Latest / The DTC Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Direct-to-Consumer Brands, Shopify, and E-Commerce Growth / How DTC Brands Use In-Person Events for Acquisition and Retention
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've done 99 episodes on DTC marketing, and I think it's fair to say most of them have been digital-first — TikTok Shop, SMS, email, podcasts, chatbots. Luna: Right, almost everything we've covered is online. Lucas: For episode 100, I wanted to talk about the opposite end of the spectrum: in-person events. Not just pop-up shops — we covered those in episode 83 — but actual recurring events designed to build community and drive repeat purchases. Luna: Give me a concrete example. Who's doing this well? Lucas: Let's start with Glossier. Back in their early days, long before they had a permanent store, they did what they called 'pop-in shops' — but they weren't really about selling. They were about letting people touch the products, take selfies, and feel like they were part of the brand. The events themselves generated massive social media buzz, but more importantly, attendees had a 30 percent higher lifetime value than customers who only bought online. Luna: Thirty percent — that's significant. And it's not just beauty brands, right? I've seen mattress brands do in-store sleep events where people actually nap on the beds. Lucas: Exactly. Casper and Purple both experimented with that. But the real magic is when events become a recurring thing — not a one-off stunt. Take a brand like Our Place, the cookware company. They started hosting cooking classes in their showrooms. It's not about selling pans that day; it's about teaching people how to use them so they become die-hard fans. Luna: That's smart because it turns a transaction into a relationship. You leave with a skill, not just a product. Lucas: And the data backs that up. Our Place reported that customers who attended at least one event had a repeat purchase rate of 45 percent within six months, compared to 22 percent for non-attendees. That's more than double. Luna: But I have to ask — aren't in-person events incredibly expensive? Especially for a DTC brand that's used to low overhead? Lucas: They can be, if you're doing a full-blown production. But there's a model that's been gaining traction: co-branded events. Two or three complementary DTC brands share the venue and the cost, and they cross-promote to each other's audiences. Luna: Give me an example of that working. Lucas: Sure — Athletic Greens, the supplement brand, partnered with a fitness apparel brand called Outdoor Voices for a series of morning workout sessions. Athletic Greens provided samples and a nutrition talk; Outdoor Voices led the workout. They split the venue cost, which was basically just renting a studio, and each brand brought its own email list to promote the event. The cost per attendee was under $15, and they both saw a 12 percent conversion rate to purchase within two weeks. Luna: So the key is finding a partner whose audience overlaps but doesn't compete directly. That makes sense. Lucas: Right. And the events don't have to be big. Some of the most effective ones I've seen are small — 20 or 30 people — like a dinner or a workshop. The intimacy actually makes the brand feel more exclusive and personal. Luna: What about measurement? How do you know if an event is actually driving revenue, not just good feelings? Lucas: That's the challenge, and it's where a lot of brands fall short. The best practice now is to use a dedicated landing page with a unique promo code for event attendees — something like 'EVENT20' — and then track that code in your e-commerce platform. Also, you can use QR codes on signage that go to a tracked URL. And some brands are using ai powered attribution tools that match event attendees to their online profiles via email or phone number. Luna: So you're essentially closing the loop between offline and online. That's been the holy grail for a while. Lucas: It is. And brands like Blank Street Coffee have turned events into a predictable customer acquisition channel. They host weekly coffee tastings and latte art classes in their shops. The cost per new customer acquired through events is about $8, compared to $25 through paid social. And the event-acquired customers visit twice as often in the first month. Luna: Eight dollars versus twenty-five — that's a no-brainer. But is it scalable? Can you really do that hundreds of times a year? Lucas: Blank Street does it every week in multiple locations. The key is to systematize it: have a standard event playbook, train staff to run it, and use software to manage RSVPs and follow-up emails. It becomes a repeatable unit of acquisition, not a one-off marketing campaign. Luna: What about retention events? Not just getting new people in the door, but keeping existing customers engaged? Lucas: That's where the real long-term value is. Take a brand like Death Wish Coffee. They host an annual 'caffeine convention' for their superfans — it's basically a festival with coffee tastings, merchandise, and meet and greets. Attendees have a churn rate that's something like 60 percent lower than the average customer. They become brand ambassadors. Luna: So the event itself becomes a retention mechanism. You're not just selling coffee — you're selling belonging. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the deeper point about in-person events for DTC brands. The digital-native brands often lack a physical presence, which means customers have no emotional connection beyond the transaction. Events fill that gap. They make the brand tangible, human, and memorable. Luna: But there's also a risk, right? If you host a bad event — disorganized, underwhelming — it can backfire and actually damage the brand. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's why many brands start small — like a dinner for ten influencers or a workshop for a dozen customers — and iterate based on feedback. The cost of a bad event is not just the money you spent; it's the negative word of mouth. So you have to be intentional. Luna: What about using events to test new products? I've seen brands do that — invite loyal customers to an exclusive preview and get immediate feedback. Lucas: That's a great use case. The online supplement brand Ritual does this. They invite their subscription customers to 'product labs' where they taste-test new formulations. The attendees feel valued and get early access, and Ritual gets real-time feedback before a full launch. It's basically a focus group that builds loyalty at the same time. Luna: I love that — it's a win-win. The customers feel special, and the brand reduces the risk of a flop. Lucas: One more thing that's emerging is the use of AI to personalize events. Some brands are now using customer data to send targeted invitations: 'We noticed you bought the espresso maker — would you like to attend a private latte art class?' That makes the event feel tailored, and the response rate is much higher than a generic invite. Luna: That's brilliant because it leverages the data you already have. And the event itself generates more data — what they attended, what they bought afterward. Lucas: And if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — whether it's an event idea or a retention tactic — a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. We keep the show ad-free because of that support, and it lets us go deep on topics like this. Lucas: So back to events — I think the next frontier is what I'd call 'event as infrastructure.' Instead of treating events as marketing campaigns, some DTC brands are building dedicated event spaces — like a permanent studio or a retail-adjacent room — where they run a regular calendar of classes, meetups, and launches. It becomes part of the brand's operations, not just a special project. Luna: That's a big shift. It means committing to real estate and staffing. But for brands like Outdoor Voices, which has a community run club in many cities, it pays off because the events drive both acquisition and retention consistently. Lucas: Right. And the economics work when you look at the long-term value. A customer acquired through an event costs less and stays longer. So even if the upfront cost is higher, the return on investment over two or three years is better than most digital channels. Luna: For a DTC brand that's scaling, what would you recommend as a first step? Should they start with a small co-branded event or go for a bigger solo event? Lucas: I'd say start with a co-branded event with a complementary brand. You split the cost, share the audience, and learn the ropes without a huge risk. Pick a partner whose values align and whose customer base overlaps by maybe 30 to 40 percent. Then test, measure, and iterate. Once you have a repeatable model, you can scale it to multiple cities or locations. Luna: And don't forget the follow-up — that's where most brands drop the ball. You have to nurture those attendees afterward with a thank-you email, a special offer, and an invitation to the next event. Lucas: Absolutely. The event is just the beginning. The real value is in the relationship that starts there.