Happy Thursday!

In 5 minutes, you'll be learning about the following:

1. ​How We Made $4K in 4 Hours with Zero Ads (and One Simple Email)
2. ​The Top-Performing AI Ad We Made in a Coffee Break
3. ​Meet GARY: The AI Dashboard That Thinks Like a Growth Marketer
4. Surviving a $1M Loss as a DTC Brand (& Why It Might Be the Best Thing That Happened)
5. ​Steal the AI Ad System That 7x’d Sales (Yes, We’re Giving You the Playbook) - EVENT

What did everyone enjoy last week?

The most clicked link was ... The Shopify Growth School​

Jim Huffman, GrowthHit & Neat Apparel CEO
​(Want a friend? Let's connect on Twitter or LinkedIn)

​AI Just Changed the Fitting Room​

Google’s new “Try-On” AI is live—and it’s a game-changer for DTC brands

Google just rolled out an AI tool that lets shoppers try on clothes without trying anything on. It’s called Try-On, and it’s now available to anyone in the U.S. via Google Search, Shopping, and Image results.

Here’s the breakdown:

🧍‍♀️ Upload a Pic. See the Fit.

Shoppers snap a full-body photo, tap the “Try it on” button next to a product, and boom - they see themselves wearing it. No model. No guesswork. Just a real shot of you in the product.

💸 Smart Price Tracking

Users can now follow product prices by size, color, and their own budget. If that $150 hoodie drops to $75, they’ll get an alert. This is huge for buyers on the fence and brands running flash sales.

🎨 Style Inspo via AI Mode (Coming Soon)

In the next update, shoppers will get personalized outfit and home design ideas based on their searches. Think Pinterest vibes—but smarter, and with buy buttons.

The takeaway:

If you’re running a DTC brand, your product images just became your top salesperson.

Low-res or inconsistent visuals? Not gonna cut it. Google’s AI needs clean, high-quality shots with multiple angles to show your products in virtual try-ons. Visual search is also replacing SEO fast - your listings need rich tags like “summer linen” or “date night” to show up.

And pricing? It’s now public game. Shoppers are setting alerts for their ideal price. That means your markdowns and promos aren’t just nice - they’re make-or-break for conversions.

​We're Looking for 10 Shopify Stores Ready to Scale with AI​

Work 1-on-1 with GrowthHit’s team to uncover what’s blocking sales, launch AI-powered growth tactics, and scale fast - risk-free.

Trying to break through that next revenue ceiling? Want to add $100K+ in sales before the end of the year?

We’re opening up 10 spots for our August AI Growth Sprint - an 8-week program built to help Shopify brands scale smarter using real AI-backed strategies.

This isn’t a course. It’s not a DIY YouTube rabbit hole. And it’s not some vague “done-for-you” offer that leaves you guessing.

You’ll work directly with the GrowthHit team - the same crew that scaled Neat Apparel, our sweat-proof Shopify brand, to 7 figures in 12 months. We’ve done this across 150+ DTC brands and now we’re handing you the playbook.

Expect AI-powered email flows, high-converting landing pages, smarter ad creative, and a step-by-step plan tailored to your brand.

You should apply if:

• You’re doing at least $10K/month on Shopify
• You’ve got consistent traffic (organic or paid)
• You’re ready to make bold, high-impact changes
• You’re open to coaching and want real traction
• You’re willing to share your numbers so we can get to work

And yes - there’s a 100% money-back guarantee. If you show up, implement, and don’t see results, you get your money back. No drama.

👉 Only 10 brands will be accepted into the August cohort. Apply here if you want in.

​The Top-Performing AI Ad We Made in a Coffee Break​

This client ad was built entirely with ChatGPT and it’s faster, cheaper, and outperforming everything else.

For one of our clients, we needed new ad creative - fast.

No photo shoot. No fresh assets. Just a tight deadline and a performance goal.
So what’d we do? We fired up ChatGPT.

We wrote the copy, generated a clean, on-brand background image, and gave it a quick polish in Photoshop. That’s it. From concept to launch, the whole thing took under two hours.

And the kicker?

It became the top-performing ad in the account - still outpacing everything else weeks later.

The win wasn’t from flashy production. It came from speed, clarity, and staying true to the brand. This wasn’t a 5-tool tech stack. It was one tool: ChatGPT. That’s the point - creative execution doesn’t have to be slow or complex.

And here’s the fun part: we’ve been documenting the exact prompts we’ve used- tested and proven across ad creative, website optimizations, email flows, SEO, and even calculating CAC, LTV, and ROAS like a pro.

It’s all inside our Shopify AI Prompt Library - and for our newsletter readers, we’re giving it away free.

👉 Get the Library Here​

Use code PROMPT100 at checkout for 100% off (until next week).

​Meet GARY: The AI Dashboard That Thinks Like a Growth Marketer​

The Shopify AI Dashboard that knows your numbers, talks strategy, and helps you figure out what to do next.

We were tired of staring at five dashboards and still not knowing what to test, fix, or scale.

So we built GARY - The AI Dashboard

It pulls in all your data - Shopify, Meta, Google Ads, Klaviyo and actually understands it.

But here’s the magic: you can talk to it. Ask why your CAC jumped. Ask what’s holding back conversion. Ask what to do next. And GARY answers - like a strategist who’s already looked at your store, knows your numbers, and isn’t afraid to give direction.

It doesn’t just report. It thinks.

It flags inventory issues before you sell out. It analyzes every review and spits out customer insights, ad angles, and email subject lines.

It compares your metrics to industry benchmarks. It even remembers what your team said in the last growth meeting and turns it into to-dos.

We’ve been using it on our Shopify brand Neat Apparel and testing it with a few clients. And yeah - it’s a game changer.

GARY is still in beta. But if you want to stop guessing and start scaling smarter, we’re opening up a waitlist.

This is the dashboard we wish we had years ago. So we built it. Now we’re letting a few more people in.

👉 Join the waitlist here​

​Surviving a $1M Loss (And Why It Might Be the Best Thing That Happened)​

Beardbrand got ghosted by Target, lost seven figures, and still bounced back - here’s how.

What do you do when a major retail partner ghosts you, you lose nearly $1 million, and every fixed cost suddenly feels massive? For Beardbrand, it wasn’t theory - it was 2023.

They revamped their packaging for a sustainability push, delivered a $200K Target order on time… and got silence. No reorders. No payment. No warning. To make things worse? They had exclusivity with Target, which meant they couldn’t sell the inventory elsewhere. When they finally launched on Amazon, the products had aged out and were unsellable.

That was just the beginning:

Tax lien. ADA lawsuit. Credit card freeze. Leaked 100% off code. $20K AC repair. Lost team members. Bad vendor decisions. Declining sales. All in the same year.

And yet - no layoffs. No debt. No investors.

The Playbook They Used to Survive

Beardbrand didn’t panic. They didn’t throw money at the problem or chase a Hail Mary. They got disciplined.

They relied on a cash reserve built from prior profitable years. That runway gave them room to breathe and time to think. From there, they slashed expenses - everything got questioned. Even $15 software didn’t make the cut. No sacred cows.

They reevaluated every vendor and stopped working with partners who didn’t value the business. When their manufacturer made them simplify their product line, it backfired and they owned that mistake. They realized the partner fit matters just as much as the product.

Internally, they restructured: one founder cut his salary and lived off savings. Some team members moved to part-time. But they kept the core team intact - the same people who helped grow the brand were now helping stabilize it.

They zeroed in on profitability instead of top-line growth. That meant rebuilding margins, fixing inventory issues, reducing waste, and reworking pricing strategies that had backfired. Every dollar was a decision.

This wasn’t survival mode fueled by chaos - it was methodical, strategic, and grounded in protecting the long game.

The Rebuild Strategy

Beardbrand’s not chasing hockey-stick growth. They’re chasing control. They’ve stabilized operations, cleared debt, and eliminated distractions. No more fighting fires - now it’s about consistent progress.

They’re reinvesting in what works: Meta ads, creative output, and content that actually connects with customers. They’re also rethinking retail - not big box, but niche: salons, boutique shops, grocery stores where brand still matters.

Their goal for this year? Hit 7% profit. Not flashy but it gives them a buffer. Long term, they’re aiming for 17%. That’s the zone where they can fund growth, hire, and breathe easier.

What stands out is their shift in mindset. After all the setbacks, they’re not playing defense anymore. They’re building with intention. Quietly. Confidently. Profit-first.

The Key Takeaway?

When growth stalls, don’t scale harder - tighten the fundamentals. Beardbrand didn’t need a pivot, a raise, or a Hail Mary. They needed discipline. That’s the real growth hack.

​How We Made $4K in 4 Hours with Zero Ads (and One Simple Email)​

​We acquired Neat, a sweat-proof apparel Shopify brand, in September 2023, and we’ve been documenting every win, fail, and lesson along the way here.​

We didn’t launch a flash sale. We launched a mindset shift: Henleys aren’t just inventory - they’re a retention lever for second-time buyers.

Want to know how we made $4k in 4 hours - without ads?
​
This past Sunday, we needed to move our Henley shirts.
​
Our flagship tee was doing great on ads. But Henleys?
Not so much.
​
Instead of forcing it with paid spend, we tried something else:
👉 We sent one well-timed email and SMS campaign to past customers that haven't bought in 30 days.
​
No discount.
No urgency gimmick.
Just a story: why the Henley is the elevated version of our best-selling tee—perfect for work or weekends.
​
📈 Result: $4,290 in 4 hours.
We reactivated past buyers and introduced them to a new product.
​
At Neat, we use tees to acquire.
But Henleys?
They’re for retention—a next-step product for loyal customers.
​
Need help with email? Hit us up at GrowthHit.

​Steal the AI Ad System That 7x’d Sales (Yes, We’re Giving You the Playbook)​

We rebuilt our entire paid ads process with AI and now we’re handing it to you.

This isn’t theory. It’s the exact AI workflow we use to write better copy, launch faster, and scale Shopify brands with less guesswork and way more wins.

In this live workshop, GrowthHit’s own Jordan (Head of Growth) and Andre (Senior Paid Ads Expert) will show you how we use AI at every stage of the funnel - from idea to scroll-stopping ad.

You’ll get the real breakdown: What flopped. What crushed. What we do now.

Plus: the full AI Ads Playbook. Every prompt. Every framework.

👉 Save Your Spot Now​

​How She Used B2B Tactics to Scale a DTC Wine Brand​

They didn’t just launch a wine brand - they created a whole new category. In this episode, Kendra Kawala shares how Maker Wines went from cold outreach to category leader.
​
​Jim talks with Kendra Kawala, co-founder of Maker Wines, about how she turned B2B sales grit into DTC scale. From walking into wine shops cold to managing complex supply chains with 15 wineries, Kendra reveals the realities of launching a new product category and why going B2B-first gave them an edge most DTC brands miss.
​
​Key Topics Covered:

• Why Maker Wines isn’t your typical DTC brand
• The early grind of B2B-style sales
• Managing logistics across 15 partner wineries
• What business school got right and wrong
• Choosing the right co-founder for scale
• Order economics and conviction at launch
• Applying B2B thinking to consumer marketing

If you’re launching something new - or want to scale smart - this is the episode you’ll come back to twice.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts

​Let’s Fix What’s Blocking Your Growth​

• My Agency - GrowthHit​
• AI Growth Strategies to Sell More On Shopify - GrowthSchool​
• The Sold-Out Shopify Playbook - Get the product​
• Podcast - The Shopify Growth Show​
• Proven AI Prompts for Your Shopify Success - Get the library​
• My Book: The Growth Marketer's Playbook​

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