This episode cuts through the noise of superficial retention tactics, offering a strategic framework for e-commerce brands to cultivate lasting customer relationships. Jess Chan, a retention expert, breaks down how to move beyond basic email/SMS to build robust lifecycle journeys, emphasizing repeat purchase rates and long-term engagement over short-term ROI in the retention phase.
Jess Chan is the Founder and CEO of Longplay, a full-service retention and lifecycle marketing agency for DTC e-commerce brands. She is also the Founder and CEO of Backbone, an email strategy automation tool. As a former CMO of a multimillion-dollar DTC e-commerce company, Jess bootstrapped Longplay to seven figures in revenue within the first 18 months. She is a sought-after speaker, podcast guest, product developer, and consultant on topics like retention, lifecycle marketing, and progressive agency business modeling. In this episode… Retention marketing is an overlooked component of the sales cycle. While many brands claim to create robust retention models through email and SMS marketing, these strategies are merely channels within the consumer lifecycle. How can you foster lifelong relationships with your customers? According to passionate retention marketer Jess Chan, an effective retention marketing model has two main aspects. These include various channels like email and SMS and the lifecycle journey, where brands retain customers by building subscription programs and generating repeat purchases. Rather than measuring ROI during the retention phase, you should analyze repeat purchase rates by assessing engagement and purchase percentages at various stages of the customer journey. This allows you to identify high-performing loyalty and retention strategies. On today's Up Arrow Podcast episode, William Harris speaks with Jess Chan, the Founder and CEO of Longplay, about lifecycle and retention marketing. Jess discusses how to boost repeat purchase rates, how to build relationships with consumers, and even reveals how she bailed a friend out of a Mexican prison.