Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup
In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we talk with Ben Perkins, founder of &Collar — a men’s performance dress shirt brand that’s scaling smart by rigorously testing what works. Ben breaks down how they use Intelligems to uncover pricing and shipping threshold wins, and how they’re segmenting customers to align messaging and creative for maximum return.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How a 4-way price test on a single SKU using Intelligems led to an extra $1.99/unit without conversion loss
- The impact of testing free shipping thresholds ($75, $125, etc.) on AOV vs. conversion
- How to define and target “recurring & required” customer personas for profitable acquisition
- Why your core SKU may deserve more focus (50% of &Collar’s sales are still from their white dress shirt)
- How to evaluate agency and team performance with contribution margin logic
If you’ve ever relied on intuition or competitors when setting prices or shipping offers, this episode will challenge you to test with precision — and scale what works.
Timestamps
00:00 – Price testing with Intelligems on &Collar’s best-selling dress shirts
03:00 – Founding story and early years of &Collar’s growth journey
06:00 – Post-pandemic market shifts and targeting “recurring & required” buyers
09:00 – SKU expansion challenges and focusing on the white shirt advantage
12:00 – Persona-based creative strategy and micro-segmentation for growth
15:00 – Discovering the $49.99 price sweet spot through A/B testing
18:00 – Testing free-shipping thresholds and increasing conversion rates
21:00 – Focusing on new customer acquisition and top-of-funnel strategy
24:00 – Always be testing: CRO roadmap and platform optimization
27:00 – Tracking profitability per visitor, product, and employee
30:00 – Long-term vision for &Collar and the road to a potential exit
Hashtags:
#DTCpodcast #Intelligems #AndCollar #PricingStrategy #ABTesting #EcommerceGrowth #DTCbrands #ConversionRateOptimization #ShopifyBrands #EmailMarketing #CustomerAcquisition #BusinessStrategy #Profitability #Ecommerce
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertise
Work with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse
Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletter
Watch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video