Building A Brand Identity That Stands Out In Ecommerce

Users determine whether your products are right for them in just 1/2 a second. If you're leading with discounts, you've already lost the game... First impressions don't just matter, they're everything in the digital world. Half a second is all it takes to form a lasting anchor in your customer's mind. Yesterday I spoke with an ecommerce brand selling premium products at premium prices. The first thing visitors see on their site? A 15% discount offer. This undermines everything they've built. The psychological principle at play here is called anchoring bias: whatever users see first becomes the reference point for every decision that follows. So when your homepage leads with "15% OFF!" you're telling customers price is your main differentiator. You've just anchored your brand as a discount option, even if you sell luxury goods 😳 This has devastating long-term effects on perceived value. Customers trained to expect discounts will wait for sales rather than buying at full price. They'll question the value of anything that isn't discounted. The data proves this approach is deadly for conversions. For one client, we shifted focus from discounts to their unique value proposition: "the best guarantees in the industry." This simple change in anchoring generated over $1.1 million in additional sales. The initial anchor point set customer expectations for the entire journey. When we positioned the brand as premium rather than cheap, customers responded accordingly. Take a hard look at your website's first impression: ↳ Are you anchoring on value or on discounts? ↳ Are you setting yourself up for sustainable growth or a race to the bottom?

Building a brand does not equal some type of advertising. There's a trend where ecommerce focused DTC businesses are trying to "transition into brand" or "build a brand." That's fine, but, that often translates to "spending more money on awareness channels." Awareness channels =/= brand building I like to define a brand as: "The way customers view your business." Is marketing one touchpoint of how brands interact with their customers? Sure. Is marketing the only touchpoint that influences that relationship? Absolutely not. In fact, I would argue it's a minor element of a "brand." The best ways to ACTUALLY build a brand are: • Make a valuable product • Have a great customer experience • Operate with a point of view Marketing can help message that point of view, but, it should come through in everything that you do: your website, your packaging, your customer service, your employees, your investors, etc. Consistency around what makes you unique is what builds a brand. People start to associate those characteristics with YOUR products. • There are lots of water companies, but there's only one Liquid Death. • There are lots of sweater companies, but there's only one Patagonia. • There are lots of car companies, but there's only one Tesla. Don't let a clever agency or "brand consultancy" fool you into thinking you can "create a brand" by pumping a bunch of money into TV and PR. You need to actually live it and your customers need to feel it. #brandbuilding #ecommerce #dtc #marketing

Ever wondered how to build a $20M brand without spending on Facebook ads? Last week, I sat down with Dianna Cohen, the founder of Crown Affair ... If you’re involved in DTC, you’ve likely encountered Crown Affair. While they don't run ads, they excel at building a brand, not just a product business. Dianna nailed her brand identity, making Crown Affair an extension of herself. The business, only a few years old, will hit nearly $20M in revenue this year, all from retail (SEPHORA) and their DTC website, without Facebook ads. Intrigued, I had to learn her secrets... 1️⃣. Start Small and Scrappy: • Dianna built Crown Affair on nights and weekends while running her marketing agency, Levitate. • She started with a lean team: 1 designer, 1 copywriter, and 1 product/formulation expert. ⚡️ Lesson: You don’t need a huge budget or team to start. Focus on having a great product and efficient processes. 2️⃣. Pick a Market and Find Your Angle: • Dianna chose hair care because of her passion for the category and saw a clear whitespace for a premium brand. • Crown Affair launched with just four products: The Brush, The Comb, The Towel, and The Oil. ⚡️ Lesson: Identify a niche and create high-quality products that you’d be proud to recommend to friends. 3️⃣. Speak Like Yourself: • Crown Affair’s branding focuses on care and rituals rather than perfection and harsh language. • The brand’s messaging emphasizes a slow, thoughtful approach to hair care. ⚡️ Lesson: Authentic, positive branding resonates more deeply with consumers. 4️⃣. Embrace Retail for Acquisition: • Crown Affair’s presence in Sephora has been a major growth driver, providing both sales and social proof. ⚡️ Lesson: Don’t be afraid to leverage retail channels for brand growth and customer acquisition. 5️⃣. Build a Personal Brand: • Dianna’s active presence on TikTok and Instagram has been invaluable for distribution, hiring, and fundraising. • She connects directly with consumers and creators, gaining insights and building relationships. ⚡️ Lesson: A strong personal brand can amplify your business efforts and provide unique insights. 6️⃣. Don’t Give Up: • Despite numerous investor rejections, Dianna persisted, believing in her vision. • Crown Affair is now on track to achieve almost $20M in topline revenue this year and expand its presence in Sephora. ⚡️ Lesson: Persistence is key. Believe in your vision and keep pushing forward. For more tactical insights, don’t forget to tune into Limited Supply each week on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

A client recently said, “Our pricing has always been our biggest advantage, but it’s no longer driving results. What happened?” Here’s the reality: The market shifted. Your customers changed. But your strategy? Stayed the same. We hit the reset button, redefined their approach, and made a few key changes and boom: engagement shot up, brand loyalty skyrocketed, and sales exceeded expectations. All without a single price drop. Here’s the truth: Competing solely on price leads to a dead end. To truly stand out, your brand must offer more than just affordability. It has to be unforgettable. I call this the “Magnetic Brand Strategy.” It’s about building a brand people choose, not for the price tag, but for the connection it sparks. Here’s how you can create a brand that pulls people in: 🔸 Create Surprise Moments • Add unexpected details or experiences that catch customers off guard in a positive way. • Whether it’s a surprise gift, a thank-you note, or an unexpected feature in your product, these moments create buzz. The Results: Surprise moments build excitement and make your brand memorable, encouraging word-of-mouth marketing. 🔸 Partner with Unexpected Brands • Look for opportunities to collaborate with brands outside your industry to create something unique and unexpected. • Think limited edition products, special promotions, or events that bring something new to the table. The Results: Unconventional partnerships introduce your brand to new audiences and keep your offerings fresh and exciting. 🔸 Hyper-Personalization is Key • Move beyond general customer segmentation. Offer tailor-made experiences or exclusive offers based on individual behaviors. • Personalized touches make customers feel recognized and valued. The Results: Hyper-personalization strengthens customer loyalty and creates a stronger emotional connection to your brand. 🔸 Turn Your Employees into Brand Ambassadors • Encourage your team to represent your brand online and offline, not just as employees, but as passionate advocates. • By sharing personal experiences and enthusiasm, your team humanizes your brand and extends its reach. The Results: Customers trust people more than brands, so turning your employees into advocates builds authenticity and trust. 🔸 Build a Sense of Belonging • Build online groups, host special events, or add interactive features to your website. • When customers feel like they belong, they’re more likely to stay loyal and recommend your brand to others. The Results: A community-centered brand encourages long-term loyalty and gives your customers a reason to advocate for you. The market doesn’t care about your price tag anymore. What they care about is how your brand makes them feel—and how it fits into their lives. What’s the one thing you’re doing today to make your brand unforgettable? ⸻ ♻️ REPOST if this resonated with you! ➡️ FOLLOW Rheanne Razo for more B2B growth strategies, client success, and real-world business insights.

Want to scale your company? Then you need to start building your brand. Great businesses are not just built on Meta ads and paid spend. How I learned that you can’t get big if you don’t do both... A strong brand acts as a moat. It provides a different kind of lasting value that performance ads don’t. Even if it doesn’t result in immediate ROI.   In a recent Chewonthis DTC podcast with Tom Montgomery and Preston 🩳 Rutherford of Chubbies Shorts, they shared 5 insights that helped them craft a brand that sold for 9-figures → 1 - Strong Identity and Clear Differentiation Chubbies created a bold, playful brand that stood out from traditional men’s fashion. Find your white space. Identify what makes you unique in a crowded market.  Lean into and double down on it - even if it’s unconventional. 2 - Relatability Tom and Preston made it CLEAR that their goal was to communicate like real people - not a corporation. So brands: Use the language your customers use. Whether it’s humorous, casual, or empathetic. Remember - people buy from people. 3 - User-Generated Content (UGC)  UGC was a HUGE driver for community-building and marketing for Chubbies. Not enough brands embrace their fans and nurture their VIPs. To do this - Offer rewards or shoutouts for customers who share content featuring your products. Share customer stories, testimonials, and pics on your site and social media so they feel seen. 4 - Create a Community, Not Just Customers Chubbies built a loyal, engaged community around their brand’s core values on groups, forums and social.  Brands can take advantage of different social platforms to: - Run polls  - Ask for feedback - Let them vote on new product designs. 5. Consistency Brands are built on the foundation of 1 thing: consistency. Every touchpoint Chubbies has reinforces their playful, bold identity. What you need to start doing: - Develop strict brand guidelines that ensure consistency across all channels (social media, website, packaging, and even customer service).  - Walk through the buyer’s journey and make sure every step aligns with your brand’s promise and personality. BONUS - Evolve Lastly - what’s just as important as building your brand initially, is evolving with it as it grows. The goal should be to adapt your strategies over time - WHILE staying true to your core identity. What would you add to this list?

shifting how we viewed digital took chubbies from an 8-figure, negative-profit ecommerce store to a 9-figure, profitable omnichannel brand as a digital-first brand believing DTC was the future, this was a tectonic shift we wish we realized it sooner...would have saved many a sleepless night so you don’t make the same mistakes we did, here’s 1) the mistakes 2) 3 lessons 3) 3 actions you can take today let's do it *the mistakes* at chubbies we built our ecommerce business to 8 figures of revenue before we really understood the role of digital for consumer brands for the first few years, we were fully bought into the ecommerce revolution we thought the role of digital was to offer a convenient place to purchase items you love without the hassle of going to a retail store we thought online retailers were competitors we wanted to own the transaction for brand control and support our ability to measure LTV: CAC since DR, discounts, ROAS and revenue mattered most at the time then we almost went out of business *3 lessons* 1) digital is not for transactions, it's for connections as we deconstructed our business to find scalable profitable growth, we realized the internet’s true value to brands it was not just a vehicle for transactions the value of the internet to consumer brands was that the internet had become the house of brand the internet became where consumers connect with brands across social networks, mailing lists, websites, etc the internet was the place consumers share their thoughts and emotions towards brands freely and openly in a way that billions of people could consume the internet was where consumers learned about their favorite brands, diving into the story and purpose our realization was that this basket of digital behaviors towards our brand was our brand 2) the best way to see the impact of brand was by being omnichannel truth be told, we couldn't make brand work the way we needed it to when DTC only only later did we learn that the measurable impact of "brand marketing" was far higher when we started to be available more broadly in retail compared to being DTC only ...but we had to get into retail (and show up the way we wanted) to make this possible 3) leaning into number 1 ALSO generated the retail demand that made number 2 possible (something we didn't fully realize the value of at the time) *3 actions you can take today* 1) take a hard look at the assumptions driving your view of digital DTC are they still correct? do they need to be reassessed? given where you are as a brand, what's the right strategic view for YOU 2) if the connection vs transaction view resonates, vet your internal capabilities to see if they match what's needed to build those connections put simply, do you have an internal content machine? 3) broaden the definition of 'customer' add the retail buyer into your filter when thinking about how to maximize desire for your brand hope this helps