Episode: 7
Guest: Wylie Robinson, Co-Founder & CEO at Rumpl
Join us for Ecommerce Innovators, a podcast that brings together the brightest minds in the industry to explore innovative strategies and trends in global ecommerce. We’ll analyze what top brands are doing to accelerate their online success and you’ll hear from top executives who are changing the game for their organizations. Our host is John LeBaron, Chief Revenue Officer at Pattern—the premier partner for global ecommerce acceleration.
In this conversation with Wylie Robinson, CEO and Co-Founder of Rumpl, he talks about growth and innovation. Hear about Rumpl’s evolution since its Kickstarter campaign, valuable advice on starting a new company, key digital strategies, diversifying the product, and Rumpl’s challenges and collaborations.
Ecommerce Innovators Episode Synopsis
00:44 About Rumpl
02:46 Wylie’s background
04:03 Rumpl’s Kickstarter
05:10 Early feedback
05:42 Evolving Rumpl
10:05 Digital strategies
13:18 Keeping ahead of the curve
17:41 Product diversification
22:04 Breakthroughs and obstacles
27:00 Amazon strategies
28:37 Amazon reviews
31:53 Collaborations
34:31 Wylie’s advice
Here are 3 takeaways from our conversation with Wylie Robinson:
Introduce an emotional connection to your customer. Wylie shared one way Rumpl stays ahead of its competition is by using emotions. How many blankets do you have in your household? Some people say around 10-15 blankets. Can you name the brands of your blankets? Most people can only name a handful of brands, if any. For Rumpl, emotional connection is the company’s secret sauce. They create emotional connection through partnerships, great storytelling, and investing in the brand.
Innovation brings challenges. A few years ago, Rumpl rolled out a brand new product line made of recycled materials. Upon release, there were huge issues with old products, pricing, etc. For almost six months, Rumpl didn’t even move their new products to the market. When innovating, don’t be discouraged if challenges arise. You aren’t alone!
Pay attention to reviews. When Rumpl launched, they thought that the original puffy blanket would be purchased mainly outside. Through reviews, Wylie learned most people actually snuggle up with their blankets at home on the couch. This was a great learning for Rumpl, and helped them understand their customers. Reviews are a great tool to gather data and receive feedback about your products.
Listen to the full episode for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
