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Now, let's get into this week's edition.

Topics we'll cover today:
💠 Stop Listening to Your Best Customers
💠 Don’t Confuse Ad Volume With Variety
💠 Latest news in the DTC space

Maybe the headline is a stretch, haha.

Calling your customers is one of the best ways to understand why people buy.

But there's a catch.

If you only speak with your best customers, you'll only learn why people stay.

That's useful. But it won't tell you why others buy once and disappear.

Or why some people follow your brand for months without placing an order.

A better approach is to speak with three groups:

Each group can give you a different type of insight.

These are the customers who buy repeatedly, spend more, or engage deeply with the brand. They can help you understand:

Three questions to ask:

What originally convinced you to buy from us instead of another brand?

This can reveal the real reasons people choose you. Maybe it was the product quality. Maybe it was the founder story. Maybe it was the design, customer service, return policy, or something your marketing barely mentions. Those answers can improve your ads, landing pages, emails, and positioning.

What keeps bringing you back?

This can show you what drives retention. It could be the product itself. It could be the experience. It could be how easy it is to reorder, the way the product makes them feel, or the trust they've built with the brand. These are the things you should protect and promote.

What product would you be most excited to see us launch next?

This can help you identify new product opportunities. You may also find natural bundles, product extensions, or categories your customers already associate with your brand.

There is one thing to keep in mind. VIPs may be less price-sensitive, more familiar with the category, and more forgiving of friction. Their answers are valuable, but they don't represent everyone.

These customers trusted you enough to buy. But they never came back. That makes them one of the most useful groups to speak with. They can help you understand:

Three questions to ask:

What was the main reason you decided to place your first order?

This can tell you what converted them. Maybe it was a specific ad. A discount. A recommendation. A use case. A problem they needed to solve. It can also reveal whether they bought for themselves, as a gift, or for a specific event.

How did the product compare with what you expected before it arrived?

This can uncover expectation gaps. Maybe the product looked different in person. Maybe the fit was off. Maybe it was harder to use than expected. Maybe the quality was good, but the value didn't match the price. These issues don't always result in a return or complaint. Sometimes the customer simply doesn't buy again.

What has stopped you from ordering again?

This can reveal the real barrier to retention. It could be price. It could be timing. It could be a lack of product variety. It could be that they don't know what to buy next. It could also be that the first experience was fine, but not strong enough to create another purchase. This question is better when asked openly. Don't rush to give them multiple-choice answers before they explain it in their own words.

These people know your brand. They read your content. They may follow your updates or participate in your community. But they've never bought. That means something is stopping them from moving from interest to purchase. They can help you understand:

Three questions to ask:

What made you subscribe to our newsletter or join our community?

This can reveal what attracts people to the brand. Maybe they want education. Maybe they enjoy the founder's point of view. Maybe they are researching the category. Maybe they like the content but don't see the product as relevant to them. That distinction matters.

Have you considered buying from us? What stopped you?

This can uncover objections you won't see in your analytics. It could be price. Shipping. Returns. A lack of trust. Confusion about which product to choose. Or the feeling that the product is good, but not necessary right now.

What would need to be true for you to feel comfortable placing your first order?

This can point to specific changes. Maybe they need more reviews. A better guarantee. A sample. A lower-risk entry product. Clearer product education. More payment options. Or a better explanation of how your product is different.

The three groups answer three different questions:

If you only call your best customers, you'll understand loyalty. If you call all three groups, you'll understand acquisition, conversion, and retention.

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If you’re trying to better understand why people buy, why they don’t come back, or why they never purchase in the first place, let’s talk.

We can help you define the right customer groups, the questions to ask, and how to turn those insights into better marketing decisions.

Book a call with me here.

A lot of brands say they're testing more creative.

They may produce:

But when you look closely, most of those ads are saying the same thing.

They look different.

The reason to buy is the same.

That's the problem.

If five ads all communicate: "This product is high quality."

Then you're not really testing five ideas.

You're testing five ways to package one idea.

A better creative strategy starts with different customer motivations.

Why would someone buy this product?

What problem are they trying to solve?

What outcome do they want?

What objection is stopping them?

What situation made them start looking for a solution?

Those answers should shape the creative concepts.

Let's use a travel backpack as an example.

These may look like different ads:

But if they all focus on storage space, you're still testing one core message.

A wider concept mix could include:

Now you're testing different reasons to buy.

And this is where many brands get stuck.

They ask the creative team to make more ads without giving them more customer insights to work with.

So the team changes the format.

Or the visuals.

Or the first sentence.

There's nothing wrong with testing those things.

But they won't tell you whether a completely different reason to buy would perform better.

A simple way to audit your creative strategy is to review your last 20 ads and answer these questions for each one:

If most of the answers are similar, you probably don't have 20 different ads.

You have a few ideas wearing different clothes.

The next time you plan a creative batch, start with the reasons people buy.

Then decide how to package them.

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If your team is producing more ads but you’re still testing the same few messages, let’s talk.

We can look at your current creative mix, identify the angles you’re missing, and build a clearer plan for what to test next.

Book a call with me here.

📰 TikTok rolls out Dreamina Seedance 2.5 [read more]
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📰 Shopify Messaging now supports WhatsApp marketing [read more]

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Brian Roisentul is the founder & CEO of BSR, 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.

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