We’re back, we’re back! And what a good time to return— there have been some very interesting rumblings in the consumer world as of late.
This week: new launches from some of our most beloved podcast guests, a brilliant take on product partnerships with influencers, and lots of category expansion from a few household names….
A new launch from Haven’s Kitchen founder Alison Cayne: Choulie has officially entered the world. For more of Ali’s great takes on building in CPG, catch her podcast episode with Sam here!
Are your Black Friday customers actually as unlikely to stick around as you think, or is that fake news? A recent Wayflyer study says… sorta.
Well, in other news headlines that sound like they could have come from a dream: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel join Peaky Blinders actor as co-founders of a protein beverage brand… okay…
Baby brand Frida has expanded into personal care for kids 6-11. Wise move or transparent land grab?
It’s no secret that everybody loves fragrance: on the heels of Necessaire co-founder and Eyewitness Beauty co-host Nick Axelrod-Welk’s Contrapposto launch last month comes Merit’s foray into this very margin-friendly category….
CPG brands, Sweetgreen wants to hear your pitch for a menu item collab after crushing it with Fishwife and Molly Baz’s Ayoh.
Master class in product partnerships: influencer Hannah Chody has spent years comparing alternatives to Tom Ford’s now discontinued eyeshadow shade. After publicly begging Tom Ford to make it for years (and with the force of hundreds of thousands of followers behind her, to no avail), Saie Beauty finally stepped in. The result? A product with built-in virality, an existing customer base, and plenty of buzz. Great work, From the Saie Office!
For whatever reason, there appears to be a surge in “modern Jell-O brands” happening at the moment.
No new episode this week as we take a break between seasons, but have you checked out some of these favorite episodes from the last year of Commerce is Chaos?
Plant People’s Hudson Davis-Ross on bootstrapping his way through a major category pivot.
Umaimah Sharwani, founder of Paro and ops mind behind Bravo Sierra, Glossier and Jet.com on product development framework to steal.
Brilliant investor Anna Whiteman of Coefficient Capital on what funders are looking for in founders these days.
Hanni founder Leslie Tessler on scaling from DTC to Sephora with just 4 people.
You can catch Commerce is Chaos, out weekly, on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts! We’ll be back with Season 3 after a short break, but in the mean time, don’t forget to drop us any feedback or guest requests in the comments.
