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Yuki Kinoshita returns to the DTC Podcast with an inside look at how Plufl turned viral buzz into sustainable growth. Since his first appearance, the brand has passed $4M in sales, added new SKUs like the Hugl cooling pillow, and faced a near-$8M retail setback due to sudden U.S. tariffs.
In this episode, Yuki breaks down how Plufl:
- Navigated a 145% import tariff while keeping prices stable
- Cut landed costs by $10+ per unit by reengineering their packaging
- Transitioned from novelty product to year-round problem-solver
- Leveraged creator content and press placements to power top-of-funnel
- Used customer pain points to inform product development
For DTC founders navigating platform volatility, sourcing challenges, and product innovation, this episode delivers tactical insight.
Timestamps:
00:00 How Plufl went viral and dealt with knockoffs
02:00 Shark Tank, tariffs, and losing $7M in retail deals
08:00 Why Vietnam manufacturing isn’t always cheaper
12:00 Cutting COGS with packaging and operations
18:00 The product that made Plufl profitable year-round
24:00 Creating pet-parent solutions from customer feedback
28:00 Seven figures from QVC and shopping networks
32:00 PR, gift guides, and listicles as growth levers
34:00 TikTok creator seeding and whitelisting strategy
38:00 What’s next for Plufl and the founders
Hashtags:
#d2cpodcast #plufl #dtcbrands #founderstory #ecommercegrowth #retailstrategy #tiktokmarketing #tariffimpact #prstrategy #productlaunch
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