In the words of founder and CEO Jordan Gal, CartHook is “expanding the canvas on which a brand can operate.” That means a customizable checkout for better customer experiences all the way through the journey. CartHook has evolved alongside the DTC market, and this conversation is loaded with tips for community-building, upselling, creating great landing pages, and more.

Playing for Keeps

Moving Brands into the 21st Century with Jordan Gal from Carthook

Blue light filtering glasses are one of those long-term products that we don't usually think of in terms of retention. On this episode of Playing for Keeps, Ryan Fisher, Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Felix Gray, talks Kristen through the ways that the brand is working to build a base of lifelong customers.

Running a Digitally Native Eyeglass Brand (with Ryan Fisher from Felix Gray)

Customer loyalty is so much bigger than repeat purchases- it’s about creating passionate brand advocates that connect with you on a range of levels. It’s about providing genuine value as the basis of an ongoing relationship. On this episode of Playing for Keeps, Fiona and Kristen dig into creative ways for brands to re-approach their loyalty programs.

Redefining Customer Loyalty with Fiona Stevens from LoyaltyLion

ShipBob provides Amazon-level logistics to DTC brands- basically, evening the playing field in one of the toughest areas for smaller businesses to compete. Casey Armstrong is an expert in marketing, fulfillment, and the eComm space as a whole, and his conversation with Kristen is all about the details. They dig into the different steps that brands can take to cut costs, increase revenue, and focus where it counts.

A Masterclass in eComm Logistics with Casey Armstrong, CMO at ShipBob

As a brand that sells a long-lasting product, retention might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Tortuga Backpacks. Thing is, they're working hard to find innovative ways to build customer loyalty- especially when it comes to content. They’re a fascinating example of a business that’s taken a slow and steady approach to bootstrapped growth. Fred and Kristen dig into the ways that Tortuga is increasing AOV and creating meaningful customer relationships, plus their unique method of sequentially bundling products.

Exploring Steady Growth in DTC with Fred Perotta (Tortuga Backpacks)

Advertising costs are rising, and a lot of brands are taking a long, hard look at the ROI for their paid ads. That means really understanding the lifetime value of their customers. An expert in digital advertising, Savannah Sanchez works with businesses to improve the customer journey from the beginning. This episode of Playing for Keeps is all about loyalty from the very first touchpoint with customers. So how can your brand create a great experience within your advertising? Savannah has some amazing tips, tricks, tactics, and advice.

Creating Retention-Oriented Paid Advertising with Savannah Sanchez of The Social Savannah

As COO of Recharge, Chathri Ali works at the frontlines of DTC, helping the industry prepare for and respond to shifts in commerce in the 21st century. This conversation digs into in-depth examples from a ton of top brands, from FourSigmatic to Atlas Coffee to StitchFix. Kristen and Chathri talk about tracking ROI, building a better CX platform, figuring out shipping cadence, subscription vs membership, and so much more.

The True Power of Subscription with Chathri Ali from Recharge

Sanjay Jenkins has brought grit, determination, and a love of the game to his work in eCommerce, and it's really paid off. As Director of eCommerce at Buff City Soap, he’s had tons of opportunities to explore and experiment in the digital space. In this episode of Playing for Keeps, Sanjay talks through his process of building out an SMS channel, bridging a physical location and a digital store, and how Buff City works to improve the day-to-day lives of their customers. Bonus: Kristen reveals her enneagram number.

Bringing a Brick’n’Mortar Business Online with Sanjay Jenkins of Buff City Soap

Operations aren't really sexy. It’s a side of most businesses that doesn't respond to flashy moves or easy hacks. It’s also one of the key areas for creating great customer experiences. Done right, your business can really live out your brand promises. SoundCommerce opens up an enormous range of data for smoother operations and better customer experiences. This week on PFK, founder and CEO Eric Best shares his playbook for optimizing every step of the journey.

How to Shape Your Business Ops for the 21st Century with Eric Best from SoundCommerce

Email, popups, and SMS are some of the most powerful tools out there for relationship-building, and Privy is a major leader in the space. Kristen’s conversation with founder and CEO Ben Jabbawy digs into the ways that these different channels can work together to create the maximum level of connection with customers. This episode is full of foundational tips for a stronger communication platform, higher conversion rates, and a more streamlined, effective brand narrative.

Mastering Email, Popups, and SMS with Ben Jabbawy from Privy

It’s more expensive than ever to acquire customers online, and in an increasingly competitive market, it takes a lot of grit and focus to stand out. Thing is, your acquisition funnel will only go so far without leaning into those customer relationships long-term. ADMission experts Adrianne and Grant are leaders in the DTC space when it comes to increasing ROAS, but they’re also educators that help operators take charge of their paid advertising. This episode is all about connecting your acquisition and retention efforts for a stronger overall business. So let’s talk about LTVs.

Rethinking Acquisitions with Adrianne Verheyen and Grant Zanini from ADMission

Codeless eComm platform Elliot is creating a lot of buzz in the eCommerce world right now, and with good reason. Co-founder and Head of Marketing, Marco Marandiz, is a veteran of the consumer tech space, and he’s all about using that experience to push the market into exciting, unexplored territory. This conversation digs into the ways that commerce is revolutionizing right now. Kristen and Marco go deep on multichannel marketing, brand building, entering a vertical with really established competition, using social media channels natively, and so much more.

eCommerce (R)evolution with Marco Marandiz from Elliot

John Roman didn’t expect to become a key member of the Battlbox team. As an initial investor, it was really the astounding growth of the business that brought him into the fold as a full-time leader in the business. John talks about discovering demand, testing new products with your community, and getting infected by the enthusiasm of your customers. Battlbox has amazingly invested fans and it all comes down to a top-notch brand experience and fantastic products. Plus: how a Reddit-style forum can build up the conversation around the brand.

How Battlbox is Changing the Experience Around Survival Products

Kristen and Helena covered a lot of ground in their two-part conversation, and that means Kris and Val have their work cut out for them parsing through it all. This special digest caps off a three-episode run, exploring everything from customer personas to developing markets; branding trends to organic growth strategies. If you’re still working through everything you’ve heard in the last couple episodes, this digest is everything you need to tie it all together.

Digesting a Two-Part Conversation with Helena Hambrecht of Haus

Last episode we dug really deeply into the ways that Haus built out their space in the liquor market. This time, Kristen and Helena talk about one of the biggest strengths of Haus: retention and customer loyalty. From their new subscription component to their in-person community events, it's a conversation loaded with tactics, tips, and storytelling.

Reshaping Consumer Habits with Helena Hambrecht of Haus (Part 2)

Retaining customers has never been more important for eCommerce businesses. Join Kristen LaFrance, eCommerce retention specialist and head of community at Churn Buster, as she interviews guests from the top subscription businesses to learn how the best in the DTC space are retaining customers. If you're growing a subscription based business, running a subscribe and save program on your site, or just plain interested in hearing stories from the top DTC businesses, Playing for Keeps is for you.

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Playing for Keeps

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