The Things That Can Wait (Until They Cannot)
DTC brands focus on growth. Acquisition, marketing, product development. Behind the scenes, neglected issues compound until they become emergencies.
Customer Data Quality
Data degrades over time. Duplicates accumulate. Fields become inconsistent. Segments become unreliable.
Eventually:
- Personalization stops working
- Analytics become misleading
- Marketing wastes budget on bad targeting
- Customer experience suffers from wrong assumptions
Fix: Regular data audits. Clean before problems become visible. Establish data quality standards.
Tax Compliance
Nexus rules mean you owe sales tax in states where you have presence. Presence expands as you grow. Many brands do not track properly.
Eventually: Back taxes, penalties, and interest. State notices that require immediate attention.
Fix: Tax automation from the start. TaxJar, Avalara, or similar. Track nexus proactively.
Operational Documentation
Processes live in people's heads. When key people leave, knowledge disappears. New hires take months to become effective.
Eventually: Critical processes fail. Training becomes trial and error. Mistakes multiply.
Fix: Document processes as they develop. Review documentation regularly. Make it part of training.
Integration Maintenance
Integrations built and forgotten. APIs change. Data drift accumulates. Small issues compound.
Eventually: Integrations fail at critical moments. Data is missing or wrong. Manual work fills gaps.
Fix: Regular integration health checks. Monitoring and alerting. Budget for maintenance.
Site Performance
Performance degrades gradually. Apps add up. Features accumulate. Images grow larger.
Eventually: Page speed affects conversion and SEO. Customer complaints increase. Fixes become complex.
Fix: Regular performance audits. Remove unused apps. Optimize proactively.
Inventory Accuracy
Small discrepancies accumulate. Counts drift from reality. Safety stock masks problems until it does not.
Eventually: Overselling becomes frequent. Customer experience suffers. Reconciliation becomes a major project.
Fix: Regular cycle counts. Investigate discrepancies immediately. Fix root causes.
Legal and Compliance
Terms of service, privacy policy, accessibility, product compliance. Not priorities until they are problems.
Eventually: Legal letters. Accessibility lawsuits. Regulatory penalties.
Fix: Periodic legal review. Accessibility audit. Stay current on compliance requirements.
For strategic guidance, see our services.
Working with LiftKit Digital
LiftKit Digital helps brands address these issues before they become expensive emergencies. We bring the attention now that saves costs later.
To discuss your situation, get in touch.