Secondly, it's OK to talk about things that other people aren't comfortable with. That is what we set out to do, and it's allowed us to receive great brand awareness in a short amount of time. Any ecommerce company trying to fill a gap should feel confident that it can have a point of view that it can stand behind, and if that doesn’t follow the status quo, it allows you to stand out as a brand.
II: What changes would you like to see within the ecommerce retail industry?
SP: Standing for something and raising awareness of whatever issue it is that each brand either is connected to or can have an impact on. For us, it's not just making more sustainable choices in your everyday life, but talking more openly about periods, bladder leaks, and female health.
It would be great to see other ecommerce brands outside of period care lead some of these conversations and take bigger bets and drive awareness. I think so many ecommerce brands have their heads down in the lower funnel trying to get conversions on Facebook. We have benefited from stepping outside those digital channels and doing things like out-of-home events to help people understand who we are and build awareness. Brands should consider some of those less traditional, more upper-funnel tactics.
II: How does Thinx define sustainability?
SP: Traditional disposable products like tampons and pads that most people have used for the majority of their life create a ton of plastic waste. Adopting Thinx, even if someone’s using it as a backup or mixing it in with more traditional period products, allows each individual to produce less waste. That's a huge part of our message and mission, and we try to be subtle with that—we're not here to shame anybody about how they manage their period.
II: What are some brand partnerships Thinx has taken part in that have been successful?
SP: We find there are so many brands that are adjacent to Thinx that people use in their daily lives, not just to manage their period, but self-care or skincare. We've done some partnerships with fitness brands, and in the future, as our brand expands and reaches a broader audience, it presents a lot of opportunities to find new brand partners that can open us to an audience who may not be familiar with Thinx or the period underwear category.
II: What is your vision for the future?
SP: The expansion into mass retail, the launch of plus size, and getting more customer access to our brand. We know a lot of people want to make sustainable switches in their everyday life. Our focus is allowing the brand to show up in more places in a way that's either more affordable or accessible.
You'll see a lot more of that from us in 2022—making the conversation around periods a part of everyday life.