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Good morning,
How is it already September???
The seasons may be changing, but our Brand Breakdowns are here to stay. This week we’re spotlighting DedCool.
This fragrance brand began in 2016 as a passion project by L.A.-based perfumer Carina Chaz, with a vision to create a gender-neutral, vegan, and non-toxic fragrance brand.
The brand’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and personalization is clear: inviting customers to layer unique scents like Milk, Xtra Milk, and Mochi Milk as an extension of self-expression.
Since then, DedCool has built a loyal following and expanded its offering to hand soap, candles, and laundry detergent.
But how does this multimillion-dollar brand translate its identity online?
We asked Pilothouse to review DedCool’s website experience and share opportunities to optimize for performance, engagement, and conversions.
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
🌼 Inside DedCool’s Site UX
Opportunities to boost conversions.
🚨 Daily Tariff Update
Trump vs. The Supreme Court
❤️ Beats x Jennie Collab
A new bold colorway and custom features.
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Specsavers, RP Parfums, and Arksen. 👋
🤖 Want To Know Where AI Stands Now In DTC Marketing? This Survey Reveals How 875+ Operators Are Putting It To Work.
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💰 Diving Into DedCool’s Modern and Minimal Site
Site Performance
First, let’s look at their website speed.
DedCool is experiencing slow loading times. At the time of testing, the brand’s Google PageSpeed score was 44 on mobile and 58 on desktop.
These slow load times can increase bounce rates and can negatively impact conversions for DedCool.
💡 Pilothouse Tip:
✅ Prioritize improving site speed: Over 55% of users abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Addressing performance should be a top priority to keep visitors engaged and shopping.
Research shows that faster mobile sites can significantly boost conversion rates.
Product Pages
DedCool’s sleek, minimal design is visually appealing and aligns well with its brand ethos.
There’s ample white space and the pops of orange work well as visual cues or as CTA buttons.
However, several adjustments could strengthen product page performance.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Add Trust Signals Above the Fold: Adding awards, badges, or customer testimonials up front can reassure first-time visitors.
✅ Product Imagery: Currently, images are buried below the fold. High-resolution visuals and videos at the top of the page would better showcase DedCool’s fragrances.
Including videos that show models spritzing fragrances on their skin or into the air can bring DedCool’s sensory experience to life.
✅ Reviews & FAQs: DedCool has a ton of positive five star reviews. Featuring these prominently above the fold, along with FAQs, could improve purchase confidence and nudge visitors to buy.
✅ CTA Hierarchy: Multiple competing calls-to-action may cause decision fatigue and cognitive overload for visitors.
Testing simplified, prioritized CTAs could improve click-through rates.
Keep scrolling for more information on DedCool’s site experience. 👇
🧘 What’s Lululemon Hiding In Their Catalog? Here's How To Put Your Competitors’ Data To Work For You
Your competitors are launching products, shifting prices, and chasing new trends every week. The real question is: do you see it? 👀
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Customer Engagement Quiz
DedCool’s fragrance quiz is a strong lead-generation tool. It gets to know the customers' scent preferences, sense of style, and the mood they want to evoke through fragrance.
At eight questions with a 15% discount incentive, it’s a clever way to educate and capture emails.
💡 Pilothouse Tip:
✅ Test out different quiz lengths: Shorter versions of the quiz to reduce drop-off while a longer quiz can add more personalization. Personalize quiz results further to deepen customer trust in their recommendations.
The Checkout Experience
DedCool’s checkout flow is clean but misses opportunities to increase average order value (AOV) and maximize the checkout completion rate (CCR).
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Include dynamic upsell modules: Add these to the checkout flow and increase AOV. Featuring complementary products like dryer sheets or travel sprays at checkout could easily increase basket size.
✅ Enhance Trust: Consider adding visual elements such as icons with information reminding of the free-return guarantee, and time of shipping, as well as number of reviews and rating.
✅ Footer Optimization: Reducing footer length and adding payment trust logos here can help streamline the experience and reassure customers, especially first-time buyers.
✅ Add More Personalization Elements: DedCool’s quiz is great but there’s an opportunity here to add in more personalization features.
Recommend products that layer well together and certain scents based on a user’s shopping intent during the buyer’s journey.
✨ Conclusion
DedCool’s site reflects its modern, innovative brand but leaves room for optimization, particularly in mobile performance, product page hierarchy, and upsell opportunities.
By surfacing social proof earlier, streamlining CTAs, and enhancing speed, DedCool can deliver a smoother, more trustworthy journey from discovery to checkout.
Reviewing Shopify analytics against the customer journey will highlight exactly where improvements can be made.
The result?
A site experience as layered and memorable as DedCool’s fragrances.
📦 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.
September 4, 2025 update:
[Photo courtesy of Beats by Dre]
Beats by Dre partners with pop star Jennie again on a new design collaboration.
The brand revealed a special-edition ruby red version of its Solo 4 headphones with two attachable red bows that draw inspiration from the artist's debut studio album’s aesthetic.
The product is available online starting today.
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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.
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