Brands and businesses are becoming more and more aware that their packaging serves a purpose beyond functionality; it is also a strategic and strong marketing tool for those who know how to wield it.

Packaging boxes are even more of a necessity in online/eCommerce businesses, with every order having to be shipped in them.

Forward-thinking businesses understand that customers’ buying behavior is influenced when a thing appeals to their emotions. And what better way to thrill customers than to cause them to fall in love even before they unbox their order?

Table of Contents

• Does Custom Packaging Really Matter?
• What are The Benefits of Premium Packaging?
• 5 Ways To Use Packaging To Increase Customer Retention and Revenue

Does Your Packaging Really Matter?

Let’s answer this way. If we’re given the option to choose between two packages, one, in a beautiful shiny paper box and another wrapped in a plain, dull-looking brown paper, which would you go for? The first, I guess.

This is because humans react to visual stimuli more than the other four senses. Science has shown that people are naturally drawn to aesthetically pleasing products and packages. In fact, customers feel valued when businesses go the extra mile to deliver.

It has also been proven in a study that dates back to 2013 that attractive packaging stimulates the reward-seeking areas of the human brain. And this area is what sponsors and triggers impulse buying.

If this is the case, attractive packaging is no longer an option but an essential marketing tool in the hands of eCommerce businesses. In essence, beyond the quality of your product, customers also appreciate businesses that pay huge attention to product presentation.

What are the Benefits of Premium Packaging?

Beyond monetary gain, premium packaging also purchases goodwill for a brand—something worth having. There are several benefits businesses, especially eCommerce businesses, stand to experience from offering premium packaging experience to their customers. Here are a few:

1. It Helps You Exceed Customers’ Expectations

By doing the unexpected extra when it comes to packaging, you ‘wow’ your customers on the first impression. And in selling, the first impression is as important as the last impression

Moreover, your packaging offering represents your brand’s promise to deliver a quality experience.

This implies that your customers will not necessarily return because your product was good, but because your packaging sells the message that you can always deliver premium value.

By exceeding your customers’ expectations, you easily set yourself above your competitors in the mind of your customers.

2. It Drives Sales

Packaging can influence sales both positively and negatively. Attractive packaging, for instance, has a positive effect on the customer’s perception of the business.

Also, the different elements of your design, such as the colors, imageries, etc. evoke strong emotional responses that can influence consumer buying behavior. Research has it that at least 1/3 of a consumer’s product decision-making results from personal preference as well as packaging.

Since humans are positively influenced by good visuals, premium packaging acts as a subtle advertising and marketing tool that helps to drive sales to the business. At least, about 52% of consumers will buy again if they are offered their orders with premium packaging.

3. It Promotes Your Brand

Your brand story, your brand identity, your brand values, and all it stands for reflects as a matter of fact in your packaging. This is especially true for eCommerce businesses.

According to a study conducted by Liam Curtley in Business 2 Community, it was discovered that the customer’s perception of a business’s packaging is always transferred to the product and the brand.

This means that a customer’s perception of your packaging is also indirectly transferred to the product and the brand.

So, if the customer considers your packaging to be drab, it’s almost impossible to convince him/her otherwise when it comes to how they perceive the product itself. It also goes on to make loud statements about how a brand perceives and values its customers.

More so, providing premium packaging is another way to garner word-of-mouth advertising, which we know is one of the most potent ways to sell a brand to the public.

4. It Improves Customer Loyalty & Retention

Customers become loyal to a brand when the brand provides them with great value. And it is this type of customers that businesses need. This is because loyal customers provide lifelong value to the business, unlike a customer that buys once and never returns.

5. It Can Promote Visibility & Recognition

Product packaging is something that helps a business stand out from the mammoth crowd of other businesses.

The need for recognition, differentiation, and visibility is even more necessary for eCommerce stores where the market is saturated, and customer loyalty is hard to develop as opposed to the regular brick-and-clay store.

According to DotCom, about 40% of customers would share a picture of their online order if the packaging were attractive. At the same time, about 90% of them will reuse the branded box if they found it attractive.

All of these provide a way for the business to go visible, easily recognized, and viral online and offline, without having to spend extra on marketing.

5 Ways to Use Packaging To Increase Customer Retention and Revenue

Below are some strategies e-commerce businesses can adopt while trying to increase customer retention and revenue:

1. Custom Boxes

Custom boxes, as opposed to the regular shipping boxes, is something trending eCommerce stores such as Amazon are keying into.

This packaging strategy helps to create a strong and lasting impression in the minds of customers and, eventually, goes a long way into marketing and establishing such a brand.

According to a survey conducted by DotCom, it was discovered that there’s a strong correlation between premium packaging and customer loyalty. In fact, customers would most likely make repeat purchases if the seller packages the product attractively.

When customers become loyal to a brand, the problem of customer retention is halfway solved.

2. Give a Thank You Card

Leaving a handwritten thank you provides a personal brand feel for the customers. And it has been shown that customers appreciate brands that offer their services in a more personal way. When this happens, they are most likely going to go on to become repeat customers.

3. Give a Small Gift

Including a small gift in their shipment helps you exceed the customers’ expectations. It also helps to provide higher value for the customers. By doing this, customers are “wowed.” And as we know, when positive emotions are triggered, purchases are the resultant effect.

4. Discount Offers

Packaging inserts are additional items that online retailers include in their customers’ shipment. They come in different kinds. One very common insert is the discount offer. This has a good chance of convincing the customer to buy again.

5. Sample Products

Another popular packaging insert used by eCommerce businesses is this. This is one way to cross-sell other products without having to do much advertising easily. It also helps to improve the brand’s value-giving perception in the mind of the customers.

Conclusion

The success of any eCommerce business or any business, in particular, is depended on their ability to provide a satisfying and memorable experience for the customers. One of the ways they can achieve this is by offering premium packaging to them.

This trend has now gone beyond an option. It has become a necessity for any eCommerce business that wishes to thrive.

In the course of prepping this interview for you to read, I probably checked my phone five or six times. I’m not the only one: half of Americans spend five to six hours on their phone every day excluding work-related tasks. It’s a serious social problem, and the folks at Light Phone are working on a solution.

Light Phone is designed to be used as little as possible. It’s a simple idea: take all the good parts about a smartphone – phone calls and texts, the calculator, music and podcasts, alarms, and directions. Then strip away all the stuff that steals your attention. No social media, no browsing, no email, news, or ads. Everything that is and is not on Light Phone is deliberate.

It’s even designed to look and feel like a tool and not a toy. Instead of using a distracting and bright display, Light Phone uses sedate E-Ink for a display that’s easy the read at night and in broad daylight. Plus the battery lasts a long time, meaning you don’t even have to constantly think about charging it.

In this interview, we ask Co-Founder and CEO Kaiwei Tang to tell us about how he came up with the idea, how he turned it into a real product, and how he got people on board with the idea of a distraction-free phone.

What follows is a transcript of our conversation. It has been edited for clarity and brevity.

First, tell us a little bit about Light Phone.

Light Phone is a phone that is designed to be used as little as possible.

It doesn’t fight for the important things that we take for granted, our time and attention. The Light Phone offers utility and the peace of mind we’ve become accustomed to with our smartphones whilst eliminating the distractions, manipulation and stress of social media, news, or email. I don’t believe that the ever-increasing digital connection makes us happier.

It’s also a simple phone that is built around intention and purpose. It’s not a dumbphone. It offers modern tools such as calls, texts, directions, music, podcasts, hotspot, etc. through a completely customized and in-house designed typographic-based interface.

We spent years designing and developing Light Phone to produce a slim, credit card-sized phone with a matte black and white E-ink screen. The screen feels nothing like a smartphone, which is not an accident and it is perfect for viewing outdoors in direct sunlight. It’s a phone that isn’t interested in collecting and selling your data, ever.

We call it a phone for humans.

How did you first come up with the idea of the Light Phone?

My co-founder Joe Hollier and I were invited to a designer incubator hosted by Google in 2014. We were encouraged to build a mobile application, but we quickly realized that making another app is just the last thing this society needed from us. People are becoming increasingly frustrated and appalled at how much time their phones were sucking out of their lives and we wanted to create something that would give those people an alternative.

Almost every tech company were and still are, making apps that are “sticky” — they encourage users to stay for long periods of time. The reason is simple, the longer someone uses an app, the more revenue an app could make through advertising; however, the result is devastating to our attention and well-being.

As a reaction to the pernicious influence of time-grabbing apps & social media, we decided to create a product that would encourage users to take a break from the internet and their smartphone.

How did people initially react when you pitched the idea of creating a new smartphone?

The reactions were extremely polarized in 2014. People either loved it thinking that its radical approach could change their life for the better, or they could not see a reason to lower their screen time. Everyone had a strong opinion on the Light Phone, which continues to this day.

Our users often told us that having a Light Phone in public sparked some really great conversations between them and other people. They chatted about why they chose to “Go Light”, they discussed their relationship with technology, what problems they have experienced with social media and apps as well as what phone features are critical to them.

I think it’s really amazing that the Light Phone becomes a conversation piece and our users are making a conscious choice. Part of what we are trying to do is to be more intentional in terms of deciding what technology to use and how we design our tech tools.

How long did it take you to develop Light Phone II?

It took us almost 2 years from designing, developing to actually shipping Light Phone II. We customized almost every aspect of the phone to make sure the design aligns with our mission and the value of the company. It wasn’t a re-purpose of any existing phone on the market. It was a challenge for both us and our suppliers at the time, to work on such highly customized hardware and software. It is part of the reason the price of an unlocked LPII ($299) might seem relatively high if you compare it to any vintage feature phones or flip phones.

Customized hardware requires a lot MOQ (minimum order quantity) on almost every component inside the phone. We are not a big technology company like Apple or Samsung, we can’t afford to order any part in hundreds of thousands to get lower costs. This is something we have been trying to be transparent about and communicate with our customers as well. It is the reality of a small start-up but hopefully as we continue to grow we can offer a more affordable option.

What was the first prototype like?

The first prototype of Light Phone II is a 3D printed solid block I did in our co-working space. We were trying to get a look and feel on different sizes and thicknesses. It’s a non-functional mock. I also bought many used vintage phones, broke them apart, and then reassembled them to create the first functional light phone from those scrapped components. It was like a scene out of Todd McLellan’s book, Things Come Apart.

Did you have to create your own e-Reader ink?

We worked with our manufacturing partner, E-ink Technology, to create a smaller size e-ink display that wasn’t available on the market. We also spent a year optimizing the performance and refresh rate of the display. E-ink displays are not often used on phones so there was lots of trial and error to get to where we are.

How did you secure funding?

Light Phone II IndieGoGo campaign in 2018 really kicked us off. We raised over $3.5 million via pre-orders from our wonderful backers who believe in us. The campaign also led to a good deal of press coverage here in the US and internationally. The media attention gave us and our prospective investors a really good indication of whether or not people want the product.

The last several years we received investment from mission-aligned angel investors and VCs such as Pinterest’s Ex-President Tim Kendall, Lyft Co-Founder John Zimmer, Twitter’s Co-Founder Biz Stone, Bullish VC, Able Partners, Hinge VC, White Bay Group, and many others.

We are really grateful for the support from our early backers and investors.

How were you able to market a product specifically made to avoid social media and similar distractions?

I honestly don’t think paid social media advertisement is or should be the only way to promote a product. It has definitely proven to be effective on many products but at the same time, social media and the majority of technology companies are basically profiting from our data, attention and time.

The last few years we have had a lot of customers help us spread the word to their friends and family based on their experience using Light Phones. We also received lots of press coverage organically.

I think a user’s endorsement is so powerful and it also makes the product really meaningful to others. Instead of spending millions on paid marketing, I think we prefer to spend our limited resources on making the experience better. That being said, hopefully more people can find out about Light Phone and join all our users “going Light.”

What was the mass manufacturing process like, especially with all the supply chain disruptions?

Recent supply chain disruptions did slow us down. We have many vendors that provide components of the phone and their factories are located in different regions of the world. Other than the shipping backlog that I think a lot of people heard about and were affected by, we have also had to contend with COVID lockdowns in local areas that disrupted our vendor’s shipment and schedule.

We tried our best to keep people posted about shipping irregularities and be transparent about the problems our suppliers had. Thankfully our customers are very understanding and trust we are doing all we can.

How do Light Phone users get cell service? Which networks are covered and how do they pay for the plan?

We have our own Light SIM card and service plan (optional). Our users can use the Light plan which is on AT&T network, or use their existing T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T SIM card.

Light dashboard is where Light Phone II users customize their phones, accounts, tools as well as payment.

Do you find yourself marketing more to smartphone users? Or traditional phone users who might want a little bit extra?

I do think all users have different needs and different senses of what makes an ‘essential tool’, which is why we are working on adding a few more utility tools so that more people feel comfortable to Go Light. Although, Light Phone will never have social media, browser or advertisements.

The last few years we have been focused on sharing the health benefits of going light that we have heard from our users i.e. less stress, less anxiety, becoming more productive, getting more time back, sleeping better, etc. We also have parents and schools who are interested in getting a Light Phone as their kid’s first phone.

We also created a campaign to interview our users so they can share their experiences firsthand.

Going Light with Desi from The Light Phone on Vimeo.

Are there any exciting future upgrades on the horizon?

At the moment, we offer phone, text, direction, music, podcast, hotspot, calculator, and an alarm clock on Light Phone II. We have plans to introduce other utility tools such as a calendar, meeting reminders, notepad, barcode reader, voice memo, two-factor authentication… We are also working on a feature that would enable users to use their existing smartphone number on Light Phone II.

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Interested in ordering a Light Phone for yourself or a friend? Check out their website here to learn more.

There are a lot of fulfillment companies out there. So when we say we provide “order fulfillment you can trust,” you might wonder what that actually means.

We can pitch our services all day long, but we think our clients say it best. Here are some videos – both edited and unedited – so you can hear directly from them.

Unedited Videos

We have no tricks up our sleeves! When you see an edited testimonial video, it’s natural to be skeptical about whether or not we’re cherry-picking the good parts.

Here are the full, unedited videos that we received and used in the making of the shorter video.

If you want even more opinions, check out our Reviews page or Trustpilot.

Leesa McGregor, Alphabet for Humanity

Brad Schaffer, Spaza / Halo Dish Covers

Thomas Kennedy, TMK Supplies

Packaging is becoming an increasingly common and high-demand utility for businesses around the world. For an e-commerce business, the first direct touchpoint that your brand has with your customer is when they receive the package and unbox it. Studies related to the psychology of shopping show that, “packaging plays a major, if not dominant, role in purchasing decisions.”

Providing a fulfilling packaging experience to your customer still remains a relatively under-utilized marketing opportunity and if used properly, it can have a huge impact on positively affecting the sales of your product.

Investing in a good packaging supplier is the first step. This decision can have a tremendously positive effect on your sales as well as revenue. But making this selection can be a daunting task as various factors come into play here.

We have made this job easier for you by answering 5 important questions for selecting the right packaging supplier for your business.

1. Do they offer custom packaging?

Custom packaging is a leading industry trend in 2020 and it is here to stay. By incorporating custom packaging, you are enhancing your brand’s value by multifold. Through customized packaging, you can build an everlasting connection with your customers by ensuring that they have an unforgettable unboxing experience.

Custom packaging strengthens your company’s branding. When your product’s package has your company’s trademark color, design, and logo, your brand creates a stronger identity, and customers develop a great brand affinity. This can ultimately increase sales and revenue for your company.

What takes the cake in customized packaging is that it makes room for innovation and creativity that allows your brand to apply a personalized touch to your packages. These personalized touches enable your brand to establish an emotional connection with your customer and make them feel valued, when they unbox the product. That is why it is imperative that when you select a packaging company, ensure that they provide custom packaging services.

2. What quality of packaging products do they use?

The quality of the packaging is as important as the product itself. If the packaging is made of lower quality material, your product is more likely to get damaged during the shipping process.

It is necessary to make an informed choice when it comes to selecting shipping materials. Ensuring that the material is safe enough and ensures an effortless unboxing process with minimal waste is also essential.

There are three main types of packaging:

• Corrugated boxes
• Chipboard and paperboard boxes
• Polybags

To choose the best packaging for your business, it is crucial that you pin down and select the optimum packaging material that suits your particular product the best and then check if the packaging supplier you select offers that or not. Packaging can be very unique for different kinds of products that is why it is essential to know what kind works best for your product before making a decision.

3. Do they use sustainable and environmentally friendly products?

The sustainability of your packaging is just as important as what is inside the package.  According to a recent survey on sustainable products and packaging, 80% of participants said they felt it was “important or extremely important” for companies to design environmentally conscious products.

As consumers are getting conscious about their carbon footprint, they are more like to support brands that share their values. At Arka, we are cognizant of this reality and our focus is on sustainably. We ensure environmentally friendly packaging through:

• Using sustainable packaging that can be repurposed
• Shipping items in bulk
• Offering carbon-neutral shipping by offsetting emissions
• Recycling on behalf of our suppliers and offer shipping-friendly items
• Reducing the size of your packaging
• Using compostable mailers
• Working with wholesalers to reduce individual shipments and limit return shipping
• Offering a returns program for your empty product containers

4. What is their pricing like?

Pricing is very important. Especially if you are on a budget. Look for packaging companies that provide the best offers. See if they sell in large or bulk quantities. Instead of using standardized box sizes, evaluate the sizes of your products, and ensure that the company you are selecting offers boxes of different sizes. This way, you won’t have to pay for the dimensional volume rate.

Furthermore, another great trick to save money on the packaging is by using custom stickers or custom tapes that have your company’s logo or trademark design printed on them.

Check if the company which you have selected offers these services. This way, you will be able to keep your costs low while also providing your customers with a great packaging experience that they deserve.

5. How is their customer service?

Good customer service is critical across all industries but when it comes to selecting the right packaging supplier, it is vital that you go with a company that has good customer service. If there is a shipment that is lost or an order that has to be refunded, a smart and skilled customer representative will cater to your company’s packaging needs instantaneously.

It is always a great idea to do a thorough background check of the kind of customer service that the packaging supplier that you are selecting offers and then make the decision based on that.

Conclusion

Packaging has numerous benefits for your company, your customers, and even for the environment, as light packaging reduces the carbon footprint. That is why if you already haven’t selected a packaging supplier, now is a great time to start and these helpful tips will make your decision-making process easier.

For more information, check out this free of cost course on the packaging.  The course is taught by Philip Akhzar, CEO of Arka. It helps you navigate through the nuts and bolts of the packaging industry and also allows you to learn the best practices about packaging your product.

Happy customers mean a happy business. It seems overly simplistic, doesn’t it? But unhappy customers often abandon their relationship with a company they’ve had a bad experience with. For many eCommerce companies, a product being out-of-stock is enough to drive customers away. That’s very costly, but also preventable.

eCommerce SMBs typically use spreadsheets, emails, and free tracking tools stitched together to manage their inventory and keep their supply chain intact.  This is cost-effective in the early days, but can be ineffective as the business grows and operational complexity increases.

Accurate inventory management allows eCommerce brands and retailers to fulfill orders accurately and on-time. And as they outgrow their small warehouse space and move into larger 3PL facilities, so does their need to effectively manage inventory and customer relationships.

The Benefits of Effective Inventory Management

“Good enough” has gotten you this far, but it won’t propel you into the future. With a better inventory management system in place, you open yourself up to continued growth.

That growth comes from realizing five key benefits.

1: Increased Accuracy

Inventory management is a constant tightrope walk, with having too much of a product on one side and too little on the other. The first means paying for storage on products that aren’t selling while the second means missing out on sales when items are unavailable to customers.

Accurate inventory management means:

• Not overstocking items, reducing the potential for holding on to too many products, tying up your cashflow
• Not understocking items, having enough on hand to fulfill customer demand

You can reinvest cash from reduced storage costs and increased sales into your business. Losses due to damage or theft can also be accounted for.

2: Increased Customer Satisfaction

Marketing generates leads and attracts customers. Therefore, inventory management is responsible for making sure their experience creates loyalty and advocacy.

Inventory management impacts customer satisfaction by:

• Providing real-time inventory counts, avoiding overselling out-of-stock items and identifying overstocked items that could be discounted to spur sales
• Identifying high-demand items that should be reordered quickly to meet customer expectations and increased sales

Meeting customer expectations through effective inventory management is the first step to creating customer satisfaction. That results in increased sales, repeat business and a positive reputation that helps attract new customers.

3: Increased Efficiency

The spreadsheets and paper forms used by early-stage eCommerce businesses have two things in common: they’re time-intensive and prone to errors. As a result, both are inefficient and can negatively impact the chances for growth.

Advanced inventory management solutions increases efficiency by:

• Automating certain processes, including reducing inventory counts as soon as an order is fulfilled and calculating the value of both items on hand and what’s been sold
• Reducing time spent, especially as employees don’t have to manually count items and other labor-intensive tasks

Substantial resources become available when staff are no longer responsible for data entry and error reconciliation. You can redirect resources to other growth-oriented areas of the business.

4: Better Future Planning

Forecasting for the future and making strategic decisions is possible, but difficult, with manual inventory management solutions. The necessary data may be there, but pulling it out in a usable way takes time better spent on other activities.

Better inventory management brings the future into focus by:

• Predicting demand, showing which products need to have orders increased or decreased
• Identifying trends and patterns, including customer information and habits that may impact how marketing and promotions are run and targeted

With easy access to accurate and timely data owners can make informed decisions about the future. That’s a necessary part of growing the business instead of falling behind.

5: Growing the Business

It all comes down to this. Effective, advanced inventory management practices prime your business for growth by:

• Improving the accuracy of inventory counts by showing what’s available and what’s needed
• Increasing customer satisfaction by ensuring meeting expectations and filling orders
• Increasing efficiency by automating tasks and reducing time spent
• Providing the insights needed to accurately forecast future demand, challenges and more

An advanced inventory management solution acts as a single repository everyone in the company can access. It provides accurate, timely insights and data on all aspects, from sales and marketing channels to customer demographics and behaviors and everything in between.

Final Thoughts

It’s also crucial to partner with third-party logistics partners (3PL) that understand the importance of inventory management. A deeply experienced 3PL partner has the knowledge, experience, tools, and technological integrations with platforms (like TradeGecko) to simplify management of inventory, enhance warehouse efficiency, and customer happiness.

TradeGecko is a commerce operating platform that gives entrepreneurs, founders and independent brands the commerce superpowers they need to build an amazing business. TradeGecko integrates with Fulfillrite, so you can easily sync your data across your supply chain ecosystem.

For more information, please visit www.tradegecko.com

1. Automating certain processes, including reducing inventory counts as soon as an order is fulfilled and calculating the value of both items on hand and what’s been sold.
2. Reducing time spent, especially as employees don’t have to manually count items and other labor-intensive tasks.

For private label brands who understand the value of a strong product brand, there has never been a better time to leverage your product brand on Amazon.

Whether you’re an established Amazon business with great sales or an emerging seller just starting out, there’s one fact you cannot ignore: If you want enduring success in the ever-changing world of Amazon, you can’t ignore the importance of having a strong brand.

Just ask sellers who have seen reliable, consistent growth on Amazon how they achieved success. They’ll likely tell you that optimizing their listings, using the right keywords, and hiring a listing expert got them to the top, but it was their brand that helped them stay there.

Because when people form genuine relationships with your brand and connect emotionally to what you’re selling, they’re bound to become loyal customers. And because once you’ve done all you can to maneuver Amazon’s algorithms, get to the top of Amazon’s rankings, and control who sees your product, when, and how often, one simple fact remains: Products don’t sell. Brands do.

Once you have a brand and not just a product, the opportunity you have to leverage Amazon’s platform to build your brand and compete with large, established brands is staggering. Just consider the following statistics:

– 80% of shoppers use Amazon to discover new products or brands

– 53.4% of shoppers are more willing to buy a brand they’re not familiar with on Amazon than they would be on any other store.

That means that if you’re a small brand looking for big sales and long-term growth in the ever-changing, ever-profitable Amazon ecosystem, now’s the time to leverage Amazon’s platform to build your brand. And you won’t even need a 100K+ marketing budget to do it.

Wondering how, specifically, a solid product brand will help you reach your goals? Here are 6 reasons.

1. A strong brand allows YOU to control buyer perception.

Your business isn’t what you say it is—it’s what they say it is. With a strong brand, people will have fewer misconceptions about who you are, what you represent, and the unique benefit your products offer them. A clearly defined brand identity ensures you’re seen the way YOU want to be.

2. You can charge a premium.

Weak brands often end up stuck in un-winnable price wars. But while they’re competing on pennies, they’re losing dollars. With a good brand that customers connect to, your perceived value will be higher, and you can charge more. In short, give customers a great experience, and you beat the competition, at any price.

3. You’ll attract more of the right customers.

As the playing field becomes more saturated, those without strong brands increasingly struggle to acquire new customers. But successful brands understand that customers buy products based on emotion, not just logic. If you understand who your target customer is and arm yourself with a powerful brand that resonates with them, you’ll stand out from competitors and get more new customers in the door.

4. You’ll be more memorable.

In today’s noisy marketplace, dull, weak brands lack that X-factor blend into the background. A strong, consistent brand, however, sticks in the mind and makes a lasting first impression, so you’ll be at the top of their mind next time they need your product.

5. You’ll build loyalty—and profits to match.

Without a strong brand, you need to constantly pour money into your marketing to stay in front of customers. With customer acquisition costs constantly on the rise, you’re likely hurting not just your margins, but also your long-term growth. Strong brands engender loyalty, and loyal customers are by far your most profitable. When they like and trust you, they’ll keep coming back again and again—and tell their friends about you, too.

6. You’ll gain independence and opportunities for growth.

Leaving your business’s success in the hands of a third party may be stunting your growth—and leaving your business vulnerable. With strong, healthy brand, you don’t need to be dependent on an overcrowded third-party platform. You can build a thriving business and customer base on your terms, and ultimately extend your opportunities way beyond Amazon.

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The Bottom Line for Amazon Sellers

Ultimately, Amazon sellers are in need of a paradigm shift: rather than consider themselves Amazon sellers, they should consider themselves a brand; and Amazon as their primary distribution channel. In this model, every customer touchpoint, rather than being just another step in the sale, becomes another opportunity to communicate their brand message/story and cultivate more loyalty toward their brand.

When you focus on building your brand the right way, you can be sure that you’ll not only grow your sales in the short term, but you’ll be setting up your business to succeed far into the future.

Want to learn how to implement some of these branding techniques into your current Amazon business? Check out Meny Hoffman’s free guide, “7 Simple Ways to Build Your Product Brand on Amazon.” The guide offers practical tools and tips for leveraging your product brand on Amazon’s platform, so you can stand out and sell more.

Ready to dig deeper? Schedule a free 30-minute “Brand Audit” with Meny Hoffman.

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Meny Hoffman is the CEO of Ptex Group, an award-winning marketing, branding, and business solutions agency headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. A lifelong entrepreneur, he is passionate about collaborating with growing businesses to create winning strategies that allow them to lead and flourish. Meny is also the founder of the LTB (Let’s Talk Business) platform, which offers business education to entrepreneurs and businesspeople looking to learn, grow, and lead. He is a proud husband and father of seven.

1. Allows you to control buyer perception
2. You can charge a premium
3. You’ll attract more of the right customers
4. You’ll be more memorable
5. You’ll build loyalty – and profits to match
6. You’ll gain independence and opportunities for growth

Some people were born to become accountants. Some plumbers, some electricians, some office drones, and some – like your humble narrator – marketers. Then there is David Silva. He was born to create dinosaurs and sell them on the internet.

This is not an exaggeration. In 2016, David launched his product line, Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series Action Figures on Kickstarter. Over the course of the campaign, 2,661 backers pitched in over $350,000 to help him make his dream become reality. Thus, Beasts of the Mesozoic – a line of “1/6th scale scientifically accurate dinosaur action figures, with great detail and articulation” was born. He plans to launch another Kickstarter on September 17, 2019.

(Don’t feel like waiting? You can buy his dinosaurs right now!)

At Fulfillrite, we have the pleasure of fulfilling all kinds of projects – many of which are incredibly creative. As David is a client of ours, we thought “why not do an interview? He has a fantastic story!” Simple as that, I had him on the phone for about half an hour, talking about how he got into this paleontological business, what his days look like, and more.

With this in mind, please enjoy this bio of David Silva of Creative Beast, LLC.

Who is David Silva and What Does He Do?

David has a storied background in the toy industry. He has previously worked for Hasbro and McFarlane Toys, and currently works for NECA. He makes dinos by day and toys by night.

The dinosaur you see pictured above, and indeed, every other one you see in this post was made by David. He designs and sculpts the original castelline* models for each dinosaur. The sculpted parts are then molded and cast into resin in the US. The resin parts are shipped to the factory and metal tooling molds are created. From these metal molds, parts are injected in plastic and then painted and assembled into action figures.

The entire process can take between 6 and 12 months, sometimes longer depending on the amount of figures that need to be made. The final products are then sent to our warehouse where they are stored. When orders come in, we fill them.

Every single dinosaur is carefully crafted. David got his start by learning about dinosaur anatomy, then branching out from there. David hopes to eventually branch out into wildlife and fantasy creatures. Having spoken with him and heard the outline of his resume, I can see it happening. Not only does he create the products himself, but he also designs the packaging and handles quality assurance. He’s not merely creator, but a savvy entrepreneur as well.

* A type of wax-based clay

Linheraptor exquisitus

A Typical Day in the Life of a Dinosaur Designer

David’s days are long but satisfying ones. He wakes up around 7 am, answers some customer service emails, and takes care of small errands. He dedicates the next few hours to sculpting. After that, he exercises and goes to his job at NECA and works a full shift. He returns to home at about 10 and goes to sleep a few hours later.

David works long hours and has a lot of products to ship. You’ll notice that he doesn’t have to ship his own items too often – we handle the highest volume products for him. Specifically, we fulfill the Beasts of the Mesozoic Raptor product line. Otherwise, the strain of filling orders would cut into something else – dedicated sculpting time, the day job, or personal time.

As if that weren’t enough, he told me he doesn’t have room to warehouse all the dinosaurs. I can’t blame him – a man’s home shouldn’t have to function as a museum!

Digging for Fossils on Kickstarter

David tried to get established companies to carry the action figures, but their business models skew heavily toward licensed products. As high-quality and in-demand as the dinosaurs may be, they never quite fit in the portfolio. So he took it to Kickstarter and the rest is history.

His Kickstarter says it best:

Beasts of the Mesozoic is a line of scientifically accurate, highly detailed, and articulated dinosaur action figures. Being a serious toy collector myself, I’ve seen great advancements in the toy market the past several years with innovative companies raising the bar of what’s possible with detail, articulation, and value. However, despite my love for dinosaurs and for toys, my dinosaur toy shelf is surprisingly small compared to the other collections I have.

Why? Well, they simply haven’t changed much at all in the past several decades and honestly aren’t that good compared to other action figures. It just doesn’t seem like you get much for your money. I for one am ready for some good dinosaur toys worthy of my shelf space and my money, aren’t you?

Keep Up with David Silva

If you like David’s story or the dinosaurs that he has created, there are a few ways you can keep in touch. As I mentioned above, he plans to launch another Kickstarter on September 17, 2019. Keep an eye out for that! He’s also coming to Comic-Con in San Diego. You can find him in B-03!

You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A type of wax-based clay.

The following is a guest post by Beth Owens of noissue. Noissue specializes in custom packaging that is gorgeous, unique, and eco-friendly.

Packaging is an important consideration for any business, but especially for eCommerce operations. Shipping orders is a huge expense, so you want to make sure that your packaging design is as effective as it can be. But this isn’t just about saving money where you can. It’s also about making sure that you are delivering the right impression to your customer. Here are our top 3 tips for choosing a packaging design that benefits your order fulfillment strategy.

1. Keep it light

Being able to build up a global customer base is a massive boon for eCommerce companies. But it does come with some drawbacks too. Namely, shipping costs will be one of your biggest expenses. However, this expense is at least partially dependent upon your packaging design. The fact is, the larger and heavier your packages are, the more they will cost you to send!

Choosing a cost-effective design comes down to evaluating your own needs carefully. How fragile are your products? What is the average weight/size? Where are the majority of your customers based? These questions are important to consider, as the best packaging designs rest on one principle: efficiency. You need to cut down on the bulk as much as possible, whilst still maintaining the integrity of your design.

Box sizes

One of the most common mistakes that businesses make is choosing the wrong box size. Many end up with boxes that are too big for the products they are shipping. This isn’t expensive just from the perspective of postage costs. There is also the cost of filler materials to stop your products from rattling around. By choosing a smaller size, you can limit the need for filler, creating a more cost-effective design.

Return-ready packaging

Buying online comes with its own risks, namely that customers can’t examine a product before purchasing. This means that an easy returns process is something that customers value highly. Surveys show that 92% would buy again from a brand with a straightforward returns process. This doesn’t just mean terms and conditions, but also the means to return goods. By choosing packaging that can be sent straight back to your warehouse, you eliminate the need to provide extra materials for this purpose.

Using mailers

Some businesses don’t even need to use boxes at all! Boxes make up a huge proportion of packaging costs. So, cutting these out completely, or even partially, will save you a lot of money. If some of your goods are small or lightweight, mailer envelopes are a really great option due to their low weight and cost. Noissue’s mailers are also 100% compostable, providing an easy solution for both businesses and their customers.

2. Give your customers a custom-branded experience

Our customer The Sabah Dealer using noissue custom tissue in their gift box.

Let’s look at two different scenarios:

• Example 1: Your product arrives in generic packaging
• Example 2: Your product arrives in attractive, premium packaging with branding elements

Which one do you think is going to engage your customer the most, and stick in their mind long-term?

Packaging feeds brand perception because it’s the first real touchpoint that customers will have with your brand. So, first impressions really do matter! Custom-branded packaging is effective because it tells your customer something about your ethos. It says that you are different and that you want every interaction with your brand to be memorable. By comparison, what does generic packaging say about your brand? Nothing at all. And when you are trying to stand out to your customer, that is a problem.

Unboxing, or the attractive, curated presentation of products, has become a phenomenon because it occurs when your customer is at their most amenable. They have already made the transaction, and are eagerly awaiting delivery. So, anything they receive besides the product carries a “value-added” perception. This makes unboxing a genius piece of post-purchase marketing. Because it occurs AFTER the sale, it represents a deeper level of care and attention to detail. This is what makes unboxings interesting and thrilling for customers.

Creating a custom packaging experience sounds intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Even small additions, such as customized stickers or packaging tape, go a long way towards personalizing your delivery. Custom tissue paper also offers a really versatile option. As well as adding some flair and dramatism to your package, it also provides a big canvas for important branding elements, such as your logo or selling channels.

3. Be environmentally responsible in your packaging design

This last point doesn’t always get discussed in relation to fulfillment. But in 2019, it really bears thinking about. The fact is, packaging is responsible for a lot of waste. According to a 2015 study by the EPA, packaging materials make up around 37% of all landfills. Consumers are much more environmentally-conscious than they once were, and they want to know what businesses are doing to reduce their footprint. According to a Cone Communications Study, a whopping 91% of consumers now expect businesses to take steps to address both social and environmental issues.

The takeaway: All businesses are now expected to take steps to become more sustainable, even if “sustainability” isn’t a part of their brand image. And let’s be honest: this is something we all have a responsibility to invest in.

Your packaging design presents one of the most straightforward ways for you to channel a more sustainable approach. In fact, over a third of consumers consider both the type and amount of packaging to indicate a brand’s stance on environmentalism. This makes packaging an important marketing channel for your sustainability efforts.

3 ways to make your packaging design more sustainable

Reduce: Don’t over-package

Multi-layered packaging is a strategy used by brands to channel a more luxury feel. But to today’s more environmentally-conscious consumers, boxes within boxes or endless layers of cellophane is unnecessary and wasteful. Naturally, this doesn’t spell good news for your brand image. Moreover, reducing the amount of resources your design needs is the first step toward greater sustainability. By channeling a more minimalist approach in the first instance, you are cutting down on the amount of materials that need disposing of.

Reuse: Reusable packaging

Most packaging has a very short life cycle – it has served its purpose once the customer receives their order. After this point, it’s destined for disposal. So, if we choose packaging with more than one possible use, we can create a circular economy of reduced waste. Most of us keep some empty boxes handy from online orders because they are useful for organizing or transporting things. This outlook can be easily applied to other packaging elements as well! Using cloth pouches to hold your products, for example, has many applications in comparison to single-use soft plastic. It also gives your brand a much more premium look!

Recycle: Maximise the use of renewable materials

Many conventional packaging materials cause environmental issues. Why? Because they aren’t designed with the environment in mind. Soft plastics and polystyrene are not recyclable and are extremely slow to biodegrade. This leaves few responsible disposal options available to consumers. Limiting these materials where possible and maximizing sustainable alternatives will go a long way towards lowering the impact of your packaging. Papers and cardboard, for example, provide multiple reuse and recycling options for consumers. For this reason, 71% of consumers said they were more likely to buy from brands who use paper or cardboard packaging. Newer innovations, such as biodegradable packaging materials like corn starch and sugarcane, also present new opportunities for brands to show off a more eco-friendly approach!

Final Thoughts

Today, packaging design isn’t just important in terms of keeping your orders safe and lowering your shipping costs. It’s also about the brand image it represents. In eCommerce, packaging is a vital touchpoint with your customer base. This makes it a powerful tool for shaping brand perception. The materials you use and whether it reflects your brand all play into how your customer perceives you at the moment of delivery. If you invest effort into this area, you stand to gain far more than just cost savings!

Beth Owens is the Content Strategist and resident unboxing expert at noissue. Their premium custom tissue paper is acid-free and FSC-certified as being socially and environmentally responsible in its production. Their low minimum order quantities and quick turnarounds mean that they are suited to help everyone, from small independent businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

Here’s something that happens every day in Indian households across the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

You want a specific brand of pickle your mother used to buy. Or a particular Ayurvedic supplement that you know for a fact works. Or maybe the exact spice blend from a company you grew up with in Mumbai or Hyderabad.

So you check the local ethnic grocery store. No dice.

They either don’t carry it, or they want three times what it costs in India.

So you ask your family back home to ship it. And sometimes this works just fine, but it’s also expensive, the customs are a pain, and you feel guilty about making your parents stand in line at the post office.

This was Kiran Kotla’s life for more than a decade after moving to the United States.

“The breaking point was realizing that the problem was NOT logistics,” Kiran says. “It was layers of inefficiency and middlemen driving up prices and limiting availability.”

And from that frustration, came Distacart. It’s a marketplace that ships authentic Indian products directly from India to customers in over 40 countries. Since coming out of beta in 2020, the company has processed over a million orders, earned more than 68,000 verified reviews, and built a catalog that spans wellness, food, beauty, fashion, home goods, and spirituality.

And here’s the part that surprised even Kiran: a significant percentage of Distacart’s customers aren’t Indian at all.

“What surprised us later was that this problem was not just limited to the Indian diaspora,” Kiran explains. “A high percentage of non-Indians also shop on our website every day, buying Indian food, wellness, and home products.”

This is the story of how a tech professional turned his frustration into a cross-border business that he calls “the TEMU from India.”

Four Middlemen Between You and Your Pickle

You might wonder: why do Indian products cost so much outside India?

And to answer that, you need to understand the traditional distribution chain. Kiran lays it out “simply” in six stages:

1. Manufacturer
2. Master distributor
3. Regional distributor
4. Importer
5. Local ethnic retailer
6. Customer

That’s four layers between the person who made the product and the person who eats it, wears it, or uses it. “Each layer adds margins and opacity,” Kiran says. “This is where Dista comes in and collapses that chain by sourcing directly from Indian manufacturers and brands, and shipping straight to customers globally. Fewer hands mean better pricing, fresher inventory, and clearer accountability.”

Let’s linger on that “fresher inventory” point for a second. When products pass through four intermediaries across international borders, they sit in warehouses at every stage. So if you, like us, are living by the Jersey Shore, then by the time a spice blend lands on a shelf, months may have passed since manufacturing.

But if you ship direct from India? Then the whole time from production to consumption is compressed. And because orders are fulfilled on demand, the entire economic structure is different. Hence why Kiran was able to build what he was able to build with Distacart.

But then there’s the small matter of, well, collapsing a distribution chain that’s existed for decades. And that requires convincing Indian suppliers to change how they do business.

Winning Trust with Suppliers

“When we started, many suppliers were used to operating with bulk distributor orders, and were skeptical about direct-to-consumer exports,” Kiran admits.

And this is hardly surprising. It’s the kind of problem every marketplace faces in its early days. Suppliers have established relationships with distributors, and they come along with large orders, familiar payment terms, and known logistics.

So they ask themselves: why risk that for an unknown platform promising to sell their products one unit at a time to individual customers scattered across 40 countries?

Kiran’s answer was proof of demand.

“We proved a very real demand from customers across the globe, gained their trust with the kind of experience we provided to not just the end customer, but also to the brand by handling international payments and logistics seamlessly,” he says.

The company didn’t just fulfill orders. It handled the parts of international commerce that most Indian manufacturers had never dealt with: cross-border payments, customs documentation, regulatory compliance, and last-mile delivery in foreign countries. For suppliers, Distacart removed the operational burden of going global.

“It did not just end there,” Kiran continues. “We also drove their products into repeat purchases, proving that the customer base spread across the globe is very loyal.”

The turning point came when non-Indian customers started ordering in significant numbers.

“Suppliers realized this was not only about serving the diaspora,” Kiran says. “The market potential is much higher than they expected it to be. It was about expanding Indian products into mainstream global markets.”

And it’s exactly that shift that changed the way supplier conversations went. Instead of just serving homesick expat, they were opening mainstream market access. So all of sudden, Distacart wasn’t just a convenient channel. It was a real way for the suppliers to grow their businesses too.

An Underrated Differentiator for Distacart: Compliance

If you find yourself shipping food, wellness products, and Ayurvedic supplements across international borders, you’ll quickly find out just how complicated regulations can be.

But what can you do? Fail to comply? That’s not an option.

Different countries have different rules about which ingredients are permitted. Ayurvedic products can run into FDA scrutiny when imported to the US. A supplement that’s perfectly legal in India might be prohibited in Germany. A food product that clears customs in Canada might get seized in Australia.

Most cross-border sellers handle this reactively. They ship the product, hope for the best, and deal with problems when they arise. Kiran took the opposite approach.

“We treat compliance as a product, not a checklist,” he says.

Every SKU on Distacart is classified, documented, and validated before it ever ships. Labels, declarations, and paperwork are standardized in advance. The goal is to eliminate uncertainty before the package moves.

Or to put it more simply: Kiran wants to be 100% sure that when an order is placed, it can get to the customer. Sounds simple, but this is shockingly hard to do in practice, at scale.

“Many cross-border sellers from India on third-party marketplaces do not handle customs and documentation rigorously,” Kiran explains. “Shipments may leave India, but incomplete or inaccurate paperwork makes the outcome at destination unpredictable. That unpredictability damages a customer’s trust, which is extremely difficult to mend.”

After processing over a million orders, Distacart built something most competitors don’t have. They now have a proprietary compliance database that maps products and ingredients to country-specific regulatory requirements.

“Our technology ensures that only products permitted in a given country are enabled for purchase there,” Kiran says. “If a product or ingredient does not meet FDA guidelines in the US, or similar standards in other markets, it simply cannot be ordered for that destination.”

But the system goes further than simple product-country mapping.

“We have also built AI models that predict compliance outcomes for products we have not handled before or where regulations are ambiguous,” Kiran explains. “The system learns from how shipments are processed in each country. Over time, it has become more accurate and more predictable. This continuous learning loop allows us to prevent compliance issues rather than reacting to them.”

Three Business Days from India

Cross-border shipping has a reputation problem. People hear “shipped from India” and think “arriving sometime next month, maybe.”

Kiran pushes back on that assumption hard.

“Cross-border shipments through Dista do not take weeks,” he says. “Our fastest shipments quite often reach a customer’s doorstep in less than three business days from India.”

Three business days. From India to doorsteps around the world. That’s faster than USPS Ground from New York to California.

“Recently, Dista built a technology to orchestrate shipping from India to the global markets through localized hubs in major countries,” Kiran explains. “The technology dynamically selects optimal routes and carriers to minimize logistics costs, and reduce total delivery time.”

This orchestration layer does what a human logistics manager would do—evaluate routes, compare carrier performance, factor in customs processing times—but does it automatically for every single order. The system picks the optimal path for each shipment based on destination, package characteristics, and real-time carrier performance data.

Speed isn’t just a nice-to-have in cross-border commerce. It’s a trust builder.

“Speed and predictability are always critical for building trust in cross-border commerce,” Kiran says. “We built trust through transparency, accurate and predictive documentation to clear customs, proactive tracking updates, and owning the shipment end-to-end. When customers see international orders arriving quickly and consistently, confidence builds naturally.”

Bootstrapped with Discipline

International shipping is expensive. And when your entire business model depends on moving physical products across borders, margins are going to be thin by nature. This isn’t software-as-a-service and there are not 80% gross margins to fall back on.

“International shipping is expensive,” Kiran acknowledges. “That leaves margins to be derived from only operational efficiency, and not markups.”

From the beta phase through Distacart’s growth years, every individual shipment had to make economic sense on its own. There was no venture capital cushion to subsidize unprofitable orders in pursuit of growth.

“The business remained bootstrapped until October 2024, which forced an early discipline into the system,” Kiran says. “Even after raising our first pre-seed round, unit economics continue to drive every operational decision for us.”

That sentence is worth reading twice. Even after raising outside capital, the company still operates with the same unit-economics-first discipline that bootstrapping forced on them. Many companies raise their first round and immediately start spending on growth at the expense of profitability. Distacart’s years of bootstrapping created habits that survived the arrival of outside money.

The discipline extends to how they balance supplier margins with customer affordability.

“These efficiency gains allow us to maintain healthy supplier margins while passing savings directly to end customers,” Kiran explains. “Scale and technology make that balance possible.”

The key phrase there is “scale and technology.” Distacart doesn’t squeeze suppliers to lower prices for customers. Instead, it uses consolidated volume to negotiate better shipping rates and uses its logistics orchestration technology to route packages optimally. The savings come from the system, not from someone’s margin.

“Silence Destroys Trust”

When did Kiran realize that customer service would make or break the business?

“Very, very early, especially during and right after the beta phase,” he says.

The reasoning is specific to cross-border commerce. When a customer orders from a domestic retailer and the package is late, it’s annoying. When a customer orders from a marketplace that ships from India—trusting a company they’ve never heard of, paying for products that will cross international borders—and that package goes silent? The anxiety is approximately one million times worse.

“In cross-border commerce, silence destroys trust,” Kiran says. “A shipment delayed without explanation feels worse than a slow but well-communicated one.”

So Distacart invested in round-the-clock customer support before it was operationally efficient to do so. The 24/7 helpline wasn’t a luxury or a marketing bullet point. It was a survival requirement for a business asking first-time customers to trust international orders.

Today, the company has accumulated over 68,000 verified reviews across platforms. That review volume didn’t happen by accident. It happened because the company treated every interaction—especially the ones that went wrong—as a chance to prove reliability.

“As non-Indian customers began ordering, that reliability mattered even more,” Kiran notes.

Non-Indian customers don’t have the cultural familiarity or personal motivation that drives diaspora purchases. They’re buying because they discovered Ayurvedic skincare on TikTok, or because a friend recommended a specific spice brand, or because they’re curious about Indian wellness products.

Their tolerance for a bad experience is much lower. There’s no nostalgic memories of sunny days in Jaipur to fall back on, and to make the waiting worthwhile. One fumbled order and they’re gone forever.

Why Not Just Use Amazon?

Amazon sells Indian products. Local ethnic stores sell Indian products. So why does Distacart exist?

“Selection, authenticity, and predictability,” Kiran says.

Selection means having the largest catalog of authentic Indian products available globally. Not just the mainstream brands that Amazon might carry, but the specific regional brands that a customer from Hyderabad or Chennai grew up with. If a product isn’t listed, customers can request it and Distacart will work to source it.

Authenticity means every product ships directly from India, with rigorous quality control before dispatch.

Predictability is the thread that ties everything together. The compliance database ensures that products clear customs. The logistics operations ensures delivery is fast and accurate. The QC process ensures product quality. The customer service ensures problems get resolved. Each piece reinforces the others.

“Local stores are often expensive and inconsistent in availability,” Kiran observes. “They often don’t carry the brands and products that the diaspora is used to consuming in India.”

And while Amazon has reach, the experience for Indian sellers on that platform is fundamentally different. Sellers manage their own logistics and customs, and compliance isn’t always rigorous. That creates unpredictable customer experiences—exactly the problem Distacart was built to solve.

“Dista owns the experience end-to-end, so customers know exactly what to expect,” Kiran says.

Unpredictability Is the Real Enemy

Ask a cross-border commerce CEO about their biggest operational nightmare and you’d expect to hear about a specific disaster. They might regale you with a tale of a full forty-foot container seized at customs, a shipment of perishables that spoiled in transit, or a carrier that lost a thousand packages.

Kiran’s answer is more fundamental.

“Unpredictability,” he says.

“Customs delays or documentation issues can disrupt a customer’s trust overnight. Also unpredictable tariff regulations and broader geopolitical factors add on to this. Trade tensions, policy shifts, and conflicts between countries can instantly change landed costs and shipping dynamics.”

This is the reality of cross-border commerce that most domestic eCommerce businesses never face. A policy change in Washington or Brussels or Canberra can alter your unit economics overnight. A trade dispute between two countries can make your shipping routes suddenly unviable. A new tariff can turn a profitable product category into a loss leader.

“In cross-border commerce, external factors can alter economics within days,” Kiran says. “That forces us to build systems that are adaptable and resilient.”

The emphasis on systems over heroics is deliberate. You can’t know how geopolitical events are going to shake out, and even tariff policy has proven hard to predict.

What you can control is how quickly your technology adapts when those shifts happen. And that’s where Distacart’s investment in proprietary compliance databases, AI-driven prediction models, and dynamic logistics orchestration pays off.

The TEMU from India

After eight years connecting the Indian diaspora to products from home, where does Distacart go next?

The answer is bigger than most people expect.

“Dista started as a diaspora marketplace, but the opportunity is much larger,” Kiran says. “Our ambition is to become the TEMU from India, building a true factory-to-door global commerce engine which operates with technology and AI as its backbone.”

That means expanding beyond the categories where India has traditional strength—food, wellness, Ayurveda—into western apparel, pharmaceuticals, home decor, and broader consumer categories that don’t have a diaspora barrier.

The timing may be strategic. As global supply chains diversify and US-China trade relations evolve, companies and countries are actively looking for manufacturing alternatives. India is increasingly positioned as a long-term production hub with competitive economics and improving quality.

“Over time, we believe India can supply a broad range of global demand with competitive economics and improving quality,” Kiran says.

The infrastructure Distacart built to ship Ayurvedic supplements and pickle jars—the compliance database, the logistics orchestration, the carrier optimization, the customs documentation systems—turns out to be the same infrastructure you’d need to ship anything from India to anywhere. The technology is category-agnostic even if the initial use case was culturally specific.

“The platforms that connect those factories directly to global consumers in a compliant and predictable way will define the next phase of cross-border commerce,” Kiran says. “That is the future we are building toward.”

You can explore Distacart’s full catalog of Indian products at distacart.com, including wellness, food, and beauty products.

Key Takeaways

Everyone wins when supply chain inefficiencies are smoothed out.

Distacart’s entire business model is built on removing layers of middlemen between Indian manufacturers and global customers. Fewer hands mean better pricing, fresher inventory, and clearer accountability. If your industry has a bloated distribution chain, the opportunity may be in cutting it down rather than competing within it.

Distacart figured out the nuances of compliance, and was able to offer a much better customer experience.

Compliance is usually a cost center. But Kiran saw the opportunity to build a proprietary compliance database and AI prediction model. And that helped him turn an inevitable expense into a competitive advantage.

Bootstrap discipline should survive fundraising.

Distacart operated for years requiring every shipment to make economic sense on its own. That discipline persisted even after raising a pre-seed round. Many startups lose their operational rigor the moment outside money arrives. The best ones don’t.

Build trust before it’s efficient.

Management textbooks might tell you that building out 24/7 customer support before order volume came in was premature. But Kiran knew that in cross-border commerce, customers were trusting Distacart with international orders, which make people anxious. So radio silence was not an option.

Your initial niche may not be your final market.

Distacart started serving the Indian diaspora but discovered that a significant percentage of customers were non-Indian. That insight reshaped the company’s ambitions from diaspora marketplace to global cross-border commerce platform. Pay attention to who’s buying and why. The answer might be bigger than you planned.

Predictability beats speed as a competitive advantage.

Fast shipping matters, but consistent, predictable shipping matters more. Customers will tolerate a seven-day delivery if it’s reliably seven days. They won’t tolerate a delivery that’s “usually five days but sometimes three weeks.” Invest in predictability over speed.

Let’s be honest about eCommerce: it’s brutally hard.

When asked what surprised him most about eCommerce, Dan Korte, founder of Riseabove Apparel said, “honestly, how hard it is. “You picture steady progress and quick wins, but in reality, it’s constant setbacks—delayed shipments, poor quality, inventory issues, unexpected costs. There are so many moments where you question if it’s even worth it.”

“You learn that persistence is the real skill,” says Dan. “You can’t control every challenge, but you can control how you respond. That mindset—refusing to quit even when everything feels uphill—is what’s kept Riseabove moving forward.”

That mindset isn’t just business philosophy for Dan. It’s lived experience.

Dan is a testicular cancer survivor who faced down mortality, then discovered his oncologist was accused of committing fraud. He built Riseabove Apparel for people like him. That is, people who’ve been through hell and found recovery through fitness.

Riseabove isn’t just another athletic apparel company. It’s a community where people wear their scars proudly as reminders that they can overcome whatever life throws at them.

This is the story of how Dan Korte turned tragedy into a mission-driven brand that competes on authenticity, not price. And it’s also a story of why persistence matters more than any marketing strategy.

When Your Oncologist Gets Accused of Fraud

Dan Korte’s journey to founding Riseabove Apparel began with a testicular cancer diagnosis. After treatment and recovery, he felt grateful for a second chance at life.

“Fast forward to 2012, I had the idea to create a non-profit testicular cancer foundation called ‘RISEABOVE,'” Dan explains. “I wanted to give back because I had gotten a second chance at life.”

It was not much longer after that when Dan discovered something that shook him to his core.

“In 2013, I found out that my hematologist oncologist was accused of prescribing chemotherapy drugs to healthy individuals and submitting many fraudulent claims to Medicare,” he recalls on the Riseabove about page. “This made me question many things in life, but thankfully I was not a victim of this evil.”

Imagine that moment. You’ve survived cancer. You’re grateful to your medical team. Then you learn your oncologist may have been committing fraud on a massive scale. The doubt, the fear, the questioning of everything you thought you knew.

For years, Dan struggled to make sense of it all. “It wasn’t until many years later that I realized that I had to go through these events in order to build RISEABOVE,” he says.

The turning point came in 2017, at a coffee shop.

“I met a woman that would change my life forever,” Dan recalls. “I told her about my idea at a coffee shop that I wanted to create an athletic apparel company around individuals who have gone through tragedies and struggles in life. She immediately related to the idea and pushed me to get it off the ground.”

With her encouragement, Dan started sharing the concept. “I started getting the idea out there with her help and immediately knew we were onto something life changing.”

The mission crystallized into “a community of individuals who have gone through tragedies and struggles in life and found recovery through fitness.”

And the tagline said it all. Wear your scars proudly as reminders that you can overcome life’s struggles through fitness.

From Hardcore Athletes to Weekend Warriors

When Dan launched Riseabove Apparel, he had a clear picture of his customer. Or so he thought.

“Initially, we thought we were designing for hardcore athletes,” Dan admits. But the market had other ideas.

“Over time, we realized our audience includes anyone who embraces an active, resilient mindset—from gym-goers to weekend warriors,” he explains. “That insight reshaped our messaging.”

This realization was crucial. Riseabove isn’t about athletic performance metrics or competing in competitions. It’s about resilience mindset. It’s about showing up to the gym even when depression tells you to stay in bed. It’s about running when anxiety makes your chest tight. It’s about lifting weights as a way to process trauma.

The struggles customers overcome range widely: weight loss, mental health challenges, personal setbacks, cancer, anxiety, postpartum depression, PTSD. The common thread isn’t athletic ability. Rather, it’s the decision to rise above whatever’s holding you back.

The product line reflects this mentality through its sale of men’s and women’s athletic shirts, tank tops, hoodies (including theGenesis Hoodies collection), performance shorts, biker shorts, leggings, sports bras, and hats. Each piece features symbolism representing transformation. The Phoenix rising from ashes is a recurring motif.

Customer testimonials reveal the emotional connection people have with the brand:

“I have hit rock bottom many times in life,” one customer wrote about their hat. “Wearing this hat is a reminder that I was able to overcome those hardships.”

The product quality backs up the mission. Reviews consistently mention that items are “super soft and comfy,” “high quality,” and “fits great after I washed it.” But quality is table stakes. What keeps customers coming back is the reminder every time they put on Riseabove gear: they’ve overcome before, and they can overcome again.

The Products Are the How, But the Mission Is the Why

How do you balance selling products with telling mission-driven stories? For Dan, this is the beating heart and soul of the brand.

“Our mission—empowering people to rise above limits—drives everything,” Dan says. “We try to show it through real stories of athletes, everyday grinders, and our own journey as a small business. The products are the vehicle, but the mission is the why.”

This philosophy shapes everything about how Riseabove operates. The brand doesn’t lead with fabric specs or performance features. It leads with stories of people who’ve been knocked down and gotten back up.

When it comes to customer reviews and testimonials, Dan maintains authenticity by refusing to cherry-pick only glowing feedback.

“We spotlight honest, detailed feedback—including constructive comments,” he says. Showing real feedback, including criticism, builds trust in a way that perfectly curated five-star reviews never can.

The competitive advantage is clear: “Our storytelling is what sets us apart from the competition,” Dan notes. Any brand can source athletic wear from manufacturers. What they can’t replicate is Dan’s lived experience, authentic mission, and community of people who genuinely relate to the struggle.

Don’t Try to Be the Cheapest

Big athletic brands can undercut small companies on price all day long. So how does Riseabove compete?

“We don’t try to be the cheapest; we focus on being the best value,” Dan explains. “Customers appreciate authenticity more than deep discounts.”

This distinction—cheapest versus best value—is of tremendous importance. The Genesis Hoodies, for example, retail for $65. That’s not bargain-basement pricing. But customers aren’t just buying a hoodie. They’re buying:

• Ultra-soft, durable fabric blends that provide comfort and flexibility
• Quarter zip designs with high neck protection against cold
• Secure zip pouches for essentials
• Adjustable drawstring waists for customizable fits
• Symbolic details celebrating strength and renewal
• Membership in a community of people who understand struggle

Most importantly, they’re buying a reminder every time they put it on: I can rise above this.

The email strategy reinforces this value-over-discount approach. “A new customer receives a warm welcome flow focused on story and value, not discounts,” Dan says. New customers don’t get bombarded with 20% off codes. They get the story, mission, and—vitally—breathing room to make decisions they feel good about. The kind that don’t end up as buyer’s remorse.

Dan explains, “quality over frequency keeps open rates high.”

The result is customers who buy because of the mission stick around longer than customers who buy because of a discount code. When your next purchase decision is driven by “does this brand represent my values?” rather than “what’s on sale today?”, you’ve built something sustainable.

Focusing on Repeat Purchase Rate, Not Vanity Metrics

What metrics does Dan actually watch? Not the vanity metrics most eCommerce brands obsess over.

“Repeat purchase rate, customer lifetime value, and engagement on community posts,” Dan says. That’s it. Three metrics that matter.

Why repeat purchase rate? Because it indicates mission resonance, not just product satisfaction. Someone might buy once because they like the design. They buy again because they connect with what Riseabove represents.

This focus on repeat purchases shapes customer acquisition strategy.

“We reverse-engineer it from our average order value and repeat purchase rate,” Dan explains. “If we know our average customer buys again within a few months, we’re comfortable spending a bit more upfront.”

The logic is sound: if lifetime value is $200 and you know customers typically make three purchases, you can afford to spend more acquiring them than if you’re hoping for a single $65 sale.

Engagement on community posts matters because it measures connection to the mission, not just transaction completion. Someone commenting on a post about overcoming anxiety or sharing their own cancer recovery story signals deep brand affinity.

These metrics also drive product decisions.

“We look at both data and community feedback,” Dan says. “If a product isn’t performing after several months and we can’t clearly identify why, we sunset it to make room for stronger performers.”

“On the flip side, when we see repeat customers or organic social buzz around a particular design, we reinvest—often improving materials or expanding colorways.”

Authenticity Beats Reach

Influencer marketing or paid ads: which channel is the better investment? Dan has a clear answer based on his experience with Riseabove.

“For us, micro-influencers—especially those who genuinely live the Riseabove lifestyle—outperform larger partnerships in terms of engagement and authenticity,” Dan says.

The key word here, of course, is genuinely. Riseabove doesn’t pay fitness influencers with millions of followers to post once. They work with people who relate to the mission of overcoming struggles through fitness. People whose audiences trust them because they share real struggles, not just perfect gym photos.

When it comes to tracking ad effectiveness, they do so in a way that acknowledges recent privacy changes that make conversion tracking harder. Namely, “we’ve leaned more heavily into first-party data: building our email list, optimizing post-purchase surveys, and using tools that help model attribution,” Dan explains.

When the Facebook pixel became unreliable thanks to Apple’s privacy changes, Riseabove had to change their processes. After all, it’s not like they could simply keep throwing money at ads and hoping the platform’s attribution was accurate.

They had to build owned data assets. That means things like email lists they control, post-purchase surveys that capture how customers found them, attribution modeling tools that fill the gaps iOS privacy protections created.

It’s more work than relying on Facebook’s black box. But it’s also more sustainable and gives Riseabove insight into customer journeys rather than algorithmic guesses.

Cash Flow Healthy, Customer Satisfaction First

How does a small apparel brand manage inventory without tying up all their capital or missing sales from stockouts?

“We stay lean,” Dan says. “Smaller runs keep cash flow healthy and allow us to test new designs quickly. If something sells out fast, that’s a good problem—and a signal to scale.”

This approach prioritizes learning over maximizing every potential sale. Yes, selling out means leaving some money on the table. But it also means Riseabove can test new designs without committing $50,000 to inventory that might not sell.

When something does sell out quickly, that’s data. Reorder larger quantities. Maybe expand colorways. The sellout validated the design.

Returns policy reveals Dan’s priorities even more clearly.

“We make it frictionless,” he says. “Our policy is simple: if you’re not happy, we’ll make it right—fast. We prioritize customer satisfaction over short-term margin.”

Think about the math. Charging a $10 restocking fee might save $10 today. But if that frustrates a customer who would have made three more $65 purchases, you just traded $10 for $195.

For a mission-driven brand, this matters even more. You can’t build community by nickel-and-diming people on returns. Trust is everything when customers are buying into values, not just products.

Email segmentation follows the same customer-first logic. Emails are not sent with overwhelming frequency. Customers are not bombarded with daily promotions. There’s simply thoughtful communication that respects people’s inboxes while building connection to the mission.

Constant Setbacks and the Refusal to Quit

What surprised Dan most about building an eCommerce brand was the unglamorous reality behind the Instagram posts. The sheer difficulty of sticking to it.

“That mindset—refusing to quit even when everything feels uphill—is what’s kept Riseabove moving forward,” Dan says.

There’s a meta-lesson here. Riseabove’s mission is helping people overcome struggles through fitness. Building Riseabove required Dan to overcome constant struggles through persistence. The founder embodies what he sells.

When Dan wears Riseabove gear, he’s wearing his entrepreneurial scars proudly—delayed shipments, quality issues, cash flow problems—as reminders that he overcame them. Just like his customers wear their scars from cancer, anxiety, weight loss journeys, or whatever battles they’ve fought.

The brand isn’t just marketing messaging. It’s lived experience at every level.

Final Thoughts

From testicular cancer survivor to apparel founder. From a coffee shop conversation to a community of people overcoming struggles through fitness. From questioning whether it’s worth it to building something that genuinely helps people.

Dan Korte didn’t set out to build just another athletic wear brand. He set out to create something that represented his own journey—surviving cancer, discovering his oncologist’s fraud, getting a second chance, and choosing to use that second chance to help others.

Riseabove Apparel competes on mission, not price. On authenticity, not discounts. On community, not scale. The metrics that matter—repeat purchase rate, lifetime value, community engagement—reveal whether the mission resonates, not just whether products sell.

The challenges are real, be they inventory issues, quality problems, or simply moments of doubt. But the response is what defines Riseabove: refusing to quit even when everything feels uphill.

Explore the full Riseabove collection atriseabove.org, including theGenesis Hoodies Collection symbolizing transformation and fresh beginnings.

Key Takeaways

Did you read this piece looking for tips on how to grow your own business? Here are some things that stood out to me.

Mission-driven positioning makes higher prices more acceptable to customers.

Riseabove doesn’t compete on price because customers buy the mission. “We focus on being the best value. Customers appreciate authenticity more than deep discounts.” Community belonging justifies premium over commodity athletic wear.

Repeat purchase rate shows if customers connect with your mission.

Dan watches repeat purchases and lifetime value, not just first-order metrics. Customers returning signal mission connection, not just product satisfaction. Calculate CAC from LTV, not arbitrary benchmarks.

Micro-influencers beat macro when mission matters.

“Those who genuinely live the Riseabove lifestyle outperform larger partnerships in terms of engagement and authenticity.” Reach means nothing if the audience doesn’t relate to the core message.

Lean inventory makes it possible to do fast testing.

Smaller production runs make it easier to keep cash in the bank and quickly iterate on designs. Dan says the market will give you data, and that “if something sells out fast, that’s a good problem—and a signal to scale.”

Frictionless returns build lifetime value.

“If you’re not happy, we’ll make it right—fast. We prioritize customer satisfaction over short-term margin.” Return fees save $20 today but cost $500 lifetime value.

Email segmentation prevents overwhelm.

New customers get “warm welcome flow focused on story and value, not discounts” with breathing room before broader campaigns. Frequency kills engagement faster than irrelevance.

iOS tracking changes pushed Dan to start collecting first-party data.

There’s no substitute for owning your own data. Dan’s approach, which is a good one, was to start “building our email list, optimizing post-purchase surveys, and using tools that help model attribution.”

Persistence is the actual skill.

“You picture steady progress and quick wins, but in reality, it’s constant setbacks.” The skill isn’t avoiding challenges—it’s “refusing to quit even when everything feels uphill.”

Imagine being on holiday in Paris, working late at night, when your phone lights up with a notification. You glance at the screen and see that Kim Kardashian just posted about your product to her 329 million Instagram followers.

Your first thought: fake account.

Your second thought, after checking: this is real.

That’s exactly what happened to Michael Jankie, co-founder of NATPAT, when the reality star bought BuzzPatch mosquito repellent stickers and shared them on Instagram in September 2022. The company didn’t pay her for the endorsement or send her free products. They had no idea she was even a customer.

“When Kim Kardashian bought BuzzPatch and posted about it, we had no idea until it happened,” Michael recalls. “Suddenly sales spiked, our phones lit up, and people started seeing us as credible.”

Today, NATPAT has sold more than 1.5 million packs of wellness stickers across its product line. The company’s revenues are “well into eight figures” across direct-to-consumer, marketplace, and wholesale channels. Their products are available at Target, Walmart, Amazon, Woolworths, iHerb and in markets across Australia, North America, Europe, the UK, and Singapore.

But NATPAT didn’t start with aspirations of celebrity endorsements or eight-figure revenues. It started in Michael Jankie’s backyard in Australia, watching his kids play and feeling frustrated every time he reached for the chemical spray bottle.

This is the story of how two friends built a wellness patch business on problems they faced as parents. And it’s also the story of how an unexpected Instagram post from one of the world’s most famous women validated everything they’d been building.

When Spraying Your Kids Doesn’t Feel Right

“The idea started in my own backyard in Australia, watching my kids play and realizing how often we were spraying chemicals on them,” Michael explains. “It didn’t feel right. I wanted something safe, simple, and fun that my children would actually enjoy using.”

That frustration—that nagging discomfort every parent feels when doing something they’re not entirely comfortable with—turned into curiosity. And curiosity turned into a question: what if there was a better way?

“That frustration turned into curiosity, and from there the sticker idea was born,” Michael says.

The logic was simple. Kids love stickers. They’ll wear them voluntarily, happily, without complaint. So why not make stickers that do something functional while being fun?

Michael Jankie, Gary Tramer, and Andrei Safonau founded NATPAT (Natural Patch Co.) in April 2020, drawing on their wealth of experience in eCommerce and startups. The timing couldn’t have been worse—or perhaps, in retrospect, better. The pandemic had just begun. Supply chains were chaotic. Consumer behavior was unpredictable.

But families stuck at home were spending more time outdoors in their yards and local parks. Mosquito season was coming. And parents were increasingly conscious about what chemicals they put on their children’s skin.

The first BuzzPatch packs were sold in May 2020, just one month after founding. The stickers used natural essential oils—particularly citronella—infused into colorful, kid-friendly patches that could be stuck on clothing rather than applied directly to skin.

No DEET. No harsh chemicals. Just plant-based essential oils that mosquitoes happened to hate, delivered in a format kids wanted to wear.

Building Trust Over Decades

The NATPAT founding story has an unusual element that most startups can’t replicate: Michael Jankie and Gary Tramer have been friends since they were three years old.

“That kind of history builds deep trust,” Michael says.

Think about what that means for a business partnership. It means no need to prove motives and no uncertainty about whether your co-founder will prioritize personal gain over the company’s mission. No awkward early conversations trying to align on values because the values are already aligned after decades of friendship.

“When we started NATPAT, the focus was never on money first,” Michael explains. “It was about creating something safe for our kids. That foundation of honesty and care is what shaped our culture from day one.”

This wasn’t abstract philosophy. It shaped concrete decisions.

“This philosophy shows up in practical ways,” Michael says. “We design for safety first, we keep the company flexible and family-friendly, and we say no to opportunities that don’t align with our values even if they look profitable.”

That last part—saying no to profitable opportunities—is where most businesses reveal whether their stated values are real or just marketing copy. NATPAT takes the hard step of turning down revenue when it would compromise what they’ve built.

“Profit matters, but joy is what makes the business sustainable,” Michael notes.

The Australian roots also matter. The products are formulated and designed in Australia, bringing a specific approach to natural wellness that resonates with parents globally. The company draws on indigenous communities’ centuries-old use of essential oils for insect repellent, combining traditional knowledge with modern delivery mechanisms.

Reaching 329 Million Followers with Zero Warning

Even though their products received high praise and generated expected revenue, the legitimacy of NATPAT as a business was a constant question mark.

Were sales driven by marketing or genuine product quality? Were they building something real or just riding a temporary trend? As inventors and owners, they constantly wondered if the product was actually good enough.

Then came September 2022.

“When Kim Kardashian bought BuzzPatch and posted about it, we had no idea until it happened,” Michael says. He was on holiday in Paris, working at night as entrepreneurs do, when the notification came through. His immediate reaction was skepticism—probably a fake account using Kim’s name.

But it wasn’t fake. Kim Kardashian had genuinely purchased BuzzPatch (the team still doesn’t know from where—their website, a retailer, or Amazon), used it, and decided to share it with her 329 million Instagram followers in an Instagram story.

“Suddenly sales spiked, our phones lit up, and people started seeing us as credible,” Michael recalls.

The NATPAT team quickly assembled online from different parts of the globe to strategize. But the right response was obvious: lean into the moment while staying authentic to what they’d built.

“It was less about celebrity validation and more about realizing the idea had crossed into the mainstream,” Michael explains. “That gave us the confidence to double down.”

The deeper significance wasn’t just the sales spike. It was the answer to that nagging question about product quality versus marketing.

She didn’t receive free product. She wasn’t paid for the endorsement. She bought BuzzPatch because she needed mosquito repellent for her kids, it worked, and she chose to share it.

That organic endorsement—from someone who could have anything for free—validated that NATPAT had built something genuinely good.

The experience also shaped NATPAT’s current marketing approach. While the company has experimented with influencer marketing, they now focus primarily on resharing genuine posts from customers.

Creating Products Around Their Own Problems

How does NATPAT decide which products to develop? The answer reveals why their product line resonates so strongly with parents.

“Every product comes from a problem in our own homes,” Michael explains. “Sleep, focus, allergies—these were not opportunities we spotted in a market report, they were real needs we faced as parents.”

Start with BuzzPatch, the original mosquito repellent sticker. The essential oil blend—citronella combined with other natural oils—creates what NATPAT describes as a “virtual shield” that confuses mosquitoes and hides children from their senses.

Because mosquitoes find humans by sensing the carbon dioxide we exhale, certain essential oils can overpower that CO2 signal, essentially making you invisible to mosquitoes.

But BuzzPatch was just the beginning. Once the technology proved effective, Michael and Gary looked at other problems they faced as parents.

For sleep troubles, they created SleepyPatch with essential oils like mandarin, lavender, sweet marjoram, and vetiver designed to calm the nervous system and promote relaxation.

Focus and concentration issues, they made FocusPatch for school, homework, sports, and activities.

For big emotions and anxiety, they launched ZenPatch for mood calming and emotional regulation.

For congestion from colds or allergies, they introduced StuffyPatch for respiratory relief.

The product development process is consistent: “We look for natural solutions, test them thoroughly, and only bring them to life if our own kids would use them,” Michael says.

The technology behind all NATPAT products is AromaWeave™, a bamboo-based fiber using nanomaterial that releases essential oil molecules consistently—approximately every 30 seconds—rather than dissipating quickly after opening the package. This allows the patches to work for 8-12 hours depending on the product.

The patches are made with medical-grade non-woven fabric and adhesive safe enough for children’s clothing but strong enough to stay put during active play. The colorful emoji face stickers make them fun for kids to choose and wear.

The parent appeal is equally important: stick them on clothing rather than applying chemicals directly to skin, no messy sprays or creams, DEET-free and plant-based, and kids are more likely to want to wear them.

Making Value-Driven Decisions

Most companies claim to be values-driven. NATPAT’s approach reveals the difference between values as marketing and values as operating principles.

“This philosophy shows up in practical ways,” Michael explains. “We design for safety first, we keep the company flexible and family-friendly, and we say no to opportunities that don’t align with our values even if they look profitable.”

Designing for safety first means using only natural ingredients, testing formulations thoroughly, choosing medical-grade materials, and avoiding harsh chemicals like DEET or synthetic compounds. Every product must pass the test: would Michael and Gary use this on their own children?

Keeping the company family-friendly means understanding that parents work around children’s schedules. It means building flexibility into company culture rather than demanding traditional office hours and presence. It means recognizing that sometimes business decisions need to wait until after bedtime.

Saying no to profitable opportunities is the hardest part. When a partnership or distribution channel offers significant revenue but requires compromising on ingredients, messaging, or brand values, NATPAT walks away.

“Profit matters, but joy is what makes the business sustainable,” Michael emphasizes.

Instead of scaling according to conventional wisdom—raising venture capital, expanding rapidly, maximizing short-term revenue—NATPAT chose to maintain the fun and passion in their work. They collaborate with like-minded partners who share their values rather than pursuing every available opportunity.

Michael credits his support system for enabling this approach: friends, colleagues, other startup founders, and even retired founders who now invest. They provide advice, brainstorm ideas, and think constructively about the business. That community gives NATPAT the confidence to stay true to their mission even when conventional business logic suggests different choices.

Making a Real Difference

Revenue numbers and celebrity endorsements tell one story about NATPAT’s success. But Michael measures success differently.

“A parent once told us their child with autism could not focus in school until they tried our Focus Patch,” Michael shares. “That story hit me hard.”

The realization was profound: “It showed me that what we are building is not just about mosquito bites or sleep, but about genuinely helping families. Those stories are what keep us moving forward.”

The customer testimonials reveal the breadth of impact NATPAT products have on real families:

A mother wrote about her newborn son who loves evening walks: “We have not had a single bug bite since we started using these stickers. The fact that it is chemical-free was a huge selling point for me.”

A parent shared about their daughter with autism: “I needed help for my autistic daughter to get some sleep at night.” After using SleepyPatch: success.

An adult customer wrote: “I can climb into bed, fall asleep, stay asleep (that’s new!) and waken refreshed about 7-8 hours later! I haven’t slept this well in around 20 years!!”

A stay-at-home mom described her high-energy child: “I decided to give these a try. I was so surprised that he actually was calm and played with blocks for over two hours and I got to finally have a break!”

One customer even used ZenPatch for a stressed cat exhibiting behavioral issues: “I thought we’d give these patches a try” and the calming effect worked for the pet.

These aren’t just product reviews. They’re stories about quality of life improvements for families struggling with real challenges.

What Comes Next

From a backyard in Australia to 1.5 million packs sold. From launching during a pandemic to revenues “well into eight figures.” From unknown brand to organic endorsement by Kim Kardashian.

The NATPAT journey demonstrates what happens when founders build products they genuinely need for their own families. When childhood friendships create business partnerships rooted in deep trust. When values drive decisions even at the cost of short-term profits.

Michael and Gary didn’t set out to build a wellness empire. They set out to stop spraying chemicals on their kids. The sticker idea that emerged from that frustration solved a real problem in a format children actually enjoyed.

Then they applied the same problem-first approach to sleep, focus, mood, congestion, and allergies. Every product comes from a problem they faced in their own homes. Every product gets tested on their own kids first.

The accidental celebrity endorsement validated what they’d built, but it didn’t change the fundamental approach. NATPAT still focuses on resharing genuine customer stories rather than paying influencers. They still say no to opportunities that compromise their values. They still measure success by impact on families’ lives rather than just revenue growth.

The lesson for other entrepreneurs isn’t about getting lucky with celebrity attention. It’s about building something so genuinely good that when someone with 329 million followers discovers it organically, they choose to share it without payment or incentive.

You can explore NATPAT’s full product line at natpat.com including BuzzPatch, SleepyPatch, and Wellness Kits.

Key Takeaways

Did you read this piece looking for tips on how to grow your own business? Here are some things that stood out to me.

Build what you’d use yourself.

Every NATPAT product solves a problem Michael and Gary faced with their own kids. When founders are the target customer, product-market fit comes naturally. So make products you’d feel comfortable using yourself.

Organic advocacy beats paid influencers.

Kim Kardashian bought and posted without payment or free product. Now NATPAT focuses on resharing genuine customer posts. Authentic testimonials “are the ones that work and resonate” more than sponsored content.

Problem-first beats market-first.

Sleep, focus, allergies—”not opportunities we spotted in a market report, they were real needs we faced as parents.” Market research identifies gaps but lived experience identifies solutions people truly desire.

Values-driven means saying no to profits (sometimes).

“We say no to opportunities that don’t align with our values even if they look profitable.” Turning down revenue that compromises principles is what makes the difference between value-washing and value-driven.

Launch timing matters less than product quality.

Founded April 2020 during pandemic, first sales May 2020. Terrible timing became irrelevant when the product solved a genuine problem.

Joy makes business sustainable, not just profitable.

“Profit matters, but joy is what makes the business sustainable.” Maintaining fun and passion while scaling preserves founder motivation and company culture long-term.

Imagine managing fresh-roasted coffee in grocery aisles and supplying independent restaurants and cafes, while also doing private labeling and custom blending, providing business coaching to aspiring cafe owners, AND expanding into 20 new retail locations.

That’s a lot to handle. Especially when you’re doing it as coffee prices hit record highs and new tariffs get slapped on imports.

That’s the reality for Klatch Coffee, the Rancho Cucamonga-based family roaster that’s been building direct relationships with coffee producers for 30 years.

Founded in 1993 by Mike Perry and his wife Cindy, Klatch Coffee has grown from weekly coffee dates to a multi-channel operation. And it’s a big one that includes standalone cafes, wholesale partnerships, direct-to-consumer eCommerce, and now a major expansion into Sprouts Farmers Market stores.

Today, CEO Heather Perry (a 2-time US Barista Champion) and Director of Retail Holly Goldsworthy run the family business. Justin Christopher, Manager of Ecommerce and Marketing, helps orchestrate the myriad factors that going into keeping quality high across every channel.

As Justin says, “we’re all on board with building an interest and appreciation for high-quality specialty coffee. Everyone’s success is our success, because our primary goal is to spread joy one cup of great coffee at a time!”

This is the story of how a family-owned coffee roaster handles the major operation that has grown through the cumulative changes that happen over 30+ years of business. Much of this is thanks to the relationships Klatch Coffee has built up over the years, and that’s a theme we’ll explore in detail in this entrepreneur feature.

Wholesale, DTC, Private Label, and Everything In Between

Let’s start with the obvious question: how does Klatch Coffee manage so many different channels?

“We’re fortunate to have some great wholesale partnerships,” Justin says. “Those partnerships take place in a few different forms. We have fresh-roasted coffee in the grocery aisle at retail partners, we supply organizations like independent restaurants, cafes, and churches, and we offer private or white labeling and even custom blending.”

Some partnerships look completely different. “Finally, we also have partners like UC Riverside, who operate their own businesses, but serve Klatch-inspired beverages and display ‘We proudly brew Klatch Coffee’ signage,” Justin explains.

“We also use our knowledge and expertise to help business owners with menu development, equipment selection, and training at our State-of-the-Art training lab,” Justin notes. “Someone interested in opening their own cafe can reach out to Klatch Coffee for business coaching to help them be successful.”

The result is “a lot of different channels and customers, in addition to direct to consumer sales!”

Now it’s not too hard to imagine how you can slowly add channels to a functional business over the decades, one at a time, like repainting the walls of an old home. But with multiple channels can come complexity (or if you prefer, chaos). So how do they do all this without the channels competing with one another?

“Internally, we work to make sure our departments like sourcing, production, and marketing are supporting all the channels we ultimately sell in,” Justin explains. In other words, they don’t let information silos build up between wholesale, retail, and DTC.

When Coffee Prices Hit Historic Highs

Expanding across channels is challenging when coffee prices hit record highs.

“The state of the world coffee market is fairly challenging currently,” Justin explains. “Prices paid by importers and roasters reached new record highs in early 2025, retracted slightly over the Summer, and remain at historical highs as we enter October.”

Then it got worse. “This was all before new tariffs were added on imports to the United States, too,” Justin notes. “Add new tariffs on some key countries (such as Brazil—the world’s largest coffee producer), and you have a recipe for price increases on the grocery shelf or in your favorite cafe.”

So this begs the question: how does Klatch maintain quality without pricing themselves out?

Three decades of relationship building.

“Our Roastmaster and Founder, Mike Perry, plays a critical role in keeping quality high,” Justin says. “Over Klatch Coffee’s 30 year history, he’s developed personal relationships with some of the world’s best producers—many that go back decades.”

Those relationships are a tremendous strategic advantage for the company. “Since we know those producers so well, we have a big head start in choosing coffees that meet our quality standards,” Justin explains.

Keeping Coffee Quality High

Price is one factor, but it’s far from the only factor. Quality is arguably more important, and Klatch sets a high bar. “We only select coffees that score 90 points or above to ensure quality,” says Justin.

It’s here again that Klatch’s existing relationships—and commitment to building new relationships—makes a big difference. “To keep quality high, we’re constantly evaluating coffees, producers, and even entirely new countries of origin to see if they make sense to add to our selection.”

The Direct Trade model makes this sustainable during price spikes. “Additionally, we purchase coffee with a Direct Trade model—we work directly with farmers and producers, cutting out the traditional middle man and allowing us to pay at least 25% above market minimums to ensure our partners are also making livable wages!” Justin explains.

This is supply chain strategy: “Keeping the whole supply chain sustainable and supported is a big part of what we do,” Justin notes.

One important subset of quality, of course, is consistency. Many popular products are blends from multiple origins, which can make keeping quality consistent more than a little tricky.

“Some of our most popular offerings are blends that contain coffee from multiple origins,” Justin says. “Because coffee harvests vary from year to year, the ‘recipe’ for those blends must constantly be monitored and adjusted, so that the flavor is consistent and familiar to the coffee drinker—even when the harvest varies due to climate, temperature, rainfall, soil conditions, etc.”

Delivering consistency when raw materials vary requires serious quality control. “Our QC team and roasting team works hard in this area to deliver these types of results,” Justin explains.

Holiday Coffees & Small Lots

Coffee might seem year-round, but keeping customers engaged requires seasonal thinking.

“As we head into the holidays as of the time of this writing, I’m reminded that we’re launching our 2025 holiday coffees and gift boxes on October 16!” Justin says. “Coffee makes a wonderful gift, and it’s perfect for sharing with friends and family, creating memorable conversations over a cup.”

Special occasion coffees keep things fresh. “We love celebrating a specific holiday or occasion with a special coffee that exists only for a short time—Mother’s Day, Christmas, and so on,” Justin notes. “That helps keep it fresh and interesting for the daily coffee drinker or visitors who come to our cafes multiple times every week.”

It’s here that direct trade creates another advantage: access to coffees larger roasters overlook.

“Because of our direct trade relationships with producers, we’re able to buy in smaller lots, and that means getting access to special coffees that would be overlooked by larger roasters,” Justin says. “Sometimes we only have a few weeks supply, which helps keep things fresh for enthusiasts—there’s always something new to try!”

Club Subscriptions & Recurring Revenue

Subscriptions form a major part of eCommerce strategy. “Subscriptions are also a big part of our eCommerce business,” Justin notes.

Klatch offers two models: standard repeat and Club subscriptions.

“We do offer the ability to subscribe to and receive the same coffee over and over (and many customers do that), but where we really shine is our Club subscriptions,” Justin explains. “Subscribers receive a new selection each month, expertly curated by our team.”

The Club subscriptions serve educational purposes. “This option is great for expanding your knowledge and appreciation of specialty coffee,” Justin says. “Club shipments can introduce subscribers to a new processing method they would not have otherwise experimented with, which keeps things interesting.”

Klatch provides guidance: “Our monthly Club selections also include a postcard with a brewing guide so customers can quickly get the best results without having to experiment,” Justin notes.

The curation is family-driven: Mike Perry curates Single Origin Club, Heather Perry curates Espresso Club, Holly Goldsworthy curates Blends Club.

This also gives Klatch Coffee an opportunity to present its suppliers in the best light too. “We like to ensure that we tell the full story when presenting a new coffee online,” Justin explains. “What’s the back story of the producer? Where was it grown? What’s the climate like? How were the beans processed?”

Breaking Into Sprouts Farmers Market

The biggest recent news is Klatch’s partnership expansion with Sprouts.

“In conjunction with National Coffee Day, we just announced our expansion into 20 new locations inside Sprouts Farmers Market stores across Southern California,” Justin says. “We have 9 new cafes coming in the next 2 quarters, then 11 more in 2026, including our first in San Diego County.”

This expansion will more than double Klatch’s current cafe footprint.

“There’s a close alignment of values between Klatch Coffee and Sprouts Farmers Market—we support one another in our goals,” Justin explains.

The geographic strategy makes sense. “Our partners are all over California, while our cafe business is focused on SoCal—so those partners help us reach customers that aren’t near enough to visit our own cafes,” Justin notes.

The partnership mindset: “They’re partners, not competitors!” Justin emphasizes. “We’re still winning when new customers discover Klatch via social media, online search, or consumer review sites, regardless of where they ultimately end up enjoying Klatch Coffee.”

The omnichannel approach is deliberate. “We win in the marketplace when consumers discover Klatch Coffee, no matter what channel they prefer to shop in,” Justin says. “We want to be part of the conversation regardless of where they make their buying decision.”

What Metrics Does Klatch Coffee Track?

With their big omnichannel approach, you might wonder where Klatch Coffee looks to understand how their business is doing.

“Website sessions are a good leading indicator that will predict our sales in the near future,” Justin explains. “Traffic is higher when we have a compelling selection of new coffees, offers that reward consumer loyalty, and newsworthy events to share with our base.”

Traffic without conversion doesn’t pay bills. “Ecommerce conversion rate is a measure of how effective we are at communicating our messages to those visitors,” Justin says.

Subscriber metrics get special attention. “We’ve also invested heavily in our subscription business over the last year, so we carefully watch the subscriber metrics to make sure the coffees we are selecting are resonating, the delivery experience is timely, and we’re delivering a great value to subscribers,” Justin explains.

Agility and Expertise vs. Scale

How does a family-owned roaster compete with Starbucks?

“As a smaller, more agile competitor I think we have some key advantages to play up compared with national chains,” Justin says.

The first advantage was touched on earlier but is worth reiterating. There’s expertise at the top. CEO Heather Perry is a 2x US barista champion, and “is heavily engaged in menu design and development, tweaking, testing, perfecting until something new is ready for the public,” Justin explains.

“Controlling the entire supply chain from sourcing, roasting, packaging, and distribution is [another advantage],” Justin notes. This makes sense especially when you consider the deep relationships that Klatch Coffee has built over the years.

Scale creates constraints smaller roasters don’t face. “Massive national chains simply can’t manage individual relationships with small, niche coffee producers around the world—but roasters like Klatch Coffee are agile enough to still have personal relationships with those producers, experiment with the roast until it’s perfect, and distribute the fresh-roasted coffee in small batches,” Justin explains.

Klatch’s size is a feature, not limitation.

Changing With the Times

When asked what surprises him, Justin pointed out that “the pace of change is always shocking,” he says. “Whether it’s technical changes like needing to update to a new subscription platform or making sure your website works on the latest mobile devices, things happen fast.”

The future comes faster than expected. “Soon it will be shopping with AI agents or within large language models—perhaps in the future, ChatGPT will discuss your coffee preferences with you and recommend the perfect beans from Klatch Coffee!” Justin notes.

His attitude is one of forward-looking optimization, with him saying “I love the challenge of adapting to whatever the market develops.”

What’s Next for Klatch Coffee

From weekly coffee dates in 1993 to 30+ cafes in 2025. From Rancho Cucamonga to wholesale partnerships across California. From standalone cafes to 20 new Sprouts locations.

Klatch Coffee proves family-owned specialty roasters can compete with national chains through agility, expertise, and direct relationships rather than scale.

Managing wholesale, DTC, private labeling, custom blending, business coaching, and retail locations across sourcing, production, and marketing is—unquestionably—a lot.

But 30 years of relationship building is what makes it work, as does a serious commitment to the highest of quality.

Explore Klatch Coffee at klatchcoffee.com or find locations at their grocery and cafe partners locator.

Key Takeaways

Did you read this piece looking for tips on how to grow your own business? Here are some things that stood out to me.

Multi-channel works best when partners all share a common mission.

Klatch manages wholesale, DTC, private label, and retail without channel conflict. “Externally, they’re partnerships, not competitors.” When everyone builds appreciation for specialty coffee, collaboration beats competition.

Long-term business relationships enable quality during chaos.

Record prices and tariffs squeeze margins. Klatch’s advantage: “Over Klatch Coffee’s 30 year history, he’s developed personal relationships with some of the world’s best producers—many that go back decades.” Relationships built during good times pay off during crises.

Direct Trade requires paying above minimums.

“We work directly with farmers and producers, cutting out the traditional middle man and allowing us to pay at least 25% above market minimums to ensure our partners are also making livable wages!” Sustainable supply chains cost more but provide reliability.

Small-batch agility beats chain scale.

“Massive national chains simply can’t manage individual relationships with small, niche coffee producers around the world—but roasters like Klatch Coffee are agile enough to still have personal relationships with those producers, experiment with the roast until it’s perfect, and distribute the fresh-roasted coffee in small batches.”

Expertise at the top makes it easier to differentiate on quality.

“CEO Heather Perry is a 2x US barista champion, and is heavily engaged in menu design and development, tweaking, testing, perfecting until something new is ready for the public. That type of experience isn’t easily duplicated by a competitor.”

Website sessions predict sales better than vanity metrics.

“Website sessions are a good leading indicator that will predict our sales in the near future. Traffic is higher when we have a compelling selection of new coffees, offers that reward consumer loyalty, and newsworthy events to share with our base.”