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Canton, Ohio-based Society Brands is a tech-enabled consumer products company. What makes this brand so unique is its ability to deploy technology to drive the growth of e-commerce brands it acquires. At Society Brands, data analytics and marketing intelligence are fused with transactional automation to drive a platform for scaled growth and optimized brand performance in its operations.
The genesis of a tech-driven vision
Society Brands was founded on the belief that entrepreneurs and their brands deserve more. Therefore, through its co-founder and CEO, Michael Sirpilla, its leadership saw how technology would change e-commerce. Michael became inspired to create a platform designed to streamline operations and amplify the impact of its acquired brands.
Sirpilla’s 13-year entrepreneurial journey—scaling a population health management company from $0 to more than $100 million in revenue—furnished him with the experience and insight to spot the opportunity within the fragmented e-commerce marketplace. Michael pictured his company acquiring some of the most ambitious, creative e-commerce businesses, giving them the resources and expertise to expand and thrive. This vision was further fueled by the pandemic-induced shift in consumer spending from physical to online, hinting at the humongous potential for growth in the online marketplace.
Such a vision reached its pinnacle by forming a proprietary stack of EVO technology at the core of Society Brands’ tech-driven approach.
EVO: The engine of evolution
EVO means “evolution,” as it is well known at Society Brands. That means the stack will have an inherent set of tools, from customer acquisition to post-purchase engagement, for a whole e-commerce experience. More importantly, EVO adds depth to insight data on consumer behavior, preference, and trends, infusing analytics with market intelligence. As a result, Society Brands can develop more personalized and effective campaigns from these learnings. In personalizing product recommendations, their importance is combined with their price optimization. This is at the pinnacle of importance for every meaningful interaction customers have.
Transactional automation
Another remaining but fundamental pillar of the technology-driven strategy is transactional automation. It automates routine order processing, inventory management, and customer support. Transactional automation not only gives hours back to the team but also saves resources for the entrepreneur to focus his time in the most productive ways possible. It lets repetitive tasks run automatically so that creativity isn’t hindered. This is how entrepreneurs can zero in on projects that their time is better spent on, such as leading new product strategies, defining quality standards for their team, building brand identity, and writing stories that fascinate their community. Further, automating processes improves operational efficiency, provides a cost advantage, and reduces the risks of errors commonly posed by such procedures. This allows Society Brands to scale its operations seamlessly as its brand portfolio continues its growth in the coming years.
Importance of data-driven decision making
The bedrock of Society Brands is an ongoing evolution, with data-driven decision-making at the forefront of the ladder. The business carefully tracks KPIs across each brand and thoroughly evaluates them to determine what is effective and ineffective. This approach sets the stage for strategic adjustments, marketing optimizations, and product enhancements, ensuring that every brand will keep adapting to the changes in the ever-evolving e-commerce space.
Strategic acquisitions as a growth driver
Society Brands has had strategic acquisitions as part of its growth trajectory. Cleanomic, Clarifion, and Vitality Now were recently added to the list in an aggressive portfolio expansion, bumping the total number of acquired brands up to 11. These acquisitions provide top-line revenue additions for Society Brands and fit into their strategy to acquire companies with a robust direct-to-consumer presence, namely on Shopify. Society Brands intends to preserve direct ties with clients and their tastes while recognizing their preferences, given that it is a DTC (direct-to-consumer) sales-focused business. Existing clients remain satisfied, and acquired brands will benefit from their affiliation.
Holistic approach to brand growth
Operational efficiency is just one of many bases for the tech-driven approach at Society Brands. This is the all-rounded approach to brand growth, product development, branding, marketing, and customer experience. Society Brands empowers its brand partners with technology to gain insight into consumer preferences and market trends, making informed decisions best suited to their target audience. It is through this buyer-centered approach and a data-driven strategy that Society Brands can deliver relentlessly outstanding experiences for their customers, creating lasting brand loyalty.
Empowering entrepreneurs: a community of growth
Society Brands is more than just an e-commerce brand acquirer; it provides a platform for entrepreneurs to learn about mutually driven growth and success. With the backing of Society Brands’ resources and expertise, business owners may successfully advance their brands to the next level by retaining them on the board after the acquisition due to this distinctive model. In its collaborative form, this feeling of shared ownership stimulates innovation for the entrepreneur’s benefit along with that of Society Brands.
Society Brands believes e-commerce powered by technology and entrepreneurship is the future. With the e-commerce landscape changing daily, Society Brands will no doubt continue to set its standards to cutting edge. With a tight commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and their brands with technology and tools, Society Brands continues to redefine the way business gets done. In the coming years, Society Brands will assuredly make the world believe that technology can be an inviolable catalyst for brand and entrepreneurial growth when it is effectively manipulated.
recent success and future outlook:
Society Brands has grown dramatically, reaching $100 million in revenue in less than two years. Strategic acquisitions and a focus on DTC sales have shown great promise for further growth, especially with a commitment to data-driven decision-making. With a strong pipeline of prospective acquisitions and a clear vision for its future, Society Brands is poised to be in a better position, hitting more significant strides in the next few years. In a recent press release, Michael Sirpilla stated: “We are projecting to see Society Brands’ growth accelerate considerably in 2024.”
Not long ago, the company was picked as the 2023 Inno Madness title winner and firmly stands in the top category as one of the innovation leaders in Northeast Ohio.
The Society Brands journey illustrates what can be realized by combining technology, entrepreneurship, and customer-centricity. Founded on a platform that empowers founders with data-driven insights, this company is building not only the future of e-commerce but also a whole community of growing and already successful brands.
