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We’ve always been about more than pixels and code. Series Eight is a place where stories unfold, brands get their edge, and ideas become tangible. Now, we’ve taken things up a notch with S8 Studios, our dedicated creative space for content, photography and everything in between.

It’s not just a studio. It’s where products find their personality, brands step into the spotlight, and creative ideas get the breathing room they deserve.

Why now? Because brands can’t afford to stand still

The world moves fast. Attention is fleeting. If your brand isn’t evolving, it’s fading. It’s not enough to look good—brands need visuals that stop the scroll and start conversations. That’s why we built S8 Studios. A place for brands to create, disrupt and make an impact. The future belongs to those who stand out.

A space where creativity takes centre stage

Design tells a story, but visuals make it stick. Whether you’re launching something new, refining what’s already great, or giving your brand a fresh perspective, S8 Studios exists to create visuals that build trust, drive conversions and make your brand impossible to ignore.

: Creative concepts, detailed guidelines and an obsession with getting every shot just right.

: Crisp packshots, macro and interactive 360° views—because the details matter.

: Story-driven immersive setups with props, models, food, pets—you name it.

From stop-motion magic to cinematic brand films, dynamic product reels and scroll-stopping social content.

Strategically located in Braga, Portugal—a European creative hub—S8 Studios is 110m² of pure creative energy, built for brands who want more. Think high ceilings, adaptable shooting areas, post-production desks and a team that knows their way around a lens. Lighting? Covered. Big ideas? Always.

If you’re after content that connects, a team that gets it and a space that sparks ideas, we should talk. S8 Studios is open, and we’re ready to create.

Welome to S8 Studios

Explore Seal Subscriptions

Subscription models are the backbone of many e-commerce businesses, but not all are created equal. A clunky sign-up process can send potential subscribers running, while a seamless experience turns them into loyal customers. So, how do you get it right? Let’s break it down.

Subscriptions work best for products people use regularly—think skincare, supplements, TP and coffee. They also suit digital services, memberships and curated experiences. If your product is the kind of thing they’d rather not run out of, a seamless subscription model can drive long-term growth.

Your customers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to subscribe. Try these tips to keep the journey smooth from the first click to checkout.

Only ask for the essentials (name, email, payment details). No unnecessary fields.

Offer a guest checkout option to encourage first-time subscribers.

Transparent pricing, renewal dates and cancellation policies eliminate surprises.

Allow users to customise billing cycles and make changes—on their terms.

Strong design principles create frictionless UX and keep customers engaged. Small design tweaks can make a big impact. 

, for example, offers customisable widgets that fit smoothly into any store setup.

Clear CTAs like “Subscribe & Save” guide users effortlessly. A mobile-first approach ensures a smooth experience. Progress indicators reduce drop-offs, and trust signals like reviews and security badges give customers the confidence to subscribe.

Subscription success in action: Smile Makers

 to build a flexible subscription model for 

 that gives customers full control. Users can easily adjust delivery frequencies, skip orders, edit their address or payment details, and add or remove products as needed. This level of flexibility creates a seamless experience that drives conversions and boosts retention. 

Our developers have tackled just about every subscription platform out there, and Seal stands out. Here’s what they love about it:

 – "It’s dreamy if you’re familiar with Recharge. No duplicate setups—just one streamlined system that works. Saves a ton of time/issues"

 – "It just works. Built-in loyalty perks, SKU swaps and handy options like auto-discount removals and minimum orders make life so much easier."

 – "Want it fully branded? Done. Want to skip the widget? No problem. Plus, the API is a breeze to work with."

 – "A rarity in the industry—actual helpful support. No endless loops, just real solutions from real people."

Seal the deal with a subscription that lasts

Optimising your subscription flow isn’t just about design—it’s about reducing friction, creating trust and leveraging the right tools. At Series Eight, we help brands refine their digital experiences for maximum growth.

The secret to effortless subscriptions

Get in touch

You might be in the business of selling, but the relationships you have with your users go way beyond transactional. People value originality, connection, and responsiveness—now more than ever. But building and nurturing relationships with your audience isn’t always easy. In fact, there’s a lot more to community management than meets the eye.

Here are five reasons why a proper community management strategy could be the most powerful tool in your social media toolkit.

It can help you spark conversation and build trust

By creating a platform that encourages conversation, community management plays a key role in humanising your brand. It gives you a genuine voice—and by actually listening to and addressing your audience’s questions and concerns, it helps you tap into the power of open, honest communication. The result: more positive sentiment and greater trust in your brand. Check out these examples from two clients we manage: Wood Veneer Hub and Acupanel.

It can get you into the algorithm’s good books

Algorithms are all about delivering relatable results—and they’re always on the lookout for the kinds of content that kickstart conversation. If social media algorithms interpret your content as relevant and highly engaging, then it will be bumped up the feed—and that means greater reach and engagement all around. Watch and learn from Ryanair’s community management team—the IG algorithm loves them.

It can turn your customers into your biggest advocates

Engaging with your community in a more personalised way can help turn first-time buyers into your biggest fans. Those who feel heard and valued are much more likely to share their positive experiences and recommend your products and services. And we all know how powerful word of mouth can be.

It gives you the chance to capture real-time feedback

Community management makes gathering feedback easier than ever. Through social listening, comment monitoring, polls, and engaging with users, you can capture valuable insights in real-time. All of that data can help improve marketing efforts, business strategies, product development, and more.

It helps you gather user-generated-content

An engaged community = an active community. When people are active on social media, they’ll sometimes create content featuring their favourite products on the fly. But to do this, they need to feel like they’re in a safe space; somewhere they belong. Gymshark is the prime example of a brand that provides this kind of space for its customers—and it gets a lot of great UGC in return.

The power of connection: Why community management matters

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Last year marked 10 years since Mario and Fran set up Series Eight in a basement studio in London. And as we kickstart another new year working in the world of web, we wanted to shout out to the longtimers who’ve been with us since the early days.

Big up John, Nate, Andreas, Colin and Bruno for showing the rest of us the ropes—and for sitting down to tell us all about their S8 journey so far.

What have been your biggest highlights over the years?

It has to be the brand project with OpenFortune—working with such an innovative company was incredibly rewarding. Seeing the positive reception not only from the client but also from external design sites and other platforms was a proud moment for me. Another memorable project was collaborating with NoTwoWays. As a brand I had admired for a long time, getting the opportunity to work with them truly felt like a “made it” moment.

Gridsure—the latest project I’ve been working on over the last 6 months! It’s a dashboard product which is something totally different from the e-commerce and marketing sites that have been my bread and butter.

There’ve been loads, but the biggest has to be on how much I’ve grown over the past five years. Before joining S8, I’d been freelancing for six years and had no clue what it was like to work in an agency. Back then, the team was just 8–10 people, my English wasn’t that great, and I was still figuring things out—but the team believed in me and my work.

Fast forward five years, and the team’s grown 3-4 times bigger. In that time, I’ve gone from a UI/UX Designer to a Senior role, and now I’m stepping up as Lead Designer. It’s been such an incredible journey!

Another big highlight was diving into photography and videography over the past three years. What started as a passion on the side has now become a full-on service we offer at S8. Last year, we launched a photography studio in Portugal. It came with new responsibilities, but being able to explore creativity in a new medium has been so rewarding.

What’s changed for you during your time at S8?

I was on the other side of the world, a “digital nomad”, with almost no possessions. I now own a 4 bedroom Victorian terraced house and an increasing supply of power tools.

I was newly married when I first joined S8, and we moved to our first flat just as I joined. Four years on, we’ve got not 1, not 2 but 3 boys (a 2-year-old and 3-month-old TWINS!). Our house is in the final stages of construction, and we’re looking forward to moving in sometime in January.

When I first joined S8 I was living in England but recently I packed up all my belongings and made the move to Barcelona—something I've always wanted to do.

We moved out of the city into the countryside in the middle of nowhere, got some chickens and a cat to go with the dog and haven’t looked back.

The first one that pops into my head is my interview with Mario. I was expecting it to be super formal like all the other interviews I’d had, but it was so relaxed. We clicked straight away, and it set the tone for this whole five-year journey.

My first Shopify site. I remember the client had a pretty complicated setup and I had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully the people I worked with really helped me get to grips with everything really fast and now Shopify is my favourite platform to work with.

Just one? I’m going to answer with “all of the team trips”—Budapest, Ericera, Prague, Lisbon. We’ve got such a great team who just feel like friends.

One memory that really stands out is from our trip to Ericeira. We were enjoying a pint before heading out for a night on the town when Alistair decided to head back to the room to freshen up. As he stood up, he walked straight into a glass door and bounced right back to where he had been sitting. Unfortunately for Alistair, he didn’t make it out that night—but it’s a story we’ll never let him live down (sorry, Alistair!).

What has working for S8 enabled you to do?

Not having that 2-hour commute each day has made a massive difference. From only having 30 mins or so before my daughter's bedtime each day to now having hours. And dedicated L&D allows you time to learn even more new things!

Being a father of 3 under 2, life is very hectic. The fact that I don’t have to deal with commuting and rigid work hours allows me to fit work and life in a way that works for the family and S8. 

On top of that, this year our house was being built which also required quite a bit of attention and balancing all that on top of work and family life would have been impossible. I’m so appreciative of the structure and support S8 provides, and can’t think of a better place to work! (Special mention for the team trips too!!)

The flexibility of not having to commute and starting work on my own schedule has been a game-changer for my productivity and creativity. The generous holiday allowance still amazes me—it provides the freedom to truly reset, especially around Christmas, and spend quality time with friends and family. And of course, the team trips are always a highlight I eagerly look forward to each year.

Work-wise, I’m focused on continuing to deliver high-quality designs and results for our clients while elevating our branding offerings to the next level. On a personal level, I’ve recently been on a health kick, pushing myself in the gym, and I’m determined to keep that up. I also want to travel more and, excitingly, I’m starting to learn Spanish in the new year—so who knows, maybe this time next year we could do this interview in Spanish!

Loads! I want to buy a house or apartment, keep up my cycling training, ride out the crypto bull market, and most importantly—make it to 2026!

At some point I hope to finish refurbishing my bathroom—a proper shower would be nice after 18 months.

A sit down with the S8 longtimers

We’re all familiar with the classic influencer marketing playbook: seed the product, get a post on their feed, and repeat. But today, that approach alone doesn’t quite hit the mark. You need to go beyond traditional unboxings and product selfies (petition to stop the collab selfies, anyone?) and instead, find ways to max out your investment across every single channel.

Here’s how to elevate your influencer marketing program so you’re getting the most out of it for your brand.

Add some influencer star power to make your email campaigns shine

Email marketing is often overlooked as a space for influencer content, but it’s prime real estate. By featuring influencers in your email campaigns, you’re placing them directly in front of your most engaged audience.

Pick content that’s on-brand and resonates with your subscribers, like tutorials, product tips, or styled shots of your latest items. Whether it’s an influencer's seasonal picks or a personal story about why they love your brand, this approach adds an authentic layer to your email campaigns and creates more value for your subscribers.

 to see what other brands are doing with influencers.

Supercharge your ads with influencer content

Influencers create scroll-stopping content that resonates with their followers. But negotiate the rights to that content and you’ll open up a whole new world for your brand.

We all know that authentic content from real people performs better in ads, and gaining content rights will allow you to extend the reach of influencer-created content to your paid ad campaigns. You’ll amplify the influencer’s impact and capitalise on the authentic vibe their content brings, even beyond social media.

Quick tip: ensure your brief is clear and aligns with your brand voice, so the content feels seamless within your campaign.

Build a base of brand champions with affiliate marketing

Affiliate networks are a game-changer for building a loyal influencer team. By moving beyond one-off partnerships, you’re encouraging influencers to become true brand advocates. Offer them a commission on sales generated through their unique links, and you’ll motivate them to promote your products consistently.

Plus, having your influencers actively participate in an affiliate programme helps to build a trustworthy image with consumers—they’ll see those influencers sticking with your brand over time, and that fosters credibility.

Maximise influence with landing pages designed to convert

So you’ve got your influencer affiliate codes. Now you’re probably looking to give an extra boost to conversions. Give each influencer their own custom landing page that feels like it was made just for their followers. These personalised pages not only amplify the influencer’s unique brand vibe, but they also create a seamless journey for their audience—from the influencer’s post straight to a page tailored just for them.

It’s the perfect way to spotlight the exact products they’re raving about, drive home their endorsement, and track conversions. Bonus: you’ll get clear insights on which influencers are really bringing the heat.

Spotlight influencer content on your blog

Your brand’s blog isn’t just for SEO keywords and product updates. Featuring influencer content there can not only add value to your blog but also give your influencers another reason to work with you.

Share interviews, styling tips, or personal stories from influencers who embody your brand’s ethos. This allows new visitors to see real people (not just models or product photos) representing your brand, which brings the authenticity that every brand is after right now.

Ready to dive in but not sure where to start? There are some great resources online at places like 

Beyond the basics: How to take influencer marketing to the next level

Can you believe the biggest shopping season of the year is already here? Whether you’re a holiday-season pro or it’s your first rodeo, these tips will keep your campaigns fresh, your brand authentic, and your customers clicking that “buy” button.

(Just consider it our early Christmas gift to help you sleigh the season...)

Getting a jump start on holiday campaigns is key, but don’t lock everything down. Be ready to pivot based on trends, customer feedback, or what’s hot at the moment. Stay flexible, and you’ll stay relevant.

A little festive spirit is great, but it’s easy to go overboard. Keep it authentic to your brand instead of flooding everything with red, green, and tinsel. Subtle seasonal touches work way better than classic holiday clichés.

The holidays are all about connection and nostalgia. Use storytelling, personal touches, and customer testimonials to make your audience feel something. The stronger the emotional connection, the more likely they’ll choose your brand.

More emails and ads don’t mean more sales. Be strategic with your frequency and avoid overwhelming customers with endless reminders. Use segmentation to hit the right people at the right time instead of blasting everyone daily.

People need a reason to buy now, not later. Limited-time offers, countdown timers, and last-minute shopping deadlines add urgency—but remember to be honest and consistent. False hype is a quick way to lose trust.

Holiday shoppers are on the go, which means they’re shopping from their phones. Make sure every email, ad, and landing page is mobile-friendly so customers can shop anytime, where without a hitch.

Show a little love to your MVPs! Special discounts, early access to sales, or exclusive content can go a long way in making loyal customers feel appreciated—and in keeping them coming back.

Don’t: Ignore shipping and delivery promises

We’ve all had the stress of waiting for a parcel to arrive in time for the big day. So if you promise delivery dates, stick to them. Manage expectations clearly, and if anything changes, communicate quickly and honestly. Shipping slip-ups can be deal-breakers for repeat business.

Stand out from the crowd by making your marketing feel personal. From email subject lines to product recommendations, a little personalisation can make your brand feel tailored and thoughtful in a sea of generic holiday spam.

The holiday season might end on 1st January, but customer relationships don’t. Plan for re-engagement campaigns in the new year to keep the momentum going and turn one-time holiday buyers into long-term fans.

Keep these dos and don’ts in mind, and you’ll be set up to crush the holiday season. Stick to what makes your brand unique, stay real, and don’t forget to take a breather—it’s the holidays, after all.

Sleigh the season: Holiday marketing dos and don'ts

Black Friday is right around the corner, and if you're feeling the rush, you're not alone. It’s that time of year when all the late nights and planning pay off—or fall flat if the details slip.

So before you hit "launch" on your biggest sale of the year, check out our last-minute Black Friday prep checklist. It’ll keep your website smooth, emails landing in inboxes (not spam), and ads converting like a dream.

Make sure your inventory is up-to-date and test out any discount codes. If your codes aren’t automatically applied at the checkout (or have formatting rules like all CAPS) then make those details clear to your shoppers from the start.

Don’t forget the finer details. Check your page titles, meta descriptions, and social images to make sure they look good in search results or when shared. The more you can do to entice users to click through to your site, the better.

Keep your products easy to find with clean, clear navigation. If you know your best-sellers or want to showcase the products with the biggest discounts, then prioritise those in the nav. If you have a dedicated Black Friday landing page, make sure it’s easily accessible from the homepage.

Already got exit pop-ups up and running? Tweak your design and messaging when the sale drops so you can catch those about-to-bounce visitors with a last-minute offer they can’t resist.

Make sure you’re geared up to send targeted emails to your MVPs—repeat buyers, loyal fans, and anyone else already in your database. If there’s a list you aren’t already planning to target, it’s not too late to set something up.

The savviest shoppers will have their carts full before the sales drop. Get ready to nudge them over the line with checkout abandonment and browse abandonment email flows when the sale drops.

Remember: make it loud, make it urgent—and let people know this deal’s for a limited time only. Check out a tool like 

 to discover how other big brands tackled last year’s sale and see how your emails measure up.

Got site visitors who haven’t hit “buy”? Make sure you’re all prepped to run ads to bring them back. Trust us, retargeting ads are some of the most powerful tools in your Black Friday toolkit.

Every ad and email should link to the exact page they need to be on—no detours. Trial all your user journeys before go-live and ask your teammates to do the same. If they aren’t seamless, do what you can to fix it.

Make sure you’ve factored in time to keep a close eye on ad performance and tweak things as needed while the sale’s hot. You can always push your best-sellers, switch up your messaging or change your targeting depending on what’s selling.

Nail these, and you’re all set to crush Black Friday.

Ready, set, sale! Your last-minute Black Friday checklist

An annual conference usually means a tonne of announcements, and Webflow Conf 2024 was a biggie. It’s safe to say the platform’s latest updates will transform the way we do web design, from revolutionising our processes to helping us craft more impactful websites.

Here’s a deep dive into what’s new with Webflow and why the latest updates are such a big win for web agencies like us.

Analyse and Optimise: data-driven decisions, made easy

The release of Analyze and Optimise means that it’s super simple to gather insights and test what’s working, all from within the platform. No more relying on third-party tools to track behaviour or run A/B tests—it’s all right there. You can see how visitors are interacting with your site, tweak the experience based on real data, and personalise things on the fly. For us, this is a massive win because we’ll have more control over the full lifecycle of a project, from design all the way through to ongoing performance improvements.

AI Integration: speed without sacrificing creativity

Webflow’s new AI Assistant is seriously going to speed things up on the build front. Whether you’re using it to draft content or generate new sections for a page, it allows you to move faster without giving up that creative edge. For designers, this means you can spin up core sections like testimonials or pricing tables in seconds, but still customise everything to fit your brand. It’s perfect for cranking out quality work when deadlines are tight, without sacrificing creativity or control.

Animations can take a site to the next level, but coding more complex animations from scratch can be pretty time-consuming. Now, with Webflow integrating GSAP (the GreenSock Animation Library), it’s so much easier to add eye-catching animations directly into our projects. No extra coding required. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for creating those engaging, interactive web experiences that really make a website stand out.

New page building and approval workflows: even more reasons to collaborate

Collaboration can be one of the biggest challenges in web development, especially when lots of stakeholders are involved. Webflow’s new page-building tools enable non-technical team members to create pages while staying within the brand’s design guidelines—speeding up the build while keeping everything consistent. Plus, their design approval system organises feedback and ensures we can easily get the go-ahead from everyone involved—without slowing down the whole project.

CMS and design system improvements: greater flexibility, less maintenance

Managing content is always at the heart of our workflow, so these CMS upgrades are a huge boost. The new bulk operations and improved publishing controls will make handling large-scale projects way more efficient. On top of that, the addition of Component Style Variants means less repetitive work for designers and more flexibility to make sure everything stays cohesive across a site. A win-win for both creativity and maintenance.

What’s hot at Webflow Conf 2024

Last week, we set statuses to ‘out of office’ and met in the terracotta-topped city of Lisbon for our annual team retreat. It’s not often we all get together—and since we’ve recently welcomed a tonne of new faces to the team, this year was all about eating, drinking and just hanging out IRL.

One by one, we made ourselves at home at Lisbon’s Mama Shelter—a super sassy urban hangout that we love for its foosball tables and family-style feasting. For some of us, it was a case of a quick coach ride to the capital. But for others (sorry, Cyprus crew), it was a late-night arrival after various layovers and lost luggage drama. Plus, there was a last-minute detour for Jasmine, who, after feeling very smug with her early arrival at Gatwick, ended up making a mad dash to Heathrow (the airport she was actually meant to be flying from…)

Despite the bleary eyes, the next day started strong with the first of our activities: a pastel de nata masterclass. Working under the watchful eye of the pros at Nat'elier, we hand-crafted and baked our very own versions of the Portuguese classic. Why yes, we did make our own pastry.

That evening, the voyage of gastronomy continued as we took to the streets of the city for a tuk-tuk food tour. We sampled everything from local cheeses and vino verde to the city’s famous pork bifanas. We even sat down to the traditional salted cod dish, bacalhau à brás, with a side of Fado guitar. All of this was rounded off with a freshly baked pastel de nata chaser—yes, more pastries.

For our final night, we tore around the city armed with tablets as we took part in an outdoor escape hunt. Turns out nothing makes us more competitive than a Time Cops-themed backstory, cryptic clues, and a 90-minute countdown clock. But after crowning the winners, it was onwards to Sumaya for our final meal together: Lebanese mezze followed by a birthday cake for a 

 surprised Soraia, who turned 28 while we were away.

The theme of this year’s retreat was all about getting together—so we made plenty of time to do just that. We explored museums, wandered around botanic gardens, and scaled those deceptively steep streets of the old town. We drank port and tonic in Alfama, did karaoke in Bairro Alto, and each night, claimed the hotel terrace as ours for beers and cocktails.

We reconnected with people we hadn’t seen in real life for a while—and, for the first time this year, almost all of us were together in person (shout out to Andreas, Alex and Simon who were with us in spirit). But best of all, we came away with a tonne of new memories and Slack memes, feeling hyped about what the future has in store for the S8 fam.

 love to Fran and Mario for treating us to three incredible days out of the office. It’s safe to say we loved every second.

S8 Team trip 2024: Lisbon

Whether you love them or hate them, it’s safe to say that most consumers still can’t resist them. So with some of the biggest sales events of the calendar year just around the corner, how can you make sure you’re doing everything you can to get in on the action?

Here’s our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands.

1. Decide on your offer. And make it a good one.

Your customers won’t settle for the kinds of discounts you get for simply signing up to a mailing list. They’ll be holding out for big things when it comes to Black Friday. They may even have their favourites list and basket filled up already. So make sure it’s an enticing enough offer that will cut through the noise and convince them to part with their cash in the first few hours.

A lot of time is spent focusing on the front end of your site—but it pays to give a bit of love to the checkout, too. How seamless is the cart journey on mobile? Are there features you could be utilising to increase the average cart value, like upsell or cross-selling tools? Is it worth adding buy now, pay later options or shortcuts like Shop Pay? If it makes the purchase journey easier, then it’s worth considering (and testing) ahead of time.

3. Prep your store for an influx of traffic.

If you’re using a managed platform like Shopify then relax—everything’s handled for you. But if your website is on a self-hosted tool such as WordPress or Craft, then it’s a good idea to know how to monitor your server resources. If you need to scale up your hosting to deal with additional demand, there are caching and CDN tools like Cloudflare and Fastly. But, if you’re expecting a huge surge in traffic, you could always look into implementing a virtual waiting room using Cloudflare, Akamai or AWS to prevent any overloading.

By that, we mean go back to basics and make sure your tactics align with every consumer you might encounter throughout the sales period.

Broad, top-level targeting that intros your brand to new audiences with messaging around deals and promos.

Middle of the funnel: the consideration phase

If users have shown an interest, retarget them with content such as reviews, testimonials and limited-time offers.

Bottom of the funnel: the conversion phase

Now’s the time to drive urgency with countdown timers, reminders and exclusive discounts for last-minute shoppers.

Over the next 3-7 days, encourage repeat purchases with personalised follow-up orders and upsells.

Figure all of this out ahead of time and trust us, your strategy will be foolproof.

If you’re continuously capturing leads via a newsletter sign-up, then ramp things up in the run-up to Black Friday. Creating a landing page that captures email and phone numbers in exchange for early access to the sale is an easy win. Or, you could supercharge your subscriber sign-ups by throwing additional things like discounts, free gifts or mystery sign-up offers into the mix.

6. Be ready with your email campaigns and flows.

Of course, you’re going to need a fully-fledged email plan that targets your subscribers with your Black Friday offer. But think about revamping all your existing flows, too. Feature Black Friday messaging in your welcome flows during the Black Friday period, and optimise any automated flows like your abandoned cart journey, too. It’s simple tactics like this that can be done well in advance but are super effective.

7. Create ad campaigns that stand out from the crowd.

Catchy creative is one thing, but delivering the right message to the right people at the right time is where you’ll really see results. Make sure you’re considering Meta ads for targeting and retargeting specific audiences, utilising assets such as customer testimonials to build trust. Plus, be sure to roll out broad audience targeting with personalised dynamic ads, too.

8. Have a plan in place for community management.

Managing your social media community is important throughout the year, but during peak sales periods like Black Friday, the stakes are even higher due to the massive influx of engagement. As more users will be interacting with your ad content, it’s vital you have a plan in place for monitoring comments and inboxes. As a minimum, make sure you:

Prepare a set of pre-written responses for common queries to save time and make sure your voice is consistent.

Prioritise comments that are most visible or influential, like those on popular posts or those that get engagement, fast.

Automatically filter and hide comments with offensive words, phrases, or spam.

Have a plan for how to quickly escalate more complex issues, like a dedicated Slack channel with your customer support team.

Keep interactions authentic to ensure genuine connections with customers.

9. Get prepped with your post-purchase activity, too.

Black Friday is just the beginning. With the right kind of post-purchase activity, you could have a new wave of brand-lovers on your hands. So get ready with those post-purchase email flows and campaigns so you can start engaging with your new buyers right away.

Our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands

We recently launched our brand-new creative studio in Portugal (woohoo!) Creating winning e-commerce experiences has always been our bag, so having a dedicated space where we can do everything from art direction to photoshoots just made sense.

But we were still pretty surprised when someone recently said to us “A photography studio? Aren’t you just using AI for everything?” Not everything, friends. Here’s why we believe real-life photography still beats AI-generated imagery in the world of e-commerce.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re big believers in using AI for mood-boarding and mock-ups, or helping us fast-track touch-ups in the editing room. But when it comes to art direction and actually capturing content, that’s something AI can’t replicate. Take our new Art Director, Rita. She’s crafted visual identities for tonnes of brands in her time, so she knows what works and what resonates. Her ideas come from true inspiration, not what’s already on the web—and she’ll tell you herself how important creative freedom is for shooting quality content. We’re creating content for humans, so don’t underestimate the power of the human experience, people.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, we can all agree there’s no excuse for a sloppy shopping experience. We eat with our eyes, right? So nothing fills a cart faster than a super polished product, packaging or lifestyle shot. And it’s not just about avoiding the cringeworthy, superimposed look you get from clunky AI mock-ups. Photos and videos captured in a studio have a scale that’s 10 times greater than an AI-generated image, so you can use them for super-detailed close-ups, big branded billboards, print, packaging and anything else you can think of. And believe us when we say there’s nothing a marketing team loves nothing more than having a whole library of high-quality assets to play with.

They’re your assets. So make them yours.

The clue’s in the name—if you’re using artificial intelligence to create your product shots, can you ever really call them original? If real people and places are a big part of your brand identity, then real photography is the only way to capture this—right down to the tiny details such as lighting, texture and colour. By keeping it real, you’re not only steering well clear of any issues like misuse or misrepresentation, but you’re building trust, too. We’re hardwired to be suspicious of anything that looks artificial—but give us an accurate picture of what we’re buying into and we’ll be way more likely to part with our cash.

You can’t shoot content without a solid strategy. But the good news is, this kind of groundwork pays for itself. Art direction just so happens to be one of the best investments you can make in your brand. Whether you’re just starting out or simply want to refresh your assets, art direction (and the bank of beautifully shot photography that comes out of it) will help you maintain that consistent look and feel online, offline—and anywhere else you show up in the future.

Why real e-commerce photography still beats AI-generated imagery

Earlier this year, our sister agency and sidekick, Parallel 9, merged with team S8 to create Series Eight 2.0. Our expertise in branding, content creation, web design and development, and Parallel 9’s skills in growth marketing––now all under one roof.

Here’s why we decided to combine all things S8 and P9 under the original Series Eight brand and what this new era has in store for us all.

S8 has always been in the business of building brands and websites, and we spend a tonne of time getting to understand every business we work with. From target audience to long-term vision, we come away with the kind of insider insights you only get from being part of a project. So, why not take that knowledge and use it to help those same businesses grow faster and go further?

Whether you’re a start-up entering the world of e-commerce or a brand that’s been in the business for decades, you now gain access to an entire suite of services from a team that really knows you and your business. Makes total sense if you ask us.

We all know how important it is for agencies to act as an extension of a brand’s in-house team. And if you’re working with the same team for brand, design, build and growth, then things are bound to run even more smoothly.

Shared comms channels, better visibility, a bigger skillset––and not to mention an easier handover once your site goes live and you’re ready to start marketing to the masses. With just one point of contact, there’s no onboarding separate agencies or bringing brand-new teams up to speed. Because we may be spread across timezones, but you can rest assured we’re always across all of the important stuff.

Faster, more flexible, and more future-focused

Paid ad landing pages, post sign-up offers, even bespoke banners and pop-ups––if we’re working across everything from web design to growth, then any marketing tools can be factored into your site build. And that means fewer hold-ups later down the line and a laser-focused strategy from the get-go.

You also get access to a team that’s super-skilled in every area of growth marketing. Our team is made up of email marketing strategists, SEO and Meta ad specialists, copywriters, designers, and video editors. And if you’re looking to work with influencers, we can find the right people to represent your brand, too.

We’ve put our web design and marketing heads together and added a load more services. We’re talking specialist SEO knowledge, community management for paid social media, plus––our all-new Series Eight studio, where we’ll be doing art direction, product photography, and more.

You also get the freedom to pick and choose based on your business goals and budget. Because one size never fits all––especially if (like us) you’re all about standing out rather than trying to fit in.

Take it from our people people

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Let us take you further than you’ve ever been

Take it from our people people

Welome to S8 Studios

The secret to effortless subscriptions

The power of connection: Why community management matters

A sit down with the S8 longtimers

Beyond the basics: How to take influencer marketing to the next level

Sleigh the season: Holiday marketing dos and don'ts

Ready, set, sale! Your last-minute Black Friday checklist

What’s hot at Webflow Conf 2024

S8 Team trip 2024: Lisbon

Our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands

Why real e-commerce photography still beats AI-generated imagery

When two become one...

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