retail therapy

Hexagonal water.

In a woo-woo type shop on the east coast I saw a little card promoting ‘structured water’ (same thing, different name) that they make on site with lots of ‘possible benefits.’ Now, Wikipedia labels it a “marketing scam” and that’s […]

retail therapy

How much of the U.S.’s exports are made of blood?

The Economist wrote it was ~2%. Seems high? “The article doesn’t explain how they arrived at 1.8%. And since the Economist speaks in the voice of God (without bylines), I can’t corner and harass the actual journalist.” So, this blogger […]

retail therapy

A 25-year-old hired a TikTok coach for $400.

“She wasn’t trying to grow her personal brand: Under the coach’s guidance, Trecartin started posting three times per day about her water bottle accessory company CharCharms.” It’s working! She generated over $6 million of revenue last year. ~ learn more

retail therapy

Do eCommerce holding companies work?

This is a casual conversation between two people who invest in and operate multiple d2c brands. “This week, [Fan Bi is] joined by Kelcey Lehrich, CEO of 365 Holdings, to talk about what actually works in DTC today and how […]

retail therapy

Temu pulls its U.S. Google shopping ads.

I wonder if this led to a tense meeting at Google HQ. “Temu completely shut off Google Shopping ads in the U.S. on April 9, with its App Store ranking subsequently plummeting from a typical third or fourth position to […]

retail therapy

Beer distributors’ ‘total beverage’ power.

The booze market is both heavily regulated and fragmented by state, which makes for interesting market dynamics. “The middle tier is the crucible of the American bev-alc industry, and California, a frequent harbinger of its broader tectonic shifts. So it’s […]

retail therapy

Chinese cars at smartphone prices.

“In China, the prices of new cars have reached incredibly low values, which are comparable to the prices of modern smartphones. Chinese automakers have managed to offer vehicles at prices ranging from just $610 to $1,714, making them the most […]

retail therapy

2025 ecommerce P&L benchmark report.

Curious about revenue, gross margin, contribution margin and ebitda? “This report draws on the combined financials of more than thirty private and public DTC companies to show you – in specific numbers – where the market changed last year, how […]