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Retention ChroniclesAuthor: Mariah Parsons
Ecommerce brands are focusing on increasing customer retention. Join us as we discuss marketing, operations, and the customer experience with top DTC brands for real strategy around generating revenue, email marketing, social media, performance metrics, AI, customer communication, & more in the Shopify ecosystem. Retention Chronicles is hosted and produced by Mariah Parsons and is sponsored by Malomo, a branded order tracking platform improving the post-purchase experience. Be sure to subscribe & check out retentionchronciclespodcast.com . Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Raising the Bar: Redefining Ready-to-Drink Cocktails with The Original Southside
Friday, 27 February, 2026
In this episode of Retention Chronicles, Mariah sits down with Meredith Mills-Merritt, founder and CEO of The Original Southside, a spirit-based, certified organic ready-to-drink cocktail built to challenge the status quo of the alcohol industry .Meredith shares how a family summer recipe evolved into a fast-growing CPG brand, why the RTD category is more confusing than consumers realize, and how ingredient transparency became her competitive edge. We unpack the difference between malt-based beverages and true spirit-based cocktails, the realities of launching in a saturated but growing category, and what it takes to build brand trust in a three-tier distribution system.We also dive into:Why education-first marketing is her primary acquisition strategyHow organic social and in-store tastings drive early tractionWhat retention looks like across DTC and retailWhy customer experience matters even more in a high-friction shipping categoryThe two unexpected consumer cohorts fueling growthIf you’re building in CPG, navigating restricted goods, or thinking about how to balance brand awareness with retention, this episode is a masterclass in patience, precision, and raising the bar.
