AI Loyalty, DTC Fundraising Wins, and Shopify’s Global Shipping Move

Your Weekly DTC Industry Roundup

Another week in the DTC world, and the landscape keeps shifting beneath our feet.

Here's everything you may have missed from the ecommerce trenches over the past week or so:

• Klaviyo + Away just dropped a brand campaign that shows how AI actually drives loyalty (not just hype)
• Postscript is suing Texas over an SMS law that could change everything for text marketing
• A supplement brand cracked $4.7M in funding while others get ghosted (here's their playbook)
• Shopify just gave small brands access to enterprise-level international shipping
• Plus the key moves that separate winners from wannabes heading into peak season

Let's dive in …

Partnerships

Klaviyo + Away's Brand Campaign Play at K:BOS

When the CRM platform that processes 2 billion daily consumer interactions teams up with the luggage brand that actually gets customer obsession …

You pay attention.

Klaviyo's launching a major brand campaign with Away at their K:BOS conference this month. And it's not just marketing theater. Away's showing off how they use Klaviyo's AI to nail personalized recommendations and loyalty plays that actually work.

The timing isn't random. With economic uncertainty and shifting consumer expectations, brands are doubling down on first-party data and AI to keep customers coming back.

K:BOS brings together 1,000+ DTC leaders on Sep 25–26, featuring Paige DeSorbo and Omar Johnson dropping real strategies for the AI era.

See more details here

Fundraising

Feel Goods Cracks $4.7M While Others Strike Out

Here's how a supplement brand raised millions when everyone else is getting ghosted by VCs …

Feel Goods just closed a $4.7M seed round in a market where funding deals dropped 7% last year. Their secret sauce? TikTok virality + subscription addiction.

The brand hit 5 million TikTok likes with humor-infused content that makes supplements feel like "Kool-Aid for adults." But the real hook for investors was their repeat purchase model, most of their eight-figure revenue comes from subscriptions.

Co-founder Brian Wong says it bluntly: "It's really hard to do DTC right now unless you're a repeat-heavy consumable product."

Even turned down Walmart because they weren't ready. Smart move - you only get one shot at retail.

See more here

Sponsor

Unlock Post-Purchase Profit Before BFCM Hits

While others over-optimize ads and landing pages before BFCM, smart brands are building high-converting, high-margin funnels and unlocking profit after checkout.

The Yes Ladder Playbook breaks down the 6-step framework used by top Shopify brands to drive $200K/month at 82% margins, lift AOV by 9.74%, and convert thank-you pages at up to 12% — all without spending more on ads.

This is your tactical guide to building the post-purchase funnel that pays off during peak season. Don’t wait until after BFCM to fix your backend.

📘 Download the free playbook and build a funnel that stacks “yes” after checkout.

Download the free playbook

Legal Battle

Postscript Takes on Texas Over "Broken" SMS Law

SMS marketing just got a whole lot messier …

Postscript is suing Texas in federal court to block SB-140, the state's new SMS law that they're calling "problematic, to say the least."

Here's the beef: The law forces brands into expensive registration, reporting, and disclosure requirements … just to text customers who ALREADY opted in. Postscript says it violates First Amendment rights and penalizes consent-based messaging.

They've teamed up with the Ecommerce Alliance (which they founded) and Flux Footwear to seek injunctions blocking enforcement.

This isn't their first rodeo - they've successfully fought similar laws in other states. But if Texas wins, expect more states to follow suit.

If you're running SMS campaigns, this could change everything.

See more here

Logistics

Shopify Just Made Global Shipping Less Painful

DHL integration means your international expansion dreams got easier …

Shopify merchants can now tap DHL's enterprise-level shipping (eCommerce + Express) directly from their dashboard. This was previously locked behind enterprise gates.

The game-changer? You get both DDP (you handle duties at checkout) and DDU (customer pays on delivery) options. Plus end-to-end tracking and 5–12 day delivery to 37 key markets.

Small DTC brands finally have access to the same cost-effective international network that big players use. Available now for US merchants, rolling to Canada in September.

Perfect timing as cross-border commerce heats up.

Check integration details

Podcast

How is the Ecommerce Industry Actually Using AI?

In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard “The Professor” Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of Ecommerce Strategy) to answer the toughest operator questions … live from the Hotline.

They tackle:

• How price increases in response to tariffs are affecting brands, supply chains, and consumer sentiment
• Why “creative fatigue” is Meta’s most important hidden metric, and why finding ad #6 or #7 is so hard
• How brands should weigh risk vs reward when responding to Texas’s new SMS law
• The real way AI is impacting the workforce (hint: it’s strategy, not production), plus Tony & Luke’s personal workflows with it

This is where your ecommerce questions get answered … direct, practical, and unfiltered.

📞 Call or text us your questions: 866-DTC-2263

Watch now

Final Thoughts

What This Means For You

Here's what this week's intel means for your business …

If you're scaling, the Klaviyo-Away partnership shows you don't need to choose between AI and human connection. The winning brands are using data to create MORE personal experiences, not less.

If you're fundraising, Feel Goods proved investors still love subscription models - but only if you can show real retention. Stop chasing vanity metrics and start obsessing over repeat purchase rates.

If you're going global, the Shopify-DHL integration just removed your biggest excuse for not testing international markets. Small brands now have enterprise-level shipping tools. Use them.

If you're running SMS, the Postscript vs Texas fight isn't just legal drama. It's a preview of what's coming. Get your consent practices bulletproof NOW before more states follow suit.

The real pattern here?

While everyone's arguing about AI replacing humans or complaining about regulations …

The winners are quietly building systems that make both work FOR them.

Feel Goods didn't just make funny TikToks. They built a subscription engine that prints money.

Away didn't just collect data. They turned it into personalized experiences people actually want.

Shopify didn't just add another shipping option. They leveled the playing field for small brands.

The lesson? Stop waiting for perfect conditions.

The tools you need to dominate already exist. The question is whether you'll use them or not.