Tariffs, Consumer ADD, Cadence’s Retail Win, and a Week Full of Hoops

What’s up, everybody?

This week’s EcomConnect is coming in hot.

If you’ve been paying even a little attention to the headlines, then yeah — tariffs are the talk of the town. But that’s not all we’re covering. We’re talking about how to fight consumer ADD, how Cadence crushed their retail launch, and a few IRL events I’m hosting/helping host this week and later this month.

Let’s get into it.

Tariffs Are Back – And They’re Gonna Hit Ecom Hard

If you’ve been skimming headlines, here’s the one that matters:

The U.S. just introduced a 10% universal tariff on all imports.

That means everything coming into the country — regardless of category or origin — is now getting taxed at the border. And if you’re importing from countries like China, there are additional “reciprocal” tariffs on top of that.

Translation: your cost of goods just went up.

What Are Tariffs?

A tariff is a tax on imported products. When your shipment lands in the U.S., Customs charges you a percentage of the product’s declared value before releasing it.

• You (the importer) pay it.
• It’s based on the product type, where it came from, and current U.S. policy.
• It applies whether you’re a startup, an 8-figure brand, or somewhere in between.

How This Hits Ecommerce Brands

→ Branded DTC If you're manufacturing overseas and importing into the U.S., this directly increases your landed cost. The $10 unit becomes $11+ before it even hits your 3PL.

Now you’ve got choices:

• Raise prices?
• Renegotiate with suppliers?
• Or find a new source altogether?

Some brands are exploring:

• Shifting production to Vietnam, India, or nearshore options like Mexico
• Playing with bundles and pricing strategy to preserve margin
• Pushing digital product launches to buy time while the ops side catches up

→ Marketplace Sellers (Amazon, Etsy) If you’re importing products into the U.S. and fulfilling through FBA or a warehouse, these tariffs hit your bottom line fast — especially when you’re competing on price.

Some are responding by:

• Shifting SKUs to avoid tariff-heavy categories
• Exploring U.S.-based suppliers for top movers
• Reworking packaging to reduce classification penalties

What You Can Do Right Now

1. Diversify Your Supply Chain Don’t rely on one country. It’s not 2020 anymore.
2. Double-check Your Tariff Codes (HTS) There are legit savings hiding in reclassifications — don’t leave money on the table.
3. Forecast for Margin Impact Don’t get caught in the dark. Bake new COGS into your Q2 planning.
4. Loop in Every Team Everyone from ops to finance to growth should understand how these costs will impact pricing, inventory, and promos.

Bottom line: Tariffs aren’t just a global policy headline — they’re hitting your bottom line this month. The brands that adapt fast will win the long game.

Consumer ADD Is Real — Here’s How to Compete

We’re living in the age of infinite scroll, zero patience, and too many options.

Consumers aren’t just distracted — they’re overstimulated. And if you’re not grabbing attention immediately, you're invisible.

Here’s what’s working right now:

• Quick hooks win – Think: 0.2 seconds to make someone stop scrolling.
• Creative built for curiosity – Tease, don’t just tell. Leave gaps for the brain to fill.
• Volume > perfection – The algorithm rewards momentum. Ship fast, optimize later.
• Repetition matters – One viral post doesn’t convert. But showing up every day? That builds trust.

We’ll go deeper on this next week — but if your creative isn’t landing, it might not be the product… it might just be the pacing.

Here is a great example of how you can crush this:

Cadence Crushed It – Retail Launch Breakdown

Quick spotlight on Cadence and their recent cola drop:

• Sold out in-store at Vitamin Shoppe during opening weekend
• Ran a killer pre-launch campaign with fridge teases and physical touchpoints
• Executed a tight DTC → retail bridge with hype that didn’t fizzle

This is a textbook case of launching a new SKU with intention — and watching it carry from online to shelves.

It’s not just about building a product. It’s about building a moment around that product.

IRL Updates – Hoops, Suites, & Grow LA

This Wednesday:

• Daytime Ecom Basketball Bash at the Delta Center - RSVP Here
• Jazz game at night (Jazz Vs. Trial Blazers) – we’ve got a suite, it’s going to be a good time - RSVP Here

This Friday:

• Another suite night, partnered with a few friends — if you want to join, email me

End of the Month:

• I’ll be at Grow LA, Let me know if you're around — always down to link IRL / Get Coffee
• Planning a private dinner, and maybe a cold plunge + sauna hang (Lmk if you want to come)

Tool to Watch: Para

What if your next SMS wasn’t a text... but a voice memo from your brand?

Para lets you send AI-powered, personalized voice messages at scale — and it’s converting like crazy.

HexClad used it with Gordon Ramsay’s voice and saw 6.7x more revenue per recipient.

Sync it with Shopify + Klaviyo. Add names, product info, even clone your voice.

This isn’t the future of marketing — it’s already here.

Brand to Watch: Bold Bar

This week’s brand to keep your eye on is Bold Bar — a new bar that’s bridging the gap between performance fuel and daily indulgence. It’s clean, it’s flavorful, and it’s backed by a team that gets how to build both brand and buzz.

Big shoutout to Sean Jagermann for leading the charge and bringing the vision to life. You don’t see many food & bev launches land with this much clarity out the gate.

• Clean visual identity
• Bold (pun intended) brand voice

If you’re building in CPG or just want a great example of how to launch with energy and precision — Bold Bar is one to watch.

That’s a Wrap

That’s it for this week’s edition of EcomConnect.

From tariff shakeups to content strategies to retail launches — the game is changing, fast. If you're building something right now, and need eyes on your next move, hit reply. Always happy to jam.

Catch you next week.

– Zach

P.S. If you found value in this breakdown, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague who's interested in brand building, consumer trends, or the future of retail. And as always, hit reply with any thoughts — I read every message.