The Everlane founder's second act is already moving. Plus Khloud raises $15M, Orebella closes a Series A, and the thinking behind Something & Nothing is worth your time.
The UCP framing is important but the real question for brands is structural: Google is asking you to plug your loyalty program into their checkout layer (the Ulta example from GML is the clearest case), and in exchange you get conversion rate lift and cart persistence — but you're also giving Google a signal feed on your highest-value customers that they can use to model lookalike audiences across your entire category. Most DTC brands will take that tradeoff without reading the fine print because the short-term conversion numbers are too good to say no to.
The UCP framing is important but the real question for brands is structural: Google is asking you to plug your loyalty program into their checkout layer (the Ulta example from GML is the clearest case), and in exchange you get conversion rate lift and cart persistence — but you're also giving Google a signal feed on your highest-value customers that they can use to model lookalike audiences across your entire category. Most DTC brands will take that tradeoff without reading the fine print because the short-term conversion numbers are too good to say no to.