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Good morning,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
💡 Memorial Day = Q4 Setup
Plan a promo that pays off all year.
🧸 Labubu, Smiskis, Jellycats
Why the toy category is blowing up.
📦 Tariff Tracker
Today’s must-know update.
🐟 Fishwife x Chaco’s Colorful Collab
Check out the fishy footwear.
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Juniper Babyproofing, Ellie’s Party Supply, and Cera Solutions. 👋
😱 $3.8 Trillion In Global Sales Are At Risk This Year. Keep Your Revenue Out Of That Number With This Guide
👉 $3.8 trillion in global sales are at risk this year due to disconnected customer journeys.
Common problems range from ineffective lead capture to poor post-purchase customer service. 😬
👏 But there’s good news! Even small fixes can mean big revenue gains, and Klaviyo’s here to help with their newest guide.
💥 Klaviyo’s Customer Journey Audit Guide breaks down the 5 stages of the B2C customer journey and identifies key metrics to track in order to improve customer retention.
Learn how to optimize the entire customer journey at every turn, and get ready to see real results for your brand. 📈
* sponsored
🎧 We Know It’s May… But You Should Be Thinking About Black Friday
Aves from Pilothouse and Ad-venturous here! 👋
Guess what?
Black Friday is right around the corner, and you want to start planning for BFCM now. (Planning while it's already live is just really loco.)
And lucky for you, the latest episode of my podcast Ad-venturous dives into how to successfully plan and execute a successful Memorial Day sale!
Crushing your Memorial Day Weekend sale is going to start with a well-researched and thought-out plan. 🤔
So, before you even start to produce content, spend some time thinking about what goals you want to achieve with this sale period.
Obviously, you want to make money. But let's also think more long-term. Hone in on what KPIs you need to hit and try to structure your offer around that.
Then you want to think about your angle for the sale.
Stuff is cheaper is not a strong angle in my opinion. 🙅♀️ Think about all the TOF spend you’re going to put behind these assets. You want to make an actual impression, right?
🚨 Memorial Day is an unofficial kickoff to summer seasonality in the ecommerce space, so consider how to make your brand relevant to everything summer-related.
Start experimenting with both offer structure and promo ad strategy to prepare for BFCM and Q4.
Don't get caught unprepared in September with no real BFCM strategy when we head into the highest-intent period of the year.
If you want more tips and tricks on how to make Memorial Day a success, give the latest episode of Ad-venturous a listen. I'll also share some of my favourite promo ad styles!
📊 81% of Ecommerce Leaders Fear Tariffs—But 91% Still See International as the Future. The Data Is In—Find Out How It Affects Your Strategy
Passport and Drive Research surveyed 100 senior ecommerce leaders to uncover how brands are navigating rising tariffs, de minimis changes, and shifting global policies—while still betting big on international growth. 🌎
Key findings:
📈 Get the data, insights, and real brand strategies with case studies from Ogee, Carpe and others. Discover how to scale smarter—no matter the trade climate.
📦 Your Daily Tariff Check-In
Whether it’s a minor tweak or a major shift, we’ll keep you posted on the latest tariff changes—so you’re always in the know.
May 15, 2025 update:
💡 How Adults Are Fueling The Toy Category
One of the fastest-growing product categories this year is toys.
Sonny Angels, Labubu, and Jellycats are all causing a buying frenzy worldwide despite uncertainty around tariffs.
And the unlikely demographic fueling this growth?
Adults.
Stats to know 👇
What's the appeal?
Toy sales are driven by nostalgia, escapism, and shared experiences. Adults want to reconnect with their younger selves and also form IRL connections with others during swap meets.
It's also becoming a serious hobby. Adults view toys as collectibles and are willing to spend to complete their collection.
How brands are responding: Companies like Mattel and Lego are responding by creating more premium offerings to cater to 'kidults.'
However, tariffs may dampen toy category growth.
While tariffs between China and the U.S. have been reduced, a 30% tariff is still a steep price for U.S. importers.
Roughly 80% of toys sold in the U.S. are made in China, which can cause product shortages and higher prices.
Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz shared that while the company is "committed to the uninterrupted supply of quality products at a wide range of affordable price points," Trump's tariffs may cause price hikes and "where necessary, we will be taking pricing action in the U.S."
The takeaway?
The toy industry is entering a new era, fueled not by kids but by nostalgic, collecting-obsessed adults.
While brands are adapting to meet this demand with premium offerings, the looming threat of tariffs could test just how far these ‘kidults’ are willing to go to keep their hobby alive.
🔥 BRAND PARTNERSHIP
Footwear brand Chaco partners with tinned seafood brand Fishwife for a sandal collaboration.
The new Z/Cloud sandals are sustainably made and inspired by Fishwife's distinctively bold color palette and iconic illustrations.
⚡ QUICK HITS
📉 Struggling to scale with Meta & Google Ads? See how a Shopify brand hit 10.4x ROAS in 30 days using Adwisley’s AI + expert-built ad engine. Read the case study. *
📅 EVENTS
The Lead Summit - Focused on the fashion, beauty, home, and consumer innovation ecosystem, connecting startups with enterprise leaders and investors.
📅 May 28-29, 📍 Brooklyn, NY 💰 Apply for Tickets
Shoptalk Europe - The Shoptalk Europe community is an online network for retail and consumer brand executives across Europe. This community provides access to exclusive content, networking opportunities, and insights into the latest trends and innovations in the retail industry.
📅 June 2-4, 📍 Barcelona, Spain 💰 Free
📰 NEWS
📥 Got a B2B Biz?
Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 150k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.
Have you heard our latest podcasts?
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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