Direct-To-Consumer Trends

As a long-time buyer of luxury goods, I've often wondered where our money actually goes when we buy luxury products and the reality might surprise you. We assume it’s spent on the finest materials, craftsmanship, or maybe even the brand’s prestige. But the reality is far less glamorous. Most of what we pay goes straight to profits for large corporations. However, one brand that caught my eye for doing things differently is Brunello Cucinelli. Here's what sets Brunello Cucinelli apart in an industry that is often criticized for prioritizing profit over people. > Crafted in Italy with a focus on integrity. Brunello Cucinelli's products are entirely crafted in Italy. They pay their employees up to 40% above the minimum wage. This commitment to fair labor practices supports skilled artisans and bolsters the local economy. > Purpose-driven profits Instead of solely focusing on shareholder returns, Cucinelli reinvests substantial profits into community development. > More than luxury Cucinelli's vision extends far beyond fashion. The company invests in research on rare diseases and various social welfare projects. > A model for ethical luxury:  67% of consumers consider using sustainable materials as an important purchasing factor (McKinsey & Company) Cucinelli's model aligns perfectly with this growing consumer consciousness. As someone who appreciates luxury, I’ve become more mindful of where my money goes and the impact it has. Brunello Cucinelli’s model caught my attention because it offers more than just beautifully crafted items—it aligns with values of ethics and sustainability. I wanted to share this because, in a world where profit often takes priority, it's refreshing to see a brand doing things differently. So next time you're considering a luxury purchase, think about the story behind the product and where your money is really going. What’s your favorite example of a brand prioritizing ethics over profit? Tell us in the comments! #luxury #BrunelloCucinelli. 

You finish dinner. The card reader flashes “Payment Complete” and offers two options: text receipt or email receipt. No print option. If you want a record, you have to hand over your phone number or email. A reasonable person might believe the information they provide will be used just to deliver their receipt. But behind the sleek interface is an ecosystem optimized for businesses, not individuals. When you enter your contact information, it doesn’t just vanish after the receipt is sent. Rather, according to this payment platform’s unseen privacy policy, your data may be stored, linked to prior purchases, and used to “personalize your experience,” or “send you marketing communications.” It may be shared with service providers or partners. It may be retained even if you didn’t sign up for anything. None of this is visible in the moment, and that’s by design. The privacy policy isn’t on the screen. There isnt a simple explanation of what happens to your data or even a clear link to a privacy policy. And there’s no real choice. You either hand over your personal information or walk away with nothing. This is the new default: consumer tools designed for the seller’s benefit, not yours. We are witnessing the calculated erosion of our privacy rights through deliberate design. We need federal #privacy legislation in the United States. We shouldn’t have to trade the use of our personal information for a receipt. And we shouldn’t continue perpetuating the fiction that consumers have a real choice in the matter.

🧑🏽 Practical Guide To Personalization UX. With guidelines on how to better tailor content and features to user’s needs and interests ↓ ✅ Customization allows users to choose exactly what they want. ✅ Personalization anticipates what they want behind the scenes. ✅ We personalize to match specific needs without user’s effort. ✅ We allow users to customize preferences, filters, layout, data. 🤔 But often only very few people customize their experience. 🚫 Past behavior doesn’t always predict future actions. 🤔 Users often have different needs at different times. ✅ Design a wide range of presets, templates and defaults. ✅ Track frequent actions and errors, and suggest shortcuts. ✅ Expose users to non-matching topics to avoid filter bubbles. 🤔 Often users don’t know what they need, or what they’d like. ✅ Good personalization is deeply embedded in a user journey. ✅ Search for moments when you want to win user’s attention. ✅ Ask users explicitly about their intent to learn their context. ✅ Let users override personalization if it goes against their needs. We can’t personalize without research. Collect reliable data about users first. Then segment users into groups with shared needs. Behavioral segmentation works best: group by actions, frequency, journey stage, history, not personas. Decide what messages you have for each group. And define a user model, content model and metadata that go along with it. Then decide on individual or role-based personalization. Choose touchpoints where personalized UX will be served. Apply the logic across your channels, but give users full control of their data. In that process, define how the team will test and measure the impact of personalization over time. It might often feel like a huge leap of faith without immediate benefits. But if done well, it can increase customer lifetime value significantly. But: you will need short-term victories to get a long-term commitment. So start slowly. Run experiments. Personalize where you can make the highest impact. More often than not, the outcome will be worth the effort — even although most users will never even notice it, they might stay for many years to come. ✤ Useful resources Hyper-Personalization: A Practical UX Guide, by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/e8v6WF9U Personalization Pyramid, by Colin A. Eagan M.S., Jeffrey MacIntyre https://lnkd.in/eaztWU8e Five Levels Of Recommendations, by Guillaume Galante https://lnkd.in/eKqsZtJ5 Definitive Guide To Personalization (free eBook, PDF) https://lnkd.in/eCA_a5Xh ✤ Books – The Person in Personalisation, by David Mannheim – Hello {first name}, by Rasmus Houlind 🎀 – The Personalization Paradox, by Val Swisher, Regina Lynn Preciado – Personalization Mechanics, by John Berndt #ux #design

The evolution of payment methods is reshaping the way we pay, but how do merchants handle this constant change on a global scale? The past few years have seen an explosion in alternative payment methods (APMs) available to consumers, driven by rapid advancements in technology, growing consumer expectations for seamless experiences, and increased awareness of data privacy. With a myriad of options like digital wallets, cryptocurrencies, and mobile payment apps, consumers now expect the flexibility to choose how they pay. For large merchants, managing such a diverse ecosystem of payment methods can seem overwhelming. However, there are strategies to ensure a smooth integration and management of these options, ultimately providing the best customer experience: Partner with a reliable payment orchestration provider: A well-established payment orchestration platform can handle hundreds of APMs on a global scale, providing merchants with a unified platform for easy management, reduced operational complexity, and region-specific security features. Prioritize popular APMs: Focus on integrating the most widely-used APMs in your target market, while also keeping an eye on emerging trends to stay ahead of the competition. Optimize user experience: Seamless integration of APMs into your existing checkout process is crucial. Design user interfaces that cater to various preferences and devices, ensuring a frictionless payment experience for all customers. Prioritize security and compliance: As you adopt new payment methods, be vigilant about maintaining strict security standards and staying compliant with relevant regulations to protect your business and customers. Stay agile and adaptable: The payments landscape will continue to evolve. Be prepared to iterate on your payment processes and adopt new technologies as they emerge to stay relevant and competitive. By proactively managing the integration of alternative payment methods, large merchants can unlock new opportunities, provide better customer experiences, and stay ahead in the rapidly changing world of commerce. Source Ali Ahmed #payments #fintech #digitalwallets

𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #𝟰 – “𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹” "We launched a sustainable product, but no one is buying it.” This is one of the most recurring discussions. Let’s unpack this, because in most cases, it’s not the sustainability that’s the problem. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲-𝗢𝗳𝗳 One of the biggest mistakes? Designing a “green” product with the planet in mind… and forgetting the customer. I’m thinking of Nike’s Trash Talk shoe: launched with the best intentions, made entirely from factory waste, a pioneering attempt at circularity. But it flopped. Why? Because, quite frankly, it looked like trash and didn’t perform like a Nike shoe. Fast forward to Nike Flyknit: same ambition, better execution. Engineered from 60% less waste, lightweight, durable, high-performing. It didn’t just meet the bar for a performance shoe, it raised it. And it became one of Nike’s best-selling shoes. 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣? Sustainability is a feature, not an excuse. The best sustainability products elevate the customer experience, they don’t reduce it. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲-𝗢𝗳𝗳 Here’s another hard truth: many sustainable products are simply overpriced. True, oftentimes they are more expensive to produce - but is it really fair to expect the consumer to absorb 𝘢𝘭𝘭 the extra cost? A Kearney study found that most green products are nearly twice (!) the cost of conventional ones. They also found that a simple shift from a relative to a fixed margin pricing could solve the issue. Fair Milk, for example, was introduced so farmers could make a decent living. Instead of applying the typical relative margin across brand owners, wholesalers, and retailers (which would have brought the liter of milk well over €1), they added a fixed 10-cent premium, one that the majority of customers accepted right away. 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣? If you add your sustainability premium to the production cost, all the other profit margins stack up quickly. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲-𝗢𝗳𝗳 And now for the part we don’t talk about enough: sales. Companies have sustainability products in theory, but they never make it into the client conversation. Why? Because your sales team is either not incentivized or not confident enough to sell them. Sometimes it’s structure: bonuses tied to volume, not value. Sometimes it’s discomfort: salespeople feel like they don’t know enough about sustainability to bring it up. And sometimes, they just don’t believe in the story. If your sales team isn’t trained to sell your sustainable offering, they won’t. And that’s not a sales issue, it’s a leadership and communication one. 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣? If sustainability is part of your offer, it needs to be part of your sales muscle. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: If your sustainable product isn’t selling, chances are it’s not the sustainability that’s broken. It’s the pricing. It’s the performance. It’s your internal incentives. Sustainability doesn’t excuse bad business logic, it demands better.

Are you using the right KPIs to measure the success of your livestream shopping events? Livestream shopping events are redefining the online #retail experience, giving customers the thrill of real-time social interactions and seamless, instant purchasing. However, since #socialcommerce is still a novel concept, many companies struggle to quantify the impact of their activities. At TERRITORY Influence (Bertelsmann Group) we have developed #socialcommerce strategies and livestream shopping events for many brands in Europe over the last years. Based on our experience there are 6 key performance indicators for #livestream shopping that marketing teams need to pay attention to: 1. Gross Merchandise Value (in our experience at TERRITORY the GMV greatly depends on the industry and product category) 2. Engagement Rate (according to Hootsuite brands should expect between 1-5%) 3. Conversion Rate (according to Shopify, the average #ecommerce conversion rate is around 3%) 4. Average Order Value (in our experience AOV is very industry specific) 5. Total Number of Participants (greatly depends on your organic traffic and paid media support) 6. Return Rate (for live shopping, it should be below 5%) Would you recommend any other KPI for livestream #shopping ?

bigbasket just abandoned its entire traditional e-commerce business for 10-minute deliveries. India's largest grocer has already ditched their entire business model. ❌ No more planned deliveries.  ❌ No more time slots. Starting next month, everything will be delivered in 10-30 minutes. The pivot was inevitable as BigBasket was losing the race badly: → Revenue grew only 6.27% in FY24 while competitors exploded  → BB Now has just 10% market share despite being India's largest grocer → Blinkit's revenue jumped 145% in the same period  → Zepto raised $665 million and became the poster child of quick commerce Even customers are moving more towards quick commerce, as quick commerce grew 77% last year vs. traditional e-commerce at 13%. BigBasket built their reputation on scheduled deliveries for over a decade, but consumer behavior shifted faster than they adapted. Now they're throwing $1 billion to catch up. This is what makes this move massive: → Expanding from 400 to 700 dark stores  → Targeting $1 billion revenue just from quick commerce  → Complete abandonment of their original model in upcoming months Consumer behavior has shifted, and people want everything fast. The convenience economy is here to stay. For Zepto and Blinkit, this means serious competition is coming. A well-funded, experienced player with deep pockets just entered their game. For consumers, this means better prices and faster service as competition heats up. Has quick delivery changed how you shop?

I have managed over 500 influencer campaigns and grew Vavo Digital | Influencer Marketing to multiple 6 figures in the last 4 years.  Here are 15 key tips I would give anyone looking to run a successful influencer campaign (in no particular order): 1. Utilize Micro-Influencers Collaborate with micro-influencers who have a highly engaged niche audience for more authentic reach. 2. Create a Branded Hashtag Design a catchy, memorable hashtag to unify campaign posts across platforms. Example: #RedefineYourStyle for a fashion campaign. 3. Involve Influencers in Product Development Take influencers' input when designing or testing the product to make their endorsement more genuine. 4. Run an Influencer Challenge Create a fun, interactive challenge that encourages influencers and their followers to participate. Example: A fitness brand launching a 30-day workout challenge. 5. Utilize Instagram Stories Takeovers Have influencers take over your brand’s Instagram stories for a day to engage their followers. 6. Co-create content with Influencers Collaborate on content creation to blend both your brand and the influencer’s identity. Example: A beauty brand and a makeup artist co-producing tutorial videos. 7. Leverage Trending Topics Time your campaign with trending cultural or industry-related topics to stay relevant. 8. Exclusive Sneak Peeks Offer influencers early access to a product and allow them to give their audience exclusive sneak peeks. 9. Launch Teasers Get influencers to drop teaser posts to create buzz before the full campaign launch. 10. Collaborate with Multiple Influencers Bring together influencers from different niches for a cross-industry impact. 11. Interactive Q&A Sessions Host live Q&A sessions with influencers to engage followers in real time. 12. Influencer Gifting Send personalized gifts or product packages to influencers with a request for an authentic review. 13. Gamify the Campaign Introduce a game element, like a competition or leaderboard, that influencers can promote. 14. Highlight User-Generated Content Encourage followers of influencers to create their own content using your product, and feature the best ones. 15. Offer Influencer-Exclusive Discounts Provide influencers with unique discount codes to share with their followers. Virality isn't just about views. It's about creating a ripple effect of sharing, discussing, and remixing. Focus on sparking genuine emotions and connections. What's the most memorable viral campaign you've seen lately? #influencermarketing #socialmedia

If live commerce isn’t in your 2025 strategy, you’re already losing market share. ✨ RM 3.8mil in GMV. 34.7mil product views. 60,406 items sold, in 30 days. The previous year, I did RM1.2mil in 30 days; this Yang Riang Raya campaign was a game-changer for us. We experimented, pushed boundaries, and most importantly, delivered results. 🚀 Here’s what made it work: 🎥 Trying Something New We uploaded pre-hype videos before the event and went full cinematic drama. Filming with cameras, crafting engaging storytelling, and negotiating prices live kept audiences hooked. We also filmed the videos with Dato Sri Siti Nurhaliza and Dato Sri Meer Habib, with views > 1mil each. 🌤️ Taking the Livestream Outdoors 99.9% of live-selling is done indoors on TikTok. The whole viewing experience are different for the viewers, the average viewing duration improved by 200%. Big thank you for Perbandanan Putrajaya, and Canon's team set up. 💸 Boosting with Ads Investing in ad boosting was another key factor in our success. By strategically running ads during the live sessions, we managed to attract more targeted audiences for the products we were selling. The result? A return on spend (ROS) of 5-10 times our ad investment. ⏰ Timing Matters We discovered that the sahur period (3am - 7am) and night hours (8pm-12am) were peak times for product demand, leading to higher engagement and sales. Knowing when your audience is most active can make a huge difference. 🤝 Brand Collaboration We also found that the brands that performed the best were those that actively supported us throughout the campaign. Brands that showed up, engaged with the process, and collaborated closely saw significantly better results. ⚡ Turning Viewers into Buyers—The FOMO Formula We didn’t just sell—we made people feel the rush of securing a deal before it was gone. Here’s how: 🔥 Build Anticipation Before the Drop – Instead of instantly adding products to the stream, we hyped them up. For example, before launching the viral Beg Kuning, we got viewers to comment “1” if they were ready. Only when we hit 100 comments then we release the link — but not before a suspenseful countdown! ⏳ Limited Quantity Sells – “Only 100 units available!” When people saw the stock count drop in real-time, it triggered instant action. No one wanted to be the one who missed out. 🎯 Educate, Then Convert – We made sure people fully understood the product before dropping the link. This meant that the moment it became available, they were ready to buy—no second-guessing, just instant conversion. 📊 Understanding Market Trends We sold what people wanted. By monitoring TikTok Shop rankings, product reviews, and audience sentiment, we identified the best Raya-related products and crafted strong narratives to make them irresistible. Is live-selling your next 8 months strategy? Let me know!

I came across by this random Twitter post, which shared a fun spec ad on magicpin’s 15min food delivery offering (pic). Intrigued, I spent the last 2hrs researching about it. And I am really excited, as Anshoo and team have practically worked out a whole new hyperlocal logistics model to challenge the duopoly of Swiggy and Zomato (which is also a shareholder)  🙌🙌 Data is proof that this is a serious challenger to the two big giants. But, it’s quite sad that there is no post out there, covering this new logistics model that Magicpin has built, and what makes it different. Thus, here is all I learned! .. See, Magicpin has been onboarding tens of thousands of restaurants across cities to deliver food via Govt-backed ONDC at very low commission rates. And it already does ~2 lakh orders a day, which is about a tenth the scale of Swiggy & Zomato. Thus, already a serious contender in the food delivery market. But, how did it get there? -> It onboarded numerous delivery partners in various cities, including big names like Shadowfax, Rapido, Porter, Ola and Zypp Electric -> And, it began assigning the order pick-up and delivery to the lowest-cost provider from a given radius -> Magicpin practically perfected this model to the extent that it promised 30-minute deliveries This helped it cement to a tenth of Zomato and Swiggy’s scale in such less time 👏👏 .. Having aced this, Magicpin started conceptualising a new disruption for the space - MagicNOW. This was about partnering with restaurants to enable food order deliveries within 1.5-2km radius in a targeted 15mins. And this is something Magicpin has nailed over the last month or so, with nearly a lakh deliveries from ~2k restaurants and QSR brands across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, NCR and Pune. These included big brands like Chaayos, Faasos, Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s etc. Outcome? A means for the restaurant and QSR industry to deliver food orders in 15mins, without sharing much of the margins with Swiggy or Zomato 👏👏 .. With that, we now have 4 serious players in the game rapid food delivery game. -> Swiggy’s Bolt which competes with the hyperlocal delivery industry -> Zepto Cafe and Zomato’s Bistro by Blinkit, which competes with hyperlocal logistics players and also restaurants -> MagicNOW which doesn’t compete, but generates more business for them. That puts it on a favourable supply side pedestal versus Zomato or Swiggy And given Magicpin had scaled to ~2L orders already, the 15min delivery promise will surely perk up its daily order volumes in a big way. .. That said, I share such non-trending insights with 20k+ investors on WhatsApp daily. Do check out: https://lnkd.in/gKrAWbnt Best, Jayant Tags: Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) | #magicNOW #quickcommerce