Hey {{first_name|mate}},

It's always a bit nerve-wracking hosting an event the same week as one that's taking place in sunnier climes…

Blue skies. Boat parties. Unlimited networking. The promise of todas las cervezas…

Meanwhile, over here in London, crossing our fingers that someone will choose a cinema foyer and a pain au chocolat over all of those things, we decided to really test our luck…

Two dinners. One breakfast event. Three eCom gatherings held over 2 days.

Heddon Street Kitchen and Yaatra on Tuesday.
eCom Collab Club® London on Wednesday.

Not exactly a schedule designed by someone who values sleep.

And yet...

The rooms were packed.

Which means one of two things:

I'll let you decide.

Here's what went down 👇

Caitlin

It seems quite a lot of brands are still trying to solve retention with the digital equivalent of jingling spare change in front of customers…

Last week, eCom Collab Club® London set about how brands like Nature’s Menu, Clothes Doctor, Monica Vinader and The Curious Drinker are daring to do things differently.

The consensus across both panels?

Discounts might get people in, but they rarely give them a reason to stay…

We heard how the strongest subscription brands are building something customers actually want to belong to – not just tying them into another recurring transaction.

A few themes kept coming up:

→ Convenience alone isn't enough anymore. People subscribe because it fits who they are, not just what they buy.
→ If your entire retention strategy relies on 10% off, you don't have a retention strategy.
→ Churn starts long before the cancellation button gets clicked.
→ Customer experience fixes more problems than most software ever will.
→ Failed payments, stock issues and broken promises quietly do more damage than any competitor.

And perhaps the biggest takeaway of the morning...

Surprise and delight (done right) beats discounts and desperation. Every time.

Huge thanks to Adam Pearce, Rich Evans, our brilliant sponsors and speakers, as well as everyone who dragged themselves out of bed to join us before Pret had even served their first coffee…

Also a shout out to Uncle Matt's Hats in the Marketplace Pop-Up, protecting eCom heads from both intrusive thoughts and questionable hair days.

We'll be back next month to tackle operations… The eCommerce equivalent of flossing.

Nobody wants to talk about it, but you'll regret ignoring it.

See you next month!

This week's podcast with Adam, Get Better’s Jack Squire and Chris Forbes, Co-Founder of Cheeky Panda, explores an uncomfortable truth:

Customers don't follow funnels. They improvise.

One minute they're watching a TikTok. The next they're reading a review, asking their mate, browsing Amazon and completely ignoring the route you spent six weeks mapping…

📺 Watch on YouTube
🎧 Spot on Spotify

If you've ever wondered why your attribution model looks like abstract art, this one's worth wrapping your ears around…