Notes

ABSOLUT TABASCO 🌶️

The unlikely duo we didn't see coming just dropped a spicy vodka together.

Vodka and hot sauce. An odd combo at first.

But CPG folks, there's something to learn here beyond two big brands making a splash. When you dig in, the partnership makes a lot of sense.

Both brands were founded in the 1860s-80s. Both built their stories around three simple ingredients. Their bottles even have a similar silhouette.

And... they've committed to a 3-year partnership. This isn't a limited drop designed to grab headlines and disappear. They're building something together.

Craig Max van Niekerk, Global VP of Marketing for The Absolut Company, said it pretty plainly: "Vodka is perceived as a one-dimensional category in a four-dimensional world."

That's the real play: using a collab to make the category interesting again. The structure is worth paying attention to, too.

Here's how it works:

Absolut licenses Tabasco's pepper mash and pays for the brand association. No need to spend resources trying to develop a new flavor from scratch. There's built-in trust and audience ready to take a sip. They're already talking about RTD extensions like Bloody Mary and Spicy Lemonade. The growth path was part of the deal from day one.

Christian Brown, 6th generation family member at the McIlhenny Company (makers of Tabasco), called it a natural fit, two brands with long histories that understand authenticity.

For founders thinking about collabs: the headline-grabbing move and the long-game move don't have to be separate things.

Find a partner that actually makes sense. Commit to it. Build from there.

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Image Source: The Absolut Group

Everyone celebrates the “We’re in Costco!” announcement.

And they should!

But there’s a whole other reality behind-the-scenes that rarely makes it to these posts.

Some things many don’t realize about getting into Costco Wholesale:

The curation is intense. Costco carries around 3,700 SKUs per warehouse. The average grocery store? Over 30,000. Their buyers aren’t just selective. They’re looking for reasons to say no.

You might not even sell your “real” product there. Many brands create entirely new SKUs just for Costco. Oats Overnight sells bags instead of their standard cups. MUSH launched protein bar minis. Magic Spoon made a double-sized 14oz box (their standard is 7oz) that I always keep in stock. That's it. made an 18-count Crunchables variety bag just for club stores. Chances are, what you see on the shelf might only exist there.

The packaging specs are also no joke. There’s reportedly a 40-page document covering everything from pallet dimensions to how products need to survive 500+ mile transit. Miss the specs and you risk chargebacks or getting pulled.

Speed to scale is maybe the most surprising. Brands often talk about getting accepted in stores and having just weeks to prepare. Bill Shufelt from Athletic Brewing has talked about doubling their production capacity and outgrowing it again in three months. They deliberately held off on major retailers until they knew they could fulfill the orders. Going from nobody returning your calls to not being able to keep up with demand is a good problem, but not if you’re not ready.

The samples we all love are proof of concept. Trü Frü passed out over a million free samples before their Costco expansion. This isn’t just marketing; it’s showing buyers that demand already exists.

Getting into Costco isn’t just a distribution win. It’s an operations test.

The brands that last there aren’t just great products. They’re supply chain machines.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What’s your Costco story?

The Nathan's Famous, Inc. acquisition is an amazing case study in the power of brand.

While 110 year old Nathan’s was already iconic, Smithfield Foods has been manufacturing and distributing Nathan’s hot dogs since 2014. They ran the operations. They handled the distribution. They marketed the brand.

But they didn’t own it.

Their license was set to expire in 2032, which meant eventually renegotiating from a position of dependency or… watching a competitor take over a brand they’d spent a decade building.

So they bought it.

$450M to own it forever instead of effectively “renting” it until 2032.

For CPG founders, this is a good reminder: your brand is an asset. Manufacturing can be contracted. Distribution can be partnered. But the brand - the name consumers trust, the shelf space you’ve earned, the identity you’ve built - that’s what gets acquired.

That doesn’t mean the quality of your product isn’t important, but your brand can be what makes a customer say yes to you, and no to competitors.

Nathan’s posted ~$150M revenue and $24M profit last year. They’re not being bought for their hot dog recipe. They’re being bought because “Nathan’s Famous” means something to consumers that Smithfield can’t replicate.

And… special kudos to ChatGPT for bringing my hot dog vision to life.

A protein bar company valued at $725M in under a year. Here's the David protein breakdown.

A couple months after launch, Dana surprised me with a box of David Protein. She'd heard me going on about the hype and how impressed I was with the label. 28g protein, 150 calories, zero sugar. I didn't even know that was possible in a bar format.

Well, of course, I wasn't the only one paying attention.

Today: 3,000+ retail locations. $85M raised. $725M valuation.

What made them explosive:

The team and backers. Founded by Peter Rahal, who previously built and sold RXBAR for $600M. Peter Attia MD serves as Chief Science Officer. Andrew Huberman and Arnold Schwarzenegger are investors and public supporters. That lineup gave them instant credibility in the health and fitness world.

The timing. GLP-1 drugs have millions of Americans eating less but needing more protein to prevent muscle loss. David entered the market right as that demand curve started climbing.

The go-to-market. Waitlist pre-launch, 20,000 free samples, aggressive TikTok and influencer seeding, and eye popping minimal metallic packaging. They built demand before chasing shelf space, then used that leverage to scale into retail fast.

The controversy: They acquired Epogee, the sole producer of EPG (the modified fat that makes their macro profile possible), and allegedly stopped supplying other brands. A lawsuit followed. David's position: competitors should have locked in long-term contracts. The case is ongoing.

The response to critics: When people called the bars ultra-processed, David launched... frozen cod. Boiled cod pouches at $55 for four fillets. Their billboards read: "Slightly more protein per calorie than our bars." Tongue-in-cheek, but it reinforced their core message while acknowledging the criticism.

Whether you see David as the future of functional food or a cautionary tale, they've built something the industry is watching closely.

And it seems like none of us can stop talking about it.

A few months ago, I walked into Costco Wholesale and was greeted by a huge display of Athletic. This weekend, I passed it on an endcap, this time next to hiyo, a "social tonic" I hadn't seen there before.

First thing that came to mind, "Whoaa, NA has seriously arrived. It's with the masses."

A few years ago, these products lived in specialty stores or required an online order. Now they're sharing shelf space, a few aisles away from the rotisserie chickens.

I don't drink, but I've gotten into NA beer over the past several years. Options like Athletic Brewing Co. have become easy go-tos. They fit into those moments where a beer might fit without feeling like a compromise.

When Athletic launched in 2018, there were only about a dozen NA beer brands in the US. Today, there are hundreds. Athletic has grown into one of the largest craft breweries in America by volume. They make zero alcohol.

Hiyo launched in 2021 and has raised ~$20 million. Constellation Brands, the company who owns the exclusive US rights for Corona and Modelo, took a stake. So did Live Nation Entertainment.

Both brands now have deals to be served at Live Nation venues. My wife Dana and I shared an Athletic tallboy at a concert late last year. Loved that it was even an option.

For anyone building in this category, the window for being early has probably closed. The window for being good is wide open.

Had a good conversation this week with a partner at a PE firm that works exclusively with CPG brands.

We were talking about DTC. Some of the brands they work with have large DTC channels, but investing in CRO is not the focus. It’s more about how they show up online and create a brand experience that builds confidence, adds value, and helps people make a decision, whether that happens online, on Amazon, or at their local Target.

It’s an idea I come back to often. An effective DTC website plays a bigger role than attribution can show. It sets the tone for the brand, shapes how people perceive it, and influences decisions across every channel.

"Digital" isn’t a separate thing anymore. It’s integral to how people live. They’re reading reviews, watching TikToks, and looking up recipes, sometimes all while standing in the aisle.

The most effective CPGs don’t treat channels in isolation. They focus on showing up in ways that feel connected, useful, and consistent across the board.

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This past Sunday I was at Costco during prime sample time.

As I wandered through the store, checking off my shopping list, I couldn’t help but think about the countless ways customers interact with brands.

Many CPG brands have big ambitions to get into Costco (and succeed). I’m not sure how the store chooses which products to sample, but I saw plenty of folks tasting an item, then adding a full-size bag or box to their cart.

That moment can spark something big—a customer might fall in love with the product and become an advocate.

But here’s the challenge:

Does the brand even know this customer exists?

And how will that customer find out when the brand launches a new flavor or expands into another category?

While offline growth is, of course, powerful; getting to know your customers and building meaningful connections with them is key for long-term success.

The best brands understand these moments aren’t isolated. They build bridges across channels—inviting people into their lifestyle and community by offering value through content and experiences. They go beyond the product, creating a story that keeps customers coming back.

Over the weekend, I was thinking about Dana's growing appreciation for the brand Cuyana. Last year, I gifted her a personalized wallet for her birthday (bought in NYC) and this year, a new purse for Mother's Day—both of which she adores. However, Cuyana sees me as the customer, aka the one using these items.

After my first purchase, I started receiving emails from Cuyana, and after the recent purse purchase, they've been sending me frequent SMS messages. The latest message was refreshing; they asked me about my content preferences:

While this is a step in the right direction, Cuyana would get more value by inquiring at checkout whether the item was for me or someone else. They could then better cater the messaging to me (less frequent, focus on gifting) and perhaps even include a note in the package for Dana that offers her an incentive to join their newsletter.

I'm a ghost to Magic Spoon, and Dana is a ghost to Cuyana.

I enjoyed my time with the Recharge team and other partners in San Diego this week for ChargeX24. See my recap on LinkedIn here.

Recharge has spent a decade powering subscriptions for 20,000+ brands, boasting over 100 million subscribers on their platform, which means they have access to a plethora of data. I'm happy to see them leverage their unique position to build products that better serve merchants through access to data insights, enriched customer experiences, robust analytics, and tools to guide strategic planning.

One of the highlights at ChargeX was Recharge’s announcement of Retain, a suite of products that, "work together to keep customers coming back at each stage of their subscription journeys—and, when they choose not to, to gather data on why and inform business decisions upstream." (Source)

Features include:

• Personalized cancellation prevention, like unique product suggestions tailored to customer profiles, subscription preferences, number of orders, etc.
• Flexible rewards and incentives (like credits, progressive discounts, and milestone gifts) to build long-term customer loyalty and repeat purchases.
• Failed payment recovery using AI to proactively detect, diagnose, and resolve failed payments, reducing financial losses from passive churn.
• Dynamic winbacks (coming soon) to re-engage churned subscribers with personalized offers and unique subscription perks on customized landing pages.

Beyond the announcements from Recharge, here are some additional takeaways:

• Recharge's new SVP of Marketing, Jen Gray, introduced the concept of brands that are bought vs. kept. I loved this—everyone is always so focused on conversion, but that's just the beginning of the story. Are we adding tangible value? Is the unboxing memorable? Are customers guided on how to use the products effectively? The most successful brands seamlessly integrate their products into the customer's daily routine.
• Author Erik Qualman pointed out that a lack of pushback often means you're not innovating. This was a powerful reminder to embrace risks and not shy away from potential failures.
• I picked up on a subtle theme around subscription skips among merchant speakers. For some, like scent brand, Pura, they found that allowing customers to skip shipments was healthy for their business, despite the short-term drop in sales. It allowed customers to lean into seasonal preferences and they subscribed longer as a result. For others, skips signal a need for better customer education. One brand is currently embarking on a survey to understand why customers are skipping.
• Love Wellness VP of Customer Experience, Amanda Kwasniewicz, talked through the journey of redesigning packaging for omnichannel success. It's interesting—brands who launch in DTC can control the full customer experience, but as soon as they enter other channels, the packaging has to work harder to tell the same story.
• Amazon continues to be a topic in the DTC conversation (and I don't see this changing). Kwasniewicz spoke about how effective Amazon has been for Love Wellness. Many customers treat Amazon as a search engine and discover the brand there. The good news is most find the website later and subscribe.
• OPositiv CMO, Martin Ye, shared how understanding customer behavior early on can be predictive of long-term engagement patterns. This is a great mindset for marketers—analyze cohorts, identify behavioral trends, and make more proactive, strategic decisions about your customer experience.

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‍This post originally appeared in #78 of The E-Commerce Corner. Subscribe here.

Had to laugh at this post last week about how marketers think people buy and what really happens.

The truth is we often try to dream up the perfect sales funnel, imagining the ideal path from ad to purchase. But when we take off our marketer hat and think about how we actually shop, we know it's a whole different ball game. We discover brands in a blur of daily noise, and sometimes can't even pinpoint what led us to buy. This is especially true in the CPG world, where you can find products just about anywhere.

Let's take a look at some sample customer journey scenarios across channels:

Scenario 1: In-Store Discovery

1. Customer visits a local retail store to pick something up.
2. Customer notices a new product on shelf with eye-catching packaging.
3. Customer scans QR code on packaging to read more about the product online. They join the mailing list for a coupon, but it doesn't come immediately.
4. Customer adds the product to their cart but hesitates at checkout.
5. Customer leaves the store without the product.
6. Customer receives the coupon via email.
7. Customer returns to store and purchases product with coupon.

Scenario 2: Amazon Browsing

1. Customer visits Amazon to re-order household items.
2. Customer stumbles upon a CPG product through 'Customers Also Bought' section.
3. Customer reads positive reviews.
4. Customer forgets about it for a week.
5. Amazon sends a reminder email about the item on sale.
6. Customer purchases the product during the sale.

Scenario 3: Social Media Influence

1. Customer watches an influencer mention a CPG product in a story.
2. Customer likes the post but takes no action.
3. Customer sees a friend post about the same product a few days later.
4. Customer comments asking for the friend's opinion.
5. Convinced by the friend’s positive review, customer searches for the product online.
6. Customer follows the product’s Instagram page and uses a promo code to purchase via social.

Scenario 4: Targeted Advertising

1. Customer initially sees a video ad for a CPG product on YouTube but skips it.
2. The ad follows the customer to Facebook and Instagram.
3. Customer finally watches the full ad on Facebook.
4. Customer visits the brand’s website but leaves without buying.
5. Customer receives a targeted ad while reading a food blog.
6. Customer clicks the ad, returns to the site, and ends up buying a starter bundle.

Scenario 5: Email Marketing

1. Customer turns to Google for dinner ideas.
2. Customer gets lost in a sea of interesting recipes on a blog and signs up for the newsletter. They happen to be on a blog by a CPG brand.
3. Customer receives welcome flow but doesn't take action.
4. Over several weeks, the customer receives emails highlighting product benefits and customer stories.
5. Customer receives an email with a limited-time offer for free cooking tools.
6. Customer decides to make a purchase using the promo.

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‍This post originally appeared in #77 of The E-Commerce Corner. Subscribe here.

We recently onboarded a client with a Sanity x Hydrogen e-commerce architecture (aka headless); meanwhile, over the last few weeks, we've been fielding more questions from prospects about a headless approach to Shopify.

All this talk about headless reminded me of a client we began working with a few years back. At the time, 'headless' seemed to be a topic of discussion everywhere in e-commerce.

The client was pre-revenue with big ambitions. Our key point of contact was firm on a headless build. Unfortunately, the brand didn't see the initial sales they expected after launch. We had identified several opportunities for conversion rate optimization; however, much of our retainer time was consumed by simple tasks—like configuring Google Tag Manager and implementing subscriptions—that should have been quick but were complicated by the headless architecture.

After some strategic conversations with leadership, they decided to invest in consolidating the website under Shopify Plus; the project cost them more than a third of the initial website build budget a year before.

This experience reinforced what we recommended to this client from the start: Shopify Plus can handle most of a brand's needs. Rather than lead with a headless approach, identify what specific requirements make it worthwhile, then weigh the tradeoffs. Often, headless adds unnecessary complexity and cost.

All that said, headless can be a good investment for certain businesses, especially those with extensive large-scale operations or complex product catalogs. It decouples the website's front-end from the backend logistics, offering more flexibility. In essence, brands can leverage Shopify to manage products, inventory, customers, and orders, without having to work around the URL path and page template constraints. It can also offer performance enhancements by sidestepping the impact of Shopify and third-party app scripts.

Shopify continues to improve the platform to offer merchants more and more flexibility, like allowing for content modules to be re-ordered across templates and improving how product variants are managed on the front and backend. While it may not be possible to accomplish all that a headless approach offers, it can get you pretty far and in the long run, save significant costs on maintenance and support, allowing you to reallocate those funds to optimization and enhancements.

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‍This post originally appeared in #76 of The E-Commerce Corner. Subscribe here.

Magic Spoon was all the rage in the DTC bubble when it launched in 2019, but it took a trip to Costco for me to finally pay attention.

About a month ago, the colorful, illustrated Magic Spoon packaging caught my wife Dana’s eye at Costco. She had been searching for a new cereal option after a salmonella scare with her usual go-to Quaker Oats cinnamon oatmeal squares. Although we both knew about Magic Spoon, we hadn't seen it in person before.

Dana scanned the box with Yuka, an app we use to assess the health impact of products we buy. For cereal, it scored well, so she decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the next morning, Dana was unimpressed with the fruity flavor—the only one Costco sells.

I don't eat cereal, but with a barely touched box of two bags languishing in our pantry, I decided to give it a shot rather than let it go to waste. I was pretty blown away by the macronutrient breakdown—high protein, no sugar, and around 150 calories per serving—and I actually liked the taste, especially when mixed with some slices of bananas and fresh berries.

Over the next few weeks, I went back for more and quickly became a fan.

Feeling bad that Dana still hadn’t found a new cereal she enjoyed, I was motivated to get her on board with Magic Spoon. They have to have better flavors, I thought.

As an Amazon Prime member, the first place I looked was Amazon.

I learned more about the other flavors available, but all Amazon offered were packs of four. I could either get a pre-made bundle, which included the unwanted fruity flavor or commit entirely to one flavor. Neither option was appealing. I was also confused by the pricing, which listed the unit price for five boxes, although the description and imagery showed four.

Next, I checked the Magic Spoon website and was surprised to find they offered more than just cereal. But I was a man on a mission and went straight to ‘Shop Cereal.'

I was pleased to see more flavors than what was available on Amazon. It took me a while to find the ‘Custom Bundle’ option, buried in the dropdown, but it was a welcome discovery. It wasn't clear if I had to pay for shipping, so I added some flavors to the bundle and went to checkout, sad to find shipping was not free like it would have been on Amazon.

I couldn't easily find a store locator (it's in tiny text in the footer), so I turned to a Google search, whose product listings led me to Target where the price per box was significantly lower than elsewhere.

By the way, I did all of this searching on my phone while lying in bed.

I clicked the Target listing and popped over to their app, which showed a 20% off Target Circle cereal deal. As a Target Circle member and credit card holder, I was thrilled.

I browsed the flavors, cross-checking each with Yuka, and excitedly shared them with Dana as she got ready for bed.

She was excited and told me which ones she preferred. We bought four boxes of different flavors for pickup at my nearby Target.

After checking out, I thought to myself how fascinating it is that I’m becoming a Magic Spoon brand advocate, and yet they have no idea who I am or why I love their product. Chances are, I'll continue to buy from Target (or Costco if they expand their flavor options), and the cycle will continue.

So, what could Magic Spoon do?

For starters, instead of a small line of text on their box to check out their website, they could highlight a cool-looking branded QR code with a callout to learn more about their impressive nutritional profile. Maybe play off the nostalgic essence of the brand and throw in a free zebra bowl set via their loyalty program.

The QR code could drive traffic to a landing page that details what goes into the product and why it’s great, then offer an incentive—perhaps the zebra bowl set or free shipping might be more enticing than the $5 off they offer today.

After someone subscribes to their list, they could ask why they’re interested in Magic Spoon. What drew them in?

They could build a drip campaign via email/SMS that eventually drives customers to shop in retail if they don’t purchase online, even offering a coupon.

The website should highlight the store locator more prominently. Sure, Magic Spoon likely wants to drive DTC sales, but in reality, people like me will explore all available options. Instead of creating friction, they should make it easy to find products where it’s most convenient.

The big differentiator of shopping DTC is the build-a-bundle option, which is currently buried. Make it sing from the homepage! If they want to drive sales of their cereal bars, I'd also integrate them into the build-a-bundle option.

Instead of upselling bars in the DTC mini-cart, they could discount them with a cereal purchase or provide a sample to add to an order. If they believe in their product, people will love it and come back to buy more.

This is just the beginning of what's possible.

As a CPG food and beverage brand in 2024, it's enough to ensure your brand is appealing across all channels, but to understand how customers behave and connect the dots between those touchpoints. Failing to engage with and understand customers is a missed opportunity for growth, learning, and impact.

See the LinkedIn version of this post.

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‍This post originally appeared in #75 of The E-Commerce Corner. Subscribe here.

Someone recently asked me what sets the e-commerce teams of successful brands apart. Reflecting on my experience at Barrel over the last 11 years, here are some qualities I've observed among the strongest teams:

They're committed to continuous website improvement. Whether with an in-house team, consultant, or agency, they prioritize making their websites user-friendly and fast, from baseline e-commerce best practices to mobile UX to site navigation to checkout.

They pay attention to key metrics and dig in to identify trends. They seek out the 'why' behind every 'what' vs. making impulsive, reactive decisions.

They don't try to reinvent the wheel. They leverage Shopify and its ecosystem of apps and tools to minimize operational costs while maximizing efficiency and creating the best brand and customer experience.

They understand there's no end to understanding their customers. They regularly engage in interviews and surveys to gather customer feedback and gather insights to improve their products and services.

They make all customers feel heard and appreciated. Whether through high-touch customer service interactions, personalized experiences, loyalty, referral programs, and the like.

They recognize the importance of a robust email/SMS strategy. They prioritize segmentation to create communications that resonate with customers' preferences and interests.

They think strategically about where they drive marketing traffic, leveraging insights to create target landing pages and experiences for campaigns.

They consider every channel where customers might find their products, ensuring there's a cohesive connection between these experiences. They make sure there's always a path back to their website to engage and learn more.

They know who they are as a brand but are never afraid to challenge this notion. They lead with an open mind and are always open to experiment. They continually explore their place in the market and how they can deliver value to their customers, always willing to adapt and learn.

All in all, the secret to their success isn't just what they do but how they approach their entire operation with a mindset that embraces continuous learning, efficiency, and a deep commitment to customer engagement and satisfaction.

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‍This post originally appeared in #74 of The E-Commerce Corner. Subscribe here.

Many clients come to us after scaling down or pausing their marketing efforts completely. Restarting those efforts without a solid foundation is risky, a move that can cost more than expected.

Even in scenarios where marketing seems to be hitting its stride—think high click-through rates and a surge in traffic—the reality is that these efforts are futile if your website isn't ready to make the most of these visits.

I was on a call this week with a friend and marketer, Peter Fusco, who put it something like this:

The quality of the invitation (your marketing) to the party (your website) means nothing if the party fails to meet expectations. Guests (potential customers) will exit as swiftly as they enter.

If you find yourself in party planning mode (or, in our world, website optimization), here are some suggestions on where to start:

Ad > Website Synergy: The destination (homepage, landing pages, etc.) you're driving traffic to should nicely align with your ad's messaging, content, and strategy that captured a user's attention in the first place. Otherwise, it's like walking into a sushi restaurant and finding the menu is full of tacos and burritos.

Optimize for Product Storytelling: Ensure the narrative around your product is clear and compelling across all pages—be it the homepage, landing pages, or product pages. Communicate the unique value your product offers and how it delivers on the specific needs of your customers.

Compelling Incentive: Avoid defaulting to an email pop-up immediately upon site arrival. Instead, look at time spent on the site and navigation patterns to identify when might be most effective, such as upon exit intent. Offer something genuinely enticing to encourage newsletter sign-ups (discount, free sample, e-book, etc), and don't hesitate to gather additional information like user interests.

Navigation: Don't neglect your navigation. Keep it simple and focus on what jumping-off points make the most sense for visitors. Time and time again, we see folks land on a website and open the navigation within seconds. It's a quick way (or should be) for visitors to get familiar with the brand and what they offer. If your focus is e-commerce, don't fluff up the top nav items with brand storytelling pages, events, or a neglected blog. We've seen it all.

Automation: Set up at least a basic welcome email/SMS flow for new sign-ups. For a more refined approach, segment users based on interests, location, etc., and tailor a more personalized flow. Ensuring you have essential retargeting flows like Abandoned Cart in place is also essential.

Upselling/Cross-Selling: New visitors will want to familiarize themselves with your offerings. Facilitate that exploration! Show them complementary products and the broader catalog through dynamic upsells and cross-sells throughout the site—from product detail pages to the cart and checkout. Don't forget to include a module for Recently Viewed, as well. Make it easy for them to shop!

Mobile Optimization: Prioritize a clean, simple mobile experience that's easy to navigate and doesn't bury information behind endless scrolling and giant spacing.

Speed: Site speed is non-negotiable. A common pitfall affecting speed is oversized images, alongside the clutter of unused apps. A streamlined, lightning-fast website is essential.

Once you have a good foundation in place, make sure you have a straightforward system for tracking key metrics. We embrace simplicity, often leveraging a basic Google sheet that compiles data from platforms like Shopify, Google Analytics, and relevant third-party apps. This approach allows us to monitor how traffic navigates through our clients’ sites, pinpoint where drop-offs happen, observe conversion rates, and whatever else is important for the client's business. Tools like Microsoft Clarity are invaluable for deeper dives into user behavior, such as scroll depth and heatmap analysis.

Skipping these basics and jumping straight into marketing can be like setting money on fire. Remember, just because the invite is incredible doesn't mean the party will be a hit. Ensure your foundation is solid, so when you do invest in marketing, it leads to real, measurable growth.

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‍This post originally appeared in #73 of The E-Commerce Corner. Subscribe here.

The most important job CPG brands have is to prove their credibility to consumers.

We’re in an era of consumer skepticism and brands are struggling to gain trust in crowded markets.

Consider the recent example of lead poisoning in FDA-approved cinnamon applesauce pouches for babies.

Three brands were found to contain 200X the amount of lead that’s considered safe to consume in their products, causing over 60 adverse reactions in children across the US.

It was discovered that a filler used by the supplier of cinnamon caused elevated levels of heavy metals.

This can irrevocably destroy a brand’s reputation, and stories like this can make consumers wary of new (and existing) brands.

Brands are left to navigate a distrustful climate and find balance between transparency and differentiation while committing to safety and quality.

But when brands consistently show their commitment to consumer safety, they have a far better chance of survival.