In this episode of the Omnichannel Marketer, Alli Ball, founder of Food Biz Wiz, shares her journey in the food industry and how she helps emerging brands succeed in wholesale.

She emphasizes the importance of understanding market fit, finding the right channels, and optimizing operations. Alli discusses the challenges of getting attention from wholesale buyers and the difficulties of the distributor-retail model.

She also provides insights on driving velocity in retail and recommends tools and strategies for success.

TAKEAWAYS:

- Understanding market fit and pricing is crucial before entering wholesale.

- Finding the right channels, such as brick-and-mortar retail, food service, hospitality, and e-commerce, is essential for success.

- Optimizing operations and production is necessary to meet demand and deliver on promises.

- Getting attention from wholesale buyers can be challenging, requiring old-fashioned methods like phone calls and networking.

- The distributor-retail model can be difficult and cash-intensive, with challenges in finding co-packers, brokers, and managing chargebacks.

- Free tools and strategies, such as connecting with store staff, demos, and social media marketing, can help drive velocity in retail.

Where to find Alli Ball:
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/aball/
​Website: http://www.foodbizwiz.com

Where to find Kait Stephens:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/
Website: www.brij.it 


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www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode of the Omnichannel Marketer, Kait interviews Rick, a partner at Howler Brothers, who shares his journey from private equity to brand building. 

He discusses his early career at Yeti Coolers, where he developed innovative marketing strategies that helped establish the brand. Rick emphasizes the importance of brand identity and community in marketing, and how his experiences as an investor have shaped his approach to business. 

He also highlights the significance of environmental sustainability and the role of personal connections in both investing and brand development.

TAKEAWAYS: 

- Rick transitioned from private equity to brand development.

- He played a key role in marketing strategies at Yeti Coolers.

- Building a brand is about establishing a personality.

- Good people can iterate on imperfect ideas.

- Community and shared experiences are vital for brands.

- Investing in early-stage companies can enhance operational skills.

- Rick emphasizes the importance of environmental sustainability.

- Connecting with people is a core strength for Rick.

- The evolution of marketing strategies is crucial for brand success.

- Understanding customer journeys across channels is essential.

Where to find Rick Wittenbraker: 
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/wittrick/
​Website: http://howlerbros.com/

Where to find Kait Stephens:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/
Website: www.brij.it 


SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER
www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, Kait interviews Danny Taing, founder of Bokksu, who shares his journey from studying Japanese in Japan to creating a successful omnichannel brand that bridges cultures through Japanese snacks. 

Danny discusses the evolution of Bokksu, the importance of customer feedback, the challenges of the subscription model, and the acquisition of Japan Crate to enhance their retail presence. 

He emphasizes the significance of building strong brands and the need for a focus on retention in the current market landscape.

TAKEAWAYS: 

- Danny's journey began with a love for Japanese culture and snacks.

- Bokksu started as a subscription box and evolved into an omnichannel brand.

- Customer feedback is crucial for product curation and brand messaging.

- The subscription model offers built-in retention but has its challenges.

- Acquiring Japan Crate accelerated Bokksu's retail expansion.

- Retail requires different strategies compared to DTC.

- Danny is passionate about bridging cultural gaps through food.

- Sharing food experiences can help promote brands.

- The industry needs to focus more on sustainable growth and unit economics.

- Danny believes strong brands will thrive in the evolving market.


​​Where to find Danny Taing: 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannytaing/

​Website: https://www.bokksu.com

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Where to find Kait Stephens:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

‍
SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER
www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, Rachel, founder of Rootine, shares her personal journey and the inspiration behind her brand. She discusses the lack of innovation in the holistic health industry and how Rootine aims to bring science-backed solutions to the market. 

Rachel explains the customer journey and the different products offered by Rootine. She also talks about the importance of her role as a mom in shaping the brand and connecting with her target audience. 

Rachel shares her strategy for launching in different channels, including Amazon and TikTok, and the impact of her personal brand on the success of Rootine. She emphasizes the power of content creation and thought leadership in building a strong online presence. Rachel also discusses the challenges and opportunities of expanding into retail and the importance of community building and education in the wellness industry.


TAKEAWAYS: 

- Rootine aims to bring science-backed solutions to the holistic health industry, which is lacking in innovation.

- Rachel's personal journey as a mom and her own health issues have shaped the brand and connected with the target audience.

- Content creation and thought leadership have been instrumental in building Rootine's online presence and driving organic growth.

- Expanding into different channels, such as Amazon and TikTok, has allowed Rootine to reach a wider audience and drive sales.

- The challenges and opportunities of retail expansion in the wellness industry require strategic thinking and understanding of the target customer.

Don't miss our next episode for more insights into the world of omnichannel marketing!

​​Where to find Rachel Soper Sanders: 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-soper-sanders/

​Website: https://rootine.co/

‍
Where to find Kait Stephens:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/

Website: www.brij.it 

‍
SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETER
www.theomnichannelmarketer.com

In this episode, Shray Joshi, founder of Good Peeps, discusses the shift to retail media and the importance of digital retail marketing for CPG brands. 

He explains the concept of a retail media network and how it encompasses third-party marketplaces, retailer. coms, and underlying technology platforms. 

Shray shares strategies for driving retail traffic, such as sponsored search, paid ads, and influencer content. He emphasizes the significance of organic influencer partnerships and collaborations in building brand awareness. Shray also highlights the challenges of media attribution and the need for better integration across different retail channels.

Highlights Include: 
- Digital retail marketing is a crucial aspect of CPG brands' marketing strategies, with retail media networks playing a significant role.

- Retail media networks include third-party marketplaces, retailer.coms, and underlying technology platforms that offer advertising opportunities.

- Strategies for driving traffic to retail include sponsored search, paid ads, and influencer content.

- Organic influencer partnerships and collaborations are effective in building brand awareness and driving traffic to retail.

- Media attribution remains a challenge in the retail industry, and better integration across different retail channels is needed.

Don't miss our next episode for more insights into the world of omnichannel marketing!

​​Where to find Shray Joshi: 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrayjoshi
​Website: https://www.thepeeps.co/ 

Where to find Kait Stephens:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/
Website: www.brij.it

In this detailed episode, Sydney Hamroff, the strategy and insights manager at Tony's Chocolonely, shares invaluable insights into the brand's journey from a mission-driven startup to a major player in the retail space. 

From starting in niche natural channels to scaling up to national distribution with giants like Walmart, Sydney unpacks the strategic decisions that have driven Tony's success. 

Highlights include:

- The transition from natural to conventional retail channels.

- Key metrics and data points used to persuade retail partners.

- The impact of omnichannel strategies on brand growth.

- Future plans for Tony's and how they intend to continue their mission while expanding their market presence.

Sydney's background in e-commerce and her transition to a mission-focused brand adds a personal touch to the discussion, providing a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs of scaling a purpose-driven brand. 

Don't miss our next episode for more insights into the world of omnichannel marketing!

How this former Spotify exec uses data & consumer behavior to scale this subscription business.

On the latest episode of the Omnichannel Marketer, I spoke with David Cutler, VP of Product & Design at Cook Unity.

David started his career consulting with major CPG brands, helping them interpret big data sets to create better segmentation and advertising.

He went on to become a product manager for data products, with roles at Bloomberg and Spotify before landing at CookUnity. 

CookUnity is a D2C meal kit subscription service that delivers restaurant-quality meals made by celebrity chefs.   

It’s a marketplace where people can discover new foods and chefs can broaden their distribution outside of the traditional restaurant setting. 

CookUnity helps chefs expand from their restaurant directly to consumers (or “eaters”). 

The secret thread between product and marketing?

Consumer research.

To that end, David shared his “tripod of tools” for understanding consumer behavior that he learned from his days at Spotify. 

1️⃣ Surveys, interviews, and focus groups to develop segmentation across your addressable market, i.e. not just your customers but untapped audiences. 

2️⃣ User testing tools that capture and record user web & application activity - actual users talking through their experience and feelings. 

3️⃣ Looking at user behavior and product insights from a data science perspective.  

The result is an exhaustive body of research that maps out user personas, storylines, and daily usage patterns for each persona. 

It’s a mission-critical exercise because customer behavior informs who, how, and where you target in multi-channel advertising AND the experience they have in the platform. 

Ultimately, this research helps define what makes users happy or makes them churn, which helps create an amazing end-to-end experience. 

For CookUnity, the journey is incredibly complex - going back and forth between digital and physical – while also including dining experiences that get rated digitally via QR codes every week. 

Those feedback loops improve the meals and customer experience, i.e. feedback is used to tweak recipes. 

CookUnity has added hospitality elements to simulate a chef talking about the meal or what happens when a customer isn’t happy, i.e. items removed from the bill. 

I don’t know about you, but all this talk about dining experiences is getting me hungry… 

Give David and CookUnity a follow to learn more about this exciting new service.

Thanks, David, for sharing your experience and customer research expertise! 

Retail & eCom, the one-two punch for evolving an entrenched category.

On the latest episode of the Omnichannel Marketer, I spoke with Lisa Bubbers, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer at Studs.

Studs is a new entrant in the ear piercing category – positioning itself as a piercing company instead of an earring brand. 

In contrast to Claire’s or the mall kiosk which is where children go to get their first piercing with a piercing gun (myself included), Studs focuses on needle piercings for return piercers. 

The idea came from getting a second ear piercing at a tattoo parlor, which was a sub-optimal experience. 

Part of this less ideal experience was a disconnect between the act of piercing and picking an earring that you li

Most people get their ears pierced with an earring they don’t care for, and have to wait until the piercing heals to replace it with something more fashionable that they purchased elsewhere.  

Studs fuses the retail piercing experience with fashionable lines of earrings that can be worn out of the store, and purchased online.

Lisa created the term “earscaping” to create conversation around the art and science of getting ear piercings that work with your anatomy and personal style. 

The brand started with a single studio in NoLita in 2019 and now has 25 locations across the country. 

A brand with fused retail and e-commerce presence, Lisa defines omnichannel as:

🔀 Offline to Online

🔀 Online to Offline

🔀 Moving customers between channels to drive the best LTV

The first couple of years was all about opening new stores and getting scale in retail. 

In the last couple of years, the team reoriented to understanding omnichannel data and customer behavior.

For Studs, their in-store piercing service creates the highest LTV customers, 2-3x ecom first customers. 

Those buyers have a very high repeat rate to online purchases, instore purchases, and another instore piercing. 

Studs uses two mechanisms to get people to return to the store or online. 

1️⃣ Education - nurturing on ear piercing health with ability to come back for questions, help etc.

2️⃣ Earing size changes - as the piercing heals, Studs will help downsize to smaller jewelry.

Consequently, retail expansion is still a primary focus because it is the best vehicle for profitable customer acquisition and creating word of mouth.

A store in the right location returns its investment quickly and is profitable. 

Studs does not spend a lot of money on digital marketing. 

Half the battle is won by strong store co-location; near a Lululemon, Warby Parker, and Van Llewyn, where their Gen Z and millennial customers spend time.

The stores are designed to be “Instagrammable,” so customers share their new piercing UGC, creating network effects on social media. 

The other major source of customers is from people searching for “needle piercings near me” on Google and Studs is doing a great job with local SEO to capture that intent.

This results in great foot traffic, word of mouth, and impulse purchases. 

Studs does spend some on influencers and SEM, but most customers come through the organic channels described above. 

#omnichannel #retailexperience 

Without brand, growth and performance marketing are just flashes in the pan.

In the wake of iOS 14 privacy changes & rising CACs, we’re no longer in an era where growth at all costs is a viable strategy anymore.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Foujan Volk, the VP of Brand & Marketing at Parachute Home. 

She was the first marketing hire at Parachute Home and built the brand from the ground up.

Parachute Home is an emerging brand in the home goods category with a range of products.  
  

The brand started out of a home office/showroom in Los Angeles with a DTC presence.

Foujan and her team realized people love touching the bedding fabrics, which was a different experience from the typical plastic-wrapped sheets.

From that experience, she saw immense value in having customers touch and feel products.

It’s a differentiator and a brand experience.  

That home showroom expanded to 26 brand stores.  

These stores are in major markets where DTC buyers or the customer demographic is concentrated. 

Parachute invests a lot of energy in making that experience feel like being in someone’s home. 

In the last year, they have invested heavily in experiential marketing, hosting over 200 events, which have generated sales and strong brand affinity.

Foujan defines omnichannel: “Be wherever the customer wants to shop”.

To that end, Parachute has wholesale distribution with Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales.

In addition to their DTC presence and owned retail locations.

Foujan shares that wholesale is a double-edged sword.

She has very little insight into who their customers are, but wholesale brings a big uplift in brand awareness. 

Foujan suggests entering retail with small tests with a limited selection of SKUs.

And monitoring sell-through, DTC cross-over, and brand lift to determine the next steps.   

Brand awareness is the leading indicator, whereas the DTC cross-over as measured through the post-purchase survey is the lagging indicator.

Keeping a consistent brand experience across channels is of paramount importance.

Foujan and her creative team run brand training during onboarding and invoke the brand regularly. 

Foujan is excited that brand marketing is back in the forefront in the wake of iOS 14 privacy changes and the sunset of the growth at all costs era.

Without a brand, growth and performance marketing are just flashes in the pan.

That sentiment is stronger than ever.

Thanks, Foujan for sharing your story and perspective!

#omnichannelmarketer #retail #brandmarketing

Meet your customer where they want to shop. 

On the latest episode of the Omnichannel Marketer, I had the pleasure of talking with Sarah McNamara, Executive Vice President & General Manager at Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skin Care and Naturally Serious Skin.

Sarah is a beauty industry veteran, having worked at Unilever, L’Oreal, and grew her own beauty brand, Miracle Skin Transformer to $35M in revenue before selling it.

Now she oversees Peter Thomas Roth.

Peter Thomas Roth started in a doctor’s office, but is now a retail powerhouse. 

It was one of the first brands to launch with Sephora when it came to the US market, and also is present in Sephora locations around the world. 

Other key channels for Peter Thomas Roth are Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and QVC. 

Sarah’s philosophy is that you need to be where the customer is. 

That is highly dependent on demographics. 

PTR is a legacy brand that historically skews to an older demographic.

So retail and QVC are big channels for them. 

Each channel has a unique offering for the demographic that frequents it. 

And the spread in Ulta is very different from Sephora. 

She loves department stores herself, but sees it as a shrinking business. 

Beauty is constantly evolving and experiencing unprecedented digital change. 

As Sarah says, “You snooze, you lose.” 

To that end, PTR also has a DTC presence and is active on social media to cater to some Gen X, Z, and even Alpha customers. 

Her team is actively tinkering with Tiktok shops. 

She was also relatively early to Amazon, compared to Clinique, another legacy brand that only launched on Amazon a few weeks ago.

Sarah views the DTC site as a window into the brand and is in midst of an exciting website revamp going live in August. 

The PTR website serves loyalists, but she also realizes that every channel has its loyalists. 

“Some people really just want to buy on Amazon. Others only at Sephora.”

At the end of the day, Sarah shares that good marketing is about “understanding where your customers are and making it easy for them to buy in those channels.”

Thanks Sarah for sharing your experience and insights. 

#omnichannelmarketer #omnichannel