Podcasts about D2C

Live from the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference, our analysts discuss how AI is reshaping the future of shopping in the U.S.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Michelle Weaver: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. We're coming to you live from Morgan Stanley's Global Consumer and Retail Conference in New York City, where we have more than 120 leading companies in attendance. Today's episode is the second part of our live discussion of the U.S. consumer and how AI is changing consumer companies. With me on stage, we have Arunima Sinha from the Global and U.S. Economics team, Simeon Guttman, our U.S. Hardlines, Broad Lines, and Food Retail Analyst, and Megan Clap, U.S. Food Producers and Leisure Analyst. It's Friday, December 5th at 10am in New York. So, Simeon, I want to start with you. You recently put out a piece assessing the AI race. Can you take us through how you're assessing current AI implementation? And can you give us some real-world examples of what it looks like when a company significantly integrates AI into their business? Simeon Gutman: Sure. So, the Consumer Discretionary and Staples teams went to each of their covered companies, and we started searching for what those companies have disclosed and communicated regarding their AI. In some cases, we used AI to do this search. But we created a search and created this universe of factors and different ways AI is being implemented. We didn't have a framework until we had the entire universe of all of these AI use cases. Once we did, then we were able to compartmentalize them. And the different groups; we came up with six groups that we were able to cluster. First, personalization and refined search; second, customer acquisition; third product innovation; fourth, labor productivity; fifth, supply chain and logistics. And lastly, inventory management. And using that framework, we were able to rank companies on a 1 to 10 scale. Across – that was the implementation part – across three different dimensions: breadth, how widely the AI is deployed across those categories; the depth, the quality, which we did our best to be able to interpret. And then the last one was proprietary initiatives. So, that's partnerships, could be with leading AI firms. So that helped us differentiate the leaders with others, not necessarily laggards, but those who were ahead of in the race. In some cases, companies that have communicated more would naturally scream more, so there is some potential bias in that. But otherwise, the fact pattern was objective. Walmart has full scale AI deployment. They're integrated across their business. They've introduced GenAI tools. That's like their Sparky shopping assistant. As well as integrated to in-store features. They talked about it. It's been driving a 25 percent increase in average shopper spend. They've recently partnered with OpenAI to enable ChatGPT powered Search and Checkout, positioning where the company, where the customer is shopping. They're also layering on augmented reality for holiday shopping, computer vision for shelf monitoring. LLMs for inventory replenishment. Autonomous lifts, the list goes on and on. But it covers all the functional categories in our framework. Michelle Weaver: And how about a couple examples of the ways companies are using these? Any interesting real world use cases you've seen so far? Simeon Gutman: So, one of them was in marketing personalization, as well as in product cataloging. That was one of the more sided themes at this conference. So, it was good timing. So, the idea is when product is staged on a company's website; I don't think we all appreciate how much time and many hours and people and resources it takes to get the correct information, to get the right pictures and to show all the assortment – those type of functions AI is helping enable. And it sounds like we're on the cusp of a step change in personalization. It sounds like AI, machine learning or algorithm driven suggestions to consumers. We didn't get practical use cases, but a lot of companies talked about the deployment of this into 2026, which sounds like it's something to look forward to. Michelle Weaver: And Megan, how would you describe AI adoption in your space in terms of innings and what kind of criteria are you using to assess the future for AI opportunity and potential? Megan Clapp: Yeah, I would say; I'd characterize adoption in the Food and broader Staples space today is still relatively early innings. I think most companies are still standing up the data infrastructure, experimenting with various tools. We're seeing companies pilot early use cases and start to talk about them, and that was evident in the work we did with the note that Simeon just talked about. And so, the opportunity, I think, going ahead, lies in kind of what we see in terms of scaling those pilots to become more impactful. And for Staples broadly, and Food, you know, ties into this. I think, these companies start with an advantage and that they sit on a tremendous amount of high frequency consumption data. So, the data availability is quite large. The question now is, you know, can these large organizations move with speed and translate that data into action? And that's something that we're focused on when we think about feasibility. I think we think about the opportunity for Food and Staples broadly as we'd put it into kind of two areas. One is what can they do on the top line? Marketing, innovation, R&D, kind of the lifeblood of CPG companies, and that's where we're seeing a lot of the early use cases. I think ultimately that will be the most important driver – driving top line, you know, tends to be the most important thing in most consumer companies. But then on the other side, there are a lot of cost efforts, supply chain savings, labor productivity. Those are honestly a bit easier to quantify. And we're seeing real tangible things come out of that. But overall I think the way we think about it is the large companies with scale and the ability to go after the opportunity because they have the scale and the balance sheet to do so – will be winners here, as well as the smaller, more nimble companies that, you know, can move a little bit faster. And so that's how we're thinking about the opportunity. Michelle Weaver: Can you give us also just a couple examples of AI adoption that's been successful that you've seen so far? Megan Clapp: Yeah, so on the top line side, like I said, kind of marketing innovation, R&D. One quick example on the Food side. Hershey, for example, they're using algorithms to reallocate advertising spend by zip code, based on the real time sell through. So, they can just be much more targeted and more efficient, honestly, with that advertising spend. I think from an innovation perspective too, these companies are able to identify on trend things faster and incorporate that and take the idea to shelf time down significantly. And then on the cost side, you know, General Mills is a company is actually relatively, far ahead, I'd say, in the AI adoption curve in Staples broadly. And what they've done is deployed what they call digital twins across their network, and it has improved forecast accuracy. They've taken their historical productivity savings from 4 percent annually to 5 percent. That's something that's structural. So, seeing real tangible benefits that are showing up in the PNL. And so, I think broadly the theme is these companies are using AI to make faster, and more precise decisions. And then I thought, I'd just mention on the leisure side, something that I felt was interesting that we learned from Shark Ninja yesterday at the conference is – when asked about the role of Agentic AI in future commerce, thinks it'll be huge was how he described; the CEO described it. And what they're doing actively right now is optimizing their D2C website for LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini. And his point was that what drives conversion on D2C today may not ultimately be what ranks on AI driven search. But he said the expectation is that by Christmas of next year, commerce via these AI platforms will be meaningful; mentioned that OpenAI is already experimenting with curated product transactions. So, they're really focused on optimizing their portfolio. He thinks brands will win; but you have got to get ahead of it as well. Michelle Weaver: And that's great that you just brought up Agentic commerce. We've heard about it quite a bit over the past couple of days, Simeon. And I know you recently put out a big piece on this theme. Agentic commerce introduces a lot of possibility for incremental sales, but it also introduces the possibility for cannibalization. Where do you see this shaking out in your space? Are you really concerned about that cannibalization possibility? Simeon Gutman: Yeah, so the larger debate is a little bit of sales cannibalization and a potential bit of retail media cannibalization. So, your first point is Agentic theoretically opens up a bigger e-commerce penetration and just more commerce. And once you go to more e-commerce, that could be beneficial for some of these companies. We can also put the counter argument of when e-commerce came, direct-to-consumer type of selling could disintermediate the captive retailer sales again. Maybe, maybe not. Part of this answer is we created a framework to think about what retailers can protect themselves most from this. Two of them; two of the five I's are infrastructure and inventory. So, the more that your inventory is forward position, the more infrastructure you have; the AI and the agent will still prioritize that retailer within that network. That business will likely not go elsewhere. And that's our premise. Now, retail media is a different can of worms. We don't know what models are going to look like. How this interaction will take place? We don't know who controls the data. The transactions part of this conference is we were hearing, ‘Well, the retailers are going to control some of the data and the transaction.' Will consumers feel comfortable giving personal information, credit card to agents? I'm sure at some point we'll feel comfortable, but there are these inertia points and these are models that are getting worked out today. There's incentives for the hyperscalers to be part of this. There's incentive for the retailers to be part of it. But we ultimately don't know. What we do know is though forward position inventory is still going to win that agent's business if you need to get merchandise quickly, efficiently. And if it's a lot of merchandise at once. Think about the largest platforms that have been investing in long tail of product and speed to getting it to that consumer. Michelle Weaver: And Arunima, I want to bring this back to the macro as well. As AI adoption starts to ramp the labor market then starts to get called into question. Is this going to be automation or is it going to be augmentation as you see a ramp in AI adoption? So how are your expectations for AI being factored into your forecast and what are you expecting there? Arunima Sinha: There are two ways that we think about just sort of AI spending mattering for our growth forecasts. One part is literally the spend, the investment in the data centers and the chips and so on. And then the other is just the rise in productivity. So, does the labor or does the human capital become more productive? And if we sum both of those things together, we think that over 2026 – [20]27, they add anywhere between 40-45 basis points to growth. And just to put things in perspective, our GDP growth estimate for the end of this year in 2026 is 1.8 percent. For 2027, it's 2.0 percent. So, it's an important part of that process. In terms of the labor market itself, the work that you have led, as well as the work that we've been doing – which is this question about adoption at the macro level, that's still fairly low. We look at the census data that tracks larger companies or mid-size companies on a monthly basis to say, ‘How much did you use AI tools in the last couple of weeks.' And that's been slowly increasing, but it's still sort of in the mid-teens in terms of how many companies have been using as a percentage. And so, we think that adoption should continue to increase. And as that does, for now, we think it is going to be a compliment to labor. Although there are some cohorts within sort of demographic cohorts in terms of ages that are probably going to be disproportionately impacted, but we don't think that that's a sort of near term 2026 story. Michelle Weaver:  Well, thank you all for joining us and please follow Thoughts on the Market wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you to our panel participants for this engaging discussion and to our live and podcast audiences. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.

¿Cómo transformar una experiencia cercana a la muerte en un motor para facturar 10 millones de euros? En este episodio, Guillermo Milans, CEO de Baïa Food, comparte un viaje de emprendimiento que comenzó hace 12 años tras sufrir una peritonitis grave y vivir de cerca la enfermedad de su padre.

Pet care in India isn't just dog food. It's 20+ untapped verticals and the next big opportunity. In this episode, we sit down with Vineet Khanna, Founder of Supertails, a platform building one of India's largest pet ecosystems with 1,700+ products across nutrition, healthcare, and services. Alongside him, we have Sneh Sharma, Founder of Dogsee Chew, the brand that took a single iconic product i.e. chhurpi and turned it into a global clean-treat loved in 30+ countries. What will you get: -what early players actually do in a market with no roadmap, no benchmarks, and no safety net -why India's next big consumer unicorn could come from the pet industry -the contrast between building wide (1,700+ products) vs. building deep (one hero product) -the biggest myths about pet care in India—and why they're wrong -the discipline required to build a bootstrapped company in a new market -the real mistakes, pivots, and founder decisions you never hear publicly   Whether you're a doer, a founder, a creator, or just someone curious about how new industries are born,  this conversation will open up a side of the pet industry you've never seen before.   Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:39  Why start a pet business? The easiest question with the hardest answer   7:57  What makes a truly “good” pet product? Inside the craft   8:47  Is this a borrowed industry? How India & Nepal adopt pet trends   11:05  90% of Indian pet parents are first-timers — what that means   12:37  India vs. Nepal pet parents: are they really that different?   13:47  "No competition?" Why this industry is still surprisingly open   15:42  Supertails ecosystem vision: the full-stack pet care play   16:57  What pet founders don't do (and why it matters)   18:47  The hardest part: evolving with the industry   21:02  3 co-founders, one mission: how they divide the work   22:52  Why saying NO matters more than saying YES in pet care   24:37  Why pet products can't be built like other D2C categories   27:07  Niche vs. mass market: why stay focused   28:15  The metrics that wake these founders up every morning   29:42  How they measure market size and real opportunity   Want to join us live in the studio as an audience member? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/xZi8yptyoxkkc6aa8    ✉ Reach out to us at partners@doersnepal.com  

Jennifer is the Director of DTC, Martech, and Digital Compliance at OLLY, a Unilever-owned vitamin/supplement brand, and a seasoned eCommerce veteran based in the Bay Area. She specializes in building digital marketing programs, profitable eCommerce stores, and seamless customer experiences. Her expertise includes advanced Martech ecosystems, customer data platforms (CDPs), marketing automation, and ensuring compliance with global privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Jennifer's skills span web development, UX/UI design, inventory management, logistics, and omni-channel retailing. In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:00] Intro[00:39] Sponsor: Taboola[01:58] Solving customer needs with simplicity[04:05] Sponsor: Next Insurance[05:19] Leveraging cross-brand learnings for growth[08:37] Using D2C as a customer learning engine[12:00] Callouts[12:11] Evaluating tools that streamline operations[13:37] Reviving traditional marketing with modern tech[16:52] Sponsor: Electric Eye & Freight Fright[20:01] Testing unconventional marketing strategies[21:19] Balancing responsibility with limited control[24:58] Focusing on product value over flashy designResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeOlly Vitamins and Supplements olly.com/Follow Jennifer Peters linkedin.com/in/jennifer-peters-3bbb6220Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectTurn your domestic business into an international business freightright.com/honestIf you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Ball X-Pit is one of the most creative roguelite hits on Steam - a blend of Arkanoid, Vampire Survivors, and base-building meta that delivers insane depth. In this episode, we dive into the full gameplay loop, the fission/fusion/evolution system, the “two games in one” base mechanic, and why this could be a massive mobile hit if executed properly.What you'll learn• How Ball X-Pit sold 367k units & $4.4M in under a week• Why its roguelite mechanics go deeper than Balatro/MegaBong• How fission → evolution → fusion creates multi-layer combos• The innovative base-building/harvesting system• Why it's trending on Steam, TikTok, Reddit, and Twitch• Why this will definitely come to mobile• Why Devolver publishing matters for reach & discoveryKey takeawayBall X-Pit proves that roguelites can still innovate - especially when they merge physics, skill, and deep buildcraft with a completely new meta layer.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 — What is Ball X-Pit & why it's trending04:20 — Roguelite design: fission, fusion, evolution mechanics10:56 — Combat depth: balls, builds, synergies, boss fights17:56 — The base-building metagame (the real innovation)26:50 — Why this could work on mobile + final thoughts---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Sometimes it takes tenacity combined with fearless confidence to launch a retail brand. That's how Hulken achieved what most brands consider impossible: Pitching Target in June and landing their rolling totes on the shelves by November. Join Shelley and Hulken co-founder Alex Schinasi to learn why the most successful omnichannel strategies aren't about being everywhere, but about identifying the few channels significant enough to actually move the needle on revenue. Alex shares how a lean team of six full-time employees operates with surgical precision, why they spent two years perfecting the product before spending a dime on marketing, and how their industrial packaging background created a competitive moat that fashion-forward competitors can't replicate in Hulken's popular rolling totes. One key lesson for D2C brands? The shift from 95 percent direct-to-consumer selling to physical retail-focused growth requires brands to make sure that the margins and distribution can support the scaled business model. Alex shares that selecting the right retail partners is essential for D2C brands to scale by navigating complex vendor requirements and operational standards.Special Guest: Alex Schinasi, co-founder, HulkenFor more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

West Game 2 is the first real King Shot clone built by a Chinese 4X team acquired by Tripledot, layered on top of Frozen City / Whiteout Survival onboarding, and wrapped in Western cowboy aesthetics.In this breakdown, we dive into:• Full onboarding → Lucky Luke opener → King Shot 1:1 copy• Frozen City mechanics, chapter quests, invasion timers• Why 4X innovation happens only in onboarding, not the core• Webshops & D2C: now up to 50% of revenue for some studios• The creative madness: Red Dead cinematics, Idle Lumber, Goblins, Save the Dog, Lens of Jail, ASMR mining, drama Playrix, Sims life-sims, TikTok memes• Why running 1000 creatives in 30 days is “normal” now• And how they cloned King Shot's onboarding in under 7 monthsKey takeawayWest Game 2 is proof: onboarding = everything. Whoever controls the first 10 minutes controls CPI… and 4X revenue.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 — Why West Game 2 Matters: The First Real King Shot Clone04:20 — Onboarding Breakdown: Lucky Luke → King Shot → Frozen City Mix10:45 — The Chinese Production Engine: 1000 Creatives in 30 Days18:00 — Creative Chaos: Red Dead Cinematics, Goblins, Idle ASMR & More23:30 — The New 4X Meta: Onboarding beats Gameplay + Webshops Rising---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

In this episode of Inside Content, Toby Russell, CEO at 3Vision is joined by Jens Richter, CEO of Commercial and International at Fremantle.Jens shares how Fremantle is adapting its business across three major pillars—traditional distribution, D2C, and social media—and what that means in practical terms for monetising content globally. They talk about the resurgence of classic IPs and how Fremantle is experimenting with digital-first originals and social-nativespin-offs. Jens also offers a candid take on FAST's rise and plateau, the pressure on global streamers to commercialise, and the surprising economics behind microdramas. Stay in the content world loop

Felix delivers a 30-minute solo masterclass on how the top-grossing mobile games use ads, revealing the real truth:Only 14 of the Top 100 IAP games use in-game ads.This is shocking considering the category earned $2.6B in the last 30 days — likely over $3.6B when counting D2C webstores. Yet only 55M of the 660M DAU are exposed to ads.The episode breaks down each of those 14 games, but uncovers three major meta-shifts.This episode reveals how Candy Crush, Coin Master, Gossip Harbor, Merge Mansion, Homa, June's Journey, and more use segmentation, boosters, energy, timers, SkipIt tickets, Remove Ads bundles, and hybrid strategies to unlock millions in incremental ad revenue.This is the most practical breakdown of how ads work at the highest tier of mobile gaming.What you'll learn• How Candy Crush earns $200M+ yearly from ads• Why only 14 of the top 100 IAP games use ads (and why that's changing)• The difference between Western “premium illusion” mindset vs Chinese “data-first” mindset• SkipIt tickets → now invading midcore and puzzle (June's Journey)• Remove Ads Bundles (iKIM, Capybara Go, Merge Prison)• Why merge, match, and puzzle rely on energy boosters & timers• How to segment ads by GEO, payer probability & time since last IAP• The next wave of hybrid monetizationThe future isn't “ads OR IAP.”The winning studios are mastering ads + IAP, using segmentation, bundles, SkipIts, and hybrid models to grow revenue without hurting payers.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 — intro02:00 — Candy Crush & Coin Master: The Segmentation Masters05:20 — Merge & Match: Energy, Boosters, and Rewarded Moves10:00 — SkipIt Tickets & Remove Ads Bundles Take Over14:30 — Chinese Studios vs Western Studios: Mindset Split19:10 — Subscriptions, Ad-Free Bundles & Perk Stacking23:30 — The New Hybrid Meta: Ads + IAP → The Future---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

Med över 15 års erfarenhet av digital handel har Fedja Porobic byggt flera av Sveriges snabbast växande D2C-varumärken (Under Your Skin, Mockberg, Zoo.se och Västerbottensåpa) – från några miljoner till över 100 miljoner i omsättning. I det här avsnittet går han igenom sina viktigaste growth-principer och hur han arbetar med tillväxt på riktigt. Fedja delar bland annat: – Hur growth hacking fungerar i praktiken – och varför det handlar om process, inte tricks – Hur man hittar sin North Star Metric och undviker att jaga fel siffror – Hur man bygger upp ett D2C-brand med noll budget – med ett konkret exempel – Vilka growth-aktiviteter som ger störst effekt men som nästan ingen e-handlare gör – Hans bästa tips kring betald marknadsföring och hur han jobbar med Meta och influencers – Vad som krävs för att skala svenska varumärken internationellt – Hur han skulle bygga en ny “growth-maskin” från dag ett – Och vad han tror blir nästa stora skifte inom e-handel och brand building För alla som vill skapa tillväxt på riktigt – det här är ett praktiskt och extremt konkret avsnitt.   I Ordinary People who do Badass Things berättar Sveriges främsta entreprenörer hur de gått från vanliga liv till att skapa landets häftigaste företag och varumärken. Programledare är entreprenören och författaren Gustaf Oscarson. Alla avsnitt och intervjuer på www.driva-eget.se. Ordinary People who do Badass Things ges ut av We are Business Nordic AB. Vi samlar och skapar världens bästa kunskap, verktyg, inspiration och nätverk inom företagande. Häng med!

Ali Mirza is the Founder and CEO of Rose Garden Consulting, renowned for guiding seven- and eight-figure founders in scaling their sales operations. Stacie Porter Bilger is the Founder and President of Proof Digital, a business growth-marketing agency that blends modern marketing tools with traditional sales funnel processes.  Geordie Wardman is the COO of Duxre, a broker-controlled operating system designed for commercial real estate professionals that empowers brokers to own their data, listings, and deal flow. Richard Hurley is the Founder and CEO of Highline Commerce, a technology-driven third-party logistics provider that specializes in warehousing & fulfillment services for e-commerce D2C start-ups. In this episode… Software, automation, and AI are transforming business—but with countless available tools, choosing the right ones can be overwhelming. What technologies are today's most effective entrepreneurs actually using to work smarter, innovate faster, and scale with less friction? Ali Mirza reveals how powerful ideas come from exploring divergent thinking through podcasts and books that challenge assumptions, helping leaders make sharper strategic decisions. Stacie Porter Bilger leans on project management systems, analytics platforms, and clean data fundamentals to drive clarity and high performance. Geordie Wardman uses AI-assisted coding and async communication tools to speed development and reduce meetings, while Richard Hurley builds custom internal tools and embraces robotics to transform warehouse efficiency. Together, they show that productivity and growth come from intentional tool adoption, curiosity, and a willingness to modernize outdated processes. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz is joined by Ali Mirza, Stacie Porter Bilger, Geordie Wardman, and Richard Hurley to discuss the essential tools today's leaders rely on. They cover AI-powered development platforms, project management systems, and analytics-driven marketing tools. They also explore automation and robotics, shaping the future of operations. The guests also share practical advice for choosing tools that actually move the needle.

Ever wonder why some emerging handbag brands thrive while others stall before launch? In this episode, Nicole Levy of Baikal Handbag Manufacturing breaks down the real operations behind successful accessories brands—from timelines and tariffs to minimums, materials, and distribution strategy.Nicole explains why your first collection should be three or four tightly connected styles (not 15), how a repeatable signature builds brand recognition faster than trends, and why military olive is this season's sleeper hit. She walks through the production ladder that actually works—sample domestically, run 10-piece U.S. test batches, then move core colors to ~150-unit overseas minimums—and how pricing files reveal whether wholesale is financially viable before you burn cash. We also get into boutiques versus department stores, what materials truly perform, and how 3D modeling elevates hardware without crushing your budget.✨ 3 Takeaways:• Start focused, scale intentionally — A small, cohesive collection and a clear signature outperform sprawling assortments every time. • Know your numbers before you produce — Pricing files, MOQs, freight timelines, and margins determine viability long before retail does. • Choose distribution that builds loyalty — Boutiques drive discovery and repeat D2C sales in ways department stores rarely can.

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This is the ultimate AI creative breakdown: 112 creatives in 36 minutes.Jakub, Matej, and Felix review the best (and worst) AI-generated ads across rise of castles clones, tasty travels madness, fluffy animals, Pixar-style mutations, fake physics, and high-production AI cinematics that now rival outsourcing studios.AI is no longer “experimental.”It is the creative pipeline.What you'll learn• How to spot AI in 2025 (lighting errors, physics breaks, muscle glitches)• The new top AI hooks (animals, food, POV inward movement, waifus, chaos)• The rise of “high-production AI” replacing studio cinematics• Why Rise of Castles, Golden Goblins, Tasty Travels, and Whiteout Survival dominate AI usage• How top teams use loras, inpainting, upscaling & 20-step workflows• The new East–West gap in creative production• Why by end of 2026, 50% of ads will be AI-driven• And the moment Candy Crush uses AI bear attacks

In today's episode, we sit down with Ananth Narayanan, Founder & CEO of BRND.ME, the man who has consistently cracked white spaces in some of India's toughest D2C categories. From spotting an unexpected opportunity in peanut butter to turning MyFitness into a breakout success with 22% of India's market share, Ananth explains how deep consumer insight, razor-sharp execution, and a data-led playbook helped him challenge legacy giants. He also breaks down how he expanded into perfumes, why ingredient-led brands are the future, and what it truly takes to build products people trust and love. He shares the biggest mistakes founders should avoid, the qualities of the first 10 hires that determine a company's destiny, and the mindset needed to build brands that endure. If you're a founder, operator, creator, or someone dreaming of building India's next global brand, this episode is a masterclass in Brand building!

In this week's News Navigator, Jakub breaks down the biggest global gaming stories from November 17th. Apple tries its own WeChat-style mini-app ecosystem. Unity and Epic shock the industry with a collaboration nobody saw coming. Roblox revamps age restrictions. Google Play crowns Pokémon TCG Pocket as Game of the Year after $1B+ in revenue. And Ubisoft's trading halt hints at a looming plot twist.What you'll learn• How Apple's 15% MiniApps program works• Why Unity & Epic are suddenly “friends”• The new rules for US third-party payments• Roblox's age-based chat brackets and moderation strategy• The insane scale of Pokémon TCG Pocket• Why Ubisoft halted trading and delayed earnings• Why the AI bubble isn't slowing down (NVIDIA's numbers)Key takeawayThe industry is shifting toward open ecosystems, cross-engine collaboration, and safer platforms—while the biggest revenue wins still come from IP heavyweights and AI-driven infrastructure.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 — Cold open: Welcome to News Navigator00:15 — Apple MiniApps Program explained02:00 — Why MiniApps work in China (but may struggle in the West)03:10 — Unity & Epic partnership: what it really means05:00 — D2C & payments: Stash x Galleon, Google ruling06:10 — Roblox age-based chat brackets07:00 — Google Play Awards: Pokémon TCG Pocket hits $1B+08:00 — Vampire Survivors deckbuilder spin-off08:40 — NVIDIA's monstrous $57B AI quarter09:10 — Dark Horse: Ubisoft trading halt mystery10:00 — Wrap-up: Stay two and a half steps ahead---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

Level Devil (solo dev) proves that level design is a UA channel. The game's “troll but fair” traps create clips that people have to share, fueling TikTok/YouTube reach with essentially zero paid spend. Monetization is light: interstitials triggered by deaths on a cooldown, occasional rewarded skip, one ad network (Unity), no mediation. We est.: $5–7K/day; with mediation + a couple of safe placements, $11–14K/day looks realistic.What we cover• How the level-design craft creates infinite hooks (rage → laughs → shares)• The actual ad logic (death-based interstitials; rewarded skip after streak)• Why copycats fail (it's the hours-per-trap polish, not the theme)• Monetization gaps (no mediation; limited placements) and easy wins• Viral geos & creator angles (Brazil/ES longform shout-casts = IPM rocket fuel)When the product manufactures shareable moments, you don't need paid UA to grow - just enough monetization hygiene (mediation + safe placements) to convert all that free attention.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg00:00 — Cold open: product-led growth in a troll platformer01:20 — The solo-dev story and why it resonates03:10 — Virality loop: die → laugh → share → install06:15 — Core monetization today: death-based interstitials + rewarded skip09:40 — What's missing: no mediation, limited placements12:05 — Safe add-ons: menu banner, app-open, regional “remove banners” IAP15:10 — Creator/geography angles (why BR/ES clips pop)18:30 — Retention pattern and how level craft sustains it22:10 — Why copycats fail: the craft, not the theme34:00 — Wrap-up: ops to turn virality into $$$---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

If Amazon ads now feel like a maze of rising CPCs, endless keywords, and dashboards that never sleep, you're not imagining it. The platform has shifted from organic-first to pay to play—and the only sustainable response is smarter execution that blends learning systems with human strategy.We sit down with the CEO of Ava Commerce to unpack what “AI-driven” should actually mean for Amazon and D2C brands. Instead of black-box promises, we explore a configurable approach: let AI learn from your data across campaign creation, bid optimization, dayparting, and keyword negation, but keep owners and PPC leads in control with rules at the store, product, and campaign levels. You'll hear how to tag products into portfolios with different TACOS goals, automate keyword isolation, and sunset underperformers quickly—freeing 65% of the grunt work so humans can focus on decisions that move margin.Context still wins. We break down when to push for top-of-search visibility over strict ACOS, how to pair ads with pricing and promotions to lift conversion, and why creative and SEO matter more than ever for CTR and CVR. We also dig into audience strategy for DSP, where human insight crafts timing and intent—like targeting competitor buyers when they are most likely to repurchase—while AI handles the execution. Beyond ads, we touch on cash discipline through FBA reimbursements and vendor funds recovery, and why unlimited strategic support helps teams turn software into outcomes.If you're ready to scale profit, not just spend, this conversation offers a clear playbook: align creative with conversion, reclaim lost dollars, and deploy configurable AI that learns while you lead. Subscribe, share with a fellow seller who needs a smarter PPC plan, and leave a review with the one lever you're automating first.Ready to scale your Amazon business? Click here to book a strategy call. https://calendly.com/firingtheman/amazon Support the show

Originally from Wisconsin, Nathan Vazquez studied computer science at Yale University. He       worked for 15 years as an options trader at Citibank until he was eventually tempted by the idea of being his own boss with work that allowed him the flexiblity to spend more time with his family. In 2015, he left his job in finance to join his wife's sticker subscription company, Pipsticks. Within a year, Pipsticks had thousands of subscribers in over 50 countries. As CEO of Pipsticks, Nathan now manages the company's growing business in the subscription, E-Commerce, wholesale, and licensing markets. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and four kids.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:00] Intro[01:23] Balancing creativity with business logic[05:43] Learning by doing and adapting fast[08:21] Growing an organic customer base[09:57] Stay updated with new episodes[10:06] Finding spending balance for growth[12:38] Seizing opportunities during market shifts[14:29] Sponsors: Electric Eye, Freight Right, Taboola, Next Insurance[20:00] Scaling your brand through audience feedback[24:10] Focusing on one thing at a time[26:32] Expanding a product to wholesale [28:25] Learning from early B2B mistakes[30:07] Measuring break-even for smart spending[33:04] Aligning resources with marketing strategy[34:29] Targeting break-even timelines strategicallyResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1Cute stickers for kids, crafters, anyone www.pipsticks.com/Stickers + stationery that say what you wish you could www.theswearjar.com/Follow Nathaniel Vazquez www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-vazquez-5b663222/Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectTurn your domestic business into an international business www.freightright.com/honestReach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

This month's creative trends episode exposes the real state of mobile UA:We've officially entered the Era of Creative Theft 2.0 - not “heavily inspired,” but direct 1:1 stolen ads, chopped end cards, mirrored clips, watermarks still visible… and nobody cares because they convert 4-5× better.Three mega-trends emerge:1) The “Stolen but Performing” Era• Social casino, idle, 4X… everyone is lifting creatives from other genres.• Teams aren't even recreating the concept - they're copying the whole video, trimming it, mirroring it, or leaving the watermark.• Networks don't police it, platforms don't care, and small studios can't compete with the CPI gap.2) The Golden Age of ASMR / Wood / Cleaning Satisfiers• The “Idle Lumber” effect: anything with chopping, slicing, scrubbing, wood, logs, dust → crushing low CPI.3) The King Shot → Royal Kingdom → Everyone Else Pipeline• King Shot's onboarding + mass battle + RTS-style transitions have reshaped the entire industry's ads.• Royal Kingdom straight-up used the formula for a match-3 playable.• 4X games (Last War, Last Z, Total Battle) are adopting the mass-battle → puzzle fusion.Key takeawayThe best-performing creatives aren't the most original - they're the most optimized. The industry now rewards speed, iteration, theft-based inspiration, and cross-genre pattern-breaking above everything else.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 — Hook: The “Creative Theft Era” has arrived01:30 — Missing a month & why trends feel different now03:10 — ASMR cleaning & wood: why the motif is everywhere05:20 — Exposed: 1:1 stolen creatives (no end cards, mirrored, trimmed)08:40 — Why theft works: CPI vs LTV beats morals11:50 — The ecosystem problem: no creative police, no consequences14:30 — New industry rule: cross-genre stealing = normal17:40 — King Shot → Royal Kingdom → Everyone copy30:10 — The future: watermark creatives, mirror hacks, and AI hooks43:00 — Wrap-up: where the creative meta goes next---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

We break down Supercell's new twin-stick “boat game” (second alpha): a PvE → PvPvE loop where we farm island quests, haul up to three chests on a fast boat, and can flip a “go bad” switch to steal other players' chests - triggering bounties and protections for non-PK players (revenge respawns).What worksFast, readable boating and clear risk/reward moments when we carry 2–3 chests.A theft moment (“go bad”) that can create highlight-reel clips for UA if tuned right.What doesn't (yet)Flat progression (gear score + light passives/chips) limits long-term goals.Ultra-light economy and shaky matchmaking make the loop feel aimless/punishing.Audience fit feels unclear (Gen-Z, Fortnite-lite vibe vs. strategy/4X loyalists).Market lensSupercell's portfolio still leans on legacy hits; competitors with genre focus + aggressive UA (e.g., strategy/4X) scale more reliably.Without deeper economies, UA-product co-design, and a clearer genre thesis, this boat may never scale past alpha.Key takeawayDepth beats novelty. We need deeper economy + UA-ready moments or this won't sail beyond alpha.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Why this alpha matters01:10 Core loop—quests → 3 chests → extract05:00 Twin-stick feel & aiming on mobile07:40 Progression—gear score, passives, chips10:50 “Go bad” theft, bounties, anti-grief15:30 Matchmaking & PvE→PvPvE tension19:10 Economy depth vs. moment-to-moment fun24:20 Portfolio & market reality checks30:30 UA-product integration: what creatives need36:30 What would actually ship (templates & seasons)43:00 Verdict & 2025 predictions---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribeJoin me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Ryan Bartlett, founder and CEO of True Classic (https://x.com/@RyanBartlett)From failed musician and poker player to billion-dollar t-shirt brand founder, Ryan Bartlett's entrepreneurial journey is proof it's never too late to start a business. In this episode, we explore how Ryan built True Classic from zero to over $100 million in revenue in just two years, selling 30+ million t-shirts and becoming one of the fastest-growing e-commerce brands in the apparel industry.Questions This Episode Answers:Is it too late to start a business in your 30s or 40s?How do you pivot from a failed career into successful entrepreneurship?What skills from music and poker translate to building a billion-dollar business?How did True Classic grow from $0 to $100M in just two years?What is the "white space opportunity" strategy for finding winning business ideas?How do you identify which business idea to pursue (the "fat pitch" method)?When should you transition from founder-operator to hiring a CEO?How do you scale a team from scrappy generalists to specialized experts?What role does creativity play in winning at e-commerce and digital marketing?How do you build risk tolerance for making big inventory and business bets?What are the three core problems True Classic solved in the t-shirt market?How do you compete in a "boring" or saturated industry like apparel?How important are co-founders vs. going solo as an entrepreneur?What's the best way to test products cheaply using drop shipping?How do Facebook ads and paid media drive D2C brand growth?Why do employees quit without warning and how do you prevent it?How will AI tools like Sora change marketing and ad creative production?Should entrepreneurs use AI video generation for Facebook advertising now?What's True Classic's expansion strategy (women's line, new products)?How do you balance profit with purpose and philanthropic impact?__________________________Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback.Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts.__________________________MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribeSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98yApple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT__________________________This week we covered:00:00 – Intro: Who is Ryan Bartlett / True Classic story03:05 – Failing in music & poker for a decade10:08 – Moving from poker to digital marketing12:25 – Creativity becomes a business advantage14:49 – Compounding skills over 10+ years17:14 – Running a $1M/year marketing agency22:01 – Solving fit, feel, and price in clothing24:19 – Why boring industries have big opportunity26:44 – The bet that launched True Classic31:33 – Leveraging experience & risk tolerance33:57 – Scaling to $100M and needing a real team36:12 – Creatives vs Operators38:33 – Why people management is the hardest part40:45 – Staying in your area of strength43:12 – You don't need perfect planning to start45:33 – Failure builds the muscle47:57 – Creativity is the real advantage50:20 – AI + Sora + creativity for content55:02 – Sora is changing marketing

Jon Pundyk is a Dartmouth MBA, P&G brand manager, and a Booz-Allen strategy consultant. He's been in Glamorise for 35 years. Glamorise is a size-inclusive lingerie brand that designs bras for curvy women. Founded in New York City in 1921, Glamorise is one of the world's oldest bra manufacturers, and it has been size-inclusive since their inception.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:28] Intro[00:53] Learning the fundamentals of consumer marketing[02:01] Climbing the ladder one title at a time[02:17] Pivoting a century-old business online[04:01] Transitioning from wholesale to direct-to-consumer[07:33] Balancing wholesale partners with D2C growth[10:08] Stay updated with new episodes[10:18] Investing ahead for scalable D2C growth[13:43] Sponsors: Electric Eye, Freight, Taboola, Next Insurance[19:16] Collecting data before knowing how to use it[20:25] Leveraging legacy brand recognition online[23:05] Relying on product quality to drive loyalty[24:08] Driving growth through actionable data insightsResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1Plus size bras & lingeries for full-figured women glamorise.com/Follow Jon Pundyk linkedin.com/in/jrpundykSchedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectTurn your domestic business into an international business freightright.com/honestPerformance beyond Search and Social discover.taboola.com/honest/Tailored business insurance. Zero hassle. Big savings nextinsurance.com/honest/If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Legend of Elements is a 3D idle RPG from the LoM lineage. Core fantasy is “numbers go up,” delivered via auto-progress + layered upgrades, then monetized through stacked gachas and step offers. Ads exist but are effectively a decoy; there isn't even a “remove ads” pack. UA is ~98% Google (YouTube + AdWords) with AI/UGC and “fake gameplay” motifs.Systems & sinks (what actually drives playtime/spend)• Two gachas: character (spirits) and skill, with very low SSR rates; also ad-summon entries (“2 free summons for an ad”).• “Online chest”: ~5x/day random gacha ticks, granted every ~5 minutes online.• 3–4 battle passes active during launch window; heavy event stack and daily quests.• Notification-baiting tactic: tiny “free” rewards (e.g., 5 soft-currency) inside every shop/offer to create badge-clearing behavior and force shop opens.Monetization architecture (how money happens)• Ads are a decoy to lift IAP; no VIP/no-ads pack to sell the removal.• Primary pay drivers: gachas + step offers (offer ladders surfaced early/often).• Panel consensus: at ~$100K/day IAP scale, there's little incentive to optimize ads.UA mix & creatives (why it scales on Google)• ~98% of impressions from YouTube + AdWords; almost nothing elsewhere.• Creative pillars: AI faces/VO, UGC narratives, meme remakes, Genshin/Diablo-style “fake gameplay.”• Uses creator placements (e.g., known Supercell YouTubers featured as ad talent).Servers & competitive pressure (why shard)• Thousands of small shards opened continuously; servers “die,” then merge, resetting the race.• Keep leaderboards small so winning feels plausible; too many whales per shard depresses motivation.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investorsFor an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.With Playablemaker, you can finally create playable and interactive adsNO-CODE + ON-BUDGET + LIGHTNING FASThttps://playablemaker.com/25gamersThis is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg00:00 intro00:48 Positioning & lineage04:40 Core loop & systems10:10 Monetization architecture14:40 Live-ops cadence18:00 UA strategy (98% Google)33:30 Creatives that convert41:20 Verdict & KPI checklistMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Chaos Zero Nightmare is the spiciest deck-builder gacha of 2025! Lovecraft vibes, anime polish, Slay-the-Spire runs, Honkai-style meta, and launch numbers that slap: ~$500K/day, peak ~$800K/day, ~$8M in 2 weeks.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNCore loop: deck thinning, evolving cards, run sequencingMeta design: pity/duplicates, banner cadence, progression layersWhy community is more than broad UA (Discord ≈50k, Reddit ≈120k)Creative strategy for high-LTV audiences (what to show, what to skip)Monetization & live-ops beats that actually move revenueKEY TAKEAWAYFor hardcore, high-LTV audiences, authentic, system-forward storytelling + community momentum beats shortcut UA tactics. Frame content around runs, banners, and boss mastery moments; use paid to amplify the community, not replace it.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgCHAPTERS00:00 — Cold open: “How much money?”03:31 — What is CZN? Tone, horror-anime polish03:43 — Design DNA: Slay the Spire / Darkest Dungeon / Honkai / “save data”09:36 — Core loop & tactics: combos, turn order, auto-off for bosses20:23 — Company context & positioning22:20 — Revenue reality: ~$500K/day → ~$800K/day; ~$8M in two weeks26:08 — UA vs Community: closed betas, brand-safe creatives, Discord/Reddit---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

In this episode, we dive into the massive shift impacting online sellers as shoppers use ChatGPT and other AI search tools for product discovery. Erik Wikander, CEO and co-founder of Wilgot.ai, unpacks the concept of agentic commerce — where AI completes the end-to-end purchase for the user. He shares what this revolution means for D2C brands, why the old SEO playbook is dead, and how to use Agentic Product Optimization to make your product content AI-ready and capture new, hyper-relevant customers.Topics discussed in this episode:  Why a major disruption is coming to Google search.What agentic commerce is and how it changes how we buy.Why the old e-commerce SEO playbook no longer works.How AI fan-out search runs hundreds of searches from one query.Why brands must now optimize for context instead of human clicks.How smaller brands can use this shift to outrun bigger competitors.What's changing about paid search ads in the age of AI.Links & Resources Website: https://www.wilgot.ai/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikwikander/Get access to more free resources by visiting the show notes at https://tinyurl.com/yrsu7srx______________________________________________________ LOVE THE SHOW? HERE ARE THE NEXT STEPS! Follow the podcast to get every bonus episode. Tap follow now and don't miss out! Rate & Review: Help others discover the show by rating the show on Apple Podcasts at https://tinyurl.com/ecb-apple-podcasts Join our Free Newsletter: https://newsletter.ecommercecoffeebreak.com/ Support The Show On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EcommerceCoffeeBreak Partner with us: https://ecommercecoffeebreak.com/partner-with-us/

On this episode of Inside Content, Jonathan Nickell, COO at 3Vision is joined by Ruth Berry, President of Global Partnerships and Zoo55 at ITV Studios. They explore the major macro trends reshaping the industry—from audience fragmentation to the growing shift towards digital-first content—and how ITV is meeting these challenges with innovation and scale. Ruth also shares insights into the rise of Zoo55, ITV's rapidly growing D2C powerhouse, and offers a candid look at the evolving landscape of content licensing, co-productions, and the cautious optimism emerging across the global market. Stay in the content world loop

In this Two & a Half Gamers special, Felix Braberg breaks down how to maximize ad monetization during Black Friday weekend - the new “Q5” for mobile games.

How can a century-old family tradition from Greece successfully disrupt the competitive U.S. snack aisle. I sat down with OLYRA President and CEO Yannis Varellas to discuss his fascinating journey transforming a fifth-generation flour mill into a modern consumer brand. He details his approach to market entry, the distinction between Amazon and D2C strategies, and how his vision started with a single shipping container filled with Greek cookies.

Monopoly Bingo: How Hasbro turned nostalgia Into RevenueToday, we dig into Monopoly Bingo - the latest Hasbro IP game climbing the charts.

Oisin O'Connor is the CEO and co-founder of Recharge, the leading subscription management platform powering 75% of all Shopify subscriptions. Under his leadership, Recharge has become a critical infrastructure partner for over 30,000 brands, reaching 100 million subscribers and $100 million ARR.In this episode of DTC Pod, Oisin pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to win with subscriptions in today's DTC landscape. He shares insider strategies for subscriber growth, optimizing retention, and leveraging Recharge's newest AI-powered tools to minimize churn. Oisin also shares specific benchmarks every brand should measure, real-world examples of subscription funnels that convert, and actionable experiments operators can run to unlock long-term profitability and scale.Episode brought to you by StordInteract with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Evolution of subscriptions in physical product e-commerce2. How to spot and create product-market fit 3. Differentiators that set Recharge apart from early competitors4. The compounding power of subscriptions for long-term growth5. Unit economics, LTV vs CAC, and why retention is king6. What best-in-class subscription brands do differently7. Optimizing conversion funnels for subscriber growth8. Subscription benchmarks: churn rates, retention, and second order metrics9. Reducing churn with data, cancellation flows, loyalty, and rewards10. Automations and integrating Recharge with supply chain and 3PL operations11. Leveraging AI Concierge for customer retention and support12. Evolving customer experience and the need for seamless subscription management13. How Recharge guides merchants with data, support, and innovation14. Experiments and mistakes founders make launching subscription brandsTimestamps00:00 Oisin's background, founding story, and early agency experiments04:06 The rise of Shopify and the breakthrough with Recharge05:19 The subscription model: initial skepticism and quirky early adopters06:47 Technical challenges in enabling subscriptions on Shopify09:00 First major subscription brand success story10:15 Compounding growth through subscriptions11:36 Legacy brands and decades-long customer retention13:06 Building DTC businesses with sustainable unit economics14:37 Lessons from TV advertising history and the narrowing of scalable models16:29 Key traits of successful subscription businesses17:09 Product, recurring need, and conversion strategy18:27 Understanding subscriber value and optimizing acquisition19:26 Retention: keeping customers post-acquisition  19:52 High-performing brands and funnel design20:05 Subscription by default, offers, upsells, and cross-sells21:39 Conversion tactics from PDP to post-checkout22:38 Benchmarks for healthy churn and retention23:06 How top brands reduce churn and track performance24:58 Recharge tools: analytics, cancellation flows, Klaviyo integration26:41 Rewards and automations to boost retention27:33 Automate flows for backend fulfillment and logistics28:20 Launching AI SMS concierge for subscriber experience29:40 Reducing customer service friction and delighting shoppers32:15 Customer experience as a core differentiator34:04 The competitive subscription landscape: Recharge's position35:41 Product innovation, support, and actionable guidance37:16 Data-driven product innovation and merchant success38:04 The future of subscription, retention, and platform innovation40:38 Biggest mistakes founders make with subscriptions41:58 Experiments founders should run with Recharge42:58 Where to connect with Oisin for advice and mentorshipShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokOisin O'Connor - Co-Founder and CEO of RechargeBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

Andy Gould co-founded Batch, a Wisconsin-based D2C cannabis brand, in 2018. He says the company struggled for years until it perfected content creation and advertising. “Once we dialed in our Meta ads and built a strong creative flywheel, everything took off,” he said.Host Eric Bandholz first interviewed Andy and his two co-founders in 2023. In this latest conversation, Andy addresses video production, regulatory scrutiny, and “hockey stick” growth — from annual revenue of $5 million to $50 million in two years.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/batch-cannabis-scales-to-50-millionFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webcasts. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

What's it really like to work inside one of India's most loved D2C brands?In this episode, Shantanu visits Ashoka University to talk to students about the journey of Bombay Shaving Company - how it started, why it was built, and the values that continue to guide its growth story.From startup stories and brand-building lessons to honest conversations about risk, purpose, and culture, it's a peek into what goes behind building a D2C brand that people truly love.Two interns also share their experiences while working at Bombay Shaving Company, the learnings, surprises, and what it's really like behind the scenes of a fast-growing D2C business. What's the one skill you'd love to learn from the team at Bombay Shaving Company? Tell us in the commentsNavigate your way through these chapters00:00 Coming Up00:34 How Bombay Shaving Company Started02:43 Why They Chose to Build BSC06:32 Core Values That Drive the Brand08:16 An Intern's Experience at BSC14:55 What to Expect Ahead

TakeawaysEl e-commerce enfrenta constantes sorpresas en la demanda.La planificación de inventario es crucial para el éxito.La experiencia del cliente es fundamental para la lealtad.Las promociones deben ser claras y atractivas.El uso de SMS marketing puede ser muy efectivo.La segmentación de clientes mejora la comunicación.Las herramientas tecnológicas son esenciales para la gestión.La retención de clientes se logra a través de experiencias únicas.La colaboración con influencers puede impulsar el crecimiento.La adaptabilidad es clave en el mundo del e-commerce.Chapters00:00 Desafíos en la Predicción de Inventario02:56 Crecimiento y Estrategias de Birdman05:37 La Experiencia de e-Commerce en Birdman08:56 Manejo de Fraudes en Ventas11:49 Preparación para Temporadas de Alta Demanda14:43 Estrategias de Adquisición de Clientes17:37 Innovaciones en Comunicación y Segmentación21:01 Retos y Oportunidades en el D2C23:50 Estrategias de Promoción y Bundles26:44 Uso de SMS y WhatsApp en Marketing29:45 Seguridad y Fraude en el e-Commerce36:04 Fraudes y Estafas en el Comercio Electrónico37:26 Estrategias de Mailing y Segmentación42:46 Posicionamiento en Marketplaces46:30 Gestión de Datos y Métricas en Campañas53:15 Fidelización y Recompra de Clientes  Recursos mencionados en este episodio: ✅ Descarga tu checklist BFCM aquí: ed-digital.com/BFCM

In this solo episode, Matej Lančarič dives into the new era of creative optimization — where AI tagging, unified dashboards, and ROAS-based insights replace manual testing and spreadsheet chaos.Everyone can create ads with AI, but the REAL BOTTLENECK is knowing which ones actually work. AppsFlyer's Creative Optimization tool analyzes millions of real-world insights to reveal what drives performance - so you can scale winners, cut wasted spend, and make smarter creative decisions.Check it out: https://www.appsflyer.com/products/creative-optimization/?utm_source=influencer&afc_source=influencer&utm_medium=referral&afc_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Marvelsnap_creative&afc_campaign=Marvelsnap_creative&utm_content=matej&afc_content=matej&utm_term=YouTube&afc_term=YouTube

In this episode, we play Sudoku Master - the latest “numbers” hit from the makers of Block Blast.They uncover how Hungry Studio uses 6,000 creatives, constant A/B testing, and ruthless ad optimization to dominate one of the oldest mobile genres.

Behind every highlight reel is a messy maze of contacts, gatekeepers, and missed opportunities—until someone maps it. In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Ryan Rottman, actor-turned-founder who conceived an “IMDb for athletes,” and Sean O'Brien, CEO and former CMO who scaled Modloft from ~$25M to nearly $100M and helped Kevin Costner's Autio build engineering in-house. Backed by marquee investors (including super-agent Scott Boras) and a recent CNBC debut, AthleteAgent.com centralizes accurate, validated contacts for athletes and agents across growing pro leagues. Ryan and Sean share how they're boosting deal flow for the 99% of athletes, tightening product focus, and building trust in an industry famous for being fragmented and insular.   Key Takeaways: → How a dinner with Aaron Rodgers sparked the idea for an “IMDb for athletes” → Why athlete representation and endorsement deals are so fragmented—and how they're solving it → The surprising industries subscribing to AthleteAgent (from Coca-Cola to financial advisors) → How AthleteAgent is bringing transparency, trust, and deal flow to athletes and agents → Why sports representation and endorsements are so fragmented—and how a centralized “pro LinkedIn” changes the game   Ryan Rottman is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of AthleteAgent.com, a groundbreaking sports tech platform. In his role, Ryan oversees business operations, strategic partnerships, and platform development, helping expand the site's reach across professional leagues and enhance its database of verified athlete and team contacts. Before stepping into the tech and sports business world, Ryan built a successful career in entertainment, starring in films such as Billionaire Boys Club, The Open Road, and a variety of Hallmark originals, as well as television series like 90210(CW), The Middle (ABC), and The Lying Game (ABC Family). His background in production and storytelling has been instrumental in shaping AthleteAgent.com's user experience and brand identity. Ryan combines business acumen with creative vision, bringing a unique edge to the intersection of sports, media, and tech. Sean O'Brien is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive with a track record of scaling successful ventures across multiple industries. In his early 20s, Sean co-founded a patented eCommerce company that achieved $10M in sales and was acquired after being featured as a “Product of the Year” on The View. He went on to launch The DivotCard, a Groupon-like platform for golf, which earned recognition in Inc.. By the age of 30, both startups had exits. Sean later served as CMO/CTO at Modloft, a luxury D2C furniture brand, helping scale it to nearly $100M in revenue and earning accolades from Forbes, CNN, and Architectural Digest. He also played a key role at Autio, a startup backed by Kevin Costner and other investors, which turned down a $1M offer on Shark Tank. Currently, Sean is the CEO of AthleteAgent.com and Swingzy, while also being a part-time venture capitalist at NGVP and Hustle Fund. He has studied at prestigious institutions such as Wharton, Stanford, and UC Berkeley.   Connect With Ryan Rottman and Sean O'Brien: Website: https://www.athleteagent.com/ Instagram: https://www.athleteagent.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a Chinese studio perfects fake funnels? You get X-Clash - a 4X strategy game disguised as 5 different mini games.

This week we revisit a conversation from last June with Adeela Johnson, CEO and co-founder of travel gear brand Béis, who shared her journey from being a mom of three to leading the successful D2C brand she co-founded with actress and entrepreneur Shay Mitchell. Johnson discussed the importance of consumer-centric design, the importance of relatability in influencer marketing and what the Béis team learned from its early beginnings that helped the brand come out on top in a post-pandemic economy. Johnson also emphasized the significance of community engagement and experiential marketing in building brand loyalty, such as the "Béis Wash" pop up event and teased future Béis plans and innovation. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! campaignlive.com What we know about advertising, you should know about advertising. Start your 1-month FREE trial to Campaign US. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, we dissect Huntopia, a bizarrely successful idle RPG that's part World of Warcraft, part casino. Meh, just WoW from Wish.

In this Two & a Half Gamers solo episode, Jakub Remiar breaks down how UA product funnels and templatization dominate every major studio playbook - from River Game's $7M/day 4X empire to Habby's action roguelite evolution.

Building a sustainable game business has never been more complex—or more full of opportunity. As platforms evolve and user acquisition costs rise, developers are rethinking how they monetize and engage their players directly. In this episode, Chris Hewish, President of Xsolla, breaks down the rise of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) transactions and how Xsolla's Web Shop is helping game studios reclaim ownership over their player relationships. We explore how going D2C opens new revenue streams, what infrastructure developers need to support it, and why the Web Shop is becoming more than just a payment layer—it's turning into a strategic channel for growth, loyalty, and long-term success. Today's topics include: Why D2C model's popularity grows among mobile game development studios What is Web Shop and how it works How Xsolla helps developers handle regulatory compliance, fraud prevention, global payments, and more Building stronger connections with game players via D2C presence What's next for the Web Shoo and D2C What Chris would like to change in mobile space Links and Resources: Chris Hewish  on LinkedIn Xsolla website Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry Quotes from Chris Hewish “When you go direct-to-consumer, you get the full power of e-commerce, the full power of the web for discovery, and the full power of building community. It creates a better, healthier business environment for your games.” “It's not just putting your in-game store on the web. It's about doing much more with it—rotating sales, personalized offers, regional pricing, loyalty programs, and having full control over your player data.” “Going off-platform sounds great, but now you're responsible for taxes, VAT, compliance, and customer support. That's why you need a partner who can be your merchant of record—handling it all while you focus on making great games.” Host Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

In episode 93 of Venture Everywhere, our host is Emily Groden, founder and CEO of Evergreen Waffles, a clean-label frozen waffle brand on a mission to make better-for-you breakfasts effortless. She talks with Alex Abelin, co-founder and CEO of Kiki Milk, the first plant-based milk designed for kids and loved by all. He shares how frustration with the lack of clean, allergen-friendly options inspired him and his wife, and co-founder Lauren, to create Kiki Milk and build it into one of the most promising next-gen CPG brands. He opens up about how Kiki Milk combines mission-driven innovation with disciplined growth to redefine plant-based nutrition for modern families.In this episode, you will hear:Kiki Milk's impact on families with dietary restrictions and allergy needsBuilding a mission-driven CPG brand rooted in integrity and sustainabilityMoving from kitchen formulation to scalable, co-manufactured productionExpanding from D2C success into national retail distributionUpholding ingredient transparency and glyphosate-free sourcing standardsLearn more about Alex Abelin | Kiki MilkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexabelinWebsite: https://www.kikimilk.com Learn more about Emily Groden | Evergreen WafflesLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-cole-groden Website:https://eatevergreen.com

In today's episode, AS Colour's Head of Ecommerce, Joe Sharplin, takes us through his leap from product design into digital leadership and what it really takes to build an online experience that keeps both wholesale giants and everyday shoppers happy. We're talking thousands of SKUs, colourways that could make your head spin, and the joys of rolling out new features across five different regions. Spoiler: it's not easy. At all.Today, we're discussing:How AS Colour scaled B2B eCommerce into a self-service global powerhouse.Balancing wholesale and D2C without compromising brand experience.The complexity of managing thousands of SKUs, colourways, and product variants.Why BigCommerce became the backbone of AS Colour's tech stack.The role of loyalty programs and pricing tiers in B2B growth.Global expansion into the US and EU, and the logistics behind it.Connect with JoeExplore AS ColourSMS us to request a guest!Support the showWant to level up your ecommerce game? Come hang out in the Add To Cart Community. We're talking deep dives, smart events, and real-world inspo for operators who are in it for the long haul. Connect with Nathan BushContact Add To CartJoin the Community

Happy Q4 Heart of Healthcare Listeners! We're back with your monthly Digital Health Download, where we discuss the biggest industry headlines of the month. We cover:

You're obsessed with getting new customers, but the world's top brands are quietly focused on a different goal. Ken Rapp, the CEO and Co-founder of BluStream will reveal the simple retention strategies they use to build unbreakable loyalty and create lasting profit.Ken Rapp is the CEO and co-founder of BluStream, a company reshaping how brands build loyalty, reduce churn, and drive revenue after the sale, by owning the product experience. With a career spanning over two decades in digital transformation and customer experience, Ken has consistently been at the forefront of connecting technology to real business impact. At BluStream, he leads the charge in helping D2C and subscription brands solve one of the most critical (and often overlooked) problems in marketing: post-purchase drop-off. While most platforms focus on acquisition or reactive support, BluStream's PX platform is designed to activate and personalize the customer journey from the moment a product arrives - through usage, replenishment, renewal, and advocacy. With integrations across SMS, email, WhatsApp, and Shopify, BluStream gives brands a direct line to customers during their most critical ownership moments.Contact Details:Email: ken@blustream.ioBusiness: BluStream CorporationWebsite:  https://blustream.io/PXAI Journey Builder - https://blustream.io/products/ai-journey-builder?utm_campaign=13746024-PXAI%20Journey%20Builder&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=earned-media Product Experience Strategy eBook - https://getstarted.blustream.io/px-readiness-ebook?utm_campaign=12306435-PX%20Strategy%20ebook&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=earned-media Social Media:LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-rapp-b922766/ Remember to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss "Information That You Can Use." Share Just Minding My Business with your family, friends, and colleagues. Engage with us by leaving a review or comment. https://g.page/r/CVKSq-IsFaY9EBM/review Your support keeps this podcast going and growing.Visit Just Minding My Business Media™ LLC at https://jmmbmediallc.com/ to learn how we can support you in getting more visibility on your products and services. 

Ketty Slonimsky is Chief Growth Officer at Palta, the platform behind apps like Flo (the #1 female health app with 77M+ MAU), Simple, and Zing AI, where she leads a centralized growth function across the portfolio. She was previously first VP Product & Growth at HeliosX (£900M+ ARR, bootstrapped D2C healthtech), has advised companies like SonderMind, Runna, Guardio, Cheddar, P&G Digital Ventures, and is a board advisor at HeliosX. AGENDA: 02:33 What is Growth and When to Hire For It 06:04 Three Profiles of Successful Growth Leaders 10:07 Challenges and Learnings from Failed Ventures 21:17 How to Optimise User Onboarding for Growth 26:14 Biggest Lessons on Retention  30:25 How to Artificially Create Organic Growth and Community Building 32:10 Why LTV Models are BS 37:35 How to Use Influencers to Grow Insanely Fast 47:07 The Metrics that Matter in Growth 49:48 Push Notifications and Engagement: What To Do vs What Not to Do? 51:57 Quick Fire Round  

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Kim Cox, Managing Director for North America eCommerce & Global Snapshots at NielsenIQ, the world's leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. Follow Kim Cox on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-cox-nielsen/Follow NIQ on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nielseniq/Follow NIQ online at: https://nielseniq.comHere's what we discussed : Let's get straight to the point - Could you walk us through your framework of “Full View Measurement”? What does it encompass—and what, if anything, is still a work in progress?How has Full View Measurement evolved over the years, and what makes NIQ's approach uniquely robust in today's omnichannel environment?NIQ's Full View™ now includes top-tier coverage across online, club, D2C, social, and quick commerce—with account-level insights. Can you highlight how integrating the largest U.S. club retailer strengthens the overall measurement ecosystem?You've emphasized deeper private label performance insights. How are manufacturers leveraging that data to inform product strategy and positioning?With 91% of consumers now shopping both in-store and online, what emerging behavioral trends should brands be paying attention to as they optimize omnichannel approaches?“Digital engagement is no longer a complementary strategy—it's essential to growth.” With growth in some categories slowing, what strategic pivots should CPG and retail leaders consider over the next few years?Going beyond traditional POS, what next-gen data sources or technologies is NIQ exploring to expand omnichannel signal capture—especially in emerging channels like quick commerce and social commerce?How can Full View and related tools empower sales teams to conduct causal analyses on shopper behavior—like identifying why "casual buyers" aren't converting or where growth is stalling?Where do you see the biggest opportunity for omnicommerce measurement to evolve over the next 18–24 months? How will it reshape strategic planning for brands and retailers?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comRhea Raj's Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.  CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Find out more about Endeavor: https://pakistan.endeavor.orgIn this episode of Thought Behind Things, we're joined by Muneeb Zafar, founder of Fitted, one of Pakistan's fastest-growing men's fashion brands. From starting without retail stores to building a strong D2C presence through quality fabrics and bold aesthetics, Muneeb shares how he built a sustainable business in a cash-burning fashion industry.We dive into:The origin story behind FittedHow to build a brand without big capitalSourcing quality fabric locally in PakistanChallenges of retail vs onlineCAC, marketing strategy, and automationIf you've ever dreamed of starting your own brand, or are curious about the reality of building a fashion startup in Pakistan — this episode is for you.Socials:TBT's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thoughtbehindthings/⁠⁠⁠TBT's TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tbtbymuzamil⁠⁠⁠TBT's Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/thoughtbehindthings⁠⁠⁠TBT Clips: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@tbtpodcastclips⁠⁠⁠Muzamil's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/muzamilhasan/⁠⁠⁠Muzamil's LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/⁠⁠⁠Muneeb's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muneebzafar1Endeavor's LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/endeavor-pakistan⁠⁠⁠Credits:Executive Producer: Syed Muzamil Hasan ZaidiAssociate Producer: Saad ShehryarPublisher: Talha ShaikhEditor: Jawad Sajid