Welcome to this issue of The DTC Insider newsletter. 👋

Last Friday, I turned 38. 🥳

No long list of 38 lessons learned. Just one: ENJOY.

You’ll win some.
You’ll lose some.
You’ll have days where nothing makes sense…

But if you’re not enjoying the ride...what’s the point? 

Do you enjoy reading this newsletter? It'd mean the world to me if you could leave a review here.

Let's dive in!

Topics we'll cover today:
💠 Shopify Launches 3 Game-Changing Features
💠 TikTok's New Affiliate And Creator Features
💠 Behind G FUEL’s Explosive Growth

This one’s a big deal for the future of commerce, directly from Shopify CEO:

Here’s what’s new:

🛒 Checkout Kit: Drop commerce widgets + checkout right into your AI agent or chat. Already live with Microsoft Copilot. 

📦 Shopify Catalog: Global, lightning-fast product search across millions of Shopify merchants.

🛍 Universal Cart: Buy from any Shopify store, anywhere, in one cart.

Shopify CEO, Tobi Lütke, summed it up perfectly:

“With these, you can build seamless embedded commerce experiences quickly, starting with all the best products by the best merchants in the world instead of having to sign them all up individually…Commerce just plugs in and feels seamless in conversations. We believe commerce should be everywhere people are, so we’re making that as easy as possible for the AI age.” 

Why does this matter?

A few possibilities this unlocks:
→ Build niche marketplaces powered by Shopify merchants.
→ Sell directly inside AI chatbots or messenger apps.
→ Voice shopping via Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant pulling from Shopify’s catalog.
→ In-game purchases of real-world products directly from Shopify stores.
→ Hotels or local apps selling stays + local Shopify products in a single checkout.

Your turn:
👉 What’s the first use case you’d test with these new Shopify tools?

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Follow me on LinkedIn for more growth marketing content in the e-commerce space.

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TikTok is doing to affiliate + influencer marketing what Meta could have done a decade ago.

Here’s what’s new:

🏨 TikTok Go: A new monetization program letting creators earn commissions or vouchers from local businesses (think hotels, restaurants, attractions).

Requirements:
→ 18+
→ 1,000+ followers
→ Account in good standing
→ Currently live in the U.S., Indonesia, and Japan. 

🛏 Booking.com Partnership:

Users can now:
→ Check availability + pricing
→ View amenities + reviews
→ Book directly in-app

Hotels get their own TikTok landing pages with videos, nearby activities, and all the booking details. 

Creators can tag hotels in content, which is perfect for TikTok Go monetization.

🛍 CJ Affiliate + TikTok Shop: 

This one’s a game-changer.

Until now, TikTok Shop links could only be used inside TikTok. With CJ’s first-party integration, publishers can now:

→ Promote TikTok Shop products on websites, blogs, newsletters, or any owned media.
→ Track off-app clicks + sales from creators.

Why it matters:

This isn’t just an update, it’s a direct shot at Amazon’s affiliate empire. 

Before, TikTok Shop was capped by in-app traffic. Now, bloggers, newsletter owners, and influencers on other platforms can drive sales and earn commissions.

For brands, it’s another high-converting sales channel.
For creators, it’s a bigger pie to eat from.

--
Follow me on LinkedIn for more growth marketing content in the e-commerce space.

Not every day you get to interview a brand like G FUEL.

They’ve built a powerhouse with 7M+ followers across social, dominating the intersection of gaming, culture, and commerce. 🤯

In this episode of The DTC Insider podcast, Brian Roisentul sat down with Victoria Hana, Director of E-commerce.

Check it out 👇

We discussed:
👉 Building a gaming-focused brand with mainstream appeal
👉 Navigating influencer partnerships at scale
👉 The evolution of GFuel’s marketing strategy
👉 Community building through content and culture
👉 Diversifying revenue channels beyond DTC
👉 Collaborations with big names in gaming and entertainment
👉 Managing retail expansion while keeping brand integrity
👉 Planning GFuel’s annual and 90-day marketing calendar
👉 Adjusting strategies for changing consumer behavior
👉 Key lessons from scaling a multi-channel eCommerce brand

Tune in:

📺 YouTube
🎙️ Spotify
🍏 Apple
🌐 Website

More episodes our listeners love:

💎 How Black Rifle Coffee Hit $400M with Donny Jensen
💎 How BRĒZ is Disrupting the Beverage Industry with Aaron Nosbisch
💎 Bootstrapping a $100M E-Commerce Empire with Bear Handlon
💎 The Secret Sauce Behind BattlBox's Success with John Roman
💎 IQBAR’s Journey to 10,000 Locations And $50 Million with Will Nitze

📰 Shopify stock soars 21% on rosy guidance as CFO says tariff hit ‘did not materialize’
📰 Creator Marketing Tips for Maximizing Holiday Success
📰 Google Says AI Previews Have Not Impacted Overall Referral Traffic From Search

If you found this interesting, please leave us a review. It’d mean the world to me.

Brian Roisentul is the founder & CEO of BSR Digital, a growth marketing agency he started in 2013 to help e-commerce brands unlock hidden revenue by identifying misalignments between their marketing and customer behavior. He is also the host of The DTC Insider podcast, where he interviews thought leaders, founders, and directors in the e-commerce space.