[ BDSN ] 🔑 The untapped goldmine for product research & launching

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🔑 REDDIT is a GOLD MINE for PRODUCT RESEARCH

One of the very best ways to do product research for new products and to find pain points and issues to address in sales copy for your current products is by using Reddit.

Reddit's traffic surged by 39% year-over-year in May 2024, which is a huge increase for a platform that has been around for almost 20 years.

The big driver of Reddit's traffic increase is organic search, particularly from Google (who paid $60 million this year to access Reddit’s API for AI training). Reddit had about 834.5 million direct visits in April 2024, but another 1.3 billion visits came from Google search results.

People love complaining on Reddit. Some of the best insights and copy you can paraphrase to make your product stand out as the best choice lives in subreddits.

In addition to doing research on Reddit, participate in forums related to your product and customer Avatar. You can often drive a lot of traffic to your product listings, and even create SEO that will show up on Google results.

You can scrape Reddit and find threads or subreddits where people are asking for advice about a particular problem, then insert yourself using alias accounts to recommend your own product.

Some of the best tools to use for Reddit scraping and research:

1. Advite

2. Idea Ape

3. GummySearch
   

👀 YOU GOTTA SEE THIS

Incrementum Digital's Liran Hirschkorn & BDS Dream 100 Member Mansour Norouzi recently recorded a free in-depth Walmart advertising course.

Whether you want to launch your brand on Walmart's platform or become an independent Walmart ads manager, this video is perfect for you.

🔎 AMAZON EXPERIMENTING with VIRTUAL STORES

More virtual store have been popping up lately on Amazon in a 2D world. Amazon has been experimenting with virtual storefronts for a few months.

These stores work in your browser without any special plug-ins or goggles.

Amazon has three goals in mind:

1. To enhance product discovery and consumer engagement on its platform, similar to features like the TikTok-like Inspire feed.

2. To explore the viability of the metaverse concept, even as public interest has waned in recent years. The article notes this could be a sign that Amazon is entertaining metaverse technology.

3. To provide a more immersive shopping experience, though the article suggests the virtual store experiences so far have been "clunky and difficult to navigate" from a consumer perspective.

Check out Amazon’s demo here of a curated selection of coffee makers neatly arranged on shelves, including models from Cuisinart and Nespresso. Here’s another demo for Home Goods.

Virtual reality is facing a tough sledge, with Meta recently discontinuing its Quest headsets and feedback to Apple’s Vision Pro mixed (Apple is now 100% focused on a cheaper version).

The technology is not new. Styliff Tech, one of London’s leading digital product studios, has been building next-gen apps and digital experience for Fortune 500 companies and start-ups for a few years.

In 2022 they introduced a catalog concept for a Toy Store ( <= worth checking out) showcasing a wide variety of products in a 3D environment called the Sphere. Another company called Profitero also creates 3D worlds for brand.

In testing, Styliff says they saw the following results:

Conversion rate increase over 30%
Time on site increase: 48%
Page view increase by 400%

It will be interesting to see where this goes with Amazon and if smaller brands will be able to start using this.

🤯 Joining Walmart Marketplace
Only Takes 3 Simple Steps 

Are you looking for an easy way to expand your reach?

With millions of monthly customers and powerful end-to-end fulfillment capabilities, Walmart Marketplace is what you’ve been searching for. 

• Setup an account 💻 

• Ship your products to a Walmart fulfillment center 📦 

• Start selling 💰   
  

No setup fees. No monthly fees. No hidden costs

Signing up for Walmart Marketplace takes just minutes. The best part? Right now, Walmart Marketplace is giving new sellers a significant discount on referral fees and fulfillment services.

You’ll be able to take up to 50% off for 90 days (conditions apply).

Don’t wait—the savings won’t last long. SIGN UP TO START SELLING.

🚢 SEA FREIGHT EXPERIENCING UBER-STYLE SURGES

Boom times are back for container shipping companies. Ocean rates have more than doubled since January.

Reasons for Increased Shipping Rates

1. Red Sea Crisis:

   • Vessel Attacks: Ongoing vessel attacks in the Red Sea have led to significant disruptions.

   • Route Changes: Ships are rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 2-3 weeks to transit times.

2. Congestion:

   • Global Port Congestion: Increased transit times are causing congestion at ports worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean.

   • Trans-shipment Delays: Delays at trans-shipment ports are causing cascading delays in global shipping schedules.

3. High Demand and Reduced Capacity:

   • High Demand: The demand for shipping space is high, particularly with peak season approaching in the U.S.

   • Lower Vessel Capacity: Fewer vessels are available, and those in service are experiencing longer transit times.

Rate Increases

• Current Rates:

  • Asia to U.S. West Coast: $7,052 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU)

  • Asia to U.S. East Coast: $8,253 per FEU

• Comparison: While lower than the pandemic peak (over $10,000 per FEU), these rates are still significantly higher than earlier in the year.

Outlook and Fourth Quarter Impact

• Continued High Rates: Experts predict that rates will remain elevated due to ongoing issues with capacity and high demand.

• Peak Season Pressure: The fourth quarter, which includes peak holiday shipping, is expected to see particularly high rates and possible additional surcharges.

Mitigation Strategies for Shippers

1. Increase Visibility and Forecasting:

   • Plan Ahead: Shippers should improve their forecasting to plan volumes and costs accurately.

   • Budget for Volatility: Be prepared for short-term cost increases.

2. Predictable Shipping:

   • Stick to Allocations: Avoid shipping over weekly allocations to prevent additional costs.

   • Early Communication: Communicate shipping forecasts early and consistently.

3. Strategic Decision-Making:

   • Bold Decisions: Make strategic decisions about shipping to manage costs effectively.

   • Long-Term Contracts: Consider negotiating long-term contracts to stabilize rates.

Kevin King and Norm Farrar, AKA the Marketing Misfits, share stories and experiences of branding and marketing over the last 35 years.

Norm and Kevin discuss the customer experience of opening your product, the perceived value of a product and how it can positively affect your margins, and standing out from your competition.

🚀 SKYROCKET YOUR SALES on AMAZON

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In honor of the United States’ birthday today, here is a short video I shot of some of the most patriotic places in America.

🥇 LEAVE a REVIEW and YOU COULD WIN BIG!

3 BDSN newsletter subscribers can win a FREE ticket worth $6,497.00 to attend BDSS XI in Iceland in April 2025 (no purchase necessary to enter).

Leave a text or video review, then spin the wheel to see what you win!

✌🏼 Happy Independence Day! Enjoy the holiday weekend in the USA.

See you again on Monday.

The answer to today’s STUMP BEZOS is
Gen X are those aged between 45 and 60

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