d2c

How Arfa Adapted Its First Brand Launch for the Coronavirus Era

The sacrifice now may build brand affinity for later.
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Hiki

· less than 3 min read

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After a year in stealth mode, personal care brand incubator Arfa was primed for its first launch on March 17. Early indications suggested it would easily win D2C bingo:

  • Cofounders include ex-Glossier President and COO Henry Davis and Broadly Publisher Ariel Wengroff.
  • Like Deciem or Iris Nova, Arfa is developing several standalone brands under its umbrella.
  • Arfa raised at least $7 million in seed funding from a group including Forerunner Ventures—the VC behind Birdies, 11 Honoré, and, yep, Glossier.

But there was a twist. At other D2Cs, “community” refers to loyal Instagram followers. At Arfa, “community” refers to The Collective, a focus group that determines a) which products Arfa sells and b) how Arfa markets them.

  • Collective members are also stakeholders, splitting 5% of the company’s overall profits.
  • Arfa’s first release: Hiki, a line of sweat solutions from deodorant to body wipes.

Along came coronavirus

Last week, COVID-19 cases in the U.S. climbed and several states mandated nonessential workers stay home. So the fledgling company made an only-in-2020 call.

Instead of launching its Hiki products for sale, Arfa decided to give them away for free.

  • Hospital and medical facility workers can get any two Hiki items for free as long as they pay $2.50 to cover part of credit card processing, packing, and shipping costs.
  • Everyone else can earn two items for a $5 charge by sharing a positive message on social media and tagging #todayimfeeling and @arfabrands.

“While we are a startup with limited resources, what we do have are Hiki products ready to ship and a fundamental belief in the power of empathy to help people feel better,” Arfa said in a statement.

  • The underlying goal: Posts from shoppers who aren’t spending now build brand awareness for later.

My takeaway: Results depending, Arfa’s alternative launch could be a road map for other companies that’ve hit pause on product rollouts.

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.