🚨 Everyone’s chasing trends. Operators are building habits.

👋 Welcome back to Signals

This one is for the operators playing the long game. Building connection over clicks, loyalty over loud. Let’s get into what’s compounding quietly while everyone else is chasing hype.

Gen Z doesn’t want ads, they want a vibe.

Snapchat’s latest Generation Report breaks down how this audience connects through shared values, creativity, and storytelling. Forget polished and perfect. Unfiltered authenticity is what drives conversions. 81% of Gen Z say brands should “entertain first, sell second” and the ones doing it right are building cult-like loyalty across Snap, TikTok, and beyond.

💡 For operators, that means rethinking the funnel: build community loops, invest in creators, and design campaigns that feel like content, not commerce. If your brand feels like an ad, Gen Z scrolls past. Meet them where they play and build trust that lasts past the click.

Read the full Snapchat Generation Report here

What’s the vibe across the D2C ecosystem right now?

You probably saw it.
Chad Janis, the founder of Grüns, casually dropped that they’ve hit $300M ARR in under 24 months.

That’s not just wild… it’s benchmark-breaking.

Here’s the thing: Grüns didn’t ride some viral TikTok wave or drop a collab with a celebrity. They built a retention monster. Clean product, clear mission, community-driven marketing, and a funnel so smooth it probably has a skincare routine.

Why this matters for the rest of us:

• Growth like that isn’t luck… it’s systems and storytelling working in sync.
• They’re proving that D2C doesn’t need to be noisy to be explosive, it needs to be consistent.
• $300M in ARR isn’t just an operator flex; it’s proof that sustainable retention is the new blitz-scale.

💡 Takeaway:
If Grüns can do $300M in 24 months, the real question isn’t “how did they go viral?” -it’s “how can we build something people actually stick with?”

We’re data nerds so you don’t have to be. Each week we’ll bring you some data to chew on with The Data Drop.

So, here’s a fun one: Smile.io just onboarded 387 Shopify stores last week (shoutout to StoreLeads for the tea ☕).

400 brands are adding loyalty programs right before Q4 - makes sense - everyone’s tired of chasing cold traffic and wants to hold onto the customers they already fought to win.

Breakdown?

• 23% Apparel (think Gunthers, Namai Studio, Toastie Kids)
• 18% Beauty & Fitness (like 5Sens and Nailberry)
• Biggest fish in the pond: Sweet Water Décor

And honestly, it tracks. CAC isn’t getting any cheaper, margins are tight, and the smartest operators are playing the long game… building retention moats instead of discount cliffs.

💡 Takeaway:
Q4 isn’t just about acquisition. If hundreds of brands are layering loyalty into their tech stack pre-BFCM, it’s time to ask: how are you turning one-time buyers into repeat customers?

One tool, one brand, one agency to watch out for this week.

Brand Spotlight: Laird Superfood

You know a brand’s onto something when its story starts with a surfer mixing MCT oil into his coffee. That surfer? Laird Hamilton. That brand? Laird Superfood.

What started as one guy’s morning ritual turned into a full-blown functional food empire… creamers, hydration, protein, snacks… all built on the same foundation: clean ingredients, loyal customers, and repeat behavior baked into the product itself.

Check them out

The Move? As most brands are fighting over CPMs and conversion windows, Laird’s out here winning on habit. Their customers aren’t buying one-off, they’re restocking because it’s part of their daily rhythm. It’s the kind of retention loop every operator dreams about.

💡 Operator takeaway: Find your daily ritual. Whether it’s a product people sip, swipe, or scroll, anchor your brand in a repeat moment. That’s how you go from “add to cart” to “part of their day.”

In the Toolkit: Postscript

You know how every brand says they’re “building relationships”? Yeah, most of them are just sending more emails.

Postscript is the rare one actually walking the talk. It’s the SMS platform built for Shopify operators who want to talk to customers like real people, not like “20% OFF” bots.

They’ve rolled out smarter AI flows, tighter segmentation, and automated post-purchase touch points that make customers actually want to stay in the loop (yes, really).

Get Started with Postscript

💬 Real Talk: Open rates are tanking. Inboxes are war zones. Your customers? They’re reading texts before they even check their morning Slack. The operators using Postscript aren’t just chasing conversions, they’re building connection on autopilot.

💡Operator takeaway: If SMS is still just a BFCM megaphone for you, you’re missing the gold. Use it to surprise, remind, or reward your best customers between promos. That’s where the loyalty loop really starts.

Agency Assist: Hiry Agency

Scaling a D2C brand is basically juggling chainsaws, and Hiry’s the ops partner that makes sure you don’t lose a hand.

They help 7- and 8-figure brands plug their biggest gaps, from email and SMS talent to CRO and media buying, with triple-vetted experts who actually get the D2C grind. No fluffy full-service talk, just operators placing operators.

Get Started with Hiry

 💡 Why we’re watching:
As more brands shift from acquisition sprints to retention systems, Hiry is quietly becoming the behind-the-scenes team builder that powers it all. When growth stalls, they don’t say pivot, they say hire better.

Are you D2C (Down 2 Collab)?

At 1-800-D2C, we spotlight the real builders behind the tools and brands featured on our site and the D2C players putting those tools to work. Let’s collab:

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• List your brand on 1-800-D2C to show off your incredible tech stack.
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