big sales if the margins don’t add up. Know what you’re aiming for. ------------------------------------------------------------ "A big part of it is kind of sitting down and asking yourself as a business owner or business leader what is important for you, as in, is it the top line number or is it the bottom line number? And kind of that will dictate the avenues that you kind of press and double down on." ** 6️⃣ Don’t Get Distracted by Top-Line Hype 💸 Revenue looks nice, but profit pays the bills. Don’t lose sleep over “sexy” sales that don’t convert to cash. ------------------------------------------------------------ "We do quite a lot of business with Amazon and no offence to anyone who represents Amazon, but the top line on Amazon is always extremely sexy, but the bottom line kind of will make you lose sleep sometimes." 7️⃣ Look Closely at B2B Margins 🤝 Wholesale can be a smart, steady path to profit—sometimes much better than DTC. "For us, B2B is extremely profitable, we get good margins on it… it just depends on what the focus is for the business, if it's the top line or the bottom line and kind of just doubling down on that." ** 8️⃣ Let Your 3PL Do the Heavy Lifting 🏗️ ------------------------------------------------------------ You don’t need your own warehouse to scale, let the right logistics partner take the strain - why not check out Sprint Logistics "If we didn't have a 3PL, life would be very, very difficult." ** 9️⃣ Prepare for Peak Season 🎁 ------------------------------------------------------------ Your operations should be flexible enough to handle massive Q4 surges, without burning out your team. "For us we're a big bulky product… there's going to be a lot of machinery, sort of forklifts and stuff like that, we're very Q4 orientated because it's a very giftable product. If we had to run our own warehouse, we'd probably hire half the town in Q4 and just have to let go of everyone in Q1 because it's so quiet. So the 3PL really helps you to scale and scale back down quite easily. So it's been detrimental for us." Find out more about BOLDCUBE here (https://boldcube.co.uk/pages/collections-all?srsltid=AfmBOoqLhTsj61Uk3TI6VRw5iqaOUgEiILVEBc4rVdCZDCbgeAs5awhV) and the full talk here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKewV0_QUD4) 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. Or if easier, share this link (https://www.dtclive.com/newsletter-sign-up) . We'll be back with more growth strategies and insights for eCom and tech brands next week. Logo Copyright (C) *|2024|* *|DTC LIVE|*. All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? 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