The stack behind Rhode's $1B acquisition, and how we’d consolidate it

Hailey Bieber's Rhode has been acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in a deal valued at $1 billion. The transaction includes $800 million in cash and stock, with a further $200 million based on performance targets over the next three years. The acquisition gives e.l.f. a high-performing brand in the prestige skincare category and access to a younger customer base through Rhode's retail presence in the U.S. and U.K.

The frontend is well-executed, but the backend is not.

The brand currently relies on twelve third-party platforms to manage customer communication, payments, content, compliance, and tracking. Some of these tools perform overlapping functions. Others exist in isolation, without a shared data model or governance structure. Most appear to have been added in response to immediate needs during periods of rapid growth.

This pattern is common among early-stage DTC brands. Tools are introduced reactively. Infrastructure becomes fragmented. Long-term planning is postponed until inefficiencies begin to slow the system down.

A Stack Built Under Pressure

Messaging and Support

• Klaviyo (email)
• Attentive (SMS)
• Kustomer (chat and helpdesk)

Payments and Protection

• Afterpay (buy now, pay later)
• NoFraud (fraud detection)
• Chargeback (dispute management)

Content and Reviews

• Vimeo (video hosting)
• Cozy Video Gallery (PDP video embeds)
• Okendo (product reviews)

Compliance and Tracking

• Osano (cookie consent)
• TikTok Pixel (ad attribution)

This setup is operational, but not sustainable. Messaging is split across multiple systems. Fraud and chargeback management run separately from the payment provider. Video and review content are delivered via external scripts, which affect page speed. Tracking and privacy management are not centralised.

None of these tools are ineffective on their own. The issue is the structure in which they sit. It creates ongoing complexity. It slows down decision-making. It limits visibility. Over time, it becomes harder to manage and more expensive to maintain.

What We Would Change

Pecometer does not remove working systems without reason. We assess where consolidation would reduce friction and improve performance.

We would retain Klaviyo and migrate SMS and support into a unified platform such as Gorgias. This would simplify customer communication and reduce vendor overhead.

We would remove external fraud and dispute tools and use a provider like Stripe Radar or Shopify Payments to handle both within the transaction layer.

We would replace Vimeo and Cozy Video Gallery with a native module that displays video and reviews directly in the product page layout. This would reduce third-party dependencies and improve load times.

We would move all tracking into Google Tag Manager and apply Consent Mode to ensure compliance without interrupting core analytics.

Finally, we would introduce a backend layer that combines customer data, order management, support tickets, and performance metrics into one interface. This would not affect the frontend experience, but it would significantly improve operational control.

If you're scaling fast, the backend needs to keep up.

(FYI, we build systems that do.)