What’s Blocking Your Q3 Growth (and How to Fix It)

Welcome to this issue of The DTC Insider newsletter. 👋

We strive to deliver the latest growth marketing news and trends in the DTC space straight to your inbox every Wednesday.

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Let's dive in!

Topics we'll cover today:
💠 What’s Blocking Your Q3 Growth (and How to Fix It)
💠 What These Meta Updates Mean for Your Brand
💠 The Shift Towards AI in E-commerce

I’m putting together a new strategy resource for DTC 7 and 8-figure brands, something bite-sized and actionable to help you tighten your growth engine across ads, retention, and journey design.

Your feedback will mean the world to me. In the end, this is for you.

What’s Blocking Your Q3 Growth (and How to Fix It)

We’re halfway through the year...
Some brands are ramping up. Others? Still stuck.

And it’s not because they don’t have good products, ads, or emails.
More often than not, it’s because those things are misaligned with the customer journey.

We just dropped a Notion guide breaking down real examples from 7 and 8 figure brands, including: 

✅ What they thought was working (but was actually hurting growth)
✅ The key areas that were killing performance behind the scenes
✅ A simple framework to help you diagnose this in your own business

👉 Read the guide here

If you’re feeling stuck going into Q3, or just want a smarter way to plan your next 90 days, this will help.

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Feel like your ad and email strategies aren’t aligned with your customers’ purchase journey?

Book a free Journey Overlay Snapshot, and we’ll help you spot the gaps and identify 3 key actions to turn things around.

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What These Meta Updates Mean for Your Brand

While most people were busy planning Q3 campaigns, Meta decided to shake things up (again).

This time at their Conversations 2025 event in Miami.

Let me break down the main takeaways, and more importantly, what they mean for DTC brands 👇

1. WhatsApp Is Becoming a Lead Gen Machine

You already know about click-to-WhatsApp ads on Meta.

Now imagine running those same ads... directly inside the Updates tab on WhatsApp: the one 1.5 billion people open daily.

That’s a lot of eyeballs. 🤯 

Oh, and now you can add a WhatsApp button to your Google Business Profile.

So next time someone finds you on Maps, boom...instant chat.

2. In-Chat Experience Just Got Way Better

→ Webview Support: No more app-switching. Customers can open your links inside WhatsApp.

→ Calls & Voice on WhatsApp: Now you can call customers (or receive calls) right in the app, especially useful for complex support or high-touch sales.

→ Messenger’s New Superpowers: You’ll soon be able to see who’s calling, if it came from an ad, and get AI-powered call summaries + transcriptions.

Yes, AI is taking notes for you now.

3. Transactional + Marketing Messages Just Got a Boost

Meta launched a new Direct Send API, lets you send utility updates like order tracking, without changing backend systems.

They’re also making it easier to plug into platforms like Shopify, VTEX, and WooCommerce.

And here’s the kicker: You can now follow up a tracking message... with a marketing message.

That’s HUGE. (Think upsells. Reviews. Referrals.)

4. AI That Actually Sells Stuff

Meta’s not just slapping AI on everything for fun.

They’re testing a new Business AI assistant that can:

✅ Recommend products
✅ Answer follow-ups
✅ Close sales

Imagine a 24/7 sales rep that never sleeps and never complains.

Only in Mexico & the Philippines (for now), but it’s coming.

5. Pricing & Performance Upgrades for Power Users

If you're using the WhatsApp Business Platform:

→ Pricing is shifting to volume-based tiers. The more you grow, the cheaper it gets.

→ Click-to-Message Ads now support lead & purchase optimization, PLUS budget auto-splitting across WhatsApp, IG, and Messenger.

And if you're using the Cloud API, the new Marketing Messages Lite API auto-optimizes delivery based on engagement likelihood.

This is not “just another product update”.

This is Meta doubling down on WhatsApp as a conversion engine, and handing you the keys.

If you're not thinking about WhatsApp as part of your customer journey (from discovery to purchase to retention), you're leaving money on the table.

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

The Shift Towards AI in E-commerce

What’s actually working with AI in ecom? 

We broke it down with an ecom legend.

And a friend of The DTC Insider podcast: Tanner Larsson.

He's an ecom veteran with over 20 years of helping brands get to 8 and 9 figures.

Check it out. 👇 

We discussed:
👉 Introduction to E-commerce Evolution
👉 The Importance of Fundamentals in E-commerce
👉 Understanding Customer Lifetime Value and Retention
👉 The Shift Towards AI in E-commerce
👉 The Role of Websites in AI Commerce
👉 The Importance of Structured Data in AI Commerce
👉 Understanding AI Visibility and Its Impact
👉 Competitive Advantage in AI Commerce
👉 Strategies for Brands to Stand Out
👉 Implementing Smart Data Points for Success

Tune in:
📺 YouTube
🎧 Spotify
🎙️ Apple
🌐 Website

More episodes our listeners love:

💎 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
💎 Supplement Brand Bootstrapped $10,000 and Built It Into Sales of $30 Million in Three Years with Ronak Shah

Also Happening in the DTC Space

📰 TikTok Looks to Gamify Livestream Engagement With Fan Clubs
📰 Trump Says He Has a US Buyer for TikTok
📰 X To Charge For Ads Based On Size

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