I'm not sure where in the world you're reading this from, but my personal dispatch point is the Northeastern United States, which currently finds itself in the grip of some rather frigid temperatures.
You would think, having been raised in this region, I would be accustomed to the ol' spot of snow and single digit temps by now: but no. All it's done for me, year after year, is solidify my determination to one day pack it all up and start a year-round avocado farm in Michoacán, Mexico.
I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. Quite a few of us at Rebuy are feeling keen for a bit of respite from the winter doldrums, which is why we're excited to be sponsoring EEE Miami in early February. We're also hosting a sunny party at the Palm Springs Surf Club in Palm Springs, California, later in the month.
I won't be at either event, but I'm sure I'll get some vicarious hits of dopamine just knowing my colleagues are sipping mimosas and absorbing heat from the sun (the sun, a.k.a., somebody that I used to know).
Check out the details on the events below, along with some solid tips on how to set your brand up for a strong 2026.
In a recent webinar with our friends at Relay Commerce, Rebuy's Rich Matukaitis dug into a question many teams wrestle with every January: where should you invest after the holiday spend, and what needs to be fixed first?
One theme came through clearly: the biggest Q1 mistakes tend to come from scaling on top of messy assumptions.
According to Rich, here’s where brands should focus first if they want to avoid those mistakes.
Stop treating all Q4 revenue as equal. Holiday sales feel great, but not all of that revenue behaves the same way in Q1. Gift buyers, self-purchasers, and deal-driven shoppers each signal very different future value. If those groups stay blended, every downstream decision gets noisier.
Q1 is when data debt shows up. Disconnected tools, overlapping features, and fragmented customer profiles make it harder to answer simple questions, like who’s most likely to buy again. Many teams use Q1 to consolidate platforms and clean up data so personalization and reporting actually work the rest of the year.
Repeat revenue comes from structure, not luck. Strong brands don’t rely on “win-back campaigns” to drive repeat purchases. They intentionally map how a first purchase should lead to a second, through complementary discovery and clearer paths back to the store.
The fastest way to waste spend is skipping the planning step. Before increasing ad budgets or launching new campaigns, winning teams align on cohorts, journeys, and ownership. Q1 is where revenue systems are set, not where they’re stress-tested.
What this means: January shouldn't just be treated as a recovery period post holiday surge. It’s a foundation-setting month that'll impact the whole year ahead. Brands would do well to take time to understand who they acquired, clean up their data and tools, and intentionally design repeat paths make every campaign more effective long after Q1.
What post-holiday churn can teach you if you’re paying attention
This time of year in ecommerce brings a familiar pattern: traffic spikes from Q4 start to cool, subscriptions pause, and cancellations tick up. But it's not all bad news. Insights from our partner Stay AI suggest this moment is actually one of the most valuable learning windows of the year.
Here’s how to use post-holiday cancellations to improve retention going forward:
Holiday churn reveals expectation gaps. Gift recipients, first-time buyers, and deal-driven shoppers often cancel for different reasons than long-term customers. Simple, focused cancel questions help uncover whether churn is about pricing, product fit, usage confusion, or something that went wrong earlier in the journey.
Don’t rush to discount — listen first. It’s tempting to throw incentives at every cancellation. But leading with offers too quickly can mask the real issue. Brands get better long-term results when they understand why someone is leaving before trying to change their mind.
Cancel data should inform upstream fixes. Post-holiday cancellations often point to problems that started well before the cancel click — unclear onboarding, mismatched expectations, or lack of guidance after the first purchase. Patterns here are signals for what needs to improve earlier in the funnel.
Respectful exits build trust for the long run. Not every customer is meant to stay for the long haul, and that’s okay. Clear, pressure-free cancel experiences lead to more honest feedback and leave the door open for future returns, referrals, or reactivation down the line.
What this means: Q1 churn is an opportunity for insight-rich feedback from your biggest traffic moment of the year. Brands that use post-holiday cancellations to learn, not just react, are better positioned to reduce churn before the next surge hits.
Events 🎉
EEE Miami February 4–5, Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, Florida
If you’re looking to start the year with sharper thinking and better conversations, EEE Miami is worth putting on your calendar. Hosted by Absolute Web, this two-day event brings together ecommerce leaders who are actively building, testing, and scaling what’s next. 🌴
Expect thoughtful sessions, real operator insights, and speakers like Ezra Firestone, Ben Diamond, and Jeff Lee.
Rebuy Pool Party @ eTail February 24, Palm Springs Surf Club, Palm Springs, California
Conference days are for learning. This is for everything else. We’re hosting an invite-only poolside hang with Bear Group, Fluent, and Shopify — no panels, no pitches, no name-badge small talk.
Come grab a drink, post up in a cabana, catch a wave (yes, there's a wave pool!), or just soak up the sunshine with some of the best people in ecommerce. 🌊
Ladies of Ecommerce Brunch @ eTail February 24, 10am, Sands Hotel & Spa, Palm Springs, California
Before the hubbub of eTail kicks in, we’re starting the week the right way with sunshine, mimosas, and chill vibes. Join us at the Pink Cabana for a ladies-only brunch hosted by Rebuy, Rivo, Gorgias, and DYODE. This is a slow morning kind of gathering with women who understand ecommerce life.
Come as you are. Stay as long as you want. We're keeping this intentionally intimate so request your spot today 💕🥂 Click here to sign up.
Quick hits ⚡️
OpenAI hints at its first consumer device
OpenAI is reportedly exploring its first hardware product, with early signals pointing to AI-powered earbuds designed to bring ChatGPT-style assistance into everyday, screen-free moments. While details are still emerging, the move suggests AI is heading beyond apps and browsers and into always-on, ambient experiences — where help, answers, and context are available without pulling out a phone.
Shopify introduces a 4% fee on sales made through ChatGPT checkout
Shopify merchants will soon pay a 4% fee on orders completed via ChatGPT’s native checkout experience, according to recent reporting. The move signals a new phase of AI-assisted commerce where discovery, recommendation, and purchase can happen entirely outside a traditional storefront. For brands, it raises bigger questions about margins, attribution, and how much control merchants have as AI-driven buying paths continue to expand beyond owned channels.
LET'S STAY CONNECTED
Rebuy, Inc. 50 W BroadwaySte 333 PMB 57340 Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101-2027, USA
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