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Ollie Aplin
3 x Founder | Fractional Head of Growth for DTC & Shopify Brands
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What To Do When Growth Stalls
If you’re reading this in Q1, there’s a good chance things feel… flat.
Ads are cheaper. CPMs look great. But sales aren’t following.
Email is quieter than it was in November. Repeat purchases are slower. CAC is creeping up.
Revenue feels heavier to earn.
This is the moment founders start to panic quietly. Not full-blown chaos. Just constant low-level stress.
“Do we need another offer?”
“Are ads broken?”
“Is this just us?”
It’s not just you. And growth stalling doesn’t always mean something is broken. Here’s the thing. You can’t force people to spend money they don’t have.
But you can get ready for what comes next.
Here’s what I would do.
Turn Discount Buyers Into Real Customers
The real work starts after the sale.
BFCM customers often have lower LTV because brands stop at the transaction. If you want loyalty, you have to earn it.
These customers already know your brand. Now your job changes. You’re no longer selling the deal. You’re selling the brand story, values, and experience behind it.
That starts with connection.
In practice, that looks like:
- Thoughtful thank-you emails that feel human, not automated
- Plain-text messages from the founder or CX lead acknowledging the purchase
At MindJournal, those plain-text notes consistently drove replies, and those replies did more for brand loyalty than any “discount to buy again” ever did.
From there, nurture with value, not pressure.
For example, a skincare brand might follow up a discounted first purchase with simple guidance on how to use the products over the first few weeks, what to expect as skin adjusts, and when customers typically re-order. No urgency. No discount. Just reassurance that they’re using it properly and getting the most out of their investment.
Instead of rushing to sell again:
- Help customers feel confident that they made the right decision
- Reduce uncertainty once the product arrives
- Reinforce why the product fits into their routine
Then pull customers into your ecosystem.
That might mean:
- Inviting them onto SMS for useful updates, not constant promos
- Offering early access to launches or restocks
- Introducing them to communities, waitlists, or events
When it’s time to encourage repeat purchases, be thoughtful:
- Use replenishment reminders based on realistic usage
- Recommend genuinely complementary products
- Frame bundles as “what most customers buy next”, not a discount grab
That same skincare brand might introduce what customers typically add next through educational content on how skin needs change with the weather, subtly showing how an additional layer fits into an existing routine, without being forceful or pushy.
Use loyalty carefully. Promote it softly and only if it genuinely adds value.
At the same time, collect feedback:
- Ask for reviews once the product’s been used, not as it arrives
- Run short surveys to understand hesitation points and overall experience
Use this input to improve both the product and your future marketing.
Remember the goal.
You’re not trying to squeeze revenue out of discount buyers.
You’re turning them into emotionally invested, repeat customers.
They’re your community. Make them feel that way.
Fix the Things You Ignore at Peak
Peak hides problems.
When volume is high, inefficiencies don’t hurt enough to feel urgent. Conversion rates can slip. Messaging can drift. Friction creeps in. Sales still come in, so nothing feels broken enough to fix.
Q1 removes that cover.
Lower volume makes the gaps obvious. And that’s a gift, if you use it properly.
This is the best time to fix the things you never had time to.
Start with the basics:
- Your key landing pages
- Your core product pages
- Your checkout experience
- Your email flows
You don’t need to rebuild everything. You need to tighten what already works.
That might mean:
- Clarifying who a product is for, and who it’s not
- Simplifying offers that require too much thinking
- Removing steps between click and purchase
- Making sure your emails actually reflect your brand, not just deliver offers
This is also the moment to review your funnel. Not channel by channel. End-to-end.
Do your ads, pages, and emails tell the same story, or are they pulling in different directions?
When those pieces align, friction drops and decisions feel easier.
And when demand returns, you’ll feel it immediately.
Test to Learn, Not to Force Momentum
This is usually the point where founders get restless.
Sales are slower. Pressure creeps in. And testing starts to feel like a way to manufacture growth.
That’s the wrong mindset.
In quieter periods, testing isn’t about finding a breakthrough. It’s about learning what actually works before volume returns.
Lower traffic makes this a good time to test with less risk. Mistakes cost less. Signals are cleaner.
Not endless experiments. A small number of deliberate ones.
Focus on tests that validate the decisions you’ve already made in the earlier steps.
That might mean:
- Testing a clearer landing page message against your current version
- Comparing two ways of framing the same product or benefit
- Introducing a new audience that closely mirrors your best customers
You’re not looking for instant winners. You’re looking for clarity.
What’s easier to understand? What removes friction?
This applies to email, too. You’re testing to see what people engage with when they’re not in a buying rush.
When demand returns, ideas you’ve already validated scale faster.
You’ll be building on evidence, not guesswork.
Pull Back to Move Forward
Quiet periods are a chance to step back.
When sales slow, inefficiencies become obvious. So does unnecessary complexity. Tools, processes, and habits that crept in over time suddenly feel louder.
This is the moment to take the opportunity to simplify. To reduce cost and inefficiency.
Look at the tools and systems you’re paying for. Apps that made sense at peak. Platforms that cost more than they return. Overlaps that add friction without adding real value.
Sometimes it’s as simple as migrating a costly support setup, for example, moving from Gorgias to Richpanel.
You don’t need to rip everything out. You need to be intentional.
Fewer tools. Clearer ownership. Less noise.
This is also a good time to look at how your team actually works.
When things are busy, unclear responsibilities hide behind momentum. When things slow down, it becomes obvious who owns what, where decisions get stuck, and what’s being done twice or not at all.
Clarity here builds efficiency fast. Not by adding people, but by simplifying responsibilities and decision-making.
Use the space to get organised.
Be clear on what you’re actually trying to achieve this year. What needs to be true by Q2 or Q3?
What you’re building towards, and what no longer matters.
This is also the right time to produce.
At MindJournal, January was often when we did the unglamorous work: tightening flows, cleaning up landing pages, and briefing creative so we weren’t under pressure later in the year.
If you can, take what you’ve learned from testing and turn it into new assets.
Produce work you can deploy when intent returns, rather than scrambling when it does.
You’re not trying to fix a quiet quarter.
You’re getting ready for brighter days ahead.
