DTC910: Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, Lo-Fi Creative, Cringe Culture, and Market Research Hack

Good morning,

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

⚡ Amazon’s Big Fulfillment Move
Pros and cons of using MCF for brands.

😬 A Case for Being Cringeworthy
How cringe culture impacts brand building.

🍹 Lo-Fi Ads That Stop the Scroll
Kitchen-counter content → scroll-stopping ads.

🧠 Market Research Hack
Easily spot and capitalize on trends.  

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Porte + Hall, Luella Grey, and Farm & Yard. 👋

🤔 You’ve Started Planning For BFCM, But How Ready Is Your Brand To Deliver Results When Peak Season Hits? Find Out In The Next Two Minutes

🚨 The biggest ecommerce season of the year is coming fast, and smart brands aren’t guessing at their BFCM strategy.

They know their strengths, they’ve identified their weaknesses, and they’re moving fast. Want to know yours? 👈

👏 Take Klaviyo’s 2-minute readiness quiz to elevate your strategy. It’s fast, actionable, and tailored to your current setup. Learn what you’re doing well and where a few smart tweaks could make a major impact.

Whether you’re weeks into planning or just getting started, this is your chance to gain a strategic advantage before your campaigns launch.

Start the quiz now to sharpen your edge, close the gaps, and turn readiness into results. 📈

💰 Pros and Cons of Using Amazon’s MCF

Amazon is making another move to solidify its role as the backbone of ecommerce logistics.

Its Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) program has long allowed brands to ship orders from non-Amazon channels (like their own sites) using Amazon’s network.

The latest update expands MCF with deeper integrations into major platforms like Shopify, Walmart, and SHEIN.

What this means:

Now, when a customer places an order on a brand’s Shopify store or Walmart listing, that order can now be automatically sent to an Amazon warehouse to be picked, packed, and shipped.

Key benefits for brands:

• Shared inventory: Manage one pool across multiple platforms instead of juggling separate 3PLs.
• Prime-level speed: Extend Amazon’s fast, reliable delivery to non-Amazon shoppers.
• Potential savings: For brands already using FBA, this can be cheaper than maintaining multiple fulfillment partners.

But the Pilothouse Amazon team shares that there are tradeoffs:

• Branding: Orders usually ship in Amazon boxes (except Walmart, which uses unbranded packaging).
• Dependency risk: Relying solely on Amazon gives them leverage over your costs and logistics.
• Less control: Outsourcing fulfillment means less ownership of supply chain data and customer experience.

The takeaway?

This move shows Amazon’s intent to dominate fulfillment beyond its own marketplace.

For some brands, MCF can simplify operations and cut costs. For others, the risks of over-reliance may outweigh the convenience.

However, the decision to go all-in with Amazon MCF is a nuanced decision that will be unique for each brand and their growth strategy.

🥂 GHIA: Lo-Fi That Lands

Sometimes the simplest creative can cut through the noise. This creative from GHIA shows how scrappy, authentic production paired with clear messaging can stand out and stop the scroll.

Here’s what’s working:

✅ Lo-fi Authenticity

• Shot on a kitchen counter with uneven lighting.
• Feels like something a friend would text you, not a polished studio ad.
• Stands out in feeds full of overproduced content.

✅ Clear Value Props On-Screen

• “Everything I loved about my Summer Spritz, without the hangover.” → Emotional hook, lifestyle tie-in.
• “Zero alcohol. Zero added sugar. No artificial anything.” → Quick, scannable product benefits.

✅ Product-Centric Visuals

• Multiple packs visible → instantly signals variety and SKU depth.
• Hero drink shot in branded glass with lime garnish → aspirational but approachable.

✅ Offer Stacking

• 10% off first sip + free shipping over $60.
• Subtle double incentive that lowers friction.

The takeaway 👇

Relatability = Scroll-Stopping → This feels like UGC, but stays brand-controlled. That balance is what makes it both approachable and effective in crowded feeds.

Scrappy isn’t for every brand, but for lifestyle-driven products, lo-fi can be an authentic, low-cost way to capture attention.

💥 When The Busiest Season Hits, You Shouldn’t Be Guessing You Should Be Sure. These Eight Questions Get You There

👉 Klaviyo’s BFCM readiness quiz gives you a clear view of how prepared your systems really are. Think flows, segmentation, list growth, and more.

⏳ In just 2 minutes, you’ll uncover:

• Where your strategy is solid
• Where it needs a tune-up
• What to do next, fast

This is about more than a score. It’s your personalized shortcut to a sharper, more confident Q4. 💯

Step into BFCM with clarity and confirm you’re on the right track. 🎯

🎧 Cringe Mountain: Why Fearless Brands Win

In this episode of Ad-venturous, Aves takes a thoughtful look at cringe culture and how the fear of being perceived as “cringe” is actively holding founders and marketers back from scaling community, content, and ultimately, conversion.

From redefining “cringe” as a fear-based reaction, to laying out a practical path for building founder-led brands that resonate, this episode blends conceptual reframing with real-life DTC operator insight.

In this episode, we explore:

Why “Cringe” is Fear in Disguise: Aves explains how cringe is a projection of the viewer’s own discomfort or fear.

“Cringe is more about fear. If someone calls your content cringe, it’s telling you more about them than about you.”

The Real Risk of Blending In: Cringe culture has made brands risk-averse and that kills momentum.

“There’s no room for apathy. You have to stand out and build community. If you’re afraid of cringe, you’re nuking your ability to scale.”

How to Define Authenticity That Actually Works: Authenticity means a brand built around a clear mission, story, and POV that doesn’t try to please everyone.

“You shouldn’t have to try to be authentic. If your product and story are legit, the tone of voice flows from there.”

Why Founder Visibility Isn’t Optional Anymore: Aves argues that building in public isn’t a trend. It’s the price of entry.

“If you’re not willing to put a face to your DTC brand, you are going to get left behind.”

The Myth of Climbing “Cringe Mountain”: Instead of waiting to feel “ready,” Aves encourages founders to stop treating cringe like a mountain to summit.

“Summiting Cringe Mountain is a myth. The only way out is through. You have to change how you think.”

👉 Listen to the full episode with Aves here.

Want to stop chasing trends and start setting them?

Sarah Levinger, founder of Tether Insights, shares how marketers can stay on top of current trends by picking 3 options from this list every week:

• A podcast from a respected operator/strategist
• A long-form essay or newsletter shaping industry thinking
• An X thread or LinkedIn post with high engagement
• A YouTube talk, panel, or breakdown with reach
• A research report or case study with new data
• A campaign teardown that shows what’s working now

Make this a regular practice and you’ll start spotting the patterns before everyone else!

🤔 Think your BFCM strategy is solid? Find out with Klaviyo’s quick readiness quiz and get personalized tips to optimize what matters most. Take the quiz here. *

📥 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.

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.