| Good morning! And a very Merry Christmas to you all. 🎄 | Chase and Jimmy here hoping to provide you with some leisure reading while the kids play with all their new toys from Santa. What was the hot ticket item in your home? This was the year of Minecraft, Stanleys, Barbies and scooters in our homes. | As we eased into the big holiday week, Chase and I reflected on this past year and our wheels started turning. | 2024 was a year of change; we saw a lot of interesting changes happen… | We started the year with Yahoogle, which not only created a new awareness on deliverability, but we saw companies have to learn new skills around it. | We saw changes to inboxes, internet service providers email service, and how emails are reacting. | We saw an overall increase in retention focus as brands had more issues with getting traffic and they leaned on email. | We saw email open rates INCREASE while CTR's decreased as the shift of more email created less engagement, while false opens increased. | We saw big changes, like IOS 18 happen where we have AI starting to affect the way people consume email. | We saw RCS launch for text messaging, which changes how SMS could be utilized into 2025! | So, we sat back and said.. What do we think will happen in 2025 with retention? | Here's our 10 predictions as we enter 2025: | But first, a few goods! |
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| | | As we wrap up 2024 and look ahead to 2025, it's the perfect time to set your brand Email & SMS marketing so good, it's boring. | And that's ok. You've got enough exciting stuff to worry about. Let Omnisend be the platform you can depend on for email & SMS that simply works. | ✔️ $73 for every $1 spent | ✔️ Powerful without the crappy experience | ✔️ Support team available 24/7 | Check out Omnisend and get the R&R you deserve this holiday season. 💤 |
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| | 💡 Knowledge Drop of The Week | Are your ads scratching the right part of the brain? Ryan McKenzie shares his breakdown on how to create ads that worth remembering: |  | Ryan McKenzie | Co-Founder Tru Earth @RyeMcKenzie |  |
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Your brain processes ads in 2 ways And the best marketers know how to TRIGGER both Here's how to tap into this to cement your ads into the customer's mind: | |  | | | 3:39 PM • Dec 18, 2024 | | | | | | 20 Likes 12 Retweets | 1 Reply |
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| | Chase and Jimmy's 10 Retention Marketing Predictions for 2025: | 1. AI will play a much bigger role in retention. | Let's start with the big one. It's obvious that AI will enable eCommerce brands to deliver hyper-personalized retention campaigns, leveraging behavioral data, purchase history, and preferences to tailor every email and SMS at scale. | Tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms are advancing rapidly, allowing marketers to create personalized content without requiring massive teams. AI will also assist in predictive analytics, suggesting optimal timing, frequency, and messaging for different customer segments. | We've been secretly playing and learning about a tool launching in Feb that we know will bring personalization to even the smallest brands | AI will also simplify copywriting and design processes for emails and SMS, offering on-brand, conversion-optimized templates. | As marketers learn how to leverage AI better and the technology increases, we'll see the reduction of skill gaps, enabling teams to produce high-quality creative assets without relying heavily on design and copy experts. | 2. Smaller, Leaner Teams | Companies will optimize for profitability by downsizing teams and relying more on automation and outsourced expertise. | Economic pressures will push businesses to maximize efficiency. AI and SaaS tools will bridge the gap, making smaller teams just as effective as larger ones through better automation and workflows. | And people will start realizing that agency led efforts are a positive way to reduce spending, while increasing output. | 3. SMS to RCS shift will occur and people will have more ways to market with text messaging | Rich Communication Services (RCS) will gain adoption, offering a more interactive and visually appealing alternative to traditional SMS. | As carriers expand support for RCS, brands will leverage rich media (images, videos, and buttons) to create engaging campaigns. This will elevate SMS from text-based messages to a channel resembling mini-app experiences. | 4. Focus on Zero-Party Data Collection | Pop Ups are great… but they lack a lot of data. More brands will prioritize zero-party data through quizzes, surveys, and preference centers to enrich segmentation and personalization. | With the continued tightening privacy regulations and diminishing third-party cookie data, brands will shift their focus to data customers willingly share, enabling more trust-based and effective retention strategies. | 5. Email and SMS Channel Unification continues | Customers demand cohesive experiences. Brands that synchronize email and SMS for journeys like abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase follow-ups, and re-engagement will see higher retention rates and CLTV. | That means finding a way to create seamless touchpoints becomes more important. | This can be done with a unified platform or with strong integrations like Postscript <> Klaviyo, that provide true real time connection. | 6. Deliverability becomes more important for the marketer and is now a new skill | In the past, deliverability was EXPECTED to be handled by the ESP and with brands only collecting data from pop ups/quizzes and buyers, it's never been a specific challenge. | However with all the changes we've seen, deliverability is less on the ESP and more on the brand than ever. | Understanding how to read the data, utilize that data to deploy changes to your efforts, and being able to apply those changes will be a skill and marketers who aren't learning this skill will be left behind. | 7. More emails than ever = Shorter Attention Spans = More Micro-Messaging | Emails and SMS will focus on concise, impactful messaging with quicker CTAs, leveraging formats like GIFs, memes, and conversational tones. | Consumer attention spans are shrinking, and platforms like TikTok have conditioned audiences to expect quick, engaging content. Retention strategies must adapt to meet these preferences. | 8. Increased Emphasis on Community Building | We're focused on it and so should you. Consumers crave belonging and connection with brands. By fostering community interactions, brands will strengthen emotional ties, driving repeat purchases and advocacy. | Retention strategies will integrate community-driven engagement through loyalty programs with exclusive access and social media channels. | 9. More focus on Post-Purchase Experiences | Brands will place more importance on retention efforts immediately after a purchase with proactive follow-ups, tutorials, and personalized upsell offers. | Brands that nurture customers with value-driven content and seamless support will see better repeat purchase rates. | 10. More focus on DATA and understanding what the data means | Remember data is sharing a symptom, but does not give you the problem. Data management and analysis will become the cornerstone of retention strategies, with brands leveraging real-time data to optimize customer journeys and decision-making. | Brands will rely on centralized data platforms to understand customer behavior, predict churn, and uncover opportunities for retention. Real-time data will allow for dynamic segmentation, adaptive automations, and personalized offers. | | And there you have it, those are what we think about as we look into 2025. Some of these are already pretty evident, others are new learnings, but the reality is simple: | You should INVEST in technology - Not just products, but understanding how technology can play a role in your business, specifically AI. Data Privacy will continue to challenge retention marketers and it's important to learn more about the privacy laws and compliance to ensure you are up to the latest and greatest. New updates to channels, specifically in email and sms, will create more demand to experiment. I.e. RCS for text messaging is a new change, there will be new learnings from this channel.
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Here's our TL:DR: Retention marketing in 2025 will be about balancing technology with more authentic strategies to build meaningful and profitable customer relationships and community.
| Lots of changes are on the way and with a new year means new challenges. | If you think we missed something, hit reply, tell us what you think we'll see in 2025. |
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| | 🔥 DTC Wins of The Week | Here's something to chew on… With over 525 MILLION sticks sold, Chomps takes the crown for fastest-growing food brand for 2024! |  | CPG WIRE @cpgwire | |
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2024 was a massive year for Chomps 👇 - gross revenue jumped 105% YoY
- sold over 525 million sticks
- 181,000 points of distribution, up 77% YoY According to Numerator, Chomps is the fastest-growing food brand in the U.S. | |  | | | 9:55 PM • Dec 19, 2024 | | | | | | 81 Likes 5 Retweets | 5 Replies |
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| | 🗞️ Quick Clips | Santa? Oh wait, that's Jensen Huang: The Nvidia CEO gave the world an early Christmas present last week (and it sold out in no time). A bundle of joy: Shopify released new updates to Bundles, enabling users to sell easier and analyze faster. A new protein-packed snack enters the villa: From the minds behind Kodiak Cakes, they bring you Kindling—Protein pretzels made of 100% whole wheat grain with 8-9g protein per serving.
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| | That's a wrap for this week's edition!
Thanks for spending some time with Chase and me! If you enjoyed this newsletter or found it helpful, spread the love—share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let's get them subscribed so they're in the loop for next week's updates! 🚀 | Remember: Do shit you love. | 🤘 Jimmy Kim |
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| | This Holiday Season, Give Yourself the Gift of Nike Air Max. | | This winter, take your footwear game to the next level with Nike's Air Max collection for men. With a diverse range of models, this collection prioritizes comfort and functionality, perfectly tailored to meet your everyday needs. Whether you're hitting the gym or heading out for a casual outing, these sneakers deliver the support you crave without compromising on style. | Find the perfect pair that matches your lifestyle and get ready to make a statement with every step. Treat yourself to a fresh pair from the collection this holiday season—you deserve it. | Shop the Men's Air Max Collection |
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