This episode reveals how Gusto Snacks, a DTC brand, leveraged a "slow startup" and extensive customer research to validate their food-waste-fighting products, secure a Selfridges listing, and achieve rapid growth. It offers a blueprint for ecommerce operators on methodical market entry and scaling through deep customer understanding and strategic channel expansion.
Key takeaways
Prioritize customer research and product validation through a
soft launch
before aggressive scaling to minimize risk and refine your offering.
Integrate both DTC (Shopify) and wholesale channels early on to diversify revenue streams and expand market reach.
Leverage your mission (e.g., food waste reduction) as a core brand differentiator and selling point.
Methodically gather and utilize customer feedback to iteratively improve products and inform business decisions.
Do not shy away from a "slow" or phased launch strategy as it provides invaluable insights for sustainable, accelerated growth.
Themes
brand storytellingchannel expansioncustomer research & validationstartup strategy
Giuseppe Baidoo is the founder and CEO at Gusto an award-winning DTC snack brand. Based in the UK they sell their food-waste-fighting products via wholesale and their Shopify store, and recently secured a listing in Selfridges! Founded in 2018 they soft-launched in 2021 to test the market and learn more about the customers, and this year are targeting sales of 58,000 units.We're talking about slow startup launches, customer research, accelerating the growth plans, wholesaling.Get all the links and resources we mention at eCommerceMasterPlan.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/
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Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about brand storytelling?
Prioritize customer research and product validation through a
What does this episode say about channel expansion?
soft launch
What does this episode say about customer research & validation?
before aggressive scaling to minimize risk and refine your offering.
What does this episode say about startup strategy?
Integrate both DTC (Shopify) and wholesale channels early on to diversify revenue streams and expand market reach.
What does this episode say about brand storytelling?
Leverage your mission (e.g., food waste reduction) as a core brand differentiator and selling point.
