Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
I decided to create the brand 808 Dude because I spotted a gap in the market as there were no natural/organic personal care products for teenage boys. As a mother of a teenage boy I couldn't find anything that was appropriate that wasn't full of crappy chemicals so I decided to develop my own range. We take the stink out of adolescence naturally!
I started from scratch. I found a manufacturer of natural products then working with a formulating chemist (my background was a former beauty editor) I created safe products for teen boys to use that help address their hygiene issues as they approached and went through puberty such as pimply skin and stinky pits.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Our first sales came about because I approached an Australian natural online store that had girl teen products but not boys and they snapped us up and today are one of our leading accounts.
Our biggest success has been through the use of social media especially Facebook. You'd be surprised at our equal numbers of mums and teen boys that follow us. Instagram is just now starting to work for us and we have teen boy ambassadors such as top scooter riders that are good in their sport that tag us all the time. We had a very basic online store for a couple of years but since moving to Shopify for our first month we have more than quintupled our sales and we just love the ease of taking payments.
Without a doubt Facebook is generating the most traffic and sales for us. And other organic sites on Facebook that recommend us. Then word of mouth through mothers and our ambassadors.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
This is our first month and we believe we will continue to grow. The apps we use are Shopify Product Reviews, Facebook Store, Happy Email and Lipscore. At present all our shipping is handled by us but we are looking at entering the U.S in 6 months through a fulfillment company.
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
I wish I had changed to a Shopify store a couple of years back. It is so easy to use and I love hearing the cha ching sound on my phone when I receive an order. It is quite addictive and makes me want to be even more successful.