Hey it’s Chase and Jimmy here!

Some welcome emails ease you in with brand stories and mission statements.

Beard Club's first email? Pure conversion play.

They skip the warm introduction and go straight for the offer: 35% off, a free mystery item, and everything you need to fix your beard routine right now.

It's bold, incentive-heavy, and built to convert while interest is still fresh. Not every brand can (or should) pull this off, but for Beard Club's audience, it works.

Today we're breaking down what makes this email effective, where it could tighten up, and when this aggressive approach actually makes sense.

Also inside:
✔️ What happens when 350 DTC operators stop scrolling LinkedIn and actually get in a room together?
✔️ Inside the send: How Duradry uses humor to re-engage customers
✔️ Hiring vault: 7 New retention marketing job ops

Let’s get into it.

What happens when 350 DTC operators stop scrolling LinkedIn and actually get in a room together?

Commerce Roundtable is heading to Austin on April 20-21, and the speaker lineup is already turning heads. This isn't another conference with recycled advice from people who haven't run ads in five years. These are the founders, CMOs, and operators actually making money moves right now; building brands like Bloom Nutrition, Frost Buddy, and BRĒZ.

Here's the first look at the speaker lineup:

• Greg LaVecchia CEO & Co-Founder, Bloom Nutrition

• Brock Mammoser Founder, Frost Buddy

• Yuki Kinoshita Co-Founder, Plufl

• Molly Pittman CEO, Smart Marketer

• Chase Dimond Chief Email Nerd, eCom Email Marketer

• Sarah Levinger Founder, Tether Insights

• Alex Greifeld Founder, No Best Practices

• Rytis Lauris Co-Founder & CEO, Omnisend

• Alyssa Wallace Lifecycle Marketer, BRĒZ

• Max Sturtevant Founder, WellCopy

• Liz Krupka Founder, Nomadd Marketing

• Phoenix Ha VP of Social Commerce, Instant Hydration

And we're not done yet; more speakers dropping soon.

Tickets are moving fast >> Use code CRT100 to save $100 at checkout.

Beard Club’s Welcome Offer Email: Loud, Incentive-Heavy, and Built to Convert Fast

Beard Club comes out swinging with the first email in their welcome flow. They jumped straight to the point with a clear offer, a free mystery item, and a simple promise: we’ll help you get your beard under control without overthinking it. 

Let’s break down what’s working and the small tweaks that could make big strides. 

Header Block

Right from the top, this email makes one thing clear: joining the Beard Club comes with perks. Big ones.

You’re hit with a limited-time welcome offer, a bold discount, and a mystery item before you even have time to scroll. 

What We Love

• The offer is impossible to miss. “35% off + a free mystery item” is framed as a reward for joining, not just a generic promo. That framing matters early in the relationship.

• The visual hierarchy does a lot of work. High-contrast colors, oversized text, and a single primary CTA keep the focus exactly where it should be.

• The mystery element adds curiosity without confusion. You don’t need to know what the free item is yet. You just know you’ll get one if you click.

What We’d Do Differently

• A quick one-line reassurance under the offer (something like “No subscription required” or “One-time welcome perk”) could reduce hesitation for first-time buyers who are still feeling things out.

Body Block

Once the offer hooks you, the email shifts gears. You get social proof, problem awareness, and product education stacked into one long, skimmable section. While it’s not delicate, it is structured.

What We Love

• The brand partner callouts are loud but effective. Featuring recognizable names instantly signals legitimacy and scale, especially for newer subscribers.

• The problem framing is clear and relatable. It doesn’t over-explain grooming pain points. It names them and moves on. Itchy. Hard to style. Dry. Done.

• The product lineup is front and center. You’re not guessing what Beard Club actually sells. You see it, you understand it, and you’re shown how it fits into a routine.

• The repetition of the offer works here. Reinforcing the discount and code throughout the body keeps urgency high without forcing the scroll back up.

What We’d Do Differently

• This is a long section, and while it’s skimmable, it could benefit from more decision checkpoints. Adding mid-scroll CTAs tied to specific product groups would help catch shoppers who are ready before they reach the bottom.

• The celebrity section could work harder. A short line explaining why these partners use Beard Club (not just who they are) would make the social proof feel more grounded.

Footer Block

By the time you hit the footer, the job is simple: give people one last clear path to act. Beard Club does that by narrowing focus to a hero kit and restating the value in plain language.

What We Love

• The “Not sure where to start?” framing is smart. It acknowledges hesitation without calling it out directly.

• Featuring a best-selling kit simplifies the decision. One option. One CTA. No overthinking.

• The offer is restated cleanly, without introducing anything new. At this point, clarity beats creativity.

What We’d Do Differently

• The footer could benefit from light reassurance. A small trust marker (returns, guarantees, or shipping expectations) could help convert shoppers who made it all the way down but still need a nudge.

Where This Email Works

Welcome Flow Conversion: This email understands that early subscribers don’t need education first. They need a reason to try. The incentive does the heavy lifting.

High-Intent Acceleration: Everything here is built for someone already curious about beard care. The email doesn’t convince you to care. It makes acting easy once you do.

Scalable Template: This format works anytime you want fast action: post-signup, post-quiz, retargeting, or list reactivation.

Final Take

At this point in the funnel, persuasion isn’t the goal. Momentum is. And that’s exactly what this email is built to create.

It’s bold, repetitive, and unapologetically sales-forward. Not every brand can pull that off. Beard Club can, because they know their customer and they know when to push.

This is a solid reminder that sometimes the best welcome email isn’t a story. It’s a clear offer, a confident tone, and zero friction between interest and checkout.

3 Things Worth Stealing

✓ Lead with a clear, compelling incentive while intent is still high
✓ Stack proof early to build confidence fast
✓ Reduce decisions so it’s easy to act on the first click

Inside the send: How Duradry uses humor to re-engage customers

Inboox’s AI Breakdown pulled apart this re-engagement email and surfaced why it works:

• A bold, playful “WE HATE Goodbye!” headline that grabs attention fast
• A relatable, empathetic tone that lowers friction
• Clear, clickable feedback options that drive interaction

It also flagged easy upgrades - light personalization based on past purchases and a post-click thank-you moment to reinforce goodwill.

That’s the power of Inboox. Access 1.5M+ Shopify emails and get instant AI insights, send-time optimization, HTML access, and more.

→ Get started on Inboox.ai

The Hiring Vault

• Retention & Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Decatur, GA: INK+ALLOY

• Director, Lifecycle Marketing, Los Angeles, CA: True Classic

• Sr. Manager, Retention Marketing, rhode, Beverly Hills, CA: E.L.F. BEAUTY

• Sr Manager CRM, Los Angeles, CA: CÉCRED

• Lifecycle Marketing Manager (Hybrid from NY), New York, NY: Lands'​ End

• Director of CRM, Miami, FL: Eberjey

• Retention Marketing Manager, Nampa, ID: Gymreapers

That's a wrap for today!

Appreciate you hanging with Chase and me. We hope you found something you can put to work ASAP.

If you did, don’t keep it to yourself! Send ecomemailmarketer.com to your favorite DTC marketer and get them in on the action.

Catch you next time!

🤘 Jimmy Kim

PS - Your next best customer might be reading this right now. Want in? Email Jimmy to sponsor this newsletter and more.

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