In a new era of uncertainty, it seems like everyone is soul searching for the next big growth lever.
I have had so many conversations recently with DTC operators and it seems like everyone is in the same spot....
➡ 10 years ago, you invested in SEO and could forecast traffic, CVR, and revenue based on SERP rankings. People used Google to find organic results aligned on intent.
When Google became The Yellow Pages, priority shifted to SEM (and Amazon ads 😤 ). CAC grew exponentially and became a barrier to growth.
➡ 5 years ago, it became cheap and easy to grow with targeted FB ads (more recently, TikTok). Growth for small DTC brands exploded.
Now that iOS updates, economic headwinds, crushed budgets, and competition has priced out these SMBs, growth has slowed for everyone.
Where to turn? The next best place to derive profitable ROI is from #creators.
1. Creators to help drive traffic (already happening).
2. Creators to help sell on-site.
3. Creators to help retain, educate, and recruit.
But a singular platform hasn't emerged....yet. The time and resources it takes to maintain an influencer program is still too high, and competition for influencers (even micro influencers) has become INTENSE.
Shopping the stuff that creators rep is still really clunky and somehow still involves special links and personalized codes.
"Boutiques" built by creators are a valid workaround, but with dropshipping usually comes a broken customer experience and a bad first impression of the brand.
If only there was a way to merge the mobile-first and frictionless brand experiences you get on Shopify with the power of like-minded creators looking to get paid for what they sell......
It's time to unlock the next big thing.
It's time to get Jellee.