135+ Best DTC & eCommerce Case Studies for 2024 (By Channel)

This is probably one of the more ‘fun’ guides I have written for a while (although I do actually have a lot of fun and enjoyment when writing my other examples/inspiration guides too). I say ‘fun’ because I know how much founders, marketers, entrepreneurs and anyone who works in the world of eCommerce/DTC loves to read growth marketing case studies. That, of course, also includes me.

As we know, there are a lot of case studies out there across all these channels that I highlight below, but the question (which you may very well be thinking) is - how did I go about choosing these specific studies?

Well, these are the main attributes and factors I considered when curating these studies below:

Level of detail (stats and numbers) - explanation of the process that attributed to growth. For example, clearly stating the key stats from the channel/initiative.
Length (but with quality > quantity in mind) - aligned with the above, some of these case study guides are very lengthy, which is epic. Many also are on the shorter side, but that’s okay as I still included them because they still had awesome key takeaways and learnings.
Visual illustrations - not all the guides have visual explanations/examples within the study, but majority of them do. For those that don’t, I included them because they still had awesome detail and lessons worth reading.
Media formats - some include videos, and most include great examples and imagery.
Proof/credibility - have they included customer quotes/testimonials to enhance credibility. This wasn’t a deal breaker, but some of them are standouts.

Okay DTC/eCommerce marketers and founders, I’m excited for you to tuck into these studies below.

Top-rated case studies of famous brands

1. The incredible Frank Body who made $20M within 2 years of starting

Frank Body just started as a side hustle with $5,000 in funding, then grew really fast through amazing Instagram marketing.
Their growth was credited to their social media user-generated content, with the hashtag #frankeffect.
They also built relationships with influencers that match their brand’s character.
Newsletters were also embedded with discount codes and social trust elements.
The Frank Body website and overall aesthetic focus on simplicity and cleanliness.

2. Mecca holds a 10% share of the beauty retailer industry

Mecca Cosmetics has over 100+ stores flourishing in a competitive and saturated industry worth $4 billion.
They focus on providing a great CX, with 30% of their retail space allotted for interactive engagement.
Their website also provides this experience through their online booking services.
The company has a segmented brand specifically for younger demographics called Mecca Maxima.

3. The amazing Gymshark which grew its worth from $108,000 to $11.8 million in 4 years

Gymshark experienced a growth of over 200% year on year for at least three consecutive years.
The company ran huge Black Friday sales with 70% off all items that ended up propelling their growth.
They also partnered with influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, which helped spread the word about their brand.
TikTok became one of their growth platforms, as they launched a fitness challenge that reached nearly 20 million people.
Hashtag #Gymshark helped propel their user-generated content.

4. MVMT made over $100 million without angel funding

MVMT got its capital from crowdfunding, raising over $300,000 from thousands of backers.
They worked with influencers with small to mid-sized audiences, gaining exposure to 3 million users within the first week.
They gave their affiliates discount codes to share.
The brand also utilised YouTubers who did unboxing and review videos.
Oldie but goodie Facebook became their central platform, and they get almost half of their social traffic from there.

5. The awesome luxury streetwear, Supreme, has over 13 million followers on Instagram

Supreme built a cult following around exclusivity, with their products being produced and sold in very limited quantities.
This pushes up the value of the items, going for over 12x their retail price on the resell market
They don’t partner with just social media influencers; they work with high-profile celebrities like Lady Gaga, Kate Moss, and Drake.
Their overall persona is this: “We don’t chase customers, customers chase us.”

6. Alphalete has thousands of followers showing up to their pop-up meet-ups

When it was just starting, Alphalete’s founder documented every stage of the process on his Youtube channel, which made him feel relatable, inspirational, and real.
The brand leans into the customer’s fear of missing out when promoting their products, through copy like “low stock” or “shop before it’s too late.”
They work with influencers that have global reach, and through this, they grew their female market by 500% in 5 years.
Motivational posts are done to encourage community.

7. Blue Apron spends $35 million yearly on their referral program

This proved to be a smart investment because this amounts to 15% of Blue Apron’s marketing budget and referrals account for 34% of their entire consumer base.
They were also one of the first companies to use podcast ads, with dialogues that blend into the host show’s natural tone.
Blue Apron uses seemingly “old school” marketing tactics like direct mail, TV advertising, and radio advertising, but this has helped them acquire millions of new customers.

8. ASOS generates over half of its income from overseas transactions

ASOS currently has nearly 20 million active existing customers in 240 countries.
To keep their database engaged, they frequently run surveys and giveaways, with notifications through their brand app.
The company focuses on giving their engaged audience a seamless experience, from their technology to their inventory.

9. Rent the Runway is just over a decade old and has a yearly revenue of $100 million

Rent the Runway focuses on giving a great customer experience, with subscribers given the ability to chat with personal stylists online and offline.
To make the process more efficient, they own and run almost the entire logistics pipeline.
They use all the data they collect from customers to make the rental experience more personalised.

10. Huckberry went from having a revenue of $10,000 to $1 million in just 12 months

Huckberry focused on carving a niche for themselves, and then they positioned themselves there through social media storytelling and inspiration.
They invested in affiliates, prominent photographers, and travel bloggers to spread awareness of their brand.
Their email newsletters run on drip campaigns that are just designed to add value, not sell.
By sending their products to editors and publishers, they were able to get more publicity.

TikTok Ads

11. TikTok ads reach a different audience than Facebook or Instagram ads

TikTok has a great reach among Gen Z females, with that demographic being their highest reach.
Ads that were run with the same audiences have 235% more impressions on TikTok than on Facebook or Instagram.
Instagram and Facebook ads cost more than TikTok ads.

12. This athleisure brand named Gold Hinge acquires over 300 customers daily through TikTok ads

Gold Hinge began by just teasing discounts and bundles on TikTok, which watchers/’Tiktokers’ thought were a great deal.
By taking advantage of their viral videos on TikTok, the company increased sales by 150%.
To maintain performance, they continued releasing videos on a regular basis.

13. SnapWireless maintained a conversion rate of 1.6 within a 6-day campaign period

SnapWireless used a combination of diversion ads and snap ads to maximise their reach.
The brand took advantage of the Boxing Day sale to entice more purchases.
Their videos focused on the ease and availability of their products.

14. This agency scaled from $0 to $22,000 in profitable daily TikTok adspend less than 30 days

Simon & Bradley just focused on generating and scaling one TikTok ad.
They made sure to do testing on their ads to get the performance they need.
Attribution clarity and mapping paved the way for their strategy.

15. Marmalade saw a significant increase in their conversions from younger audiences through Tiktok

Marmalade decided to do split-testing and broad targeting to increase their reach.
They saw a 07% decrease in CPM when compared to their Facebook ads performance.
Their TikTok ads had higher conversion rates than their Facebook ads.

16. Goodfairy increased its CTR by 87.2% through better TikTok ads

Goodfairy focused on highlighting user generated content to up their interactions.
The company made use of the TikTok-Shopify integration to increase conversion rates.
Spark Ads gave them the most efficient results.
Their focus was on creating and organic profile that would speak to audiences.
Pixel Installation helped them gauge their performance signals better.

17. Bangn Body utilised micro influencers on TikTok to increase reach

Bangn Body was able to achieve an organic reach of over 37,000 profiles for just one video.
These creators just made videos of them talking to the camera about the products.
Their total play time went over 52 hours and counting.

Instagram Ads

18. This pet lifestyle brand increased its conversions by 12x through Instagram

Arrr made use of product tags to help further their brand discovery.
The company saw a 7x increase in ROAS.
All of their products were listed on their Instagram shop for easier access and conversions.

19. 10&AY Clothing saw a 345% increase in conversions through Instagram ads

10&AY Clothing Store focused on creating graphics that were clean and simple for greater attractiveness to broad audiences.
They made use of Machine Learning to optimise their bidding and copy.
The company also saw their CPA decrease by 71%.

20. This coffee brand saw a 10x return on their ad spend

Coffee Planet made use of mobile friendly ads to prop up their products on Instagram.
They started their targeting with existing fans then they eventually publicised their ads to a broader general audience.
The company saw a 26x increase in revenue, with 35x more purchases made from their online store.
Video ads and ads in stories gave them the most results.

21. Aussie brand Coconut bowls collected over 41,000 email sign ups in four weeks

Coconut Bowls was able to engage with their audience through an Instagram giveaway which cost them less than $1,000 to pull off.
They enlisted the help of influencers to make their giveaway viral.
The brand propped up a landing page on their website, complete with a timer and a feature of prizes to incite people’s fear of missing out.

22. Blender Eyewear became a multi million dollar company through the use of Instagram

Blender Eyewear uses micro influencers to spread the word about their brand.
The brand utilised a meet up with their interested followers, complete with free product giveaways.
They created a hashtag specifically used for UGC content socials, so their followers can use it as well.

23. This painter managed to get 3,000 more followers with Instagram ads

Mathieu Laca saw a 688% increase in traffic after spending a few hundred dollars on Instagram ads.
Huffington Post saw one of his ads and asked to share one of his paintings, thereby pushing his reach.
He also made use of hashtags and got his images on the Top Posts list.

Facebook Ads

24. This eCommerce brand went from $0.5 million to $26 million in one year through Facebook marketing

This brand managed by Adkings Agency saw their orders increase 10x through the use of advanced tracking software and hyper scaling strategies.
At a certain point, they were spending $100,000 daily just on Facebook ads. But, this gave them twice the return on investment, hitting more than $200,000 in daily revenue.
They maximised holiday seasons when conducting their promotions, and this helped them pull in large audiences.

25. Love Child Organics went from 2,000 to 16,000 emails subscribers in one year

Love Child Organics focused on presenting exclusive offers and discounts through ads, in exchange for an email sign up.
They used A/B testing to refine how they target their ads.
The company also saw a 60% increase in conversion rates by focusing on the landing pages that they link on their Facebook posts.

26. This company reduced their Cost Per Acquisition by 34%

Vitacup, in the process, also managed to increase their adspend by 60% and this helped them scale faster.
They established process which allowed them to analyse the patterns of conversions and shift gears on a day to day basis.
A deep understanding of their target audience, product, and campaign set the foundation for their growth.

27. Aveeno increased its ad return by 38% within a month

Aveeno Hong Kong used a lower funnel strategy to target Facebook users who were most likely to purchase from them based on profiling.
They used video ads in both stories and posts, which helped increase their ad recall by 2.8 points.
Collaborative ads and lookalike audiences helped with their conversion rates.

Google Ads

28. Juicy Chemistry saw a 150% increase in orders just because of Google Ads

Juicy Chemistry capitalised on people’s affinity for local brands during the pandemic, with visitors searching online for options.
Now, 20% of their order volume comes from other countries, as this paid ads channel helped them create an international base.
They went from 200 orders a week to 8,000 orders a week.

29. This sneakers brand saw a 128% jump in their revenue by focusing on new user acquisition

Thegoodlife didn’t shy away from paid marketing options and allocated budget for Google.
Conversions also doubled and return on adspend increased by 250%.
Irrelevant search queries and keywords were mindfully excluded from their campaigns.

30. This company used manual bidding to double their revenue

Inflow utilised both smart bidding and manual bidding, and saw that over time, human adjustments still beat automation.
Smart bidding performed better in terms of conversions, especially through mobile phones.
By segmenting mobile traffic, they were able to see a $6,000 increase in revenue.

31. Gili Sports maximised Search and Shopping Ads to earn $70,000 per week

Gili Sports already had a product people want to buy, it was just a matter of online positioning.
They used the 80/20 areas of account, placing Smart Shopping Ads as the 80.
Multiple campaigns were launched for promotion, with a focus on keywords.
An auto-generated campaign helped them recognise new keywords.

32. BodyWorld increased traffic and conversions through Product Campaigns

BodyWorld launched 22 different campaigns that were segmented to different audiences and algorithms.
In the process, they reached nearly 800 new ad groups and received over 18,000 site visits.
The ultimate goal was to stabilise their CoS metric, which they did successfully.

33. This company managed to bring in $4 million in revenue through restructured campaigns

DigiAshva segregated their best selling products and low selling products into two different campaigns.
They used to do manual bidding, then they shifted to automated bidding as they had enough data.
Conversions at an account level were added for better optimisation.
UTM tags were used to compare the performance across different mediums.

Amazon Ads

34. Ultra grew their revenue from six digits to seven digits in the span of 6 months

Ultra was already a well known brand on Amazon, and they decided to scale even further using ads.
Their main shift happened through the use of proper bid optimisation.
Blocking out weak terms and negative key words helped with their search terms.
Campaigns were split between manual and automated targeting for better results.
They removed everything draining their spend that was not producing better numbers.

35. This eCommerce brand boosted their sales by $100,000 per month through Amazon ads

Amazon DSP ads in particular helped with increasing their reach, as they were already a choice brand in the industry.
The ACOS improved by 11% in just 3 months and the ROI significantly improved.
An already-good conv. rate helped with propping up the company, and the ads were just a boost to this established brand foundation.

36. This CPG brand saw a 356% increase in their return on ad spend by switching to creative ads

The company conducted the test across different countries, and all of them saw at least a 130% increase in ROAS compared to static ads.
Their ads focused on the lower funnel.
Responsive eCommerce Creative ads are automated as the software chooses the best performing variations for the store.

37. Frigidaire hit a 65% sell through by leveraging ad placements

Frigidaire made use of all Amazon ad products, which helped them build a full funnel approach.
They optimised both Sponsored Advertising and Demand Side Platform for best results.
The company opted for location targeting over audience targeting so they could especially sell to areas that would need air conditioners.

38. Polar Watch got nearly 2,000 conversions through keyword optimisation

Polar Watch generated over 2 million bids in the span of 6 months through manual control.
They have since gather enough data for automation, and shifted to focus on adding relevant keywords.
Having relevant KPIs when making shifts to campaign helped them keep their goals and strategies in alignment.

Pinterest Organic & Ads

39. This retail group saw a 136% increase in ROAS by introducing Pinterest shopping ads

The Warehouse’s goal was to turn casual Pinterest browsers into potential customers by speaking the language of their audience.
They immediately produce campaigns that take advantage of trending topics to position their company.
Their cost per acquisition also decreased by 60% as their conversions grew.

40. Noel Leeming saw a 400% increase in ROAS after optimising their shopping ads

Noel Leeming used lifestyle imagery to speak to the audience on Pinterest.
They managed to drop their cost per action by 78% by using an advanced bidding model.
A constant Pinterest presence boosted their conversions.

41. This entrepreneur made over $40,000 within a month by using traditional advertising campaigns

Ezra saw how lead generation efforts weren’t doing much for his revenue so he just focused on boosting ads.
Ad budget spend of less than $800 generated over $21,000 of revenue for him.
His brand positioning on Google and other platforms directly increased as a result of his promotions on Pinterest.

42. Franc used smarter scheduling to reach over 300 Pinterest repins every day

FRANC saw that consistency in posting at an optimal time helped increase their reach by at least 20%.
They made sure to lean into professional quality lifestyle photos that speak to the audience.
This eventually results to 2.8x more traffic to their Pinterest store.

43. This home decor generated over $1 million in revenue by spending $116,000 on ads

Dimniko ran multiple campaigns on their products, and immediately cut the ones that weren’t performing well.
They chose to retarget their best performing campaigns, and this helped expand their reach.
By spending around $1,000 on Pinterest ads daily, They had an average ROAS of 10.5.

44. This interior design brand went from 0 to almost 900,000 in engaged audience in less than a year

Desige Decors targeted women aged 25-40, the exact demographic Pinterest was most popular with, which is why they decided to maximise the platform.
They made sure to integrate relevant keywords and related niches to their tagging.
Regularly scheduled posts were then SEO optimised for constant relevance.

45. Glow Recipe receive over 200,000 monthly views through beautiful visuals

Pinterest is a platform dominated by imagery, and Glow Recipe took advantage of this by posting glossy yet warm and engaging content.
The company also built a community by sharing UGC content on their boards.
All of their images had a theme and were consistent in terms of aesthetic, solidifying their brand identity.

Email Marketing

46. Maison Miru increased its email subscribers by almost 200% through simple tweaks in its framework

Maison Miru would send abandonment plug emails a few hours to remind potential buyers to complete their purchase, which resulted in a 4% increase in revenue.
They automated personalised post-purchase emails to send out to recent purchases two days after purchase, with care information about their purchase.
The maximisation of Shopify tools helped prop up their strategy.

47. This brand saw a 20x return on investment through the use of automation flows

From Zion also saw a 119% increase in sales and passive revenue by setting up triggers.
They created a loyalty program that could help them track customer metrics better.
The company made sure to utilise profile enrichment options so that visitors can receive custom mail.

48. DockATot made nearly $90,000 from just one email

DockATot focused on perfecting their welcome email, which has a whopping 42% open rate.
Smart photography and strategic product placement encouraged subscribers to look at the product first.
They made sure that the content accompanying the images would give value to the parents reading it.
Several CTAs were scattered across the email for better conversions.
A drip campaign was also utilised to capitalise on the welcome email’s success.

49. The Gluten Free Bar saw a 12% increase in revenue within a month

The Gluten Free Bar started implementing a simple yet methodical email strategy to help kick off their subscriptions.
Abandonment emails were automated and saw a 14% CTR.
They also focused on lead nurture emails, which resulted in a 55% open rate.

50. This compostable plastic bag company uses text only emails that have a 73% open rate

Oh Crap! believes that clearing the email of any graphics or headers makes the message feel more personal.
They send automated thank you emails to people after making a purchase, then they proceed to reply personally if they get a reply back.
The company uses different CRM pipelines for retailers and direct consumers.
Given that the product is an essential one, they have data on when people need to reorder and will launch emails surrounding that timeframe.
Split testing helps them choose what email would work best.

51. Grey Ghost Gear has a 15% open rate across all emails

Grey Ghost Gear shifted their email marketing platform after seeing that they didn’t get the integrations they needed from Mailchimp.
They then started doing intelligent marketing automations, which helped improve their revenue attribution from nearly 2% to over 34%.
Current deliverability sits at 99.9%, directly impacting their sales and reach.

52. This company proved that doing less promotions with emails helped the brand over the longterm

Samadhi has found that doing six sales or discounts max per year better appealed to consumers.
By focusing on single product features and newsletters, the company was able to generate nearly $30,000 in revenue in three weeks without any discounts.
They found in the process that emails with less images performed better.

Referral Marketing

53. ACAI saw a 5.6% jump in revenue through referral marketing

ACAI decided to use a tiered referral program to increase the motivation in customers to participate and share.
The landing page and calls to action helped prop up the referral program in the customer’s journey.
This saw an increase in sales, with purchases made by the people who made the referrals and their friends.

54. This electronics brand made almost $600,000 in referral sales in just 9 months

Mac of All Trades generated a 50x return on their referral investment by keeping their offer simple: Give a discount, receive a discount.
They made sure that the referral landing page link was visible on their site homepage.
Emails were sent out reminding visitors of their referral codes.

55. Soko Glam used A/B testing to increase their referrals by 34%

Soko Glam narrowed down their referral share links to best performing platforms like Facebook and direct message.
They put up a banner on the site reminding visitors of their referral bonus.
Reformatting LP’s and emails helped them generate 15% more purchases.

56. This car rental service saw a 30% increase in sales through referral marketing

MylesCars simply provided users with a discount coupon to share with their friends, and they are rewarded for each successful conversion.
The company made use of their existing customer database to publicise their referral program.
They made sure that the links can immediately be shared on Facebook.

57. This necklace brand increased their referral revenue by 320% by shifting to a better referral platform

Get Back Necklasses started with a Give $10, Get $10 campaign, then created variants to see which one would perform best.
By shifting to a percentage discount, they were able to see an overall increase of 700% in their referrals.
Optimisation options and A/B testing greatly supported their campaigns.

58. Zalora increased its referral program growth by 150% through new approaches and methods

Zalora decided to employ cash back options to build deeper brand loyalty.
They also streamlined the referral onboarding process to make things easier for their consumers.
Automation tools and API solutions helped them manager their active customers’ life cycle.

Partnership & Affiliate Marketing

59. Verb grew its affiliate marketing revenue from 0 to 7 digits in eight years

Verb focused on automating their affiliate marketing program so they could build better relationships with their partners.
The brand offers extra commission to certain performers on specific products, which helped drive their sales even more.
Data helps them establish individual sales goals for each affiliate partner, making the experience more personal.

60. Cents of Style makes nearly $2 million in affiliate sales every year

Cents of Style focused on making a tier-based affiliate program, giving partners 10% to 18% in commissions.
By integrating PayPal as a payment solution, they can automate the payout to their affiliate partners.
They deliberately removed hundreds of inactive affiliates, so they can build new partnerships with ones that will contribute to their brand.

61. This leather brand achieved a 17x return on investment by building on its affiliate partner marketing

Latico Leathers decided to look for a platform that could generate referrals with little manual interference, and this increased their revenue by $18,000.
Their offers were fixed incentives, presented at times when visitors are most likely to share their experience.
Social Snowball’s integration with their Klaviyo account greatly helped in supporting their campaign.

62. JSHealth Vitamins saw a 400% return on adspend after investing in their affiliate marketing program

JSHealth Vitamins has nearly 200 active partnerships with affiliates in 4 countries, leading to over 300% ROI.
They build loyalty by rewarding top performers based on their data.
Cashback partners were given discounts to help increase conversions, and they automated the payouts.

63. This hearing aid company generates $100,000 per month in affiliate revenue

MDHearingAid leaned into tracking phone conversions, as this was most important to their market.
Approvals of commissions were automated depending on set conditions, thereby freeing them of manual labor.
They worked on increasing the number of dedicated and passionate affiliates, which resulted in a doubling of their interested partners in just one month.

64. CandyCan generated over a thousand orders in a month through affiliates

CandyCan chose an affiliate partner platform that allowed them multiple tech stack integrations to optimise performance.
The company tested multiple traffic sites to generate more accurate partner evaluations.
They rewarded affiliates that provide both traffic and conversions to built loyalty and gratitude.

Influencer Marketing & Collaborations

65. Tropico generated nearly half a million engagements through influencer partnerships

Tropico launched a TikTok and Instagram campaign that resonated with their younger audience, resulting in thousands of impressions.
They sourced around 20 influencers with a collective 2.5 million audience, which helped prop up their numbers as well.
The average engagement rate of their TikTok posts were around 20%, and this positioned them well in their branding efforts.

66. This sustainable beauty brand used a Black Friday campaign to generate a 300% increase in click through rate

Trestique’s campaign ran in two parts over a two week period.
Influencer partners were instructed to post static posts and reels during the first week to help build up the excitement for the second week’s Instagram lives.
They monitored data at all times to reward top performers and seek out new prospects.

67. Bloomscape partnered with influencers to double their following count within a year

Bloomscape especially chose micro influencers who gave audiences content that added value to their lives.
They didn’t focus on influencers just in the plant and home niche, partnering with even those in the art, food, and yoga niche.
Another strategy was letting their influencers takeover their account for a limited time, thereby getting even more followers.

68. This skincare company increased their influencer impact by 40% by just changing strategies

Shiseido discovered that videos gave them more visibility and engagement, and so they decided to focus on this medium even through their influencer partners.
They were deliberate about communicating authenticity as a brand, encouraging partners to post honest review videos on Instagram and TikTok.
The brand was very methodical about the influencers they partnered with, choosing to engaged with those that already reflected their brand values.

69. Bayer, a vitamin supplements brand, saw a 102% increase in their social media mentions because of influencer partnerships

Bayer wanted to prop up their once a day gummies that are targeted to a market over 50, yet they interestingly launched a campaign on TikTok that is famous for its young demographic.
Their videos were all about celebrating the vivacity of people over 50, and it hit off with a 41.5% view through rate.
They encouraged influencers to join in, with a prize for the best performer.

70. Community Coffee reached over 30 million impressions with the help of just one celebrity influencer

Community Coffee decided to go the high impact route by partnering with an influencer with millions of followers.
She started with product launch teasers and behind the scenes shots, leaning into a build up of storytelling.
The overall cost per engagement is $0.027, with all content also synced with their Twitter.

71. Purdy & Figg got over half of its influencer partners to post for free because of the mutual exposure

Purdy & Figg gave out free products to nearly 1,000 influencers amounting to around 2,000 posts on Instagram and TikTok.
The cost per acquisition decreased by 61% whilst spend increased by almost 600%.
They also saw an almost 700% increase in total orders received.

Subscriptions

72. Who Gives A Crap saw a 250% increase in subscriptions by providing people with a personalised experience

Who Gives A Crap mindfully created a customer portal that allowed subscribers to take full control of their subscriptions, making them feel more comfortable about subscribing in the first place.
They employed an SMS and email software that allowed them to send out reminders to subscribers a few days before billing, implying transparency.
By adjusting the message delivery times according to their customer’s data, they saw 75% increase in open rate.

73. This baby food brand managed to build their subscriptions by offering first month discounts and improving their website

Ready, Set, Food! saw a 10% higher checkout rate after improving their website load time and promoting subscription promos, especially for longer time frames.
They also made changes to their shipping and delivery, improving their profit margins for longer subscriptions.
A data dashboard showing active lead steps and abandonment allowed them to make decisions accordingly.

74. Highwire Coffee simplified the process for their subscribers, resulting in less issues

Highwire Coffee invested in building a more seamless experience of consumers, which meant less tickets opened and less manual intervention.
A smart dunning system allowed them to automate fixes for payment errors.
Easy integration with Klaviyo allowed them to optimise their entire CX.

75. This ice cream brand acquired more than 1,000 subscribers in half a month

Chaeban built an ice cream subscription model because of the pandemic, and this has allowed them to budget better and optimise profitability.
By actively tracking and analysing their data on a sheet, they are now able to predict customer wants and build new flavours better.
An ice cream subscription eventually became a part of Chaeban’s brand as it set them apart from competitors.

76. Equator Coffee saw an almost 400% increase in revenue by optimising their subscription program

Equator Coffee migrated to a new subscriber solution which allowed them to provide a better experience for their visitors.
A new subscription platform allowed subscribers to change their orders, pause, or cancel as needed, minimising the active support required.
This went over well with active buyers, with subscriptions now making up 50% of their revenue.

Viral Competitions, Sweepstakes & Giveaways

77. Floafers collected thousands of followers just by launching a giveaway

Floafers publicised their giveaway through paid ads, emails, and influencer marketing, making sure it got high visibility.
This led to a 600% increase email subscriptions and over $8,000 in sales.
They gamified certain elements of the giveaway, which engaged followers further.

78. This massage chair company got over 10,000 leads with one giveaway

Massage Chair Store launched a 30-day giveaway campaign that led to a landing page with multiple calls to action.
A share link allowed people to gain more entries, with multiple social platforms highlighted.
The company promoted the giveaway by constantly posting about it and encouraging participants to do the same.

79. This lifestyle brand grew their mailing list to over 20,000 subscribers by giving prizes to 150 winners

OK Media launched a giveaway with multiple entry actions, such as following the founder on social media and subscribing to their channels.
The company promoted the giveaway through Facebook and Instagram ads, as well as mentions on Twitch and Youtube.
They also accomplished a 41% conv. rate after leaning into their community even after the giveaway.

80. Lost Golf Balls launched one promotion per month and gained $50,000 in revenue after 6 months

LostGolfBalls maximised their email marketing to promote the sweepstakes, with one scheduled strategically every after five to seven days.
This gave them nearly 750 new purchases and over 10,000 leads.
They also grew their follower count across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter by an average of 50%.

81. Jane.com, an eCommerce marketplace, ran weekly giveaway campaigns that gave them over 3 million impressions in two years

Jane.com partnered with brands that sell on their website, with the notion of mutual advantage.
Their audience didn’t tire from the campaigns, simply because they offered new product giveaways every week.
The key component here was that their giveaways were done in partnership with other brands, which further increased their visibility.

82. The Bruce Lee Company used a great giveaway prize to attract engagement from social fans

The Bruce Lee Company decided to give away Nike Kyrie 3 sneakers, which were rare and well sought after.
Their goal was to make followers into email subscribers, which they were able to do with an increase of over 20,000 subscribers post-giveaway.
Paid ads on Facebook and Instagram helped them target interested audiences.

UGC - Social Channel Competitions, Lead Generation Engagement & Onsite Embeds

83. Jones Soda used augmented reality to make its UGC more engaging

Jones Soda encouraged existing customers to submit their videos that will be turned into an AR experience on their website, driving a 69% engagement rate among their community.
Best performers were given the possibility of having their images printed on soda bottles.
This resulted in a 25% increase in the time visitors spent on site, also building their brand recall and loyalty.

84. Geoeco saw a 33% increase in Instagram followers by running an interactive campaign

GeoEco launched a photo contest, with a unique hashtag and a prize for best performers.
They got followers to vote on submissions, increasing their engagement and interaction.
The contest was also embedded on their website, so the campaign drove over 500 more leads to their site.

85. Sohome launched shoppable UGC images on its website, helping drive sales

Sohome also created shoppable carousels on Instagram, increasing the effectiveness of highlighting trust and proof.
Hashtags and brand mentions also help drive traffic to these posts.
Consistency with images also helped show the brand’s aesthetic and identity.

86. This fashion company achieved a 20% higher conversion rate by adding UGC photos on their website

UNTUCKit took the time to collect reviews from customers, along with when-worn product images for the reference of others.
They utilised Yotpo, a marketing platform that helps acquire UGC.
The company used the feedback not just to prop up their products, but also to improve them, resulting in happier consumers.

Upsells, AOV & LTV

87. This case study saw an increase in revenue by the millions just by adding upsells and cross-sells

Growth Rock saw that showing related products once an item is added to cart helped increase the average order value.
This is especially effective when people are purchasing items worth thousands of dollars, as a supplementary product worth less than $100 isn’t difficult to check out as well.
One click adds were most effective in helping build up the order value.

88. Malo’o managed to sell at least five items per order by doing product bundles

Malo’o made sure that the bundles were added to cart as a single item for easier check out.
They saw a 250% increase in average order value from offering these bundle deals, even with the 15% discount for the bundles.
The bundles were configured for different lifestyles, such as surfing, fishing, and hiking.

89. This small business doubled its average order value in just one day

They offered discounts for a limited time: the higher the order value, the greater the discount.
The company managed to make $2,000 in sales within 24 hours just by launching this campaign.
Discounts were reflected in such a way that the more items were added to cart, the higher the discount that users see, gamifying the experience for them.

90. Lessa, a mattress company, increased conversion by 30% through the integration of a pop up bar

Leesa made sure to highlight quotes and awards on all their pages, helping prop up the appeal of their brand.
With the use of one ‘proof CTA bar’, they managed to create cohesiveness throughout their website.
They also managed to increase the average order value by 20%.

91. Winelovers Webshop increased the average order value by 130% in 3 months through free gifts pop ups

Winelovers Webshop designed gift popups to show up when the items in cart are close to reaching a certain order value.
This would encourage users to keep adding products, not realising that there were 4 gift thresholds.
In the process, they also grew their email list by 1,000 subscribers through brand interest.

92. This furniture retailer increased their AOV by adopting a mobile-centered strategy

Living Spaces saw a 22% rise in their AOV by creating dedicated LP’s and a more flexible customer experience - especially for those on their phones.
An API-based platform integration allowed them to grow their reach further.
These developments also came with a greater yield of new users and higher conversion rates.

93. Moss Bros saw a 5 to 10% increase in purchases just by optimising their website

Moss Bros. created five different homepage banners that cater to different kinds of audiences.
By using Dynamic Yield to make product recommendations as people are browsing, they were able to increase the average time on site and order value.
The company laid out exit pop ups, that when triggered will prompt visitors to save their bag.

Customer Success, Retention & CLTV

94. This clothing retailer revamped their website which resulted in an almost 30% increase in orders

Damart UK focused on the look and feel of their websites across different countries, to make things more cohesive and appealing.
They conducted A/B testing to know which elements performed better depending on placement and style.
Their product page redesign in particular contributed to an 8% increase in return purchases.

95. Pink Lily optimised their customer experience to improve brand loyalty

Pink Lily organised a customer success team, which directly resulted in nearly 6,000 more sales generated.
A reliable service team provided people with quality assurance and increased their brand trust.
Nearly 40,000 customer contacts willingly provided their information and subscription to the company thereafter.

96. This Indian clothing brand reduced cart abandonment by 20% through data driven marketing

Lifestyle utilised funnel segmentation to help them deal with user drop offs.
They also used personalised engagement to increase customer retention by 30%.
Omni-channel flow campaigns and message triggers helped them convince visitors to complete their purchases.

97. Never Fully Dressed saw a 50% increase in customer spend through building community

Never Fully Dressed established a loyalty program that rewarded high tier customers with exclusive gifts.
They integrated their loyalty program with their email platform, which helped them keep more customers engaged.
As a result of this, ⅓ of the company’s revenue come from repeat purchases and loyal customers.

98. Hanna Andersson personalised their clothing images according to the age selected, and this increased their purchase rate by 22%

Hanna Andersson used split testing to know which approach would work best for parents making a purchase.
They focused on solidifying their toddler line, which was not their bestseller at the time.
As 70% of their traffic comes from phones, they also worked on optimising their website for mobiles.

99. GAP increased their CTR by 50% by delivering AI-powered experiences

GAP focused on delivering personalised experiences through historical data and browsing tendencies.
By adding product recommendations relevant to the user, they were able to increase the time spent on site by 20%.
All of this resulted in a 40x increase on their return on investment.

Community & Loyalty Programs

100. Missoma grew its community by building a rewarding loyalty program

Missoma laid out a rewards system that allowed consumers to directly convert points to cash discounts.
They created a space where people could connect through the website blog posts, IGTV, and reposting UGC on social media.
The company gets their customers to also function as brand ambassadors by presenting them with incentives.

101. Indigo improved their rewards program to help with customer retention

Indigo revamped their existing rewards program to offer better incentives and lower barriers to entry.
They offered buyers more ways to earn points, to encourage them to keep engaging with the program.
Providing consumers with omni-channel reward options reassures patrons that their behaviours come first.

102. This Shopify store boosted its revenue by over 200% through its loyalty program

A footwear retailer improved their UI/UX by implementing unique experiences for different genders.
The landing page of their rewards program highlighted their VIP membership as well as benefits.
They managed to reduce the cost per sale from $20 to $8 as buyers gladly made purchases upon signing up to the program.

103. Funky Monkey Fabrics saw a 25% increase in their returning customers by incentivising loyalty

Funky Monkey Fabrics gave consumers points for every dollar they spent.
They ended up generating almost $100,000 within three months as a direct result of the rewards program.
People who make a purchase are given the opportunity to choose their discounts depending on how many point they have, which then encourages them to make more purchases.

104. RawFedK9, a pet food company, has kept over 98% of its customers engaged through constant interaction

RawFedK9 uses push notifications, emails, and loyalty rewards to build long term relationships with customers.
They made sure to create hyper-personalised experiences for their visitors at all touch points.
Smart popups and announcement bars feature promos that are unique to each customer’s habits.

105. BrewDog, an award-winning beer brand, increased the purchase frequency of its loyalty program members by 400%

BrewDog also saw over 100% increased in its AOV and CTR.
You would need to download the case study for full access.

Product Pages & Landing pages

106. This Shopify store improved their page functionality and increased dev speed by 300%

Graybox began using standardised site components, simplifying the process of updating.
They saw a 75% decrease in development costs by using Shogun, a page building platform.
In the process, they increased efficiency and effectivity.

107. This mobile accessories brand optimised their website and increased conversions by over 150%

Koala cleaned up their crowded homepage and built dedicated LP’s for the reviews, products, and other former features on the homepage.
This also helped increase their page speed by 29%, automatically providing a better browsing experience.
By reordering pages and making the menu easier to navigate, time on page increased by almost 300%

108. LYFE Fuel used a page builder to increase conversions by 400%

LYFE Fuel launched nearly 300 pages that cater to different needs and audiences.
They highlighted reviews on every page, as social proof is extra important for nutrition brands.
The company exercised control over element of their store pages while saving over $10,000 in dev costs.

109. Cookie Chips saw a 12% rise in their conversion rate by revamping their website

True to their branding, Cookie Chips focused on presenting high resolution images of cookies with bright coloured backgrounds.
They made sure that all their pages were integrated with their Instagram feed, so that their website encouraged more interactions with their social media pages.
The menu tabs were limited to five to make the experience easy and straight forward for visitors.

General CRO

110. Showpo, an amazing fashion retailer in Australia, increased their revenue by 6% through different landing page tactics

Showpo started with upselling items through free shipping benchmarks, resulting in over $22,000 of additional revenue in 44 days.
By minimising their product descriptions, they were able to generate $19,000 more in revenue within the same testing period.
The company used split testing to know which copy and approach worked best for their audiences.

111. Petzyo got over 400,000 impressions by improving their digital marketing approach

Petzyo likes to use social proof as a way to establish credibility and promote their brand, through featuring testimonials and popups on their website about recent purchases.
The company keeps a close eye on their sales funnel and make manual adjustments according to trends.
This resulted in almost $3,000 in additional sales.

112. This menswear brand optimised their website to achieve over 50% increase in conversions

Brothers used product recommendations as an upsell strategy to offer customers more value and items to their cart/checkout, with using popups that were split tested for performance.
Different targeting options were utilised for different campaigns, with content personalisation becoming central to their strategy.
Email widgets allowed the brand to feature personalised products to visitors even when they don’t visit the website.

113. Wyldsson increased sales by 30% by resolving minimal website issues

Wyldsson streamlined the checkout process to make it more convenient for users.
They addressed the pain points and technical glitches of the website, from log in errors to browser compatibility, automatically resulting in more buyers.
Consistent testing and monitoring of website performance helped them keep their site performance in tiptop shape.

114. This headwear company overhauled their product pages and navigation to see an over 50% increase in product views

New Era ensured that filtering capabilities and categories were up to date and relevant.
They integrated their pages with the cloud catalogue, so they can monitor the system and optimise results.
The website was programmed to make recommendations based on the customer journey.
This also resulted in an almost 10% increase in returning customers.
By adding value to their pages, their average bounce rate decreased.

115. AliveCor increased their conversions by over 25% through adding an A/B testing step in their process

AliveCor tested all elements of their landing page, from colour to font to CTA positioning, to ensure optimal performance.
They strategically positioned ‘trust elements’ in their pages to increase affinity with the audience.
Within two weeks, their revenue increased by 27%

116. Ideal of Sweden saw a 6% increase in add to cart clicks by using urgency tactics

Ideal of Sweden added countdown banners on their landing page to create a sense of FOMO among visitors.
They tested all of their pages to ensure optimal performance for all.
By integrating their Instagram follower count on their website, they were able to uplift conversions and trust.

SEO Growth & Content Marketing

117. This eCommerce brand increased their traffic by over 4,000% by using keywords

The client added over 5,000 keywords to their arsenal, which helped up their SEO game.
Their goal was to rank at a national level among search results, centered on short tail money keywords.
Creating content pages and back linking helped boost their rankings by 2,000%.

118. This travel accessories company tripled their audience traffic in just three months

The brand constantly executed blog content that helped boost their brand and SEO.
Email outreach and link building supported their efforts on the backend.
Keyword optimisation tools and meta descriptions were relevant to the niche of the company.

119. This health supplements store increased its monthly revenue by over 500% through the optimisation of on-page elements

They made sure that all the landing pages were up to date and had relevant meta descriptions, titles, headings, and images.
Long pillar posts started becoming a staple in their blogs, which helped increase their keyword visibility.
The company cleaned up their pages to minimise duplicate content.
Additional content was embedded with long-tail keywords and internal linking.
In the end, organic traffic also increased by 300%

120. Village Cricket Co. increased traffic by almost 400% through the strategic use of content

Village Cricket Co. searched for the best-performing keywords that weren’t largely used among competitors to make sure they ranked among the top for them.
They created multiple LP’s for different products and sizes to maximise site authority.
High authority links through digital PR also became instrumental in their promotion.

121. Filter King went from 0 to $460,000 in revenue by using keyword bucketing

Filter King mindfully chose the key pages for their site and the keywords that were necessary to be included in each.
They built backlinks every month, diversified their page targets, and used anchor text.
It took them two years to see results, and they hit a plateau at a certain point.
Constant revamping then helped them achieve their current position in the market.

122. This home goods Shopify business saw a 350% increase in sales in 9 months

They had to remove duplicate content to ensure that the main content pages were identified as original.
Headings and keywords were added to relevant pages.
Blog posts were targeted toward visitors across all funnels.
Testing allowed them to maximise long-tail keywords for better ranking.

Video Marketing

123. Facebook videos allowed these brands to increase their traffic and revenue on Shopify

Nu-Era bakery generated over $2,200 in sales within a week of launching on Shopify because their video went viral on Facebook.
Brooklyn Grooming saw a 31% increase in traffic to Shopify by using a humorous original video.
Videos allowed these companies to increase their brand recall and reach.

124. Empowered by Ashley increased its engagement rate by over 15% through video marketing

Empowered by Ashley uses software that looks through UGC videos about their products on Youtube and picks out the best ones.
They integrate relevant clips made by customers on their SKU pages for added proof and credibility.
Video shopping was enabled across their different platforms throughVideoWise.

125. Temple & Webster launched a video that boosted their brand recall by 300%

Temple & Webster used great shots of their furniture plus an excellent copy that served more as a slogan.
“Furniture of your dreams, delivered” communicated how they were a great resource for furniture, of high quality, with excellent customer service.
The campaign was initially launched on Youtube then distributed to other platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

126. This eyewear brand repurpose their existing videos and increased CTR by 5%

MUSU used Vidjet, a platform that allowed them to embed videos on their website.
They used popups for vertical videos, on the bottom right of the screen so they’re not intrusive.
This increased the time spent on their pages by 15%.

127. Grill Rescue used video testimonials to add to customers’ time on the site

Grill Rescue embedded videos on their site, with relevant videos being set against specific products.
In the process, they saw an over 1,000x return on investment, with at least 20,000 videos watched by people in 9 months.
They automated a system wherein new UGC posted on social media will automatically be added to the site as well.

SMS marketing

128. This skincare brand increased their subscriber count by 167% in one year using SMS

Supergoop!’s intent was not just to send marketing messages; they wanted to establish two-way communication with their active purchases.
They used a two-tap sign up on their site, where people submit both email and phone number for subscription.
SMS campaigns about skincare facts let visitors and buyers keep engaged.
The SMS program has seen a 29X ROI.

129. American Doughnut Kitchen used SMS marketing to promote their loyalty card

American Doughnut Kitchen also opened SMS ordering, improving their CTR.
85% of their feedback forms have been answered through SMS click through.
By making messages feel more personal, consumers get a deeper sense of brand loyalty.

130. This eCommerce enabler saw higher SMS open rates compared to emails

aCommerce scheduled and automated the mass sending of SMS promotions, discounts, announcements, and updates in conjunction with their marketing strategy.
As a result, they saw a higher conv. rate.
The company also used SMS in their operations, with data tracking and simplifying workflows.

131. EUNatural saw a 563% return on investment after launching just one SMS campaign

EUNatural decided to launch their SMS marketing with a promotion: text a specific keyword to a certain number, then people get a free bottle with purchase.
This widened their reach and increased their returning customer base.
They created an inner circle community within their SMS groups, where top customers receive first notifications and exclusive discounts.

132. This lifestyle brand uses personalised messaging that resulted in 65x ROI

Rainbow grew its subscribers by nearly 500%, with an opt out rate of less than 1%.
The company sends alerts on holiday promotions and limited-time deals, along with individualised reminders concerning abandoned carts.
Their automated welcome message has a click-through rate of almost 80%.

Brand Activation Strategies, Events, Popup Stores & Customer experiences

133. Maybelline provides personalised beauty consultations, resulting in an almost 60% purchase rate

Maybelline traditionally does in-person consultations housed in reseller stores, which is effective on a day-to-day basis.
They launched an online digital assistant that provided product recommendations based on face shape, skin colour, and preferences.
The company also released branded GIFs that consumers can use on Instagram and TikTok, showing off their product purchases.

134. Cheam Sports, a 50 year old sports retailer, completely revamped their marketing approach to achieve a 30% increase in sales

Cheam Sports developed a strategy that weaved together digital and offline efforts, creative a cohesive experience for consumers.
They launched a perfect fit guarantee that online stores cannot offer.
The company launched in-person events that were promoted online to create build-up.
This resulted in the company’s highest daily revenues ever.

135. Veggie Delights, an Australian food company, crafted an experiential campaign to promote plant-based food options

Veggie Delights launched pop ups across Australia to create conversation about going plant-based.
The company partnered with an Australian Olympic Gold Medalist to host a BBQ in Melbourne.
They also secured features on daytime shows while promoting the event across different media and social platforms.

136. Victoria’s Secret Beauty created a pop-up experience to elevate awareness surrounding its bestseller

Victoria’s Secret Beauty ran a one-week event on the High Line, right at the center of Manhattan.
They partnered with a company to install what they call the Bombshell Gardens, complete with 150 lbs of greenery and almost 60,000 floral stems.
Around 100,000 went to visit the venue, with posts on social media gaining billions of impressions.

B2B eCommerce

137. USCutter saw a 28% increase in order value among B2B audiences

USCutter is already well known among B2C audiences, then they used BigCommerce to create split experiences for their different markets.
They also use upselling through pop ups, depending their recommendations on the market they’re serving.
This progressed to a 51% decrease in their cart abandonment, with a 12% increase in conversions.

138. Selco Builders Warehouse leveraged Adobe Commerce, resulting in a 139% increase in revenue

Selco Builders Warehouse enhanced their app catalogue, making it easy for visitors to search for what they’re looking for along different categories.
They focused on building a tool for project management that can be used even offline, adding value to their stakeholders and customers.
This helped the company achieve an additional 50% on their project list conversions.

139. This billion dollar company improved its site experience, helping them achieve a 16% increase in revenue

HD Supply previously relied on manual intervention to help people make business choices, which hampered their process.
The company then moved their database, relying on a new algorithm to make suggestions to visitors/users.
Businesses now have the ability to add to cart immediately, straight for the search tab results.
This led to a 4% rise in their add to cart rate.

Shopify Plus

140. Aje decided to bring their renowned onsite experience online, increasing conversions by 135% within weeks

Aje worked on increasing their customer’s average time per visit by making sure the loading had minimal downtime.
Making a frictionless and seamless experience for people resulted in reduced bounce rate and pages visited per session increased.
Through it all, they maintained the brand personality on their website, solidifying their authenticity.

141. Face the Future, a leading skin clinic, increased sales by 30% by implementing the latest web development techniques

Face the Future improved their site functionality to provide a better user experience.
Shopify filtering and a better drop-down filtering system gave them a rise in site visits.
They launched a content leadership hub which helped prop up the brand as a reliable resource.

142. SkinnyMe Tea added popups which increased their email sign-ups by almost 800%

SkinnyMe Tea launched a discount popup invite when sites entered their website, helping them increase conversions by 1%.
They added value to their emails by providing content that contributed to the customer experience, such as exercise and eating plans.
Making sure that visitors signed up first for emails supported the company as they can still reach them via emails in the future, regardless if they made a purchase in the moment or not.

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⚡ Frequently Asked Questions ⚡

Which are your favourite eCommerce case studies that you recommend marketers and founders have to read?

As you can see, I’ve shared a lot of amazing DTC and eCommerce case studies that I believe are worth reading, particularly if you’re looking for inspiration, tactical ideas and strategies for certain channels. Whilst I encourage you to read as many as you can (if not all of them across the various categories/channels), there are five for me which are standouts, which include Mecca (huge study), Supreme (really detailed), Huckberry, MVMT, and Alphalete. Each of them are well-detailed and great reads worth bookmarking.

What are some of the best marketing strategies you thought were clever and well executed in some of these eCommerce case studies?

It does depend on which channel you care about most here (and be motivated to improve and get ideas for), but I’m going to point out some brand success stories where clever and awesome strategies were implemented, plus used for growth. The first one is Huckberry, where they actively used affiliates and bloggers in the travel space to help spread the word about the brand. That particular case study includes great visual examples for you to get inspired by. The second eCommerce company study to check out is Mecca, where they built an incredible loyalty and thriving/engaging community through Facebook groups and “Beauty Loop” (their rewards program). In fact, Frank Body is another industry leader in the beauty space that have done an amazing job with their community-building. The third study for me has to be Gymshark, which is a really impressive story and a brand that nailed the UGC content game, as well as UGC influencer partnerships. If this is a channel and marketing initiative you want to improve in, you’ve got to read Gymshark’s success. In terms of overall growth strategy, two others I recommend reading and taking notes would be the MVMT study and Supreme. The sixth one I’d say would have to be ‘Desige Decors’, the Pinterest SEO study. Pretty epic how the guys behind it also automated the process in terms of content creation and posting. Lots of key takeaways for brands to implement if they’re desired audience is on Pinterest. Then with TikTok Ads, the Gold Hinge success is amazing, gaining 300 new buyers a day. Then finally it would have to be Coconut Bowls, which is a brand here in Australia that did a viral competition that generated over 40,000+ emails (plus many more social shares) with less than $1,000 to run the whole campaign - pretty insane when you think about it. Of course, there are many other specific examples I could mention in terms of marketing strategies, but you’re just going to have to go through these studies which I’ve helped summarise with the key takeaways. Then from there, you’ll find some epic ideas for your online store growth strategy.

How important is social proof for an eCommerce site when it comes to generating more online sales?

I really believe social proof is paramount when it comes to success in DTC and eCommerce, especially where this digital world is just getting so competitive (and even more so day by day). This is evident even across these case studies that leverage paid advertising to try convert audiences across these key social ad networks. It’s powerful as it accelerates the process of trust and legitimacy, particularly for new visitors and potential buyers who haven’t experienced the amazing value of your products and overall brand experience. Hence, it’s your job as a store owner and/or marketer to ease anxiety of people in the buying/decision-making process when it comes to successfully checking out. So, some of the best marketing tactics/strategies that I’ve used before with clients to focus on, in order to really bolster trust and proof, would be customer reviews/testimonials, an influencer product review conducted via video for a top-selling product (or of course, having many videos is ideal across your range of products), UGC unboxing videos embedded on the site from the likes of TikTok and Instagram, logos of publications you’ve been featured in from past PR campaigns you’ve run before on the homepage (and even automated emails), as well as quotes by industry professionals. There are many other ideas which I’ve spoken about in other guides, plus if you do some research online you’ll find others, but these I’ve mentioned are pretty sold when it comes to accelerating trust and confidence.

What types of user generated content helps with attracting and converting an ideal target audience for an eCommerce business?

There are a few types of UGC content which you can use as part of your marketing strategy, including the likes of video product reviews by influencers, UGC embedded Instagram feeds (and even shoppable TikTok videos), social media hashtag campaigns, product ratings for specific products (as well as your overall online store), detailed blog post content/guides and LP’s with how-to gif videos from real buyers and influencers, and even the likes of UGC images of real customers throughout various converting pages and educational content. Again, so many ideas and possibilities with UGC with both video and imagery, it’s just about ensuring it makes contextual sense in terms of amplification/distribution when it comes to where people sit within the buyer’s journey. If you’re across key personalisation principles when it comes to eCommerce and DTC (and understand contextual sense with a typical buyer’s journey), then your UGC content will work incredibly well for generating new sales.

Which channels or initiatives do you believe are untapped in terms of growth marketing opportunities for eCommerce brands?

We all know the classic social channels such as Facebook/Instagram and TikTok when it comes to being reliable channels for both organic and paid (most of the time anyway haha) for brand awareness and conversions, but we also know that they are becoming increasingly more competitive as more players/brands enter your niche. Not only new players, but also just existing brands becoming bigger and spending more, which means they may be outbidding you when it comes to getting the attention of your target market. So, this is where store owners, whether it be founders or marketers like yourself, need to explore untapped channels/initiatives where your competitors aren’t putting enough attention into. From my experience working with many businesses over the years in eCommerce, the opportunities where I feel it’s relatively untapped (or simply not executed well enough) has to be channels such as TikTok (organic and ads) and Pinterest (organic and ads as well). Yes, whilst TikTok is something everyone is talking about, the opportunity to really explode for many brands is still there. I believe it’s the same for Pinterest, especially with Pinterest organic (just read the growth studies I’ve summarised above). Then in relation to initiatives, I find many brands really don’t do an amazing job when it comes to referral programs, affiliates, rewards or customer loyalty programs, upsell strategies and tactics (such as 1-click upsells), as well as subscription offerings. Many stores do implement these types of strategies, but lack focus on executing them well. For me personally, these initiatives that I just mentioned I believe is low-hanging fruit, so I’d be making some of these a focus if you’re main channels are fatiguing in performance or you know can help your business gain a competitive advantage over others in your niche.

135+ Best DTC & eCommerce Case Studies By Channel (2024)