When someone joins your list, the clock starts ticking fast.

During a Retention Roadshow session, we heard that 85% of first purchases happen the day someone opts in. By day one, that drops below 3%. And by day seven, it’s under 1%.

So yeah, your welcome discount has a job to do.

This morning, we’re looking at how COOLA and ciele use first-purchase offers in different ways and we're breaking down what's working and the small tweaks that could pack a punch.

Also inside:

→ Your competitor's entire retention team is about to be one person.
→ Anyone can call themselves an email expert (but few can back it up)
→ All that new-new from Beyond Yoga, ALOHA , SPYLT, and Tony's Chocolonely

Your competitor's entire retention team is about to be one person.

Not because they're cutting the team; because output is not constrained by labor.

More emails used to mean more people. Every campaign, every flow, every segment variation was another thing somebody had to manage.

Output was capped by headcount, so your program grew only as fast as you could hire.

With Allan, your team stocks the shelf once with headlines, images, offers, and copy, and the platform assembles the best version for every subscriber across every segment, testing and improving on its own.

Like paid media, it serves winning components more frequently. 

One marketer now ships what used to take five.

The brands that figure this out first won't just send better email. They'll do it with a fraction of the team.

→ Try for free at getallan.com

*Sponsored

What your welcome discount has to do besides convert

When Chase and I were traveling for the Retention Roadshow, we heard a session on why Day Zero matters so much: 85% of first purchases happen the day someone opts in, but by day one, that drops below 3%, and by day seven, it’s under 1%.

That puts a lot of pressure on the welcome email because a shopper has just joined your list, they’re interested but not bought in yet, and if they’re going to make a first purchase, odds are it’s happening now.

So the welcome discount can’t just be a code. It has to help someone understand what they should buy, why it’s worth trying, and why today is the right time to act.

COOLA and ciele both lead with a first-purchase discount, but the more useful question is what each brand asks that discount to do.

COOLA: Use the Discount to Lower the First-Shop Barrier

COOLA’s welcome email gives shoppers 15% off, but the offer isn’t expected to carry the whole first-purchase decision by itself. That matters because COOLA’s catalog has a lot of possible entry points: face sunscreen, body sunscreen, sprays, mists, lip balm, and more.

For a new shopper, the obstacle may not be whether they understand SPF or believe they need it. The obstacle may be that they don’t immediately know where to start. COOLA solves for that by pairing the welcome discount with a bestseller grid, which gives shoppers a starting point.

It’s a helpful move, but it’s also a pretty broad solution. A quiz, skin concern prompt, or “find your SPF” path could take the same idea further by pointing shoppers toward the product that fits their actual need. 

There’s also a trust-building layer underneath it. The ingredient and product claims near the bottom help answer the quiet questions a first-time buyer might have around formulation, testing, and values. 

The email could probably do less overall, especially with the SMS offer competing for attention, but the core job is clear: use the welcome discount to get a new shopper into the catalog without making them overthink the first purchase.

What brands can take from it:
If your catalog has several possible starting points, don’t make the discount the only direction. Pair the offer with a clear first-shop path, whether that’s bestsellers, starter products, or a small set of recommended categories.

ciele: Use the Discount to Explain Why the Product Is Different

ciele’s subject line, “Here’s 10% off,” is direct, but it doesn’t do much beyond announcing the offer. The email itself is more interesting because ciele is selling a product idea that needs a little framing: makeup that also offers skin protection.

That’s a different welcome email challenge. If a shopper doesn’t immediately understand what makes the product different, the discount may not be enough to move them toward a first purchase. So ciele uses the email to connect the offer to a clear product thesis: these are beauty products built to protect and perform.

The restraint helps. Instead of showing a large product grid or stacking multiple offers, ciele points shoppers toward three hero products: tint, blush, and filter. That keeps the decision contained while reinforcing the brand’s core idea. The code lowers the barrier to trying the product, but the positioning gives someone a reason to care in the first place.

What brands can take from it:
If your product needs education, use the welcome email to make the concept click fast. The offer can help someone take the first step, but the positioning has to explain why that first step is worth taking.

The Difference Is What Each Brand Needs the First Email to Solve

COOLA is solving for choice friction, while ciele is solving for concept friction. COOLA’s welcome email helps a new shopper navigate a broad catalog by pointing them toward the easiest places to start, while ciele’s welcome email makes the product idea easier to understand before asking someone to buy.

That’s the question to ask before writing a welcome discount email: what’s actually getting in the way of the first purchase? It might be too many product options, a product concept that needs explaining, a lack of trust, a higher price point, or uncertainty around what makes the brand different.

The code can help, but it shouldn’t be the only thing doing the work. When you’re writing a welcome discount email, it’s all about giving your shoppers a clear reason to take the first step while their intent is still fresh.

Anyone can call themselves an email expert (but few can back it up)

You've got the strategy down. But strategy doesn't help much when the automation stalls or your emails start hitting spam. That's the platform side, and it's where a lot of "experts" start guessing.

Omnisend's new Product Certification closes that gap. Free, genuinely technical, all about execution: deliverability, segmentation, automation, campaigns, reporting. Forty-five lessons, eight modules, under four hours, plus a certificate and badge at the end.

Anyone can say they're good at email. Now you can prove it.

👉 Get certified

*Sponsored

Meme drop:

Crash out commencing in 3...2...1...

The drop zone:

Beyond Yoga built its first real performance line and it still feels like Beyond Yoga

Glowzone is the brand's first collection for high-sweat workouts: proprietary moisture-wicking fabric, UPF 50+, seamless construction. Beyond Yoga grew 19% in H1 2026, and this is the line that takes them from soft leggings brand to full athletic contender.

ALOHA dropped a limited-edition strawberry bar for summer

Real dried strawberries, coconut flakes, and brown rice crisps in a 14g protein bar with only 4g of sugar. Organic, vegan, B-Corp certified with over a million customers and counting.

Tony's Chocolonely just dropped a Milk Popcorn Crunch bar

Crunchy caramelized corn pieces meet milk chocolate for a sweet-and-salty combo. Tony's built one of the most recognizable chocolate brands in the world by leading with its mission and backing it up with flavors that are genuinely hard to put down.

SPYLT went full nostalgia with a limited-edition Banana Milk protein drink

20g protein, zero sugar, 90 calories, 60mg caffeine, lactose-free. The brand won Best in Show and Fan Favorite at WAFC's NextOnShelf, and the whole identity is built around lunchbox nostalgia. Available on Amazon and TikTok Shop only.

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with us, it’s always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

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

Love this newsletter but want to receive it less frequently? Let us know by clicking here!