Most brands talk about acquisition as the bit that gets customers through the door, then hand them over to retention to keep them around.

Janis Thomas thinks that is where brands go wrong.

Because the first ad someone sees, the offer that gets them to buy and the experience that follows are all part of the same relationship. If the promise that won the first order does not match the experience that follows, customers do not tend to hang about for a second.

In this episode, Adam Pearce is joined by Janis Thomas, CMO at Clothes Doctor, to unpack why acquisition, retention and customer experience need to stop operating as separate little islands.

Janis brings experience from across eCommerce, subscriptions, digital media and entertainment, including senior roles at Birchbox and Playboy. Now, she is helping Clothes Doctor build a more considered approach to clothing care – helping people wash less, care better and keep the clothes they already own for longer.

They discuss the danger of attracting customers with offers that do not build long-term value, what subscription businesses can teach eCommerce brands about repeat purchase, and how to create a customer experience that gives people a reason to come back.

Also: Janis organised Hugh Hefner’s 80th birthday party.

Not a retention tactic.

Still a very good story!

In this episode:

• Why acquisition and retention should be planned together
• How your first offer shapes customer expectations
• The difference between getting a first order and building a repeat customer
• When discounts create more problems than they solve
• What subscription businesses understand about value, trust and repeat purchase
• Why the post-purchase experience starts before someone checks out
• How brands can align marketing promises with the real customer experience
• Lessons from Birchbox, Playboy and Clothes Doctor
• The Hugh Hefner birthday party story you did not know you needed to hear

About the Guest

Janis Thomas is CMO at Clothes Doctor, a UK laundry and clothing-care brand helping people make their clothes last longer through better care and less washing.

She has led marketing, eCommerce and customer experience across businesses including Birchbox and Playboy, with a career spanning subscription, digital media, entertainment and consumer brands.

🔗 Clothes Doctor
https://clothes-doctor.com

About the Host

Adam Pearce is Co-Founder of Blend Commerce and Founder of eCom Collab Club®, where he hosts candid conversations with founders and operators building modern eCommerce brands.

🔗 Blend Commerce
https://blendcommerce.com

🔗 eCom Collab Club®
https://ecomcollabclub.com

If your retention plan starts after checkout, it might already be late.

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