Ep 543: Rotten’s Retail Expansion: Seeding Strategy, Brand IP, and Standing Out at Checkout

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When we first spoke to Michael Fisher, Rotten had just launched a single product online. Now, the brand is stocked in 1,000+ retail locations including Zumiez, Safeway, Sprouts, and Hy‑Vee. In this follow-up episode, we unpack exactly how Rotten scaled while preserving product quality, unique branding, and a lean team.

This episode dives into:

• Building a better-for-you candy that actually tastes great (60% less sugar, no synthetic dyes)
• How Rotten validated demand and used Kickstarter as a test lab
• What Michael learned about launching in retail through shippers and “in‑and‑out” placements
• Why brand IP and world-building (Dr. Rotten, Frankie Freak) is key to long-term value
• Real talk on packaging sustainability, operational scaling, and team-building

You’ll learn tactical insights on:

• How to evaluate retail partners and assert boundaries
• What content drives impulse candy purchases on TikTok Shop
• Using surveys to prove incremental retail value without buying expensive syndicated data
• Balancing DTC bleed-in and retail velocity
• Creating a brand that stops people in the aisle and online

Rotten’s growth is a masterclass in starting lean, staying weird, and scaling smart. Don’t miss it.

Timestamps

00:00 Rotten’s Growth Journey and TikTok Shop Strategy

02:00 Launching Gummy Crunchies and Multi-Texture Candy Trends

04:00 Retail Expansion: From Zumiez to Hy-Vee

06:00 Shippers, In-and-Outs, and Driving Off-Shelf Sales

08:00 Better-for-You Candy Positioning and Merch Strategy

10:00 Building the Rotten Brand World and Characters

12:00 Halloween Marketing and Seasonal Retail Momentum

14:00 Setting Boundaries with Retailers and Sampling Strategy

16:00 TikTok Shop Flywheel and Content That Converts

18:00 Measuring Retail Pickup and The Digital Bleed Effect

20:00 Using DTC Data to Win Retail Buyers

22:00 Scaling Challenges, Team Growth, and Culture

24:00 Aggressive Growth Goals, Profitability, and New Doors

Hashtags

#DTC #Podcast #Ecommerce #CPG #CandyBrand #TikTokShop #RetailStrategy #ScalingBrands #MarketingPodcast #ConsumerBrands

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