The New Rules of DTC: How AquaSonic Became a Multi-Channel Powerhouse
Retail Remix · with Arsalan Rahbarpoor · May 18, 2026 · 19 min
Summary
AquaSonic's journey from an Amazon-native brand to a multi-channel powerhouse reveals the new rules of DTC: success lies in strategically showing up wherever customers shop. This episode outlines how they disrupted the oral care market with premium design and accessible pricing, emphasizing the critical role of operational planning, consistent branding, and channel-specific optimization for scaling across Amazon, national retailers, and TikTok Shop.
Key takeaways
Leverage Amazon as a foundational launchpad for customer acquisition and data gathering before expanding to other channels.
Prioritize consistent branding, packaging, and messaging across all sales channels (online, brick-and-mortar, social commerce) to build trust and recognition.
Implement robust operational planning for inventory, logistics, and customer service to seamlessly support multi-channel distribution.
Utilize social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop for discovery-driven sales and to reach new customer segments.
Identify market white space by combining desirable product attributes (e.g., premium design) with accessible price points to disrupt established categories.
DTC success used to hinge on cutting out the middleman. Today, the real growth opportunity is knowing how to show up everywhere customers shop.In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein speaks with Arsalan Rahbarpoor, Founder and CEO of AquaSonic, about how he built an Amazon-native oral care brand that now sells across Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy and TikTok Shop. Arsalan shares how AquaSonic disrupted a legacy-dominated category with premium design, accessible pricing and a sharper read on consumer demand — and why consistency, packaging and operational planning became critical as the brand expanded into national retail.Key TakeawaysHow AquaSonic identified white space in oral care by combining premium design with accessible pricing; Why launching on Amazon was foundational to AquaSonic’s future multi-channel success; What changed when the digital-native brand expanded into brick-and-mortar;How TikTok Shop creates a different kind of discovery-driven opportunity than Amazon or brick-and-mortar retail; What the success of AquaSonic says about consumers’ increased interest in wellness and their new expectations for the category; and Why AquaSonic is expanding beyond oral care into broader health, wellness and everyday essentials. Related LinksExplore AquaSonic’s oral care products and wellness essentialsGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix]]>
Leverage Amazon as a foundational launchpad for customer acquisition and data gathering before expanding to other channels.
What does this episode say about amazon & marketplaces?
Prioritize consistent branding, packaging, and messaging across all sales channels (online, brick-and-mortar, social commerce) to build trust and recognition.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Implement robust operational planning for inventory, logistics, and customer service to seamlessly support multi-channel distribution.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Utilize social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop for discovery-driven sales and to reach new customer segments.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Identify market white space by combining desirable product attributes (e.g., premium design) with accessible price points to disrupt established categories.
