Founder’s shower idea became a viral sensation (2024)

>

After selling his first company, Ryan Babenzien decided to find his next venture and create the perfect direct client company.

And like many good ideas, this one hit him in the shower. “After using a lot of lotion one winter here in New York, I thought, ‘Maybe there’s something in the water that’s just causing my legs to be drier than they used to be,'” Ryan says.

He did some research and discovered that the water in the US is filled with chlorine and other substances that are not good for hair and skin. Hence the idea for Jolie, a company producing filtered shower heads was born. In 2023 – its second year of operation – the company achieved revenues of more than $28 million. Ahead Ryan shares his strategies for creating and promoting a viral product.

Creating a framework for the ideal e-commerce company

Ryan took the lessons he learned from his first company – a sneaker brand he eventually sold to Steve Madden – to launch his next project. He says the fashion industry has a lot of challenges when it comes to sizing, which is why he wanted his next brand to include a one-size-fits-all product.

Ryan also wanted to sell something that people habitually use (everyday if possible) because he believes it is difficult to change consumer behavior.

The final piece of his plan was to find a product that would appeal to his customers’ vanity. “Vanity greatly influences our consumption and purchase consideration,” says Ryan.

He found that a filtered shower head met all three requirements – if he advertised it as a cosmetic product rather than a plumbing fixture.

Designing a more recognizable shower head

Jolie worked to make the shower head not only functional, but also aesthetic. Ryan and his team’s goal was to create an eye-catching product that would be instantly recognizable. “If you go to a friend’s house and go to the bathroom, we wanted a design that was striking enough to make you say, ‘Oh, you’ve got Jolie,’” Ryan says. He compared it to how the Nest thermostat revolutionized the design of an ordinary home appliance.

Operate leanly with business technology

What sets Jolie apart is its highly efficient operating model. Unlike many startups that bring together large teams, Jolie managed to achieve eight-figure revenues with just three full-time employees.

Ryan attributes this success to the technology now available to e-commerce companies. “Ten years ago, you needed 20 people to start something because you didn’t have the entire team,” Ryan says. “And then Shopify came along and just leveled the playing field.”

Profiting from user-generated content

Instead of relying heavily on paid advertising, Jolie leveraged user-generated content and collaborations with creators. This strategy involved seeding products with creators who could authentically share their experiences. For this reason, user-generated content generated brand awareness through word-of-mouth marketing.

Ryan says the challenge was building a system to accomplish this at scale. “When most people think about user-generated content, they probably think about 10 or 20 pieces a month. We get 600 to 700 pieces a month,” Ryan says.

To learn more about Jolie’s smart marketing strategy, listen to the full interview on the site Shopify Masters podcast.