The merger, why we joined forces:
Retention For Brands was built when two agencies at the same growth stage stopped growing separately and merged. Jordan handles marketing, Adam handles sales and partnerships. Over a year of conversations, six months of details. The goal: become the number one e-commerce retention company.
The rebrand:
Email For Brands became Retention For Brands because the industry shifted. It's not just email anymore, it's SMS, WhatsApp, direct mail, loyalty. The name now reflects what we actually build: full retention systems.
WhatsApp is coming:
Klaviyo's WhatsApp integration is live and we have beta access. The catch: Meta owns WhatsApp, so every message needs approval like an ad. Softer messaging works better. Push too hard and you risk getting blocked. We're testing across multiple accounts now and expect this to crush it for UK and European brands come Q4.
Hook stacking, the creative trend worth testing:
Instead of one hook into a story, top brands are stacking five to seven hooks back to back at the start of a single ad, different angles, all agitating the same problem. Vshred runs 3 to 4 minute videos where the first two minutes are nothing but their best performing hooks stacked together. Worth testing.
Creative diversification (not just volume):
Meta's Andromeda update can handle 10,000x more creative. You need more variety, UGC, statics, brand video, photography. But figure out which angles perform first, then throw volume behind the winners. Volume without direction is just expensive noise.
The post purchase video gap:
Most brands invest heavily in acquisition creative but have nothing after purchase. No education video. No thank you. No introduction to the next product. Every brand should have post purchase videos that educate, build trust, and softly introduce the next purchase. If you want high LTV, the experience after the first order is everything.
Two ad formats worth stealing:
The "how to" ad, step one, step two, step three, reap the reward. Simple and converts well. The "after X days" ad, what happens after one day, one week, one month of using the product. These 2 to 3 minute videos are performing extremely well right now.
The bottom line:
If you're paying $20 to $40 to acquire a customer and the post purchase experience is poor, they're never coming back. The only lever you really control is LTV, and that starts with the customer experience from the moment they buy.
