Intro: 00:04
Welcome to another episode of Ecom Experiences, a podcast for ecommerce marketing leaders who want to grow and scale their brands faster. Join us as we interview some of the smartest brand founders and marketing leaders in the industry. Explore the lessons they learned, discover the keys to their success, and discuss what excites them most about the future.
Samir Balwani: 00:28
Hi, it's Samir Balwani here, host of Ecom Experiences, where we talk to brand founders and marketing leaders about their experiences growing brands. This episode is brought to you by QRY. QRY is a paid media agency that helps brands balance brand awareness and performance marketing to drive predictable and profitable growth. To learn more about how we can help you visit weareqry.Com. I'm really excited about our guest today. I have Anne Steeves the senior Director of Brand Marketing at Welly. If you don't know welly you are missing out on bandages. They are awesome. I and my kids live by them. I'm so excited to have you here today and thanks for joining us.
Anne Steeves: 01:06
Thanks for having me. I can't wait.
Samir Balwani: 01:08
Yeah. So why don't we actually get started? I gave a little sneak peek about the brand. Can you tell us about it? How it came to be where it is now, what it's all about.
Anne Steeves: 01:16
Yeah, well, it is all about celebrating the bumps and bruises of life and kind of the everyday experiences of growing up. So we offer bandages and first aid kits. We've been in the market for five years. You'll find us in places like target, Walmart, Amazon, even Sebo at the airport. The product really developed as I'm an active person myself of saying like, why would you want to cover up something that like your scrapes? It's like a, oh, we got a good story behind it. And beige bandages just like aren't aren't the most fun option. So taking the cue to make it more design forward, we designed developed welly with that in mind. And have had a lot of fun since then.
Samir Balwani: 01:58
That's amazing. I mean, I think that's so much I think the brand, the idea of celebrating the bruises and bumps is such a great perspective on things, and I love that. So tell us a little bit more about your role and how you came to be at Welly and what you do now.
Anne Steeves: 02:17
Yeah, I was super fortunate. So I was on the pre-market team. So I started at welly six years ago. We were just a concept then in PowerPoint, and just over a year we brought the brand and product to life. So initially did that development work of what it was going to be and then moved into like, how does the brand translate to an online experience, the go to market strategy, any media that we were running and then the ecommerce experiences, so launched those before moving into what I'm in now, which is a brand marketing role so very much focused on brand media, our e-comm experiences, product innovation, kind of a whole swath of different things.
Samir Balwani: 02:57
Really cool. I so I am a I love brand marketing. I think it's such a great opportunity and role because you get to do some of the coolest, biggest things. Oh, tell me more about what your favorite part about the role is, especially because you cover so much.
Anne Steeves: 03:14
Yeah, it's been fun being able to see like all different parts of the business. I think what I appreciate and what keeps me interested is just the variety of things I get to do. So, for instance, our creative is in-house. And so we think about we take design very, very much at the core of what we do. So like what the next pattern is that we're going to launch and develop and like what trends are we seeing in the marketplace? What things do we love? Those are conversations we have often to, you know, like thinking about a single channel channel and like what's the right product? Do we have the right price? Is there anything we need to do to grow that channel in a different way, even to like the, you know, how do we think about developing our team? So having been part of the team when it was three of us and we're now, you know, over 30 really supporting the team and like working with people as we, you know, span so many different functions. Whether it's our operations teams to our creative team has just been really fun to work with everyone. So the variety of everyday is really like, what's the interesting part? Because it's lots of new challenges.
Samir Balwani: 04:25
That's really exciting. I love that because I feel like that is the one thing about marketing is there's always a challenge. There's always something to to overcome. I if I ever talked to a marketer and they're like, oh yeah, you know, things are great. We're just like humming along. I'm like, no, no, no, you don't see what's ahead of you. That's the problem. And so I'm so curious, what are the challenges that you're kind of dealing with? Where where are you guys at in terms of the things that are kind of holding you back from your goals?
Anne Steeves: 04:54
Yeah, this year we've put a lot of thought into our DTC business. And so it was something that was very near and dear to my heart as something that I launched and, you know, really like was interested in how we tested the economics of the channel. Was it going to be something that over the long run, we wanted to continue to support? So we launched it as like an initial test to see what the economics proved, and it was quite successful, or it did well for itself. And I think it's, you know, like that kind of crux of being a consumer product. You, you know, like when we're new into the market, people don't know they have the legacy brand in mind as it owns the category name typically. And so for people that go to your website and buy like I understand, that's like a big, you know, a big hurdle to overcome. Yeah. And so we said like, okay, great. We've got something here we can continue to invest in this channel and think about how we build it out. And I think as you like, you know, are in startup mode and trying to do everything. There's a lot of things that you can layer on in terms of like trying to build a successful DTC, DTC business. So it was like the experience that you run in terms of like the type of media and influencers and like, what channels are we on and what's the right message and like, what's the action we want people to take to then like the on platform experience of like, do we have subscription? Do we have bundles is like what's our conversion rate doing? It was all just, you know, like started to be more as all our other channels were growing. We were like the effort we were putting into this one started to outweigh the benefit. And so that's been one of the big things I've thought about this year is just like, what's the purpose of the channel? And ultimately made the decision to sunset it and turn our, our, our DTC site into more of a content based platform and use the products that we have featured, which we still have everything up and shoppable, but we now click through to other retailers. So it's definitely more omnichannel experience. So that's been like a big, a big change in our thinking as we tested it. We weren't sure. Put a lot, put effort behind it, tried to make it happen, and then ultimately said, like, we're going to focus elsewhere.
Samir Balwani: 07:04
I'm so curious about that journey, because I feel like a lot of people are probably feeling that right now, too, of like the the amount of time and energy that goes into building a DTC business. If, as you look at, you know, Welly's experience going through that, what would you say were the attributes or what would you say were like the the, you know, pivotal moments where you came to the realization, hey, actually, our other businesses should get more perspective and more time and resourcing versus, you know, this this which has a huge opportunity potentially, but just the amount of time and energy to get there may just be too much.
Anne Steeves: 07:45
Yeah, I think it's really like the difference in traffic, which is do you want to generate your own traffic or utilize the traffic Another store or platform has. And so it was, you know, like as we were trying to build our brand awareness, getting people to our site and continuing to do that on a basis of growing our traffic really became something that we had to think a lot about because it was just something that like, continued to be the thing. Whereas like, you can put an end cap in a store and you're getting people walking by impulse purchasing your product. And yes, you had to earn that space, develop the like the end cap, get your product in there. That's like no small feat. But that's been something that thankfully, our team's been successful at. And so when we think about, you know, like our ability to get eyeballs on the brand, one of the things that we were like, really keen on is what was the greatest effort and what kind of reward we getting from it. So that was something that really made us think about what channels we focused on.
Samir Balwani: 08:47
Yeah, that's really interesting. And I guess as you were thinking, when you say resourcing, I'm sure media budget is a piece of that. But what were the other resources? Where would you say were kind of taking up that? Because I'm sure it's more than just, you know, how much you guys are spending in advertising.
Anne Steeves: 09:05
Yeah, yeah, it's definitely the like cost of media is a big part of that. There's the team. And I'd say like the team itself of like who's focused on it. But then the partial effort of a lot of people that end up focusing on it. So that was a big effort. There's, you know, like the relationships with fulfillment partners, that one, you know, like there's a lot of effort in terms of trying to build something that we wanted to support in the long run. And we gave, you know, many years of good effort. So that was, you know, all of that started to be in the consideration set.
Samir Balwani: 09:40
Yeah. So I think that that is a lot of people believe that DTC will always be the path forward. And the reality of the situation is it might not be for the time being, and you may need to revisit it when the time is right for the brand itself. I think also, the other not commonly cited reasoning to is DTC and wholesale partners don't always see eye to eye. And so sometimes it from a relationship standpoint too, there's value in not having a DTC business.
Anne Steeves: 10:15
Yeah. And I think even one thing that I've noticed is like our we're very social social first. And so like having like a community is important to us and engaging with it. And I found that like once we took away the like driving traffic idea and we started like really engage with our community, like our content got more playful. We, you know, like just that like shift of message made a difference to us that once we said like, okay, we want to like really be social first for the sake of being social first, not for any other purpose that really, like allowed us to have some more freedom. And so it's kind of afforded us afforded us other opportunities.
Samir Balwani: 10:54
Yeah, that's the hard part. That's the part that is where I get hung up on, because I wish brands, even with an ecom experience, would just put brand first and just have brand messaging. But I think what ends up happening is a lot of brands fall into the trap of, well, I have this channel, it has a channel, it has to have a positive channel. And so brand messaging takes a backseat to performance messaging. But brand messaging is what that channel needed the most. And it's it is definitely a challenge to then prove out a positive PNL at the end of the day, while doing it all together.
Anne Steeves: 11:34
Totally well said. I mean, I think it was, you know, we we like run sales for the sake of running a sale. And you're like, that's not the genuine representation of what you need. You know, so it was like we just had to shift some thinking as we did it.
Samir Balwani: 11:49
Well, I love the Welly strategy because the reality of the situation is you get to build this brand. Right. And there's nothing to say that Ecom doesn't and DTC doesn't come back, you know, two years from now after you've built this brand groundswell. Right. And so I, you know, for a lot of the listeners, I would say if you can continue DTC because you're operationally in a good place and you've got resourcing in in a good place, you're not kind of splitting your focus. You know, focus on brand. You know, we talk about it all the time. Focus on brand because that is what creates those efficiencies later on and offsets those like rising acquisition costs and things like that. Because word of mouth at the end of the day is what really drives. Right. Like, my kid has a playdate and we put a band aid on their friend. Like, you think that they're ever going back to any other anyone else? No. They're going to stick to the product. That was exciting. So. But that comes from building a brand.
Anne Steeves: 12:45
Yeah. Building a brand and a product people love once people try our product like they say, like I'm going to use welly for life. And you're like, yeah, get the sense that they mean it. Like they, you know, like they know that there was a better option out there. And so the easiest thing has been having a great product that has made everything easier.
Samir Balwani: 13:04
Yeah, yeah. And it's interesting because I actually think wholesale integrations force you to have a good product, because buyers have a really good understanding of what's going to move and what's not. And if you can convince a buyer you are on the right path, it doesn't mean you have a great product right off the bat, but you definitely are on the path forward. And I think brands can go like one of two ways, right? Like, you can go DTC, build a brand and get that like real time feedback and build a good product that way. But I think a lot of brands cover up mediocre product with marketing when they go DTC first. You can't do that on the wholesale side, like the buyers will see right through it. And so I do think that there is an advantage to an omnichannel approach, even from a product standpoint.
Anne Steeves: 13:51
Yeah, and we were lucky to be founded by Eric Ryan. And he's got a really collaborative approach. So he's done other brands like Method and Ali and really thought about how to work with those partners and say, like, what do you need? What do you want? Like, what are you seeing that you're missing in your assortment? And so that collaboration has been key in terms of like being in the conversation and being part of the answer that they need and continuing to think about what comes next from there. So we're very fortunate in that way of having those partnerships well developed.
Samir Balwani: 14:23
Yeah. And you said something really interesting. You said as soon as people know about the product, they're excited about it because the product is so good. How do you get more people to know about the product?
Anne Steeves: 14:34
Yeah, that's our band aid is an unused word in our company. It's bandages. We try to make sure everyone adapts to that because it is so in tuned into us. And I'm certain everyone has an old box of Band-Aids somewhere in their house.
Samir Balwani: 14:48
Somewhere? Yeah.
Anne Steeves: 14:50
And so that was, you know, like, really what we wanted to take on is, like, challenging that status quo. And I think that's where we, like, have product. We want to get people to try it, get it in their hands, have amazing designs. You know, like if nothing gets cute, it's a fun purchase in that way. And then it really works. That's the part that matters the most, not other brands do. Flex fabric bandages for kids. Most kid patterns are on plastic, and the unfortunate truth is, plastic doesn't stick on so well. So if you really actually have a bumper bruise and want something to help you heal, we've got a really good option in that way. I know oftentimes kids also think they're cool stickers and wear them. Yes. When it's a boo boo. But you know, we cover all the bases in the way of making sure that we have help where it's needed.
Samir Balwani: 15:43
That's awesome. And so and are you guys? I guess so. I love that you guys have an enemy. Like I'm a brand guy. And so everyone, I think every brand needs to have an enemy and it's awesome that you have one. And it just kind of helps with brand positioning all the way through. So that's awesome. You know, as we're talking about things, what are you guys most excited about the future. So you sunset DDC all in on wholesale and partnerships where what's the future look like?
Anne Steeves: 16:11
Yeah, I actually think this is one where, you know, like we're we've been in market for a while now. We're, you know, marching forward. And I've been having a ton of fun using AI. It's just like finding more and more ways to, like, use AI. As I said, we're a small team, small but hardworking. And so we'll take any help that we can get. So like, you know, whether it's copilot and all of the Microsoft Suite, that's been an easy plugin. We're even looking at tools that like help with our brand voice. Like, is there something we can train to be our brand voice and then we can interact with it as if it's our consumer. You know, like there's interesting learnings that way, tools that look at our product packaging and like give us the like what's important, what's the eye going to gravitate. That's cool. So it's those kinds of things that I think like our team just as like disproportionately excited about and like interested in how we can continue to learn and grow because it's there's kind of endless opportunity right now.
Samir Balwani: 17:11
Yeah, that's really interesting. AI is definitely become this like conversation point and common usage of things are outside of like marketing and and that. Are you guys using it internal or are you even thinking about using it externally with like integrations and with consumers? Or I guess, how do you see it playing out at Welly?
Anne Steeves: 17:35
Yeah, we've had the most passion for like the internal uses and efficiencies that we can gain there. I think it's like been interesting to see what our partners do with it. So I think of like attentive for email, like they're just very like, you know, like front of the edge in terms of trying new things with AI. So that's been one that I've enjoyed working with is just to say, like, what's the learning I can gain from, you know, like our big audiences and better ways to engage with them. So that's another way that we look at it.
Samir Balwani: 18:07
That's cool. Amazing. Well, I have one last question for you. As we come up on time, what advice would you give a new marketing director or someone that's coming into a marketing leadership role?
Anne Steeves: 18:20
Yeah, I think very much from my early days at Welly, I just remember rolling up my sleeves and getting in there, and I think it's like the like age old, like, you don't always have to be the smartest person, but if you're like, hardworking and willing to learn, it goes a long way. So like I, we have great developers that we work with and they like I remember getting my into Shopify the first day and like figuring out our orders and seeing them come through and being so excited. And so it's like all to say of like we've typically I'll take on the job, do it, and then we like hire an expert. And I feel like, oh, that's that's how it can go. Okay. Like that is so far I feel good. You know, like I feel good about our progress. I feel really good about our progress moving forward. But I think it's like the when you know when to ask for help and you can find the right people to connect with. There's like so much out there and like, so many learning opportunities that it's really if you're you're willing to roll up your sleeves, try something new. There's so much that can be accomplished.
Samir Balwani: 19:18
Yeah, I agree with that 100%. I feel like marketers are constantly learning and things are constantly changing, and what worked yesterday probably won't work tomorrow, so you might as well try and figure it out. But I agree with you in that you have to have a baseline understanding of it. You don't need to be an expert at it, but at least have an understanding of it because you need to be able to speak to it intelligently.
Anne Steeves: 19:43
Yeah, totally. Get to the right questions. Get some more information and then you're on your way.
Samir Balwani: 19:48
Oh, yeah, that's a perfect way to close this. So thank you so much for joining us today. And if someone wants to find you online where can people learn more about you.
Anne Steeves: 19:57
Yeah. Our website is Getwelly.com so you can check out the brand there. And then I'm also on LinkedIn.
Samir Balwani: 20:04
Amazing. Yeah. We'll put all that in the show notes. And thank you so much for joining us.
Anne Steeves: 20:08
Yeah I appreciate it.
Outro: 20:14
Thanks for joining us. If you liked it, remember to subscribe. So you'll be notified of new episodes. And if you know someone who would enjoy the show, don't forget to share and leave a review. It all helps us impact more brands. If you're looking to improve your paid media, go to. Weareqry.com and schedule a consultation. We're always happy to chat. See you for the next one.
