Jimmy KimCEO & Founder, Commerce Roundtable · Marketer of 17+ Years, 4x Founder. Former DTC/Retailer & SaaS Founder. Newsletter. Host of ASOM & Send it! Podcast. DTC Event: Commerce Roundtable

How to Build an Exclusive Drop Strategy (Without Discounts)

21 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:20

In this conversational video, Jimmy Kim and a co‑host outline a four‑step framework for creating exclusive product drops that rely on scarcity and insider access rather than price discounts. The process begins by identifying a segment of VIP or “insider” customers—typically the most engaged subscribers and repeat buyers—and adding them to a dedicated list. Next, the brand teases the upcoming drop with a compelling story and a waitlist, using email, SMS, or other channels to build anticipation. The insiders then receive a 24‑ to 48‑hour early‑access window before the product is released to the broader audience. After the drop, the brand shares a recap highlighting how quickly the product sold out and previews the next drop, maintaining momentum. The hosts stress that this model works not only for streetwear brands like Supreme but also for any category, such as seasonal flavors for food‑and‑beverage brands or limited‑edition bundles and gift sets. The overall message is that exclusivity driven by strength and scarcity can replace discount‑driven desperation.

Chapters

Discounts come from desperation and weakness, where exclusivity comes a lot more from strength.
So let's talk about how we build an exclusive strategy. You want to break that down?
Yeah. So in 4 easy steps, the first would be like building an insider's list segment. The next would then be teasing the drop with a story and a waitlist. I think that there it kind of goes to like giving early access window to those insiders and then doing some kind of like post-drop recap plus previewing the next drop. So step 1 is basically identify who these insiders are. So essentially these are like your VIPs, right? Your most engaged subscribers, your repeat buyers. That's who you're going to target with this. Once you build the group, the segment, you're then going to send them content, an email, an SMS, whatever it might be, teasing the drop. So don't just announce it, but actually get people excited, build the anticipation around it. Something special is coming next week. And then from there, like whenever you told them something's coming, give them that early access. So this is another text or you as an insider, you get a 24 to 48 heads up ahead of everyone else's shop. And then from there, the last step was after the drop, recap what happened and then talk about what's coming next. This sold out in X number of hours, right? This sold out in 3 hours. What's cool And the cool thing to know here is this isn't just for trendy streetwear brands like Supreme. It works for anyone.
Yeah, I know. I guess the drop culture doesn't mean a limited edition sneaker always, right?
It could literally be something like seasonal flavors for food and beverage brands. It could be limited bundles or gift sets.