DTC860: We Dive Into This Brand’s Email Strategy

Good morning, 

We are back with another Brand Breakdown! This time, we are spotlighting Lomi, the countertop waste appliance.

Lomi’s launch quickly gained traction, raising over $7 million through crowdfunding and selling more than 100,000 units in its first year.

As of 2025, over 215,000 homes use Lomi, helping divert millions of pounds of food waste from landfills.

The innovative product is more sustainable, but does Lomi effectively communicate this through its emails?

Keep scrolling to learn more.

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

📧 Deep Dive into Lomi’s Email Flow

How clearer offers and product education can boost conversions

📦 Daily Tariff UpdateU.S. eyes broad import tariffs as China rushes shipments before August deadline.

📬 +87% Revenue. +432% List Growth. +105% Retention.

An apparel brand with a thriving identity and passionate community knew their email channel had more to give…

Pilothouse stepped in to unlock that potential. ✅

We re-architected flows from the ground up, segmented their list for smarter sends, and launched targeted reengagement strategies that brought lapsed customers back to buy again.

The result? Massive growth across every key metric. 👇

→ +87% increase in email-driven revenue
→ +432% growth in list size
→ +105% boost in customer retention
→ +375% lift in new subscribers

Your list is full of untapped revenue. Pilothouse knows how to find it. 🕵️

Think your email channel has more to give? 

🌱 We Analyze Lomi’s Email Flows ‍

Lomi makes kitchen clean-up a breeze.

The compact composter brand does a great job of communicating its sustainability mission: turning food scraps into nutrient-rich soil for plants. 🌱

Pilothouse analyzed their email strategy and found areas where simple adjustments could boost clarity and conversions. 

Here’s what stood out:

📧 Welcome Email Flow 1

‍Lomi’s welcome email hits your inbox right after you join their list - great timing that keeps the momentum going.

The subject line, “Welcome to the Future of Waste Reduction,” is positive and future-facing, which fits the brand’s innovative tone. That said, it could be more compelling by teasing the offer inside. Directly mentioning the discount or reward upfront could help drive more opens and clicks. 🤑

Inside the email, the visuals are strong. The Lomi logo is front and center, the photography is warm and family-focused, and there’s a helpful step-by-step breakdown of how the product works. 

It’s clear and inviting.

But here’s where it gets a bit muddy: there are two different offers presented. The header promotes a $50 Pela Case gift card, while the body copy offers $25 off with a code. The offers might be technically compatible, but the messaging could cause hesitation.

As a customer, you’re left wondering: Which one should I use? Can I use both? That moment of uncertainty introduces potential friction and can hurt conversions.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Include the offer in your subject line: This helps increase your open rate and helps with conversions.

✅  Keep it simple. One clear, strong offer works better than two competing ones. A single CTA with a high-perceived value is easier to act on.

Instead of pushing customers to figure it out themselves, make the path to conversion crystal clear: Here’s the deal. Here’s how to use it. Here’s what to do next.

📧 Welcome Email Flow 2

‍Roughly two hours after the initial email, Lomi sends a thoughtful follow-up.

This email opens with a clear, mission-driven message: reducing food waste and fighting climate change. It’s a powerful way to connect values with product benefit, and it immediately frames Lomi as a solution to a real, global problem.

What’s missing, though? The welcome discount mentioned in the first email. Without that reminder, customers may lose momentum or forget there’s a limited-time incentive waiting.

The grid-style layout does a great job of highlighting relatable use cases like odor-free kitchens and nutrient-rich soil, leaving clear, tangible outcomes for the reader. 

The “fun post-meal cleanup” message stands out, though a word like “easy” might better connect with time-strapped households looking for convenience.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Reinforce your offer! If a welcome discount is in play, don’t let it disappear after email one. Reminding readers of the value helps drive follow-through.

✅  Offer social proof: Lomi’s 200k household stat is impressive and could be introduced earlier in its welcome flow.

✅  Tighten up language: For any product that requires a lot of product education, ease of use is important. Words like “easy,” “fast,” or “hassle-free” can help build trust and reduce hesitation.

📧 Welcome Email Flow 3 

Lomi shifts gears with their third welcome message, taking a more personal approach. 

The email, titled “A letter from our CEO,” trades visuals for plain text and a message directly from Founder & CEO, Matt Bertulli.

The note reinforces Lomi’s mission and belief in individual action. That kind of positioning is strong. It builds emotional buy-in and speaks to the impact-minded consumer.

This format feels personal and human. The conversational tone, paired with Matt’s photo at the bottom, helps build trust and gives the brand a relatable face.

That said, the discount code is buried at the end. In a world of skimmers, this could be a missed opportunity.

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅  Keep pushing your offer: Using plain text emails can be a very effective strategy, but don’t forget to highlight your offer and use cases (preferably in the beginning) to keep the benefits top of mind!

📧 Abandon Cart Email 1

Lomi’s first abandoned cart email triggers an hour after a customer leaves the site, and it keeps things simple.

The subject line poses a question (“Leave Something Behind?”) that draws the reader in, and the email includes a product photo, reinforcing what they left behind. 

The CTA is big, bright, and easy to spot.

But while simplicity has its strengths, this email leaves some opportunity on the table.

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅ Trigger sooner. Try sending the first cart recovery email within 30 minutes. Capturing shoppers while they’re still near their device or in the same browsing mindset increases the likelihood of return.

✅ Layer in education. Lomi isn’t a low-consideration item, it’s a new category for many consumers. Cart abandonment may reflect hesitation or lack of understanding. Including 1–2 quick bullet points or a testimonial that highlights ease-of-use, cleanup simplicity, or smell reduction could help nudge the buyer forward.

✅ Ease concerns with proof. Social proof, especially a customer quote that tackles common objections, can go a long way. (e.g., “I was worried it’d be complicated… but it was plug-and-play.”)

📧 Abandon Cart Email 2

Lomi’s second cart recovery email follows the same structure as the first: a clean design, a single product image, and a bright CTA button. 

This time, the headline adds a touch of urgency with “Your Cart Is About To Expire” and bolded copy that reinforces time sensitivity.

It’s a solid nudge, but the content is still light on persuasion.

There’s no additional product messaging to reinforce why this item is worth returning for. At this stage, many buyers don’t need a reminder, they need a reason.

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅ Layer in persuasive product messaging. Instead of telling them they left something, use product benefits and features to remind them why they wanted it in the first place.

✨ Conclusion

Lomi’s email flow is grounded in purpose, with thoughtful messaging, clean visuals, and a human touch that makes the brand feel approachable and authentic.

But there’s still room to turn more subscribers into buyers.

By tightening up offer clarity, repeating value props, and weaving in light education across the journey, Lomi can reduce hesitation and drive more confident conversions, especially for a product that lives in a newer category.

These emails already do the hardest part: they make people care. Now it’s just about making it easy to say yes. ✅

Do you have a brand you’d love to see represented in the Brand Breakdown series? Reply to this email and let us know!

📦 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. 

July 17, 2025 update:

• U.S. Considering Broad “Reciprocal Tariff” Plan
  
  • President Trump and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office confirmed they are reviewing a plan to impose blanket tariffs on imports from as many as 150 countries.
    
  • Trump shares that he intends to send a single letter to more than 150 countries, informing them of the tariff rate they will face. 

• China Export Surge Continues Before August Deadline
  
  • Chinese exports to the U.S. surged in June however, there are signs that frontloading demand is beginning to wane gradually.
    
  • Chim Lee, senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, shares that "While frontloading ahead of the August tariff pause deadline is likely to continue, freight rates for China-bound shipments to the U.S. have started to decline."
    

Keep in mind: These details are current as of writing but could change before this reaches your inbox.

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Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• ⚡ TWBERP 42: Optimizing for Profit, Not Just Conversion Rate
• 🌱 Three Ships System for Trust-Driven Brand Growth 
• 🧠 AKNF 524: The Retention Blueprint for 4 Customer Cohort Types 
• 🫐 Ad-venturous 10: A Little Lad That Loves Berries and Cream?
• ❌ TWBERP 41: List Growth, Spam Flags, and What Actually Works
• 🚴 Re-acquisition Story: Revel Bikes Founder Buys Back Brand 

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

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