During a discussion about men’s skincare brand Jackfir’s launch at Erewhon last month, founder Charlie Razook mentioned that he fields outreach from companies with various digital tools constantly, but isn’t sure about their value. He’s curious which ones his fellow founders have discovered to be worthwhile.
Razook’s curiosity prompted the latest edition of our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty. For it, we ask 19 beauty entrepreneurs and executives the following: What tools that you use for influencer partnerships, loyalty programs, marketing, financial, operational or other functions have been impactful? How have they helped?
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Ashlyn Fretias Co-Founder, TIEV Businesses are often bombarded with endless tools and platforms that claim to be essential for scaling and cutting inefficiencies. While I agree that operational efficiency is key, you don’t need 15 different platforms to scale successfully, especially as your business matures.
In TIEV's first year, we leveraged our deep network and relationships to scale to a seven-figure revenue, with plans to double that growth in year two. We kept it simple, using basic software tools: Meta Ads for lead generation, Boulevard as our CRM, QuickBooks for P&L management, ADP for payroll processing and a combined general ledger, benefits and HR platform.
Ultimately, it's not the platforms that make a business thrive, it's your brand story, how you market it, the customer experience and the team driving results behind the scenes. Numbers tell a story, and the tools we use provide actionable data to refine our processes.
For example, if retention drops, I’d first assess the consumer experience, team training and potential product or service issues to make quick adjustments. We use information to streamline operations, gain deeper insights into our consumers and establish clear, consistent expectations across the team.
Scalability is only possible when the right operations, tools and systems are in place to support your brand, enhance the customer and employee experience and drive overall business efficiency.
- Trish McGowan Founder and Fractional CMO, Inside Brands and Medalist
One of my most recent brands I have started advising is Medalist Skin, the first clean performance skincare line for female athletes developed, tested and approved by Olympians. One of the major core pillars of the brand is our community of female athletes. We have recently partnered with Rediem, a next-gen loyalty platform, which allows us to customize our loyalty program to fit our specific brand needs and have omnichannel solutions. It’s helping us streamline our processes for our small, but mighty team and providing us a place to generate and manage UGC creation and collection.
We also use Yotpo for R&Rs and Klaviyo for email. They both integrate easily with Shopify and help streamline our processes and connect our customer data. For NIL-focused partnerships, we have loved working with Opendorse, a platform that connects us directly to all levels of athletes for marketing campaigns. We also use Venmo on our site as a form of payment at checkout as we know that gen Z prefers it as their generation's payment option of choice.
And, of course, as AI continues to become prevalent in the marketing space, we have been leaning in and exploring different AI platforms as well, which we're excited to see how it up-levels our marketing game.
- Joy Brown Kirst Founder, Modern Age Skin
I use a product called Ripple that integrates seamlessly with Klayvio, leveraging AI for generating digital newsletters and SMS marketing campaigns. It's incredibly user-friendly and especially helpful if you are a startup, indie brand on tight resources and wearing a lot of hats.
While it's not perfect, it gets me 80% of the way there with my newsletters in a very short time, and I can then tweak it before sending it out. If you are a founder, you know how valuable your time is and tools like this are worth their weight in gold when it comes to efficiency and productivity.
- Ayssa DiPietro Founder, Miami Beach Bum
We like to keep our tech stack minimal, intentional and impactful to our efficiency. Finaloop has been a clear winner for us. We reduced our bookkeeping costs by 400%, and now our books stay up to date in real time.
Additionally, the AI software is made for CPG companies, so it is able to track COGs as the inventory is sold instead of the end of quarter journal entries we had to do on QuickBooks, which make P&Ls look funky. They have a dashboard that shows cash flow and breaks out each sales channel: DTC, Amazon and wholesale. I believe every CPG brand should be using Finaloop to have clear and up to date financials.
- ASHLEY PRANGE Founder and CEO, Au Naturale Cosmetics
Au Naturale Cosmetics has been utilizing a comprehensive adaptive AI system to address everything—socials, customer service, SEO, email marketing and much more. The new system is called The Black Sheep. Founder Chris Santos is a genius, and this tool is saving me time, money, energy and is clearly moving Au Naturale's business forward. This is, by far, the best tech tool that has ever supported our business. I can't recommend it enough.
- Robbin Turner Founder and Formulator, Violet Botanical Skincare
AI has been impactful in my business. ChatGPT helps humanize my blog posts. I'm a researcher and tend to write in a clinical tone, so ChatGPT helps me write in a more casual tone. I use Perplexity for market and skincare research, SEO and keyword strategy. It saves me hours in research.
I use Google Gemini or ChatGPT to create my monthly content calendar. I have seen a 33% increase in accounts engaged, 78% increase in video views, and a 24% increase in post impressions.
- JULIA KAHLIG-GARUBA Co-Founder, Herb&Root
We use Smile.io for our loyalty platform and have seen a higher average order value, more shares and active engagement from customers because of this loyalty program. It's been well worth the cost for us! We use Gusto for all of our employee and contractor payroll, and it has been affordable and very easy to use.
- Kasra Borojerdi Co-Founder, Persona Cosmetics
As an ecommerce business our tech stack continually evolves, and we can’t ignore the fact that OpenAI with ChatGPT has tremendously helped our productivity in ways we didn’t imagine just a year ago. Without getting into the details of how we implement AI-driven tools, here are a few of the main SAAS tools that we’ve implement in our everyday operations by category:
- Influencer marketing: Tribe Dynamics is a fantastic tool that helps us with visibility of creator/influencer mentions and thus engage with our creator community. It can also be helpful in discovering new creators and allows us to understand the entire community of creators when making specific marketing decisions.
- E-mail marketing: Klaviyo is the most robust email service as it allows you to directly integrate with your Shopify store to connect with consumers at all stages of the consumer journey for relevant messaging.
- Microsoft Clarity: It helps us understand how site visitors navigate through our website and where the user frustrations lie and helps identify where the most relevant clicks are taking place on your site, which can be good for testing different content layouts.
- Tiffany Ju Founder, Chunks
Honestly, we go minimal with software or platforms. We are currently launching reviews and quizzes through Okendo, but it's important to us to keep relationship building grassroots. I see a lot of companies trying to implement AI to address the issue of scaling these relationships because it is time consuming. The problem is, no matter how you scale it, it's going to lose that personal touch. It then just becomes a numbers game with less and less return.
- Liz Folce Founder, Nakery Beauty
Shopify apps, in general, are incredibly helpful. I’m amazed at the number of things that can be managed through these. TaxJar and other apps like it are a great example. Sales tax collection and on-time payment by state is a big issue that has to be handled correctly. Using one of the apps has made it quite simple.
We were getting all kinds of notices about reaching “nexus” in several states and that we were late on tax filings. Figuring out how to register in each state, then get things paid seemed like traveling into the jungle with no idea where to go. By using one of the apps, we were all set within days. Problem solved.
- Jack Jia Founder and CEO, Musely
At Musely, technology is at the core of our operations. We routinely develop our own technology to solve our expanding needs, while also searching high and low for new platforms that are a strong fit for our business. For example, to address gaps in other available platforms, we developed proprietary loyalty program and business intelligence software, which have significantly enhanced both customer retention and operational decision-making.
For marketing, product insights and operational analysis, Amplitude stands out as an indispensable tool, enabling us to optimize strategies across departments. Meta Business Suite remains the most robust platform for targeted advertising and promotional efforts, ensuring unparalleled reach and efficiency. Additionally, we leverage LLM-based AI tools to power our medical support systems, enhancing diagnostic precision and customer engagement with scalable solutions. We’re still searching for an optimal influencer software solution that aligns with our specific needs.
These tools have been transformative in driving growth and efficiency. Our custom BI software has streamlined operations, boosting employee and doctor productivity by 3X to 5X. LLM-based AI enhances our ability to deliver top-tier customer service, improving patient satisfaction by 2X to 3X, while also providing patients with personalized care at scale. Through tools like Attribution Tracking (internally built) and Amplitude, we precisely measure ROAS, ensuring every dollar is allocated to high-impact campaigns. These technologies collectively enable us to grow sustainably while delivering unmatched value to our patients.
- SUSAN GRIFFIN-BLACK Founder and Co-CEO, EO Products
For back to school, we launched a micro-influencer campaign with Mini-Social. We’ve used other platforms for paid and unpaid partnerships in the past, but found that Mini-Social is one of the most turnkey. They offered a way to get video-based UGC on demand with no annual commitment. You only need a brief and a modest budget to get started.
Our Everyone 3in1 Kids Soap generated 50-plus pieces of original content, and a few of the creators from Mini-Social have become our go-tos for video content.
Instacart has proven effective at attracting new households to our brand. Their ad platform is intuitive to launch on a minimal budget and the reporting provides insights into keywords, new versus repeat and overall engagement. We’ve seen 40%-plus increase in sales YOY since launching in January.
- Taylor Lamb Co-Founder and CMO, Juna
At Juna, our focus is on building customer loyalty and maximizing lifetime value. While we're always experimenting with new software, our current marketing stack includes some standout tools: Recharge for managing subscriptions, Shopify as our ecommerce platform, Rebuy for upsells and cross-selling, and Okendo for customer reviews.
Each of these tools has its impact, but the real key to long-term success isn't about the latest tech, it's about delivering quality products that meet our customers’ needs and fostering lasting relationships. As I often say, there's only one true boss: the customer. By listening to their needs and offering products they love, we create a cycle where they want to come back time and again.
- RHODA WASSWAS Founder and CEO, Manjeri Skincare
As the founder of Manjeri Skincare, my background in tech has been instrumental in accelerating business growth in under a year. Since launching my DTC website in April 2023, I’ve leveraged Shopify and its suite of paid integrations to create a personalized customer journey.
For example, I use Smile.io for our loyalty program and UpPromote for affiliate marketing, both of which have helped drive engagement and customer retention. Additionally, I’ve integrated AI-based technology to streamline and optimize customer experience across both the website and social media. Some of these AI tools have reduced my workload and operating expenses by up to 50%, allowing me to maintain quality customer interactions without the need to outsource operations.
This tech-driven approach has not only enhanced efficiency, but also helped create the perception that Manjeri Skincare is a larger brand than it actually is despite being run by just one person—me! The ability to deliver a seamless and personalized experience has left some sleepless nights, but has been key to helping me build strong relationships with my customers, strengthening its retail readiness and driving growth.
- Lydia Welsh Founder, Clērstory
Years ago, I launched Clērstory’s website on Squarespace because it was a platform I was already familiar with. When I finally migrated to Shopify, the vast number of apps, integrations, customizations and built-in analytics at my fingertips was a game changer. I now get the majority of my sales analytics and even tax data directly from Shopify. It is the nonnegotiable web platform for DTC brands today.
My most important integration on Shopify is Klaviyo. It allows me to send everything from highly customized campaigns to automatic abandoned cart emails that actually convert. I also use Klaviyo Reviews, which integrates review requests with my existing flows and aligns review data with customer profiles for a seamless backend. Having my email campaigns, flows, and reviews on one platform allows me to segment my marketing in minute detail while getting a comprehensive picture of my customers.
- Lisa Thurman Co-Founder, Amazing Cosmetics
The seemingly never-ending changes in digital marketing has presented its share of challenges in finding the most successful approach to effective strategy in this space. We’ve retained several different digital agencies in the past to limited success, where we didn’t feel we were getting our money’s worth so we brought the effort in-house, finding we have more control over strategy and can quickly change direction by holding the reins in our own hands so to speak.
We also tried a couple of influencer agencies, and there too we found more success in conducting our own reach out. We’re fortunate in that our brand has been around for almost 25 years and our earliest exposure came from our partnerships with the professional makeup artist community and their celebrity clients, so we have those relationships as well that we often tap into.
What we’ve learned with respect to getting the most out of technology in the beauty space is to be prepared to pivot as you can’t get complacent due to the constant evolution in tech.
Influencers:
- We mostly use Shopify Collabs and TikTok Affiliates.
- Shopify Collabs is a good platform for us to utilize when we reach out to influencers on Instagram specifically.
- TikTok Affiliates is set up nicely. The pace has been slow but steady in acquiring creators.
Loyalty/rewards:
- We use Smile.io for both customer rewards and referrals. Customers seem to consistently redeem points, and the program is easy to use.
Marketing:
- We use Klaviyo for email, SMS and pop-ups.
- Regarding ads, we use Meta Ads, Google Ads and TikTok Ads. We’ve had the most success on Meta, especially on prospecting.
- We use Google for brand retention and evergreen search ads.
- Jamika Martin Founder, Rosen Skincare
This is a great question because we have the same issue! Honestly, right now influencers are done 100% manually and in-house. Unless we're doing thousands of packages or outreach monthly, it's difficult to justify some of these tools price points. However, I did just have a great conversation with the folks at Seva who seem to be remedying a lot of the outreach, sourcing and affiliate issues at an affordable price.
- CECE MEADOWS Founder and CEO, Prados Beauty
While many software and technology platforms promise to revolutionize various aspects of business, our experience has led us to prioritize internal resources and independent research when seeking marketing partners. This approach allows for a more focused and tailored selection process, ensuring alignment with our specific needs and objectives.
We've found that direct engagement and relationship building with potential partners yield more fruitful and authentic collaborations. This hands-on approach fosters a deeper understanding of each partner's values, audience and creative style, enabling us to forge more meaningful connections that resonate with our target demographic.
By relying on our own expertise and insights, we maintain greater control over our marketing strategies and ensure they remain consistent with our brand identity and long-term vision. This approach has not only streamlined our partnership selection process, but also fostered more genuine and impactful collaborations, ultimately contributing to more organic and sustainable growth.
- Yve-Car Momperousse Co-Founder and CEO, Kreyol Essence
We focus on leveraging user-friendly, high-impact platforms to streamline our operational and marketing processes. Box is indispensable for secure document storage and collaboration. For influencer partnerships, we’ve seen strong results with Later, which simplifies our scheduling and performance tracking, and Uppromote, which facilitates influencer management and growth by centralizing outreach and relationship management.
In terms of digital data, Triple Whale and Lebesgue provide us with powerful insights on performance across social platforms, offering real-time data that informs decisions and supports growth. The first time an investor asked me for 30 data points from our digital platforms, I thought I would die. My finance director and me were pulling data across seven platforms and creating formulas to answer the questions. That painful exercise led me to Lebesgue and Triple Whale and cut our time to gather data by 80%
Lastly, 1Password is crucial for securely managing our access to all platforms, keeping our systems efficient and safe. It reduced the number of emails flying around with the team trying to log into a company account.
If you have a question you’d like Beauty Independent to ask beauty entrepreneurs and executives, please send it to editor@beautyindependent.com.
