Ep 514: How Hestan Built a 40% Repeat Purchase Engine With Content & Plain Text Email | AKNF

DTC Podcast

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How does a luxury cookware brand maintain a 40% repeat purchase rate?

In this episode of The World’s Best Retention and Marketing Podcast, Christina Chonody, Senior Director of Marketing at Hestan, shares the high-performance tactics behind their content-led retention strategy. From culinary storytelling and chef partnerships to plain-text emails that outperform flashy designs, Hestan proves that real value—not discounts—drives repeat purchases.

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Listen to learn:

• Why HTML-light emails often outperform design-heavy ones
• How Hestan aligns paid ads and retention messaging across the funnel
• What kind of content fails in acquisition but thrives in lifecycle marketing
• How chef-driven storytelling builds trust and brand loyalty
• Whether you're running retention or brand, this is a must-listen for high-AOV growth in the DTC space.

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Timestamps

00:00 Repeat customer rate and long-term brand strategy

02:00 Storytelling and chef partnerships at Hestan

06:00 Why NanoBond cookware changes the cooking experience

10:00 Building brand equity through email content

18:00 HTML vs full design emails and their performance

22:00 How paid and retention channels work together

27:00 Email’s dual role in CRO and branding

30:00 Strategic use of SMS and loyalty programs

33:00 Segmenting by product line to scale

36:00 Email’s impact on premium brand perception

Hashtags

#emailmarketing

#retentionmarketing

#cookwarebrands

#dtcpodcast

#brandstorytelling

#contentmarketing

#luxurybrands

#ecommercegrowth

#customerloyalty

#emailstrategy

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