Episode Details

Main Takeaways:

• Brian and Phillip are joined in today's episode by Andy Zuro, the President at ZLINE Kitchen and Bath.
• ZLINE has grown over the years to be a brand focused on innovation and providing customers with unique products that they cannot get anywhere else.
• With so many channels available today in which to acquire and convert customers, how do you know where to focus your efforts to get the most substantial returns?
• How do you decide what tools to add to your technology stack?

What is ZLINE?: A 15-Year History:

• About 15 years ago, Andy started ZLINE in Columbus, Ohio, around the time when he was building his own home.
• During the process of selecting appliances, Andy was shocked by how expensive some of the appliances were and knew that there had to be a better way.
• On a trip overseas, Andy scoped out some factories and started manufacturing a basic ventilation line.
• Over the years, Andy saw where peoples' were when it came to kitchen remodeling and expanded to cover the entire line of items necessary when completing your kitchen.

Who Shops at ZLINE?: A Customer Breakdown:

• The customer path has evolved over the years but started at identifying with customers who had price-driven shopping and saving money in mind.
• As ZLINE found there was a demand for specific aesthetic options of products, they expanded their options and innovated for people who were looking for more customized options.
• ZLINE started as a direct-to-consumer brand, and its low prices in comparison to large brands in the space are what grew their customer base.
• As the ZLINE brand has grown, the direct-to-consumer portion of the business is still there, and they don't distinguish between their sales or sales made through a partner.

Shifting Strategies: From Value to Innovation:

• Andy has always wanted to be innovative and do things that no other brand has done before.
• With the push for innovation and allowing customers to customize their purchases, the SKU count starts to get very high.
• Variety brings brand value back to the ZLINE name and shows its customers that the brand is trying to do something unique and not just be a cookie-cutter company.
• Acquiring and obtaining customers is attributed to ZLINE's product innovations and by differentiated itself from competitors in the space.

Differentiating from Competitors: Marketing Necessities:

• Galen Bradford, the CMO at ZLine, joins in to give some more details on the marketing effort.
• Having a great and unique product is critical from a marketing perspective because it makes your job of promoting your product much more straightforward.
• ZLINE has noticed a unique avenue of storytelling that they have discovered through Pinterest marketing.
• What is the feeling the customer feels when they interact with your brand?
• Once ZLINE established an online presence, they were then able to put their product in big box stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Best Buy.
• If you have the best product and the best content, then you are going to have the best brand.

Growing From Zero: Challenges Along the Way:

• As you become more segmented in your channel strategy, how does that change you as a business?
• Z