Black Friday

The Discount Dilemma: Rethinking Black Friday Black Friday and Cyber Monday often feel like a necessary evil for DTC operators—sacrificing margins in the pursuit of record sales. Every year, blanket discounts chip away at profits and erode brand value, training even your most loyal customers to wait for the next big sale (TYB). The “discount treadmill” is real—exhausting, expensive, and unsustainable. Winning Black Friday with Community, Not DiscountsBlack Friday’s future isn’t price wars—it’s

Black Friday Isn’t a Day—It’s a Season: DTC Tactics for Winning November If you're still planning to launch your Black Friday campaign on Thanksgiving, you're already behind. "Black November" is no longer just a catchy phrase; it's the new reality. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, especially those on Shopify, have shifted strategies, unveiling their top deals well before the turkey is carved. Why? More than half of U.S. holiday shoppers are already buying by early November (Axios). While big-b

Black Friday is like the Super Bowl for e-commerce. In 2024, 197 million Americans took to shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, fueling a massive $10.8 billion in online Black Friday spending—a 10% increase from the previous year (Reuters). Shopify merchants alone saw $11.5 billion over Black Friday/Cyber Monday (Cinco Días, El País). With stakes this high, skipping out seems unthinkable—unless you're Hiut Denim, the Welsh jeans maker that has boldly opted out of the Black Friday frenzy. El Bla

The Q4 holiday season is the Super Bowl for DTC brands. With U.S. online holiday sales projected to rise just 5.3% this year—a sharp slowdown from last year’s 8.7% growth (Reuters)—every edge matters. Meta recently spotlighted six mistakes that routinely undercut campaign performance in Q4 (Meta Northern Summit). Here’s the founder’s playbook for sidestepping those pitfalls—and finishing the year strong. Meta Northern Summit: Key Takeaways on Creators, Paid Strategies | Shaun Fitzpatrick posted

Labor Day used to be a retail afterthought—now it’s a can’t-miss revenue driver for DTC brands, especially those on Shopify. In 2024, 67% of tracked DTC brands ran Labor Day promos, up 7 points from last year (Q4Archive). The message from the data is clear: Labor Day has become a “major sales day that you cannot ignore in your marketing calendar.” But this isn’t just about running a sale. Founders are rethinking their entire sales cadence. Brooklinen’s VP of Marketing, Alieu Fye, put it bluntly

Most mid-sized Shopify brands are still in summer mode—but seasoned DTC operators know Q4 wins are built long before the leaves turn. For direct-to-consumer leaders, August isn’t too early. In fact, it’s the unofficial kickoff for Black Friday and holiday campaign planning. As one DTC operator put it, "Q4 wins are made in Q3." (Jamie Watkins, X) Q4 wins are made in Q3. But right now? Too many brands are coasting… waiting for October to “get serious.” By then, it’s already late. If you want