Merchandising for New Product Launches

Here’s a conversation I have way too often, and I wish I didn't. Me: Tell me about your Amazon launch plan. Brand: We'll launch our product and run ads. Me: How many reviews do your competitors have? Brand: Most have 500-2000. We'll get there eventually. Me: That approach won't work... Brand: What do you mean? Our product quality is great, much better than the competition. (except with no reviews, who would know that!) Me: Imagine you're walking through a flea market. What makes you stop at one stall versus another? Brand: The one that catches my eye, I guess. Me: Exactly. On Amazon, reviews are a MASSIVE part of "catching your eye." I won't even click a listing with 3 reviews. Most customers won't either. Brand: So what's the solution? Me: Math. If 3-5% of customers leave reviews, work backward. You need a strategy to drive significant sales volume early. Brand: But we can't afford to sell at a loss. Me: Your first 6 months aren't about profit. They're about becoming relevant in your category. Brand: How do we know when we're relevant? Me: If your competitors have 40,000 reviews, you need thousands to compete. If they have 1,000, you might only need 500. Brand: There has to be a shortcut... Me: The only shortcut is strategy. Aggressive pricing, lightning deals, subscribe & save, outside promotion. Your goal is to drive volume until you hit your review threshold. Brand: What about influencers? Me: Now you're thinking! If customers get social proof from trusted influencers, they rely less on Amazon reviews. It's all about building trust somewhere. The conversation has shifted MANY strategies. The truth is, there's no hack for Amazon success. But there is strategy. And strategy beats hope every time. Launch strategy matters → incrementumdigital.com

Inflation isn’t just an economic challenge—it’s a test of agility for businesses. As costs rise and purchasing power shifts, companies that rely on gut instinct risk falling behind. The real winners? Those who use data-driven insights to navigate uncertainty. 1️⃣ Understanding Consumer Behavior: What’s Changing? Inflation reshapes spending habits. Some consumers trade down to budget-friendly options, while others delay non-essential purchases. Businesses must analyze: 🔹 Spending patterns: Are customers shifting to smaller pack sizes or private labels? 🔹 Channel preferences: Is there a surge in online shopping due to better deals? 🔹 Regional variations: Inflation doesn’t hit all demographics equally—hyperlocal data matters. 📊 Example: A retail chain used real-time sales data to spot a shift toward economy brands, allowing it to adjust promotions and retain price-sensitive customers. 2️⃣ Pricing Trends: Data-Backed Decision-Making Raising prices isn’t the only response to inflation. Smart pricing strategies, backed by AI and analytics, can help businesses optimize margins without losing customers. 🔹 Dynamic pricing models: Adjust prices based on demand, competitor moves, and seasonality. 🔹 Price elasticity analysis: Determine how much a price hike impacts sales before making a move. 🔹 Personalized discounts: Use customer data to offer targeted promotions that drive loyalty. 📈 Example: An e-commerce platform analyzed customer behavior and found that small, frequent discounts led to better retention than infrequent deep discounts. 3️⃣ Demand Forecasting & Inventory Optimization Stocking the right products at the right time is critical in an inflationary market. Predictive analytics can help businesses: 🔹 Anticipate demand surges—especially in essential goods. 🔹 Optimize supply chains to reduce excess inventory and prevent stockouts. 🔹 Reduce waste in perishable categories like F&B, where price-sensitive demand fluctuates. 📦 Example: A leading FMCG brand leveraged AI-driven demand forecasting to prevent overstocking of premium products while ensuring budget-friendly variants were always available. 💡 The Takeaway Inflation isn’t just about rising costs—it’s about shifting consumer priorities. Companies that embrace data-driven decision-making can optimize pricing, fine-tune inventory, and strengthen customer loyalty. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔? 𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚? 𝑳𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔! #datadrivendecisionmaking #dataanalytics #inflation #inventoryoptimization #demandforecasting #pricingtrends

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁. BeautyMatter recently published a great piece on pro brands making waves on Amazon US.  Having worked on the Amazon strategy for L'Oréal Professionnel Paris, I’ve seen firsthand how salon-rooted brands can win in an algorithm-led world. Traditionally, professional beauty relied on the credibility of hairstylists and in-salon education. Post-COVID, that dynamic changed. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. But unlike mass beauty, pro brands can’t win on discounts. Premium equity takes years to build—and seconds to erode. For new or emerging pro beauty brands launching on Amazon (whether in the US, India, or Canada), here are some strategies that actually work: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽 Don’t list your entire catalogue upfront. Lead with your 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁—the one that solves a clear problem or delivers a signature result. Build momentum before expanding. 𝟮. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻 Don’t just bid on your brand terms. Research high-volume category keywords, then layer bids based on 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 + 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. You don’t need to win every search—just the right ones. 𝟯. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗔+ 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 Use visuals and copy to replicate what a stylist would explain in person. Ingredients, usage, results—make it shoppable and engaging. 𝟰. 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 The first 6–8 weeks post-launch are gold. Add a thank-you card with a QR code on the packaging. Highlight review requests on PDPs. Even small efforts here snowball into trust and visibility. 𝟱. 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 Feature real hairstylists. Their testimonials, videos, and images add authority and emotion—two things that convert far better than plain claims. Whether you're launching in Canada or scaling globally, the fundamentals don’t change. Amazon is algorithmic, but marketing is still emotional. What’s one thing that worked for your brand on Amazon, big or small? Drop a comment. Chart via BeautyMatter x Market Defense #ProfessionalBeauty #AmazonStrategy #Ecommerce #BeautyIndustry 

It's not fun to have someone pitch you on how they will make your team completely obsolete. A pitch about enhancing human potential is exciting and inspiring. A pitch about workforce replacement? It’s efficient but can feel cold and uninspiring. Framing your product as a tool to supercharge top performers resonates far more with customers than positioning it as a way to reduce headcount. Here’s why this approach works: 🎭 The Emotional Disconnect: While the cost-saving value of reducing headcount is clear, it comes with risks and hesitations for your customers. Managers value their teams and their contributions, and language that focuses on “cutting people out” doesn’t always resonate. 🚀 The Empowering Pitch: Startups that frame their solution as a way to amplify human potential resonate more. Explain how your product supercharges people and teams, showing where humans excel and how your solution can enhance that. 📊 Make It Measurable: This pitch only works if you can clearly articulate how your product achieves these results. Show where team performance stands today, then highlight the tangible impact your product has on productivity, accuracy, or outcomes. 🤝 Augment, Don’t Replace: The most compelling pitches focus on collaboration between people and technology. Position your product as an enabler, not a replacer, creating a narrative that balances human expertise with the power of your solution. When startups can deliver a clear, data-backed vision of how they empower teams to perform at their best, they don’t just resonate - they inspire.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 We Europeans love science. We trust the features. We celebrate the breakthrough. But let me ask you this: when was the last time a formula or a graph made you feel something? When did the features of a product leave you inspired—not just impressed? You propably all heard about the rise of Oatly. It’s not just oat milk; it’s an entire movement wrapped in a quirky, human, and sometimes hilarious narrative. 👉 They could have told us about their enzyme technology or their sustainability metrics (and they do, in fine print). But what do we actually remember? "Wow, no cow!" It's bold. It's relatable. It’s the why, not just the what. 👉 Now, let’s contrast that with a lot of European startups. We’ve got the brightest minds building solutions to the world’s biggest problems—climate tech, frontier tech, medtech, you name it. But too often, the pitch sounds like this: "𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐈-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐗 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐘." Cool. But why should I care? The hard truth is this: science doesn’t sell itself. We need the human connection, the bigger purpose, the emotional spark. We need to show people how the science changes their lives—or the world. When I co-founded Vanagon Ventures, this became painfully obvious. I saw brilliant founders with mind-blowing ideas struggle to cut through the noise. They had the tech. They had the vision. What they didn’t have was a story. Here’s the kicker: 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥. 𝐀 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞; 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭. It turns complex into compelling. It takes your audience on a journey where they not only understand your product—they believe in it. So here’s my challenge to startups: 💡 Start with your “why.” Why does your solution matter? What’s at stake if you succeed—or fail? 👉 Get personal. Who is behind the science? Who does it impact? People connect with people, not processes. 👉Make it memorable. A quirky tagline. A bold stance. A visual that sticks. If you’re forgettable, you’re invisible. The science is just the beginning. The story is what takes it to the next level. If you’ve got an idea that can change the world, don’t keep it locked in the lab. Bring it to life. Because startups don’t just sell products. They sell belief.

How you frame your product determines what it becomes. More than your roadmap. More than your features. More than your strategy. The internal narrative shapes everything: Call it a “platform” → Team builds for developers Call it a “product” → Team builds for end users Call it a “service” → Team builds for reliability Call it an “experience” → Team builds for delight Same codebase. Different mental models. Different outcomes. This is why product vision isn't aspirational fluff. It's operational instruction. The narrative tells your team: - What trade-offs to make - What good looks like - What problems to prioritize - What to say no to Change the narrative, change the product. Slack didn't succeed because it built better chat. It succeeded because it narrated chat as “where work happens.” That narrative justified different features, different pricing, different GTM strategy than “better IRC.” Narrative control isn't marketing. It's PMing. Because the story you tell about what you're building shapes what you actually build. Most PMs focus on the roadmap. The best PMs focus on the narrative that generates the roadmap. The question: If you described your product in one sentence, what would you build differently? Try changing that sentence. See if your roadmap changes with it. #ProductManagement #ProductVision #Narrative #Strategy

This is a masterclass in storytelling and product launches. We don’t usually think of presentations as beautiful. Or emotional. Or inspiring. Most of the time, they’re the thing you survive to get to the real conversation. That’s why Figma’s launch of Slides caught me off guard. From the first frame, it didn’t feel like a product demo. It felt like… a feeling. No feature dump. No “better way to present.” Simply, this is what it could feel like to build ideas together. It tells a story, and DAMN, I love a good story. That’s what great marketing does. It doesn’t just tell you what a product does. It makes you feel like it was made for you. The lesson? Lead with feeling, not functionality. Build a movement, not just a message Design your campaign like your product—intentionally Speak to the frustration, then show the freedom Say less, make them want more Even a tired category like “presentations” can feel fresh if you lead with emotion, not features. Figma reminded me... Don’t just explain your product. Make people feel like they’ve been waiting for it.

The smartest launch campaigns don’t rely on one story. They build an ecosystem of stories. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 influencer launch is a great example of this approach. Instead of asking one creator to explain everything about the phone, Samsung worked with multiple creators across different verticals — each highlighting the feature that matters most to their audience. Film creators showcased Nightography, capturing cinematic low-light scenes that prove the camera’s power without saying a word. Gaming creators focused on the phone’s AI gaming capabilities, showing smoother gameplay, faster responses, and immersive performance. Lifestyle creators highlighted the privacy display, framing it as a practical everyday feature for people constantly on their phones in public spaces. Why this strategy works → Feature–creator alignment. Each creator demonstrates what they naturally understand best. → Audience relevance. Film fans, gamers, and lifestyle audiences each see the feature that matters to them. → Campaign depth. Instead of one big message, Samsung builds a network of narratives around the same product. Great product launches today aren’t one-off influencer posts. They’re creator ecosystems. Different creators. Different angles. One product story told through multiple perspectives. That’s how you turn a launch into something people actually pay attention to.

Brooke Monk just pulled off one of the wildest creator-brand launches of the year — and the real story isn’t the 1M followers in 24 hours. Yes, the Doting Beauty TikTok account exploded past 1.1M followers on day one, all organically. No paid media. No splashy reveal. Just a secret account, a few low-fi videos, and a creator with 43M fans who mobilize instantly. 💡 But here’s the real unlock This was a storytelling approach, not a typical brand launch. Brooke didn’t drop a logo. She dropped a narrative And her audience followed the story in real time. Follower spikes are the loudest signals They’re not always the smartest ones So let’s look at the signals that actually matter. 1️⃣ The mystery strategy worked because it was built like a story Brooke used tension, curiosity, and a small breadcrumb trail — a classic “chapter one” moment. Fans weren’t just following. They were searching, tagging, commenting, and trying to piece together the plot. That’s not passive hype That’s narrative participation. 2️⃣ Cross-platform spillover confirms this wasn’t a one-platform stunt Doting Beauty’s Instagram hit 58K followers with zero posts. This is the difference between being algorithmically viral and being narratively sticky. 3️⃣ Website behavior = the first sign of real commercial intent For creator brands, this is the earliest measurable proxy for demand. Brooke now has a sizeable waitlist before revealing a single SKU. Story pulled them in Utility will determine who stays. 4️⃣ Sentiment is unusually clean — and that matters for how the story unfolds Most creator beauty launches face early skepticism But here the sentiment is almost entirely positive. They see intention. They see craft. The narrative is working But expectations are now incredibly high 5️⃣ Benchmarks show how rare this scale actually is A million followers in 24 hours is not standard for creator beauty. Even Addison’s Item Beauty or other high-profile launches did not spark this level of immediate cross-platform traction. What Brooke did is closer to a celebrity-tier brand moment — without the celebrity PR machine. That’s the power of a story-driven launch in the creator economy It creates a sense of discovery that algorithms alone can’t manufacture. 6️⃣ The next 30 days are where the story has to turn into a brand This is where creators often lose momentum Storytelling gets replaced by “buy this” And audiences feel the shift. To convert, Brooke will need to continue telling a cohesive story and tie it to a go-to-market strategy One that connects why the brand exists with why the products matter. 💡And here’s the real insight This mirrors traditional licensing and consumer-products storytelling, but with one key difference In licensing, narrative is engineered to fit an IP In creator brands, the narrative has to feel authentic, personal, and emotionally consistent — or the audience disconnects instantly. Well done Brooke and Devain!

People don’t buy products. They buy time. They buy peace of mind. They buy the better version of themselves. This hit me hard when we launched a feature that reduced reporting time by 50%—and no one noticed. Why? Because we sold the solution. We didn’t sell the transformation. Our messaging sounded something like this: "Introducing Feature X: Reduce manual reporting time by 50%!" Clear? Yes. Exciting? Not so much. That’s when we realized: Numbers alone don’t inspire action. Stories do. So, we changed the narrative: "Imagine getting back an entire afternoon every week—no spreadsheets, no stress. What would you do with that time? Focus on strategy? Wrap up early for the day? Because nobody likes getting stuck in reporting. And now, you don’t have to." Suddenly, customers listened. They saw themselves in the story. 💡 It wasn’t about the feature anymore—it was about them. Here’s what I learned about storytelling in product marketing: 1️⃣ Paint the 'before-and-after' picture: Show the problem, then the transformation. 2️⃣ Make the customer the hero: Your product is the guide that helps them win. 3️⃣ Focus on the emotional outcome: More time. Less stress. Greater freedom. The result? A 40% jump in adoption rates. 🚀 Because when customers feel the impact of your product, they don’t just notice it—they adopt it. So, next time you’re launching a feature, ask yourself: Are you selling the product or the story? #ProductMarketing #Storytelling #GoToMarket