Hey, it's Chase and Jimmy here.

Some brands lead with product features and discounts.

Waverles leads with values, community, and a founder story about building a business through multiple life stages.

Their welcome flow is designed for conscious consumers who need to know what a brand stands for before they'll consider buying. It's heavy on mission, light on product specifics, and built to create connection over immediate conversion.

The approach works for building trust, but it leaves conversions on the table. Today we're breaking down where Waverles nails mission-driven branding and where stronger product education and urgency could actually drive sales.

Also inside:
✔️ What do the fastest-growing DTC brands know that you don't?
✔️ The drop zone: All-new in the protein, soda, and chip aisle

Let’s jump in👇

What do the fastest-growing DTC brands know that you don't? (Spoiler: They're sharing it in Austin.)

Commerce Roundtable Austin is 60% sold out and the room is stacked with some of the fastest-growing brands in DTC. On April 20-21, you'll get the real playbooks behind today's top brands to learn what's actually driving growth across acquisition, retention, creative, and new channels.

Here's a peek at the scheduled topics:

• Greg LaVecchia (Bloom Nutrition): Inside the $350M journey and the decisions that drove Bloom's growth

• Isaac Medeiros (Mini Katana / Kanpai Foods): Turning organic content into viral, high-performing paid ads

• Alyssa Wallace (BRĒZ) + Max Sturtevant (WellCopy): Retention debate—a live flow-off and what's actually driving revenue today

• Brock Mammoser (Frost Buddy): The TikTok Shop playbook and what's working right now

• Molly Pittman (Smart Marketer): How Meta performance is changing and how creative needs to adapt

• Liz Krupka (Nomadd Marketing) + Phoenix Ha (Instant Hydration): Leadership, growth, and navigating a male-dominated industry

• Brandon Fink (Wired2Scale): How brands are scaling on Meta without breaking their CAC

• Curated Networking: Brand-heavy room with built-in conversations, lounge hangs, and rooftop time overlooking downtown Austin

More speakers and sessions still being added.

Grab your spot & save $75 with code CR75 at checkout

Meme drop:

Now that's true love 🤭

Waverles welcome flow: Mission-driven branding that prioritizes connection over conversion

Waverles sells elevated loungewear and sleepwear designed for women who want versatile, timeless pieces that work across life stages. But you wouldn't know that immediately from their welcome flow.

Instead of leading with product features or category positioning, the brand opens with community, leans heavily into founder story, and lets values and social proof do most of the selling. It's a welcome flow built for conscious consumers who need to know what a brand stands for before they consider what it's selling.

1. We're So Glad You're Here

Focus: Welcome email with discount activation and brand values introduction

Why This Works:

• Group photo hero image immediately signals community and inclusivity

• 15% discount provides clear conversion incentive without dominating the message

• "What We Value" section establishes brand pillars (ethical production, female-founded, versatile design) before pushing product

• Three-pillar framework with imagery makes values easy to scan and remember

• "Thank you for being part of our community" closing creates belonging from the first touch

• Instagram feed preview reinforces lifestyle positioning and encourages social follow

Opportunities for Improvement:

• Hero image lacks product context, making it unclear what Waverles actually sells

• Values section is strong but doesn't connect to specific product benefits

• No clear next step for browsers who aren't ready to convert on discount alone

• Discount CTA competes visually with values content instead of complementing it

2. A Note from Our Founder

Focus: Founder story as brand credibility and mission validation

Why This Works:

• Black and white founder photo creates intimate, authentic connection

• Origin story connects personal entrepreneurship journey to brand mission

• Timeline from first business to Waverles launch shows experience and commitment

• "Timeless, seasonal, anywear, anywhere clothing" positioning is clear and differentiated

• Values-to-product bridge ("making Waverles adaptable for all stages of life") connects philosophy to function

• Lifestyle product photos at bottom show versatility without feeling salesy

Opportunities for Improvement:

• Story is compelling but entirely text-based, making it hard to scan on mobile

• No specific product callouts or recommendations based on founder favorites

• Missing opportunity to segment subscribers based on how they relate to the story

• No clear CTA beyond generic "Shop Waverles" button

3. Customer Favorites, Curated for You

Focus: Social proof through bestsellers and customer testimonials

Why This Works:

• "Amazing quality" headline with star rating immediately establishes credibility

• Individual customer testimonials with names and star ratings feel authentic

• Each testimonial highlights different benefits (comfort, quality, gift-worthiness) to appeal broadly

• "Styles People Are Loving" product grid provides specific shopping guidance

• Product cards include pricing and clear CTAs for easy conversion

• Testimonials paired with lifestyle imagery create aspiration and validation

Opportunities for Improvement:

• "Curated for you" promise in subject line isn't actually personalized

• Testimonials lack context about customer type or use case

• No indication of what makes these items bestsellers (units sold, repeat purchase rate)

• Product grid feels generic rather than strategically sequenced

4. Don't Forget: Your 15% Off Is Waiting

Focus: Discount reminder with simplified value proposition

Why This Works:

• Hero image shows product in lifestyle context (finally)

• "We're so glad you're here" reinforces welcoming brand tone

• Copy acknowledges both self-purchase and gifting occasions

• Clean, minimal design keeps focus on the discount and single CTA

• Three-pillar values reminder at bottom maintains brand consistency

Opportunities for Improvement:

• Email is visually sparse and doesn't give browsers new information

• No urgency framing around discount expiration

• Missing social proof that appeared in earlier emails

• Single product image doesn't showcase variety or versatility

• No segmentation based on engagement level or browsing behavior

5. 5 Lessons from a Bridesmaid Every Bride Should Know

Focus: Content marketing and blog traffic driver

Why This Works:

• Numbered listicle format promises scannable, actionable content

• Bridesmaid angle creates specific use case for lounge/sleepwear products

• Lifestyle photography shows products in relevant context (getting ready scenarios)

• Each tip includes practical advice beyond just product selling

• Blog CTA at bottom extends engagement beyond email

• Content feels helpful rather than sales-driven

Opportunities for Improvement:

• Content pivot to weddings feels abrupt without context about why it's relevant

• No product CTAs within the content itself, only at the end

• Missing opportunity to segment wedding-related subscribers for targeted follow-up

• Five tips is too many for mobile scanning without stronger visual breaks

• No indication of who should care about this content (bridesmaids? brides? both?)

What Waverles Gets Right

Values-Forward Positioning: The brand establishes what it stands for before asking for a purchase, building trust with conscious consumers.

Founder Authenticity: Personal story from Bri creates human connection and differentiates from faceless competitors.

Clean, Cohesive Design: Minimal aesthetic and consistent visual language create premium perception and reduce cognitive load.

Community Language: "We're so glad you're here" and "part of our community" framing makes subscribers feel welcomed, not sold to.

Where There's Room to Push Further

Personalization Is Nonexistent: Every subscriber receives the same generic flow regardless of behavior, preferences, or engagement signals.

Product Benefits Get Lost: So much focus on values and mission that specific product features and use cases barely appear.

Urgency Is Missing: Discount reminders lack time constraints or scarcity signals to motivate action.

Content Pivot Feels Random: Bridesmaid email appears without context or relevance signal for most subscribers.

Conversion Paths Could Use a Push: Multiple emails offer identical CTAs without testing alternative engagement strategies.

Final Takeaway: When Values Overwhelm Value Proposition

Waverles proves that mission-driven branding can create genuine connection with subscribers. The flow successfully establishes what the brand stands for and who founded it.

But connection without conversion leaves revenue on the table. The flow would perform better with smarter personalization, stronger product education, clear urgency signals, and dynamic content based on subscriber behavior.

Values matter. But so does helping people understand what they're actually buying and why they should buy it now.

Key Takeaways for Brands

• Lead with values, but connect them explicitly to product benefits

• Use founder story strategically to build credibility and differentiation

• Balance community-building language with clear conversion opportunities

• Personalize content based on subscriber signals, not just generic timing

• Create urgency around discounts with time constraints and scarcity messaging

• Test alternative engagement paths beyond repeated discount reminders

The drop zone:

RAW Nutrition just made protein bars worth getting excited about

Up to 21g of protein, as little as 1g of sugar, and four flavors that actually sound good (Dark Chocolate Cookie Butter?? yes). The candy aisle is cooked.

Esspo is the afternoon drink we didn't know we needed

Espresso + fizz + l-theanine, 45 calories, and none of the energy drink chaos. Three flavors, available now DTC and on TikTok Shop.

Glen Powell is now in the chip aisle and honestly? Fair enough

His Smash Kitchen brand just dropped kettle chips at Walmart. non-GMO, all-natural, and coming in Classic Sea Salt, American Style BBQ, Hot Honey BBQ, and Rosemary - for $3.50 a bag.

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

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

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Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

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