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Hey DTC, Eric here⌠read this email to find out how to get your product on suspected international criminals⌠and speaking of keeping your finger on the button.
âđ¨ Not having this button will cost you big time
The deadline is Friday. If you sell to EU customers, you need a "withdrawal button" on your storefront (check this out from Shopify). Not hidden somewhere deep in your returns policy, on the actual store. The button or link has to cancel an unfulfilled order in two clicks and fire a confirmation email automatically.
Quick clarification since there's some confusion going around: the 14-day return window isn't new, that's been EU law for years. What's new is the button. Miss the deadline and you're looking at fines up to 4% of turnover, and that 14-day window could legally extend to 12 months. Also worth knowing, as someone in this Reddit thread highlighted, you don't have to cover return shipping costs as long as it's clearly stated in your T&Cs.
âď¸ Cool, now scammers have AI too
Cody Plofker (Jones Road Beauty) got a letter this week from a law firm that doesn't exist. Like, actually doesn't exist. AI avatar partners, Claude-esque vibe-coded website, the whole bit.
Replies to the thread suggest it's not a one-off and scammers are betting that someone panics and cuts a check. If a letter lands in your inbox from a firm you've never heard of, Google them before you call your lawyer. See his full tweet here.
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Start with anything: a phone photo, a plain product image, or a finished label design. In minutes, Kittl turns it into a complete set of studio-grade lifestyle photos, videos, and UGC-style content.
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đď¸ Meta may have had a bad week, but thereâs no doubt Shopify is feeling gooooood
Harley shouted out that Barnes & Noble just launched on Shopify. A 153-year-old bookstore. On Shopify. Make of that what you will.
Thatâs a big headline in itself, but mix it with the fact that Tobi posted about adding Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (whoâs a head honcho in logistics and supply chain) to the board and Shopify continues its up market march. Â
Legacy retail is finally showing up and Shopifyâs building the infrastructure to help them crush.
đ Gas may be coming down but everything else is staying up
Oil dropped below $80 this week and you'll probably see it at the pump. Don't let that fool you (as of the writing of this, Hormuz is still closed). Grocery and home goods prices are expected to stay elevated even as energy costs ease - which means the categories most of you are actually selling into are still facing compressed consumer wallets heading into H2. AgainâŚ
The oil headline might make people feel better, but their actual discretionary budget probably won't reflect that. Plan your Q3 promos and pricing accordingly.
Origin's Ecom Director Justin Parker tells that wild story of how his hoodie ended up being worn by Nicolas Maduro when he was arrested, but the more interesting part is what it revealed about owning your entire supply chain: thread, leather, brass, cut and sew, all in Maine.
He also gets into why tariffs were more of a messaging opportunity than a sales boom, and what he's building in Moby: an AI system that takes one business goal and automatically pushes it down to individual teams with flags when something's off track.
âśď¸ Learn about Originâs AI stack | đ§ Listen on Spotify
Mobile is where your revenue is going... or where it's leaking. Here's the data that proves it - Tapcart's 2026 Mobile Trends Report. Itâs free, 6 chapters, 100+ AI tactics, and plays from the brands doing mobile commerce best.
71% of impulse purchases happen on mobile: Friction at that moment doesn't just lose the sale, it loses the customer.
67% of shoppers trust brands more when they have an app: For Gen Z, that number climbs to 80%.
The brands pulling ahead:
Find out what theyâre doing differently.
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Shoppers rarely buy the first thing they see. They compare, second-guess, and look for a reason to commit. A well-built comparison ad speeds up that process by doing the research for them and building a strong case for your brand.
I chatted with our team at Pilothouse and pulled together these four comparison formats worth testing in your creative rotation:
Chart Graphic (single competitor): A clean chart pits your product against an unnamed competitor using â and â icons.
Lead with common complaints about the category's biggest player, then position your product as the fix.
Us Focused: Keeps attention entirely on your brand without naming a competitor. Fits oversaturated markets where a direct callout dilutes the message.
Only works when your USPs are genuinely disruptive.
Multiple Them Chart: Compares your product against the several alternatives customers actually spend money on, beyond the single obvious rival most brands fixate on.
Keep the layout simple and choose USPs that expose weaknesses shared across every competitor listed.
Split Graphic: A split layout compares your product to the generic, mass-market version of the category. Strong scroll-stopper.
Target the category archetype, and anchor your USPs to assumptions people already hold about the mass-market option.
âđ Shopify merchants who sell bundles earn 15-20% of their revenue from them. The secret? Fast Bundle, a Shopify app that helps manage your bundling and upselling offers. Learn more here. *
đ Prime Day is one week away. Are you running CTV ads to warm up your audience? Learn best practices and where to put your spend in this guide. Read it here. *
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