$50k in + $400k out, Boka growth and premium smart watches

Welcome back DTC fam,

i attended Ecomm Elevated this week, a few takeaways:

1. being found > buying reach. discovery is moving from search to models and nobody has a real playbook yet, they just know it matters.
2. subscriptions are winning on both sides. "the subscribe & save era is over" on one side, then "crushing subscriptions" on the other.
3. attention is the bottleneck now, not acquisition. both opening keynotes were about keeping people interested, and there was a keynote literally called "roas is dead." brands have accepted you can't buy your way out of a boring brand. the content engine talk is getting the spotlight.

let’s get into it:

This edition is brought to you by UpPromote.

$50,000 in. $400,000 out.

AlphaInfuse, a hair loss treatment brand, puts $50K a month into creator content and tracks $400K in sales back. Hitting 8x ROAS, while plenty of brands are fighting to clear 2x on Meta.

The budget goes into partnership ads, which run through creator accounts instead of the brand page. Meta’s data has that format at 4x the click-through and 19% lower cost per purchase. Lines up with the 69% of shoppers who say they trust a creator over an ad.

So why isn’t everyone doing it? Only 4% of brands say they’re happy with their partnership ad spend.

The ones getting it right do three things:

• Commission UGC videos in batches and run them as your own ads, since Meta needs volume to find a winner
• Boost creator posts already taking off, the fastest play with the lowest CPM
• Test creators on affiliate before putting ad dollars behind them

Affiliate is the layer underneath, and the logic is simple: pay on sales, keep the winners, scale them as ads.

UpPromote, the #1 affiliate app on Shopify, powering 250,000+ Shopify and Shopify Plus stores, put 7 of these strategies into a free guide. Worth your time.

Get the free guide

Northbeam Conference

Mark your calendars people.

On September 16-17, Northbeam is hosting their first-ever Northbeam Conference in NYC. This is two days of executive networking where you’re going to get the cutting-edge on marketing (all before your competitors do).

Who's going you ask?…

• Kat Cole, CEO @AG1
• Evan Spiegel, CEO @Snap
• Hudson Leogrande, CEO & Founder @Comfrt
• Sean Frank, CEO @Ridge
• Austin Harrison, CEO & Co-founder, Northbeam

And a lot more!

Plus a giveaway for one VIP experience for a lucky winner. Travel, lodging, and full access to the conference.

Register here for the Northbeam Conference

[in the news]

Boka is coming for the Big Brands…

Boka posted 481% year-over-year retail growth and claimed the No. 1 spot on Amazon in oral care.

This category is getting more crowded, so instead of playing the same CPG game as everyone else (sharing fluoride percentages and dentist endorsements), they borrowed the “beauty playbook”.

• Aesthetic and aspirational branding
• premium skincare-vibes
• ingredient storytelling

All leading to rising in the ranks over on Amazon.

Why this matters for leading DTC operators:

If you’re playing in a commodity category, the marketing that your competitors are doing isn’t the only option (and it’s rarely the right one). Take what’s working from adjacent categories and apply it to your own.

OMORPHO hits HYROX

HYROX athletes are on another level.

Because of that, they have to be very intentional with how they train, especially when it comes to adding weight. Good news is OMORPHO takes a different approach to the weighted vest category by using a Micro-Loading system to distribute weight across the vest.

This makes it a prime special edition collaboration with OMORPHO and HYROX, providing max value to these HYROX athletes and their training sessions.

Check out the collab here

We’re only gonna be seeing more of these collabs, especially in the health and fitness space.

BaubleBar is doing more than back to school

BaubleBar is an accessories brand founded back in 2011.

Since February of 2025, they’ve partnered with 10+ colleges and have seen a huge uptick in the brand’s collegiate business line.

What most brands think is seasonal (back-to-school merch) is turning into a year-round sales engine.

The recent growth is exciting, but it’s not because they're running “another” marketing campaign. They’re “tapping into communities with deep emotional ties to a school”. It’s a similar initiative with their licensing partners from Disney, the NFL and MBA.

For the serious DTC operators:

1. Lean into your brand’s identity, but don’t forget your customers’ identity. Fandom is an underused channel to reach those loyal buyers (and they come pre-sold).
2. You don’t have to stick with the norm. Seasonal doesn’t have to stay seasonal. The brands that are winning are moving differently.
3. Take good care of your partners and their audiences.

[BFCM Operators Playbook]

Time to start planning… for the biggest weekend of the year! 1800DTC partnered up with the tools and brand operators crushing Black Friday Cyber Monday to bring you the BFCM Operators Playbook.

13 chapters that bring together actionable insights to help teams prepare for the biggest shopping weekend of the year. If you haven’t already, check it out.

Get your BFCM Operators Playbook →

[brands we’re watching]

Icelandic Skyr

“The pumpkin spice has great flavor with a smooth, creamy texture. With the protein, it’s a perfect snack for the fall and is going to definitely be a staple in the fridge as we approach Halloween!”

Icelandic Provisions announces the launch of Pumpkin Spice Skyr, a limited-time offering as fleeting and magnificent as the Northern Lights, from Iceland’s most storied dairy tradition. Crafted from centuries-old heirloom cultures passed down through generations of Icelanders, their time-tested skyr kicks off autumn.

Salt Point

Salt Point, the Bay Area-born canned cocktail brand, has partnered with the San Francisco 49ers to launch a limited-edition cocktail collaboration in celebration of the football franchise’s 80th year.

Bringing together two iconic Bay Area brands, the new Gold Rush cocktail is inspired by the 49ers’ storied history and California roots, blending real whiskey, California brandy, bright lemon and a touch of honey. The collab marks a major sports partnership for Salt Point as the brand continues to build its presence in the premium canned cocktail category.

while on earth

→ They’re creating a niche signature shoe for explosive training

Panther

→ drops Solstice, a health-tracking smartwatch inspired by 1930s dress watches (super sleek)

O’kra

→ Different take on hydration, going luxury-mode on sparkling water

Using TikTok Shops to Grow on Amazon

→ Brands are going multi-platform to increase their sales by using TikTok Shops and driving that traffic and attention to Amazon.

See you Tuesday,

Zach and 1800DTC Team 1800DTC.com

P.S Trust me when I say, Black Friday and Cyber Monday can make or break an entire quarter. But a lot of DTC teams are still forcing their strategy from disconnected advice and generic checklists (and consumers can tell). Here’s how to fix →