In this episode of The Pennock Knockdown, host Nikki Pennock sits down with Nikita Vakrushev, founder and CEO of the e-commerce email and SMS agency, Aspect. A former DTC brand owner himself, Nikita shares his agency's evolution from a "jill of all trades" full-service shop to a specialized firm focused exclusively on email and SMS after facing burnout in 2021.The core of their discussion is Aspect's unique operational model, built on Nikita's core principle: "Speed as King". He critiques the traditional agency structure (separating copywriters, designers, and setup) as inefficient. Instead, Aspect's designers are trained to also write copy and handle the technical setup in Klaviyo. This allows one person to execute an entire email at once, cutting revision times from weeks to just 1-2 days.Nikita also dives deep into SMS strategy. He shares a critical insight: SMS performance is closely tied to Average Order Value (AOV). He finds it's ineffective for high-AOV products (over $150-$200), but shines for lower-AOV "impulse purchases". He advises using SMS strategically for automations and high-stakes sales periods (like BFCM), not for high-frequency sends, which become too expensive.Finally, Nikita shares his top three "icks"—the most common and cringeworthy mistakes he sees brands make:The One-Step Popup: Asking for name, email, and phone all at once, which tanks conversion rates.Burying the Offer: Hiding the CTA and offer "below the fold" of an email, which 90% of users will never scroll to see.Sending Without Exclusions: Blasting the entire list without excluding bounces, spam reporters, or unengaged users, which destroys deliverability.The discussion wraps with Nikita's stance on why email agencies should own list growth and his key advice to his younger self: stick to one niche and focus on sales.Key Moments & Timestamps:[00:00:39] Guest Origin Story: Nikita shares his journey from working at Pandora Jewelry to launching a print-on-demand store in 2017.[00:01:45] The Generalist Agency & Burnout: Nikita explains how doing everything (Google, Facebook, TikTok, email) led to burnout and the need to specialize.[00:02:45] The Pivot to Email & SMS: Why he chose to focus exclusively on retention marketing for its results and client retention.[00:04:29] "Speed as King": Aspect's Differentiator: Nikita breaks down his core principle and why the traditional agency model is broken.[00:05:40] A New Agency Model: How Aspect combines design, copywriting, and setup into one role to deliver revisions in 1-2 days, not weeks.[00:07:40] The SMS & AOV Connection: An insight into why SMS works best for low AOV (<$150) "impulse purchases" and fails for high-AOV "think about it" products.[00:09:22] SMS vs. Email Cadence: Nikita explains why SMS sends should be 1/3 of email sends (or less) and reserved for high-impact moments.[00:11:06] Email Segmentation Strategy: How to send daily emails to large lists without hitting the same subscribers every time.[00:13:00] Email "Ick" #1: The One-Step Popup: Why asking for name, email, and phone all at once is killing your list growth.[00:13:56] Email "Ick" #2: Information Below the Fold: Why your offer, code, and CTA must be above the fold.[00:15:19] Email "Ick" #3: Sending Without Exclusions: The technical mistake that is destroying your domain reputation and deliverability.[00:18:00] Owning List Growth: Nikita argues that email agencies have a responsibility to manage and grow the email list via popups and offers.[00:20:57] Advice to His Younger Self: Stick to one niche and focus on sales more than just "tinkering".[00:22:14] How to Connect: Find Nikita and his agency at AspectAgency.com (A-S-P-E-K-T).

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