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Why would a brand send a shopper away from its own checkout?
Dip does it on purpose. The interesting part is what the independent store can do in return.
Today: We follow Dip’s local-first handoff, show how a holiday ad and landing page work together, cover five commerce updates, and check what shipping really costs.
While You Were Building
In the Headlines
Meta is showing which ad images, videos and text variations drive results. A new Ads Manager breakdown separates the creative pieces within an ad. Before retiring a concept, check whether one image or line is carrying it. The breakdown does not cover carousel or collection formats.
Amazon will require prepaid labels for most U.S. seller-fulfilled returns. Starting December 18, an address-only label will not be enough for eligible returns. If Amazon does not generate the label, upload a prepaid one in Manage Returns or issue a returnless refund within seven days. Audit your exceptions before the deadline.
Microsoft Ads gives brands rules for AI-written copy. Messaging guidelines are in open pilot for Performance Max and AI Max Search. Set boundaries around claims, tone and words to avoid before generating holiday ads.
Shopify can now keep translated storefronts in sync. U.S. and Canadian merchants can turn on weekly Auto-sync in Translate & Adapt for up to eight languages. It is off by default. If your English product page has changed since you translated it, check the other versions customers see.
Google is adding a Data Strength Uplift metric. The coming Google Ads view is designed to show conversion gains associated with your data setup. Use it to check whether improved measurement is changing reported Demand Gen results before treating a jump as new demand.
On Socials
1/ More white space is not always more clarity
A compact mobile buy box can put the price, bundle choice and add-to-cart button in one view. Dave Diederen reports a 10.74% lift after reducing padding in one test. Your check: can a shopper understand the whole offer without scrolling back and forth?
2/ Stop treating every email address the same
Mark Mei’s results come from one brand. The useful distinction is between recent clickers, first-time buyers, VIPs and truly lapsed customers. Each group deserves a different next message.
Today’s Deep Dive
Why Dip Sends Its Website Shoppers to Local Stores
A customer lands on your website, ready to buy. Would you send them to someone else’s store?
Dip does. The shampoo-bar brand sells online. But it asks shoppers to check a nearby independent retailer first.
In Dip’s retailer Q&A, account executive Jackie Bassett says Dip avoids Amazon and intentionally sends site visitors to local refill shops and stockists.
Dip says it sends website shoppers to independent stores.
The store locator gives shoppers a reason to try local first
Dip puts a store locator in its main navigation. On that page, it asks shoppers to check their nearest store first.
And if the store does not stock Dip? Tell the brand which store you tried, and Dip offers a free-shipping code.
The customer can try local without risking a dead end. The retailer gets a real chance at the sale.
The fallback: free shipping if the local shop does not have it.
The retailer can do more than hand over a shampoo bar
Shampoo bars raise questions. How do they work? What do they smell like? Will they suit my hair?
Bassett describes Dip stockists using testers, shelf talkers and conversation to answer them. Customers can touch and smell the product before buying. She says someone who starts with a mini may return for a full-size bar.
The store’s job: let shoppers handle the bars and ask questions.
This is why the retailer-first promise matters. Dip sends the store traffic. The store gives a product that needs explanation the time and attention it deserves.
What to copy
Give shoppers a clear route to a nearby stockist.
Equip that stockist to explain what makes your product worth buying.
Plan the fallback when the shop does not have it.
Your website can help your retail partners sell. Dip makes that promise visible at the moment a customer is ready to buy.
The How-To
How to Build a Holiday Landing Page That Keeps Your Ad’s Promise
A seasonal ad can earn the click. The page has to make that same idea easy to shop.
PopSockets’ Grinch ad sells holiday mischief, not a blanket discount. It shows a Grinch-themed grip and case and invites shoppers to “steal the holiday spotlight.”
The ad makes the Grinch collection the reason to click.
The page it sends people to picks up that story. The same characters and colours fill the first screen. Then “Meet The Grinch Collection” appears above matching cases and grips. No hunt through the general catalogue.
The page repeats the ad’s visual world, then shows the products.
1. Pick one buying idea. Choose a specific occasion, recipient or theme. Build the ad around that idea, not your whole catalogue.
2. Give it a page. Carry the ad’s wording and visual cues into the first screen. Put matching products directly below.
3. Check the handoff. Open ad and page side by side. Would someone who clicked instantly know they landed in the right place? If not, fix the first screen before buying more traffic.
Why it works: the ad creates a specific expectation. The page immediately confirms it and makes the next choice easy.
Inspect the ad and page together in the free Funnel Library → A free account unlocks this week’s full funnel.
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Daily Growth Rep
📦 Today’s Growth Rep: Find Your Most Expensive Order to Ship
Pull 10 recent delivered orders and compare shipping charged to the customer with what the labels actually cost.
Why this works:
“Free shipping” can hide losses on particular products or destinations.
One costly order tells you where to check your package, rate or threshold.
Your rep:
Choose 10 delivered orders across your common products and destinations.
Note the shipping charge, carrier label and surcharges for each.
Flag the worst gap and one change to test.
Report: “Shipping gap found.”
A profitable product can still produce an unprofitable delivery.
In Case You Missed It
On Monday, we broke down the Grüns swipe-to-shop funnel: 17 ads sell the problem; a one-card-at-a-time page makes choosing flavors feel like play. See the ads, page and offer together.