How Pillowcube drove $16K in 4mo by increasing opt-ins at checkout

Missing high-value customers at checkout

Pillowcube had a hidden advantage: surprisingly strong repeat purchase rates for a durable goods brand. The pillow works, so customers become evangelists. They gift it to family, upgrade to bigger models, and come back when their partner steals theirs.

"We have several iterations. Customers who bought the original cube years ago come back for the bigger one. Or their partner steals it and they have to buy another," explains Mark Neumiller, Director of Performance Marketing.

But there was a problem. Pillowcube was using Shopify's default pre-checked email box at checkout, and opt-in rates were stuck at industry average. Half of purchasers were leaving without opting in, meaning the highest-value contacts were checking out without leaving Mark’s team permission to market to them in the future.

For a brand focused on profitable growth through retention, every subscriber matters. Mark knew the team needed a better way to capture customers at checkout without friction or compliance risk.

"Every subscriber matters when you're paying for acquisition. We wanted to lean into our stronger customer segments and maximize the value of every person who converts."

More sign-ups and proven incrementality

Mark approached the decision like any sharp performance marketer would: skeptical, and wanting proof.

"I'm agnostic on marketing decisions until I see the data. That's my whole approach when evaluating tools — can I track this? Is it going to give me real ROI, or is it just some back-end code that claims to increase revenue but doesn't actually move the needle?"

When Dataships reached out, Mark appreciated the testing approach they offered as part of the evaluation process: an A/B test to see if the Dataships approach to consent would at checkout could outperform the static checkbox Pillowcube was using.

Dataships integrated directly with Shopify and Klaviyo. The test split checkout traffic between Pillowcube’s current setup and the Dataships setup, which automatically showed the right privacy language based on where each shopper was located.

"It was incredibly easy to set up — it just fit into our flow. And once it was live, we could track these cohorts from Dataships specifically and see the ROI."

Within the first month, the data was clear. Email opt-ins jumped. More importantly, the quality was there — these subscribers were coming back to buy again.

"The beauty of the tool was that we were able to track this revenue and attribute it in a very straightforward way. After 30 to 60 days, we started to see those repeat purchases come in. It was a no-brainer."

Immediate, trackable growth

Dataships didn't just increase opt-ins, it brought in the right people. High-repurchase potential subscribers who were already bought into the brand.

Key outcomes:

• 27% lift in email opt-in rate at checkout (61% to 88%)
• 422 net-new subscribers per month
• $16K in incremental LTV in 4mo

The revenue impact was immediate and trackable. Mark could see exactly how many Dataships subscribers returned to buy again, what their order values were, and how their lifetime value compared to other channels.

But the value went beyond the numbers. Compliance was automated, which meant no more worrying about state-by-state privacy laws or manually adjusting checkout flows. The list kept growing with clean, engaged contacts.

"A lot of tools claim to increase revenue with some special code on the back end, but when you turn it off, nothing really changes. With Dataships, the ROI was clear from the beginning. Knowing the value of each customer was a gamechanger for our retention work."

With email performing, Pillowcube is now testing SMS consent collection through Dataships. The team is also launching new products in 2026 and are excited to keep building a strong retention base for the new SKUs in the coming year.

"As we go into 2026 with new products, we're going to rely on our customer base and email lists. That's where we'll launch first, educate people, and drive sales."

"I'm a data-driven marketer. I say I'm agnostic until I see the data — and that's why with Dataships, after the A/B test, it was a really easy decision. The tool gave us real ROI, it was easy to track, and it's been smooth sailing since."

— Mark Neumiller, Director of Performance Marketing, Pillowcube