The 3 Most Underrated Growth Levers in DTC Right Now

Hey everyone,

Welcome back for another bite to chew on.

You can have compelling ads, a great product, and a strong brand... but if your checkout, customer comms, or creator programs fall short, then you’re going to be battling to break even.

At Obvi, we’ve been obsessively refining all 3 — and it’s driven some of our most profitable revenue unlocks.

In today’s issue, we’re sharing the specific strategies that have made the biggest difference…

🍽️ On the menu:

• How we improved our checkout conversion rate with small but powerful tests

• Why we built a digital wallet pass program (and how it’s beating email ROI)

• The gamified creator system we use to scale TikTok without wasting time or budget

Each strategy works on its own…but combined, they build a seamless, scalable customer journey.

Let’s dig in. 🔧

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Checkout Optimization: The Science of the Final Click

Every online customer you get has to go through your checkout process. It's a massive leverage point in the purchase journey.

After testing hundreds of checkout variations, we've identified 3 critical factors that can dramatically impact your CVR:

1. Streamline the path 

Our testing revealed that express payment options at the top of checkout significantly improved our conversion rate.

🔎 But here's the counterintuitive finding: even when people don't use these options, their presence creates confidence and reduces cart abandonment.

2. Leverage shipping thresholds 

The simple message about spending a specific amount more to get free shipping substantially boosted our average order value.

🔎 We discovered that the most effective approach combines a SPECIFIC dollar amount with a visual progress bar – neither element works as well alone.

3. Build trust along the way 

We found that highlighting our "90-Day Satisfaction Guarantee" alongside specific trust elements like "Made in USA" and "Manufactured in a cGMP & FDA Registered Facility" created a significant conversion lift.

For first-time customers, adding our Trustpilot score with the actual review count noticeably increased conversion rates.

🔑 The most powerful insight from our testing → Checkout optimization isn't about individual elements but about creating a cohesive experience.

You want to address:

• Practical needs (how to pay, when products will arrive) AND

• Emotional concerns (trust, confidence, validation) throughout the purchase journey

By systematically optimizing these elements, we've significantly increased our checkout completion rate, translating to additional revenue without spending extra on acquisition.

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Wallet Passes: The Marketing Channel Nobody's Talking About

Here's a channel most brands completely overlook: digital wallet passes.

Those boarding passes, event tickets, and loyalty cards that appear in Apple Wallet or Google Pay? Brands can create these too, and they're remarkably effective.

At Obvi, we've built a wallet pass program that generates $2.42 revenue per recipient – higher than any of our other channels on a per-message basis.

2 key factors make wallet passes especially powerful →

Push notifications + Permanence

Wallet passes enable push notifications without needing to download an app.

When we send notifications through wallet passes, they appear directly on customers' lock screens with an incredible 98% read rate. 🤯

Compare that to email's 20-30% open rate, and you can see why this channel is so valuable.

And the best part is they maintain a permanent presence on customers' phones.

Unlike emails that get buried in inboxes or social media posts that disappear in feeds, wallet passes remain accessible in digital wallets until actively deleted – which rarely happens.

Wallet passes have quickly become one of our highest ROI channels — and we’ve tested a lot.

Here's how we’ve implemented them in 3 specific ways:

1. Loyalty program passes that display current points and tier status

2. Referral passes that make sharing rewards seamless

3. Store locator passes that help customers find nearby retailers carrying Obvi products

🔑 The implementation isn't complicated – platforms like Novel or PassKit make it relatively straightforward.

The ROI has been extraordinary, making our wallet pass program one of our most effective marketing investments.

🎯 TikTok Creator Strategies (That Actually Drive Sales)

When starting out, most brands approach TikTok with conventional influencer marketing tactics. You know the ones…

1. They identify creators.

2. They negotiate flat fees or commission structures.

3. And then they hope for the best.

At Obvi, we focus on gamification to drive sustained creator engagement and performance.

Instead of just paying creators a flat rate or standard commission, we implemented a tiered reward system with clear goals and escalating prizes.

👑 Creators can see exactly what they'll earn at different sales thresholds – from cash bonuses at lower levels to luxury items like iPhones and MacBooks at higher tiers.

This transparent progression gives creators something to strive for beyond just their standard commission. It transforms the relationship from a transactional "post and earn" model to a motivational "achieve and unlock" system. 🔓

We complemented this sales-based framework with content challenges that reward consistent posting regardless of direct attribution. Creators who produce a certain number of videos following monthly themes earn additional bonuses on top of their sales commissions.

The impact of this approach has been substantial: 🚀

• Significant increase in creator retention compared to our previous program

• Notable increase in average creator-generated revenue

• Growth in overall TikTok Shop sales

🔑 Creator motivation extends beyond immediate compensation to include recognition, status, and the thrill of achievement.

By addressing these psychological drivers, we've built a creator program that consistently delivers results without the high churn rate that plagues most influencer relationships.

🧩 Making It All Work Together

While each of these strategies delivers results independently, their true power emerges when integrated into a cohesive system.

For example:

We've connected our TikTok creator program with our wallet pass system by offering exclusive wallet passes to customers who purchase through creator links. These passes contain special offers unavailable elsewhere, creating a direct communication channel with these customers.

We've also refined our checkout experience based on insights from TikTok traffic, recognizing that these customers often have different concerns and priorities than visitors from other channels.

🔑 This integrated approach has significantly improved the customer experience and value for shoppers who travel through these connected pathways.