Ever since I could remember, I have been into fitness- always on the search for the best health supplements. When I started to help my now-wife, Mari Llewellyn, on her fitness journey, we quickly realized there weren’t female-focused supplements that were both effective and delicious. So in 2019, we were inspired to create Bloom to give everyone the opportunity to become the best version of themselves with high-quality delicious health supplements.
In 2020, our best-selling Greens & Superfoods went viral on TikTok for its benefit-driven formula and delicious flavor. Entering retail in October 2022 was massive for us. Within a year we quickly became the #1 – #4 top selling supplements in the Vitamin & Nutrition category at Target. Likewise, we launched in Walmart in February 2022 and also became the #1 Greens supplement in our category. Now, we’re the #1 Greens Brand in the U.S.
But how did we get a DTC-born company into retail and how did we continue to scale? The key is to build strong and authentic relationships with retailers! Show up in person and treat the first interaction like it’s the first and last time you’re going to meet in person. This automatically puts in your mind that you have to show up and give it everything you got. But before initiating with retail, you have to prepare to commit to a retailer a year before entrance and a year after. What I mean by that is to reverse engineer everything the company is doing to fit the retailer’s brand while maintaining your own brand identity. For instance, before launching in Target, one of the largest retailers in the US, we shaped Bloom and our hero product Greens to fit the Target brand and appeal to their audience- mass America. We did this by relying on our strengths. Bloom already has an incredible online presence after going viral in 2020, so we used this to our advantage. Major retailers, like Target, are looking to capture digital attention, just like everyone else. Retailers rely on young brands to build on their awareness, traction & appeal. We were able to build on this with our young, fun, creative brand that has trustworthy and effective products. On top of this, we have a great-tasting, approachable, and reliable product that everyone can benefit from.
Once we created the perfect product that Target was looking for, we were given a chance on their shelves. After entering shelves, we continued to find success, quickly becoming their #1 product in our section. This is because we prioritized Target as a channel. What Bloom is great at is digital marketing, so we created an omni-channel experience. We produced “Target Haul” videos online to match the Target experience, so consumers would recognize Bloom as a Target product. We also allocated marketing budget to send creators to Target to showcase how and where to find our product in stores our audience was already shopping at. As we expanded into new retailers and markets in subsequent years, we took a similar approach – catering to each specific audience. This propelled Bloom’s success both online and in-store.
Additionally, we used a similar strategy for raising funding. We were bootstrapped and profitable for the first 5 years. Similar to retail, ideally, you’re in a place not just for financing, but for a strategic partnership to advance the brand. We took our time to find a strategic partner that was capable of bringing the funds needed to work on new and exciting innovations to bring the brand to the next level. We have some VERY exciting projects that we’re currently working on and are so excited to introduce to our incredible community.
Overall, the goal is to have fun with it! Pick a retailer you’re excited about and commit to them. Stay true to your brand, but build and expand on it with retail to stay relevant and enjoyable for consumers. Test out new creatives, push the boundaries, and stand out as a brand, and everything will fall into place.
