EP 70: 6 Retention habits of 8 and 9 figure DTC brands

There's a reason some brands keep growing and others plateau… and it usually shows up in their retention strategy first.In this episode of Send It, Jimmy Kim sits down with Feras Khouri, co-founder of New Standard Agency, to break down six things that 8 and 9-figure DTC brands consistently do in email and SMS that most brands overlook. Feras brings a rare perspective having scaled his own brand to 8 figures before building an agency that now works with some of the biggest names in DTC including AG1, Caraway, and New Era Caps. They also get into why email attributed revenue can actually be a warning sign, and what it really means when your year-over-year numbers start to slip.Whether you're at 7 figures or 9, the principles here are the same. The brands that win aren't just sending more emails. They're thinking about retention as a system.EP 70: 6 Retention habits of 8 and 9 figure DTC brandsHere's what we're diving into:-Why setting retention-specific goals changes everything (and why most brands skip this)- What "layer two metrics" actually means and why open rates aren't enough- How top brands look beyond email and SMS to drive retention across every channel- Using retention data to fuel acquisition and close the feedback loop- Why a strong product and honest internal feedback matter more than any campaign- How 8 and 9-figure brands rapidly test technology without getting distracted by the hype- The real role AI should play in a retention strategy (and what it can't replace)Thank you our friends at Omnisend, Inboox and eCom Email Certified for sponsoring the podcast!Omnisend is an all in one eCommerce email and SMS marketing automation platform that enables marketers to engage customers and drive sales through personalized experiences. https://www.omnisend.com/sendit/eCom Email Certified is a hands-on, results-driven program with a step-by-step guide to mastering retention marketing and driving serious results. Access over 25 hours of learnings and become a certified email & SMS marketer. Use code: SENDIT! for $300 OFF https://www.ecomemailcertified.com/Explore Inboox.ai, the AI-powered database of 1M+ real ecommerce emails with full HTML, performance data, and trend insights from the fastest-growing Shopify brands. https://inboox.ai/______00:00 Welcome to The Show02:00 Meet Our Guest: Feras's Khouri05:00 Does this apply to smaller brands? The 7-figure vs 8-figure question10:00 #1: Set retention-specific goals14:00 #2: Understand layer two metrics 17:00 #3: Look beyond email and SMS 22:00 #4: Use retention for acquisition27:00 #5: Create an internal feedback loop 37:00 #6: Rapidly test technology 41:00 Building a brand brain with AI vs. using AI to replace human thinking44:00 Wrap up, where to find Feras, and final thoughts______Enjoying the pod? Subscribe to The eCom Email Marketer Newsletter for your weekly dose of retention strategy, actionable insights, & exclusive industry news! http://ecomemailmarketer.com/______Follow Jimmy & Chase on social!Follow Jimmy Kim at: https://x.com/yojimmykimhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/yojimmykim/https://www.instagram.com/yojimmykim/https://www.tiktok.com/@yojimmykim Follow Chase Dimond at: https://x.com/ecomchasedimondhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedimond/https://www.instagram.com/chasehunterdimond/https://www.tiktok.com/@chasehunterdimondContact us at [email protected] for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!