Notes

Last week, we launched a new website for the vegan cookie brand Sweet Loren's. We helped them re-platform from Magento to Shopify with a fresh look and feel meant to capture the brand's essence while educating customers on what makes their cookies unique.

I'm especially excited about this launch for a few reasons.

• Before Sweet Loren's contacted us, I was already a fan. A couple of years ago, I went all-in on a vegan diet and immersed myself in vegan recipes and alternatives. I found Sweet Loren's cookies and fell in love.
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• Sweet Loren's was one of the first projects where we decided to make significant adjustments to our proposal format and experiment with three unique approach options. The positive feedback on our new proposal format provided momentum for future evolutions.
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• We had our eye on Tolstoy for some time, looking for the right client to put it into action. After Founder Loren Castle survived cancer in her early twenties, she made it her mission to eliminate processed foods from her diet and went on to create Sweet Loren's. For founder-led brands like Sweet Loren's, we want customers to feel connected to the founder's story. This project was the perfect opportunity for Tolstoy to shine.

I remember early talks with Sweet Loren's SVP of Marketing, Robyn, about the potential for the new Sweet Loren's website. It feels great to see it live. I look forward to continuing our work with the brand, helping them better connect with their customers from web to retail.

You can check out the new website at sweetlorens.com.

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This post originally appeared in Edition No. 147 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

I have to assume that no one ever wants to make a return. Customers appreciate the option, especially when it's free, but besides the old buy two sizes trick, they don't buy a product with the plan to return it. Even when it is free, it requires effort. Effort we'd rather not have to take.

So... that's good news because I've yet to meet a merchant who loves returns. But unfortunately, they're inevitable.

There are two sides to analyzing returns: the impetus for the return and the return experience.

The impetus for the return

If you aren't collecting feedback from customers to understand why they're making a return, start doing that now. The only way to prevent returns is to know why customers aren't satisfied enough to keep your product.

To take it a step further, spend time every month getting on the phone (remember these?) with customers who made a return to understand their thought process and how you can make it right. I don't have a study to quote, but we all know how costly it is to acquire new customers while winning them back can generate more profit and turn them into brand advocates.

In your quest to understand customer returns, here are some thought starters to consider when reviewing your website. The goal is to ensure your website is doing everything possible to set expectations with the customer before they click Complete Checkout.

• Does product imagery accurately showcase the product?
• Can customers assess the item's physical size through product imagery, if relevant?
• For clothing and accessories, is sizing guidance accurate and easy for customers to understand? Do you feel confident they can decide on size without trying on the item?
• Are product descriptions detailed enough? What content might be missing?
• Do product specifications provide details on materials, dimensions, and other relevant content that customers would look for if shopping in person?
• Have you provided enough content from real customers? Can customers see reviews from people like them?
• Are you showcasing user-generated content to help customers get a feel for the product in "real life"?
• For products available in-store, is it clear to customers this is an option?
• For brands with several similar products, is it straightforward for customers to compare features?
• If you were a customer, what hesitations might you have before purchasing?

The return experience

If a customer chooses to return your product, it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. Rather than making the situation worse for the customer by charging them to send the product back or requiring them to jump through hoops, invest in a seamless return experience. Remember, they don't want to return the product either!

When customers feel some sense of delight in an otherwise frustrating situation, you're already on the path to winning them back. Sure, sending them a free shipping label is nice of you, but it's a bit like receiving an unwrapped gift at Christmas—you don't feel the magic.

Instead, create an experience that allows customers to share what went wrong. Then, guide them to finding a solution, whether that's a discount on another purchase, a replacement item, or some other perk—it will leave them feeling satisfied (and you more whole). After all, a return for the customer probably means they'll have to continue shopping for a replacement with a similar brand. Again, more effort they don't want to take.

Getting started

• Returns: We love Loop's focus on turning what's typically a loss center into a profit center through a thoughtfully designed return experience, including upsell and cross-sell opportunities. Imagine increasing AOV with a return?!
• Try before you buy: For brands with products whose website will never do them justice (think: fragrances), TryNow is a turnkey option for rolling out a Try Before You Buy experience on your e-commerce store.
• Reviews: Okendo is our go-to for reviews because they focus on making reviews as helpful as possible for the end customer. They make it simple for customers to review products while simultaneously collecting and displaying customer attributes that give context to future customers. This data can feed into Klaviyo (or other ESP) to create more personalized marketing, driving customers to the right products.

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This post originally appeared in Edition No. 146 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

We've all been in that situation: you're on the checkout page, excited to finalize your order, only to be confronted with a discount code field. The search for a discount begins, and you find yourself scouring the internet for a valid code. You eventually give up and decide to postpone your purchase.

For brands that avoid discounts, don't dangle the possibility of one over your customer's heads. Instead, eliminate the discount code field altogether. Doing so prevents decision paralysis, promotes conversion, and gives customers more confidence in their purchases.

For brands that offer occasional discounts, include some text in checkout letting customers know they're rare. Save them the hunt!

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This post originally appeared in Edition No. 145 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

SMS marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for brands, but with its growing effectiveness comes more guidelines. Brands that aren't up to speed on SMS compliance run the risk of paying for messages that get blocked by carriers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, and never delivered.

Guidelines around SMS marketing are ever-changing, but some common reasons a carrier may block a brand's text messages include lacking consent, opt-out instructions, or exceeding frequency limits.

Beyond compliance, there are other guidelines to keep in mind developing an SMS marketing strategy, such as quiet hours. Quiet hours are times during the day to avoid sending text messages. While there are no federal laws for quiet hours, the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991) and FCC guidance suggest sending messages between 8 am and 9 pm in the recipient's local time zone. Some states, like Florida, Oklahoma, and Washington, are more strict, shortening the time to 8 pm. The safest bet for brands? Stick to the 8 am to 8 pm.

SMS marketing guidelines and compliance can feel like a lot to understand and manage, but platforms like Postscript are building these guidelines into their product. For instance, if a subscriber triggers automation or a campaign is sent during quiet hours, Postscript will hold sending until waking hours begin in the subscriber's time zone.

Here are some easy tips for managing an effective SMS program:

• Warm up recipients with simple messages free of sales language and links.
• Maintain a reasonable frequency of texts to avoid opt-outs and blacklisting.
• Encourage replies to increase engagement. We've all received messages asking us to "Reply YES" if we're interested.
• Make it easy for recipients to opt-in and opt-out of messages.
• Keep content relevant to the recipient and make it clear who is sending the messages.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 144 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

Post-purchase surveys go beyond gathering feedback—they are a powerful tool for understanding customers and making strategic decisions that drive business success.

Here are example questions a brand might ask and why they matter:

"What other products do you wish you could purchase?"

By exploring customers' desired products, you uncover untapped market opportunities. This valuable insight can help expand your offerings to better suit their needs. For example, a coffee brand could consider adding creamer options to enhance the overall coffee experience.

"Which brands did you consider before choosing ours?"

Understanding customers' alternatives sheds light on your competitors' strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge allows you to align your brand's unique value proposition, refine your positioning, and stand out from the competition.

"How do you plan to use our product?"

Customers often find innovative ways to use products that may surprise you. By asking this question, you uncover popular or unknown use cases, providing opportunities to enhance your product offerings and stay ahead of evolving customer needs.

While there are more intricate tactics for gathering customer insights, post-purchase surveys capture customers when they're engaged and excited about their recent purchase. Seizing this moment ensures higher response rates and more authentic feedback.

At Barrel, we're fans of Fairing and how they help our clients get to know their customers.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 143 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

One of the most common reasons customers cancel subscriptions for products like skincare and food is that they have too many products. A cool feature of ARPU is they make it easy for customers to delay their subscription via the "shipping soon notification" email. Even if the customer ultimately cancels, the brand is able to keep the customer engaged for another month or two. This revenue adds up!

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 142 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

Customer segmentation and personalization may seem daunting, especially for emerging e-commerce brands, but they present valuable opportunities that many can achieve with less effort than they think.

A great starting point for brands is to focus on their email and SMS strategies and redefine their perception of a mailing list, which should live in Klaviyo. Rather than viewing it as a repository for capturing names and emails, brands should treat their mailing list as a robust database with valuable customer information, ranging from birthdates to personal preferences. For instance, beauty and skincare brands can collect data on customers' skincare concerns, while athletic apparel brands can gather information on their favorite ways to stay active.

There are several straightforward ways to begin building customer profiles:

1. Import past purchase data from Shopify.
2. Implement a quiz with Octane.ai to capture customers' quiz selections.
3. Request additional information through pop-ups or follow-up emails when users join the newsletter.

While more advanced techniques exist, these steps serve as an excellent starting point. By leveraging these simple approaches, brands can create more personalized communication that resonates with their customers.

Personalized communication can take various forms depending on the brand. Brands offering a wide range of products can tailor email and SMS to showcase different products and categories. Meanwhile, brands with a smaller product offering can still achieve personalization by adjusting imagery. For example, featuring lifestyle imagery that reflects the customer's familiar environment can foster a sense of closeness and connection.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 141 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

I'm excited about a call I had today with a company called Treet. They've created a turnkey resale platform for brands to offer their customers. I love the focus on sustainability and the unique opportunity for brands to strengthen customer loyalty by offering a new way to engage (with the brand and their community). Treet claims that brands can expect an incremental revenue increase of between 3-10%. They support every type of resale model, from peer-to-peer to trade-in, and even have paths for brands to liquidate unsellable or returned inventory. I'm excited to find opportunities to collaborate with them.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 139 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

Today, I had a conversation with a prospective client at a baby brand. What's intriguing about customers in this space is that a significant proportion of them are first-time parents. Although they conduct extensive research, they typically put their top products on a registry and may never interact with the brand of choice.

The challenge for baby brands is to establish a connection with these customers and remain relevant for future child-related purchases or family gifts. I see a major opportunity for these brands to invest in educational content via email and other channels, such as guidance on product evaluation and what to consider regarding certifications and safety measures, to position themselves as experts and build trust with potential customers (and of course, grab their contact info).

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 137 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

I recently chatted with the former E-comm Director of a large apparel brand. They told me how the brand had started tapping into their growing retail stores for e-commerce fulfillment, a network of over 70 stores at the time. When the customer received their shipment, they’d also receive a handwritten note from their local store. Customers not only felt more connected to the brand and more inclined to shop again, many of them discovered they could shop in-store for the first time and came in for a visit.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 135 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

When a prospective project doesn't work out, we make a point to ask the client for feedback about our proposal and what led to their decision. Sometimes, clients provide input but, more often than not, they're vague or don't respond.

We're naturally more eager to hear where we fell short than why we succeeded, but I'm noticing how insightful it is to gather feedback regardless of the outcome. I've made a note to myself to do this more often. Fortunately, clients have been more receptive lately, giving us helpful feedback even when they choose to work with us.

In addition to client feedback, I've occasionally shared our proposals with tech partners for their thoughts. Agency partner managers get exposure to how other agencies work and what challenges are top of mind for merchants. I'm always interested in what they have to say.

With that in mind, the client feedback we've received, plus takeaways from chatting with tech partners, has been fruitful. As we prepare each new proposal, I've enjoyed applying these insights to how we position ourselves and propose work.

Updates

Below are some of the ways we've evolved our recent proposals:

Highlighting our history & POV

We've been experimenting with how we touch on our history as an agency in our decks and proposals. For instance, highlighting that we've been in business for nearly 17 years can help build trust with clients from day one. Similarly, noting we've been working with Shopify since 2009 and in the Plus partner program since 2017 can alleviate any client concerns about our expertise and comfort level with Shopify.

In addition to our background, a few clients have raised the same questions about our experience and thoughts on key topics, such as accessibility and site performance. We have a strong POV but haven't been great about sharing it. Our proposals now include slides outlining our perspective, protocol, and recommendations.

Expanding our case studies

We're limiting the number of case studies we share with clients to three or four. At the same time, we're going deeper within each to focus on what makes each project unique.

For a while now, our case studies were one-page, but we've expanded them to three at a minimum and feature:

• Client background
• Project Overview
• Engagement Overview (e.g. support & optimization, website UX/design & development, etc.)
• Client Ecommerce Stack
• At least four key features/highlights (includes image/video, headline, and description)

Our new case studies leverage assets we've created for social to reduce the effort needed to create them. We're also building a reference list of the most common features/highlights for brainstorming what to include.

Proposing multiple approach options

In early 2020, we sent out our fair share of 3-option proposals after going through Blair Enns's Win Without Pitching workshop but eventually lost momentum. Flash forward, and we're back at it. For now, multi-proposal options are standard for most potential projects and have helped avoid losses solely due to pricing.

In addition to receiving positive feedback from clients, creating multi-option proposals has inspired us to get creative about adding value for the client vs. designing one approach to accomplish their goals. Looking ahead, we see an opportunity to level up by exploring ROI for each option based on the client's current business performance and goals.

Suggesting future initiatives and opportunities

Until now, our proposals included retainer pricing and a suggested plan for clients to consider after launch (for new websites or redesigns). Now, we're going a step further and taking the time to brainstorm what initiatives might be valuable for the client. From creating a bundle builder to designing a post-purchase experience, it's been nice to go beyond the initial project and help the clients think long-term.

Collaborating with tech partners

Earlier this year, I wrote about narrowing our e-commerce tech stack and strengthening our relationship with tech partners. Since then, it's been amazing to see what's possible, whether bringing them in on projects or getting their advice on handling unique client requests.

We're now highlighting our recommended tech partners in our proposals, touching on how we collaborate, and even showing how they can drive ROI for our clients. Sometimes this comes from brainstorming with tech partners during the sales process.

Looking Ahead

It's too soon to see whether these updates are making a difference yet, and there are so many variables that we may never know what sticks for a client. However, we'll continue improving through tracking activitiy and requesting feedback.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 135 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

We once had an Account Lead whose update for weekly account status check-ins would frequently read: "All is good." I trusted this person, so I had no reason to assume all was not good on the project or with the client. However, as time passed, I noticed a pattern with this person's accounts.

New initiatives or tasks always seemed urgent. They'd cite other team members or even the client when situations didn't go as planned. If hours were trending over, they would act as if it happened overnight.

All in all, anything that didn't go well appeared to come out of nowhere. It was frustrating. Going from "all is good" to red alert was an emotional rollercoaster for me and anyone involved. When I jumped in to help manage the situation, I'd often be surprised to learn how unhappy the client had been with us for a while. Unfortunately, a few of these situations led to clients decreasing services or moving on. In one instance, I discovered our client had just begun exploring other partners. Luckily, we prompted a discussion early enough to turn things around.

All was not good.

I always carved out time to debrief with the Account lead, but we did not see much progress before they chose to move on. I never fully uncovered what led to the continued oversight of their accounts.

Were they looking at the world through rose-colored glasses?

Were they unwilling or unsure how to take ownership of their accounts?

Were they not curious enough not to dig in with clients to understand their needs?

Were they afraid to ask clients for feedback?

While it was sad not to see the Account Lead improve, I walked away with a valuable lesson: When it feels like "all is good" with a client, assume there's something you're overlooking. While it's important to continually get curious about the client, solicit feedback, and confirm the relationship is on the right track, "all is good" is a signal to go deeper.

These days, I've made it a habit to dig in further when I hear "all is good" from an Account Lead or I notice myself thinking the same during my weekly accounts review with the Barrel partners. The truth is that even when all is good, there's always a more specific update to provide that can lead to further insights. I remember one situation when digging deeper with an Account Lead surfaced a projected overage on a project. With this information, we could proactively get ahead of it and course-correct, ending the project on time and within budget.

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We've made several changes to accounts management at Barrel over the last couple of years. The most notable changes have been designing a Weekly Accounts System, keeping projects on track and centralizing decision-making, and introducing Executive Sponsors, a member of Barrel leadership accountable for strengthening the client relationship, specifically with executive stakeholders.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 130 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

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Last week, Shopify released 100+ product updates in their 2023 Winter Edition. Some of these are already available, while others are coming soon. There are a ton of exciting updates, but here are the 10 that caught my eye:

1. Drag-and-drop checkout editor for more brand consistency, plus app integration for extended functionality: Clients often ask how we can make checkout feel more like an extension of their brand and website. These updates will be a game-changer for more turnkey customization and merchants looking for a more advanced robust cart/checkout experience.
2. Shop Promise badge (on product pages) will display smart delivery dates backed by a limited guarantee: Maybe it's just me, but this feels like a response to Amazon's Buy with Prime value prop. Either way, I'm excited to see this in action and think it can be effective in building customer trust and confidence. Shopify claims up to 25% life in conversion.
3. Deeper Shop Pay integration (one-click checkout & using passkeys for accounts): As a customer, I've loved the ease of Shop Pay. It's great to see Shopify embed it further into the customer journey. One-click checkout will make repeat purchases seamless. On the accounts side, we see more clients opting to go live without account pages, but leaving customers to rely on email alone can be tough. Making account creation and management easy with Shop Pay will be a value-add to merchants and customers alike. Great thread from Shopify Senior Product Lead, Patrick, here.
4. AI-generated storefront content (Shopify Magic), e.g. use keywords to generate product descriptions: Copy is often a pain point for clients, so I'll be curious to see how effective/easy this is to use. I'm sure we'll see AI continue to show up more in all aspects of e-commerce.
5. Improved search & recommendations: Smart, suggestive search has become the expected functionality for e-commerce stores with more than a handful of SKUs. It's nice to see Shopify's focus on Search and leveraging data across Shopify to improve it.
6. Introducing Metaobjects, allowing merchants to create reusable, custom content: Like the drag-and-drop checkout editor, this feels like another step in the "no-code" direction. As an avid-Webflow user, I'm loving this update. I'm also looking forward to seeing how our designers can weigh in on what should be a metaobject, based on how they structure their design files.
7. Product Bundles: Finally, the new Shopify Bundles app will make product bundling easy for merchants — a long-time request we've heard from clients.
8. More Shop app customization (branding, shop experiences, etc): I don't hear many people talking about the Shop app; however, I think it can be a powerful tool for customers and merchants alike. It's interesting to see Shopify investing in new features. It makes me wonder if an Amazon-like experience is a long-term vision. I'll be eager to see if this drives adoption.
9. Translate & adapt app, making it easy to localize store content across markets: We see this request a lot, especially for skincare and beauty clients with different laws/guidelines by region. This will be a powerful upgrade across the board.
10. Integrated marketing automation for re-engagement with Shopify Email: I didn't expect to see Shopify prioritizing email, but so far, it looks like a solid offering for merchants who don't need or want to invest in a more robust email offering with Klaviyo.

Check out the Shopify 2023 Winter Edition page for the full list of updates, along with more details, documentation, and explainer videos.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 127 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

I wrote a post back in July about recording client calls and why I thought it would be worthwhile to implement across the agency. We've since gotten better about this and seen a positive impact on projects.

For whatever reason, we didn't consider recording new business calls at the time, but as of late December, we decided to instate the same practice using Grain. It hasn't been long, but it's already proving to be a worthwhile change.

We started recording calls when our Director of Business Development, Dan, was out on paternity leave. We were having conversations that we thought would be helpful for him to review when he returned. In doing this, we saw benefits in making this a standard practice:

Training opportunity. There are quirks to every new business call. Having never met the client (in most cases), you never know what to expect. Recording calls is a helpful way to reflect on and learn from these conversations, whether they go our way or not. For example, the team references a call recording as a model for how to lead, or the call lead reviews the recording to see how they could improve the dialogue. Last week, I led a chat with a prospective client who appeared to be on vacation and seemed impatient with me inquiring about their business. They were happy with the call by the end, but I left thinking it would be a great case study to review in the future. Luckily, we got it recorded.

Team onboarding. It's always important to take notes on calls, but notes only capture what the note-taker thought was worth writing down, which changes from person to person. When getting the team involved in working on proposals and scoping new projects, recording calls make it easy for them to go back and hear first-hand how the project began. I recently jumped in to help put together an approach for a project for a client who I hadn't met yet. I reviewed the initial call recording and saw the client mentioned challenges with the communication style of a former agency. When it came time to present our approach, I leaned into being upfront and open with them. After the call, they sent us an email to tell us we were frontrunners, noting our "transparency and authenticity."

Future reference. It can take weeks, sometimes months, or even years, to land a new deal. Having all calls with a prospective client recorded for reference can help eliminate gaps along the way and avoid us asking the same question twice. We're very close to signing a new project with a client we've been talking to since August 2022. Unfortunately, we don't have recordings of all the calls since then; however, since the scope has changed several times, I could see the benefit of having recorded calls as a reference.

For anyone thinking about recording new business calls, here are a few considerations to keep in mind:

• If you plan to get into potentially sensitive details about the client's business, it's worth getting an NDA signed before the call. I've had calls end early because the client didn't feel comfortable sharing much without an NDA. Recording the call can add another level of concern.
• Ask everyone on the call if they're comfortable being recorded, and explain why you're recording. No one likes to hear a voiceover saying the call is being recorded without permission ahead of time.
• Don't forget to record. This one seems obvious, but it's easy to forget! We've had it happen already.

For more on leading new business calls, I wrote a comprehensive guide (relating new business to speed dating) in a previous newsletter. You can read it here.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 122 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.

In April, we began re-imagining how we communicate and collaborate with our clients. Inspired by Domino's pizza tracker, we narrowed the scope of what we share with clients, focusing only on what's important. These efforts led to us moving all clients into a "Project/Client Tracker," built with Google sheets. Yes, Google sheets!

For fixed-fee projects, clients have:

• Launch date (with assumptions)
• Project schedule
• Change log

For retainers, clients have:

• Weekly burn report
• Monthly/quarterly initiatives with estimates

While both trackers have been well-received by clients, we recently noticed a blind spot with our retainer clients — initiatives don't have client-facing schedules. We do monthly planning with clients to determine priorities, but there is no system for outlining the timeline later.

I chatted with Kate, Director of Client Services, about this last week and learned that Account Leads have been creating versions on their own for some accounts but not all. The good news is that task-level schedules exist in some places; the bad news is they are not everywhere or consistent.

Luckily, this is a pretty straightforward solve. I'm looking forward to hashing it out with Kate this week, then rolling it out with the team.

This post originally appeared in Edition No. 114 of my newsletter. Subscribe here.