The direct-to-consumer (D2C) landscape has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade, shifting from a "growth at all costs" model to one defined by surgical precision in marketing and inventory management. In a comprehensive discussion regarding the future of ecommerce, Cherene Aubert, the founder and CEO of Growth Capital, outlined a strategic framework for high-growth brands to navigate the complexities of modern consumer behavior. Aubert, whose career in digital marketing and brand strategy spans over a decade, argues that the most successful brands are those that prioritize customer experience over quick liquidations and maintain a disciplined approach to full-price transactions.

The Evolution of a D2C Strategist: A Professional Chronology

To understand the insights provided by Aubert, one must look at the trajectory of her career, which began in 2013. During a period when the D2C model was still in its nascent, "disruptor" phase, Aubert began managing and advising on ecommerce campaigns across various sectors. Her experience is rooted in a diverse range of roles, including agency leadership, merchant-side management, and independent consultancy.

A pivotal chapter in her professional history was her tenure as the Head of Strategy at Common Thread Collective, a prominent D2C-focused agency known for its data-driven approach to scaling brands. This role allowed her to oversee the growth trajectories of numerous mid-market and enterprise-level brands, providing her with a macro-view of the industry’s shifts. Following this, she transitioned into senior marketing roles at high-profile consumer companies. Notably, she served at Ilia Beauty, a leader in the "clean beauty" movement, where she navigated the high-frequency purchasing cycles of the cosmetics industry. She also held a senior role at Bobbie, an infant formula brand that gained significant market share by addressing supply chain gaps and focusing on community-centric marketing.

In founding Growth Capital, Aubert consolidated these experiences into an advisory firm specifically designed to help premium, high-growth brands scale. Her methodology emphasizes that experience—rather than just theoretical data—must guide marketing decisions, particularly when it comes to the delicate balance between brand equity and revenue generation.

The Psychology of the Offer: Moving Beyond the Discount

One of the most significant challenges facing modern ecommerce brands is the management of slow-moving or discontinued inventory. Traditionally, the industry standard has been to apply deep discounts to clear warehouse space. However, Aubert posits that this approach is often counterproductive and can actively damage a brand’s reputation with new customers.

"The first reaction is often ‘let’s just discount this thing to move it,’" Aubert noted during the discussion. "But what you’re doing is making it accessible to new customers, and it won’t be the best experience. You’re selling a product that everyone hates."

The logic behind this assertion is rooted in the customer lifecycle. If a product is moving slowly because of a design flaw, a poor finish, or a lack of market fit, selling it at a 50% discount to a first-time buyer ensures their first interaction with the brand is negative. Instead, Aubert advocates for a "Gift with Purchase" (GWP) model. By offering a high-demand, full-price product and including the slow-moving item for free, the brand manages expectations. Because the item is framed as a "no-value" add-on, the customer’s critical threshold is lowered, and the brand maintains the price integrity of its core collection. This strategy preserves margins on the primary sale while effectively liquidating secondary stock without the "cheapening" effect of a sitewide sale.

Strategic Bundling as an Inventory Solution

For products that are core to a collection but suffer from slow turnover, Aubert suggests that bundling is a superior alternative to individual markdowns. Bundling serves two primary purposes: it increases the perceived value of the transaction and guides the consumer toward a specific usage routine.

In the beauty sector, this might manifest as a "five-minute face" bundle, combining high-turnover items like mascara with slower-moving items like specific shades of blush or highlighter. In the food and beverage sector, this often takes the form of "sampler kits" or "morning routine" packages. These bundles allow brands to move multiple SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) in a single transaction, effectively increasing the "basket size" while providing a curated experience that reduces the "paradox of choice" for the consumer.

The CAC-AOV Paradox: A Data-Driven Analysis

A central theme of Aubert’s strategy is the inherent tension between Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Average Order Value (AOV). In the current economic climate, where digital advertising costs on platforms like Meta and Google have risen significantly, brands often find themselves in a zero-sum game.

"Those two goals often pull each other apart," Aubert explained. "The more you reduce your CAC, the more your AOV goes down, and the more you increase your AOV, the higher your CAC goes."

This tension exists because high-AOV bundles or premium products typically require a longer "consideration phase" from the consumer, leading to higher ad spend per conversion. Conversely, low-priced "entry" products can be sold with lower ad spend but result in thinner margins.

Aubert’s solution is a bifurcated marketing strategy:

1. New Customer Acquisition: Focus on introductory kits or "hero" products with lower price points to minimize CAC. These are often promoted via direct-response video ads that focus on a single solution.
2. Retention and Expansion: Target existing customers with high-AOV bundles and premium offers. Since the trust has already been established, these customers are more likely to commit to larger purchases. This segment is best reached through "owned" channels like email and SMS marketing, which do not incur the high costs of third-party advertising.

Channel Optimization: The Roles of TikTok and Meta

The debate over which platform offers the best return on investment (ROI) remains a top priority for CMOs. Aubert provides a nuanced view of the current ecosystem, noting that the choice of channel must align with the specific stage of the business and the nature of the product.

TikTok has emerged as the premier platform for brand awareness and top-of-funnel discovery. While TikTok Shop—the platform’s integrated commerce feature—may not always be the most profitable channel due to its fee structure and the nature of impulse buying, it serves as a powerful engine for generating affiliate content at scale. For many brands, the primary hurdle is content production; TikTok’s creator-led ecosystem provides a constant stream of "user-generated content" (UGC) that can be repurposed across other channels.

In contrast, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) remains the workhorse for retargeting and driving marketing efficiency ratios (MER). Aubert noted an "odd" trend in current data: CACs on Meta are sometimes more favorable on non-acquisition-focused campaigns, suggesting that the platform’s algorithm has become exceptionally efficient at identifying "high-intent" shoppers who have already been exposed to the brand elsewhere, such as on TikTok or in physical retail.

The Omnichannel Reality

Despite the focus on D2C digital strategies, Aubert emphasized that physical retail remains the dominant force in consumer spending. Market research consistently shows that while social media is the primary "discovery source" for new products, the actual transaction often occurs in a brick-and-mortar environment.

This reality necessitates a "halo effect" strategy where digital ads are not just judged by their immediate "click-to-buy" conversions, but by their ability to drive overall brand presence across all channels. For premium brands, the goal should be to remain at full price for as long as possible, using digital platforms to build the story and retail to provide the convenience of immediate acquisition.

Broader Implications and Industry Outlook

The insights shared by Aubert reflect a broader maturation of the ecommerce industry. The "Goldilocks era" of cheap Facebook ads and endless venture capital has been replaced by a "profitability first" mandate. Brands that rely heavily on frequent promotions and deep discounts risk entering a "death spiral" where they can no longer sell products at full price because they have conditioned their audience to wait for the next sale.

Furthermore, the rise of influencer affiliates as a primary acquisition driver signals a shift away from traditional brand-led advertising toward a more decentralized, peer-to-peer marketing model. As Aubert noted, the ability to generate and manage a high volume of influencer content is now a core competency for any high-growth consumer brand.

In conclusion, the path to scaling a premium brand in 2024 and beyond requires a sophisticated understanding of inventory psychology, a balanced approach to the CAC-AOV trade-off, and a multi-channel strategy that leverages the unique strengths of TikTok, Meta, and physical retail. By focusing on the "best customer experience" rather than just the fastest liquidation, leaders like Cherene Aubert are setting a new standard for sustainable growth in the D2C sector.