Hiya people 👋

How’s your Monday going? 

We are back with another salt and pepper DTC edition carrying news from the retail and marketing world. 

Let's jump headlong! 🏊

• Temu’s Ad Spend Jumps 1000%: Online marketplace Temu is placing ads on social media, paid search, and television to increase brand presence and win shoppers. Its total ad spend jumped 1000% year-on-year from January to November 2023. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• 76% of the ad spend went to social media

• 13% to digital display ads

• 11% to rest channels

• Nike To Lay Off 2% Workforce: Sportswear giant Nike is laying off 2% of its workforce. The company cited below-par performance for the lay-off. The first layoffs began on Friday and will continue through this week. The second round will be completed by May. 

• Kate McLeod and Soft Services on Sephora now: The DTC skin and body care brand Soft Services rolled out on Sephora on February 13. Meanwhile, the eco-friendly brand Kate McLeod’s products – lotion bar, dry brush, and mini sampler set – rolled out on February 16. 

• Spanx’s First Brand Campaign in London: Spanx is readying itself to launch its first brand campaign in London. The campaign will star body activist, author, model, and beauty brand founder Charli Howard. The campaign will be displayed across London’s tube stations.  

• Culture Pop Secures $21M in Funding: The DTC probiotic soda brand Culture Pop secured $21 million at a funding round led by investors such as Starbucks. 

• Glossier to Open a Store in Las Vegas: Makeup brand Glossier announced that it is opening a store in Las Vegas. Glossier already has standalone brick-and-mortar shops in New York, London, and Boston, among others. 

• US Retail Sales Decline in January: As declining sales show, US customers are likely taking a breather after the holiday shopping season. The retail purchases decreased 0.8 percent from December, the biggest drop in a year. 

^{Sponsored by minisocial}

minisocial is the go-to UGC solution

minisocial is a user generated content platform that pairs brands with micro influencers to create fully-licensed UGC.

Leading brands turn to minisocial to produce UGC that they then leverage across ALL their marketing channels while also accessing a network of high-quality micro influencers and their followers. Learn more

More news from the DTC world

• Why Are US-based DTC Brands looking to expand in offshore markets?

• Stitch Fix is opting for part-time workers instead of full-time styling roles as a cost-cutting move

• Major League Soccer and Beat by Dr. Dre partnership is turning warmups into playlists 

That’s a wrap! See you on Friday with an in-depth analysis - don't miss it!