DTC1072: POSTSCRIPT

Good morning,

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

1️⃣ The channel most brands treat as an afterthought, and what happens when you don't.

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: YEW Sparkling Water, Found Food, and IPSY. 👋

‍🧑‍🍳 They Knew You'd Panic. They Texted Before You Could.

A few months back, we released The Conversational Report with Postscript. The big takeaway? Customers want to text brands back and get a real, fast response. Most brands are dropping the ball.

Today we're looking at a brand that's not. 👇

First, the reality check.

When we surveyed 840+ DTC operators and 1,000 consumers for the report, the numbers were pretty eye-opening.

😬 49.4% of consumers reported getting a delayed, generic, or no reply after texting a brand back.

These aren't random people. These are opted-in subscribers who were engaged enough to reply. And brands were leaving them on read.

The #1 reason? Brands said they can't staff SMS 24/7. Which, fair, but that excuse is getting harder to make when the tools exist to solve it.

Some brands have already figured this out. Enter ButcherBox. 🥩

The brand doing it right.

ButcherBox ships premium meat, like grass-fed beef, heritage pork, and wild-caught seafood, direct to members on a subscription. Their customers care about quality and want to cook well.

But when a beautiful piece of sablefish shows up at your door, “cook well” is easier said than done.

That’s the tricky part of ecommerce most brands forget about. The conversion already happened. The box showed up. But now the customer’s standing in their kitchen thinking:

😅 “Wait… how do I not ruin this?”

That moment matters more than brands think. Because uncertainty is where confidence drops, experiences go sideways, and customers quietly start trusting the brand a little less.

ButcherBox decided to build their SMS program around that exact moment instead.

ButcherBox’s SMS channel didn’t start out special. When Mike Kumlin, their Associate Director of Marketing Technology, first pushed to make SMS a real channel, it was basically a shipping notification.

The list was stagnant, the process was manual, and they knew they were leaving money on the table.

“We had the means to send SMS, but no real direction.” — Mike Kumlin, ButcherBox

Switching to Postscript changed the infrastructure. But what really unlocked the channel was a simple question: What could SMS do that would actually make a member’s day better?

The answer? A cooking hotline. 🍳

Meet Hey Chef.

Here’s how it works:

1. Member orders a tricky cut like sablefish, brisket, wagyu, or bone-in pork shoulder. Anything with a learning curve.
2. ButcherBox sends a proactive text before the box even arrives, inviting them to reply “Hey Chef” + any cooking question.
3. The brand responds with real, specific guidance, technique, timing, temperature, and a link to the full recipe.

That proactive piece is what makes this stand out. They’re not waiting for the customer to panic halfway through cooking a $38 cut of meat. The text shows up before the box even lands.

Here’s some real examples 👇

1️⃣ A general ask from a home cook

2️⃣ A specific ask from a home cook

This is what good conversational SMS actually looks like.

Not “reply YES for 10% off.”

A customer has a real moment of uncertainty, and the brand shows up with something genuinely helpful.

That’s what makes this so easy and frictionless.

The customer DIDN’T have to open a support ticket.
They DIDN’T get sent to a FAQ page.
They DIDN’T wait 14 hours for a generic response.

They got an actual answer, right when they needed it.

And considering nearly half of consumers in our Conversational Report said they received a delayed, generic, or no reply after texting a brand back… that’s a much bigger differentiator than it sounds like on paper.

“We don't want it to feel transactional — we want there to be some heart to it.” — Mike Kumlin, ButcherBox

The results.

The numbers backed it up. 📈

✅ 333% YoY growth in SMS-opted-in members
✅ 284% YoY increase in SMS-attributed revenue
✅ 16% CTR on their best-performing campaigns

“SMS is at the table. It's no longer just a side project — it's a legitimate marketing channel that drives results.” — Mike Kumlin, ButcherBox

What you can steal from this.

You don't need to be a food brand to apply the Hey Chef playbook. You just need to find your version of it.

🔍 Find the moment of uncertainty. When does your customer open your product and feel unsure? That's where the conversation starts.

A lot of brands think conversational SMS starts with “what should we send?”

The better question is:
“What does the customer need reassurance about?”

⚡ Trigger on behavior, not schedule. Hey Chef fires when someone orders a complex cut, not because it’s Tuesday at 2PM and the campaign calendar said so.

Behavioral triggers feel intentional. Blasts feel like marketing.

🎯 Scope it narrow and nail it. ButcherBox didn't try to handle all of customer service over SMS. They picked one use case and made it exceptional.

💬 Make the reply worth getting. Specific, warm, and actually useful. That's what turns a transactional channel into one people look forward to.

It’s just identifying a high-friction customer moment and showing up with a useful response before frustration sets in.

ButcherBox figured out SMS works better as a conversation.

Yes, Chef! 🧑‍🍳

Together with Postscript

17,000+ Shopify brands trust Postscript as their SMS partner. With AI-powered replies and dedicated strategy support, Postscript helps brands build real two-way programs that drive revenue, not just another blast channel.

Want to see what Hey Chef-style conversations look like for your brand? Book a Shopper demo.

👉 See how your brand can grow with Postscript here.

*This editorial piece was created in collaboration with Postscript.

DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.