Tis’ the season!

I like to think of December in 2 ways: a countdown of less than four weeks to achieve your goals, and just a couple of weeks to recharge before diving back into another year of hustle!

I tend to ask myself, can two to three months make or break an entire year? From my standpoint, the answer is a resounding yes. Working closely with numerous brands, I witnessed how Q4 becomes a pivotal phase. For them, it's the prime acquisition period, where the importance of conversion reaches an all-time importance. 42% of shoppers said that when they tried a brand for the first time, it was the result of a digital offer. Hence the importance of promotions and discounting.

So who is ready to shop? Who is ready to end 2023 strong? What women-owned brands are we supporting? What amazing events are we excited about? And who is our first “HER” spotlight? Read on to find out…

This Holiday Season, Shop Women-Owned

My top 5 women-owned brands I highly suggest you add to your list this season. You wont regret it.

1. Momotaro - I have personally met the founder Lindsay and she is one badass lady and their vaginal wellness products are amazing!

2. Barefaced - Call me biased because I work with this brand, but they are truly a women-owned and managed company that offers some of the best skin care on the market. Jordan Harper and her team just get it!

3. The Sip - Black women founded, an amazing Champagne subscription service. Who wouldn’t love some bubbly every month?

4. Cuyana - founded by 2 women, 10 years ago. Creating timeless essentials. My everyday bag is from Cuyana and I LOVE.

5. Parachute - Ariel, formally an interior designer founded Parachute Home which offers high-quality, affordable bedding and home essentials.

• The average ecommerce conversion rates are around 2.5-3%. Even if you are doing everything right, you can still expect to win the sale around 2-3% of the time. This really shows how few people actually convert once they make it to your website - two platforms I recommend to help increase conversion, optimizely and Relo

• The need for speed and scale has escalated dramatically, 10 years ago, Amazon found that every 100ms of latency cost them 1% in sales. Fast forward to the present, 70% of mobile app users will abandon an app if it is taking too long to load. 53% of your site visitors will leave if your site takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

• 20% - 30% of your traffic is often coming from email is good but 30% to 60% is excellent. I am planning on doing a newsletter on this topic - because WOW there is a lot to unpack here!

Here are my top quick reads of the month. I like to think of this section as your quick hits that will keep you up to speed on all the latest updates in ecommcerce/tech!

1. Winners and losers of Black Friday 2023: Consumers spent a record $9.8 billion online on Black Friday, according to data from Adobe Analytics. That’s up 7.5% from last year. Inflation what?! Read MORE

2. TikTok Shop’s First Christmas consumers are relying on their social platforms more than ever this year to do their holiday shopping. In a recent holiday survey by Shopify, nearly half of respondents ages 18 to 29 said they plan on buying some holiday gifts on social media apps. Read MORE

3. What startup founders need to know about AI heading into 2024 we all talk about ChatGPT integration and its importance. What is interesting, some startups in the field of AI are being criticized for not developing substantial, original technologies but instead building superficial layers or interfaces around existing technologies created by others. The term "thin wrappers" implies a lack of substantial innovation or core technology development.

4. Schools Increasingly Offer Free Period Products for Equity and Accessibility this article is a must-read! How women in STEM are changing period taboos using modern technology. One college found that while 19 campus bathrooms had a free pad or tampon dispenser installed, 47% of them were empty. Claire Coder, founder of Aunt Flow focuses on getting free period products into bathrooms at schools and other public places. Read MORE

Women & Investing: How to Grow Your Wealth

UGHHH! The dreadful finance conversation my mother still continues to bring up to me even in my 30s. The statement I wait to hear from her is, “Have you created a budget”… Mom, I hate to break it to you, the good ol’budget tracker isn’t cutting it. I want realistic tools to help me achieve financial independence, feel secure, and realistically work towards some of those long-term goals.

One issue stands out prominently for me. The stark reality is that a significant number of professional women lack a robust financial education. However, there's a silver lining – the exciting news is that 21 US states have taken a proactive step. They now mandate high school students to undergo a personal finance management course, a move that makes financial literacy more accessible to everyone.

Whether you're gearing up to launch a business, craft a groundbreaking product, or chase after the career of your dreams, the insights we're about to share could be the missing piece in your financial puzzle. Here are some top tips on how to enhance your financial know-how and empower yourself for whatever path you choose in life

Looking for personal finance help? When I decided to get serious about my finances, podcasts were one of the first places I turned to for information.

• The Financial Feminist podcast is created by Tori Dunlap, the founder of the Her First $100K community. She went viral in the personal finance community for saving her first $100K in her early twenties and has made it her mission to help women do the same. Listen HERE

• Clever Girls Know podcast covers all of the financial education and empowerment that women need to help them pay off debt, save money, start growing real wealth, and meet their big financial goals. Listen HERE

• Money Confidential has tangible advice you can implement right away, while also acknowledging the role that emotions play in money decisions. Listen HERE

Looking for investors? 27 women-led venture capital firms you should know provides great highlights of some of the top firms. I also subscribe to the Glass Half Funded newsletter, which is another great newsletter to add to your list.

• Female Founders Fund

• Cowboy Ventures

Her in Focus

Kait and I first met a couple of months back at an event we both sponsored. I instantly wanted to meet her and understand more of her background. Kait’s energy is vibrant and very much contagious. Although we haven’t known each other very long, she has given me some great advice and provides amazing support, which truly means the world.

I sat down with Kait to learn more about HER. Who she is, what inspires her, the force behind Brij, her vision, and much more. So let’s get into it!

Personal Background

Kait grew up in NJ, near Philly and now lives in NYC. She attended Georgetown, majored in Finance & Marketing; got her MBA from Harvard Business School.

She has been in the tech industry for the past 10 years. She is the Co-Founder of Brij, which helps omnichannel brands “bridge” the gap between the offline & online to allow brands to connect with their customers regardless of the channel they sell through.

I plan to list out events for January but due to my friend’s new launch of an amazing platform that allows you to upload upcoming events, I have to shamelessly plug The DTC Times. No this is not created by a woman but he is a great supporter of mine and the point of empowHER is to highlight resources.

Check out The DTC Times for all the latest events in a city near you!