[Kitchen Appliances] Why Major Brands’ Product Rebranding Must Start with a Different Launch Platform

#11

From Huroom Maker
"Kitchen Appliance Funding Campaign a Success"

Hurom Maker Profile

3-Line Summary

• Last April and June, Hurom launched its 2-in-1 blender & juiceron wadiz andsuccessfully raised a cumulative total of over 100 million won in funding. 
• Thanks to the pre-order service, Huroom was able to launch the product on wadiz more than a year after its initial release and successfully rebrand it. 
• For Hurom, wadiz was an opportunity to redefine the product’s appeal from the customer’s perspectiveand significantly boost sales, which had previously fallen short of the product’s potential.

Hurom: Thinking Only of Your Health

Huroom’s Assistant Manager Yoo Jeong-geun (left) and Senior Associate Lee Su-jeong (right), who managed the wadiz pre-order campaign

Q. Hello, could you please introduce yourselves as the team members in charge of the Hurom-wadiz pre-order campaign?

Hello, we are Assistant Manager Yoo Jeong-geun and Senior Associate Lee Su-jeong from HUROM’s Domestic Sales Team. We were in charge of the wadiz pre-order project to introduce HUROM’s 2-in-1 Blender & Juicer to as many people as possible. 

The name “Hurom” is a portmanteau of “Hue” (from the English word “Human”) and “benefit.” Earlier this year, Hurom announced a new vision: “Your health, Our priority.” We aim to expand beyond our role as a kitchen appliance company to become a “health company,”striving to be a more sincere and trustworthy partner in the health sector. 

wadiz: The Platform Chosen for Product Rebranding

Q. It was surprising to see Hurom, a leading juicer brand, appear on wadiz. As a major brand, what prompted you to take on this wadiz project?

Previously, we only sold our products through the Hurom online store and general e-commerce platforms. Whilesearching for the right channel to rebrand our 2-in-1blender and juicer, we decided to try wadiz’s pre-order service. The product had been on the market for about a year, but sales were lower than expected given its quality, so we were looking for a new way to promote it. Since it’s a new product that combines a blender and a juicer—and is also on the higher end in terms of price— we determined that an effort to introduce the product to customers in a fresh way. 

Q. What aspects of wadiz did you think would help with the product rebranding? 

The biggest factor was that the 2-in-1 blender & juicer featured on wadiz gave us the opportunity to showcase the product’s appeal in a different way. However, on general e-commerce platforms, even slightly longer product descriptions lead to high bounce rates, making it difficult for us to identify what needed improvement. In contrast, wadiz is a community where supporters are open-minded and willing to engage with the full Story behind new or high-priced products. I thought this would be a great opportunityI believed it would be. 

A project story that’s more fun for supporters than for the maker 

The 2-in-1 Blender & Juicer Project Story

Q. When I actually read the project story, I found it engaging and interesting even though it was quite long.
What did you focus on most while creating the Story?  

As a seller, I was confident that I knew the product best, and I thought I just needed to fully convey the message we wanted to share. However, I realized that what the seller wants to emphasize and what consumers are truly curious about are different. From the perspective of a a compelling Story from the consumer’s perspective.

During that process , I also actively took into account comments from the wadiz team. For example, at first, I wanted to emphasize the juicer’s functionality with the message “a juicer that can be used as a blender,” but a wadiz representative suggested we highlight the blender—a device people use frequently and are familiar with—more prominently. They helped us define our key selling point as a product that functions as a blender but can also be used as a juicer. This allowed us to target a broader range of customers.  

All-time high purchase conversion rate achieved through wadiz pre-orders 

Hurom’s First Pre-Order, Which Raised Approximately 70 Million Won

Q. You used wadiz’s “Pre-order Service.” What advantages did you find in the pre-order process?

Pre-order is a service that allows you to receive funding even for products or services that already have a sales history.Sinceourgoal was to rebrand and reintroduce a product that had been launched a year earlier—rather than launching a new product—the pre-order service was particularly useful. Additionally, we provided a Huroom-exclusive health recipe book and seasonal fruit gifts to supporters who purchased the product through pre-order. They loved it, and it was a great opportunity for us to convey Huroom’s vision of prioritizing customer health.

Q. Through pre-orders for the 2-in-1 Blender & Juicer, you successfully raised a cumulative total of over 100 million won in funding.
I’m curious about your internal assessment of this achievement and whether it has benefited the brand in any way.  

First of all, we assess this as an exceptionally strong result. We had previously introduced theexact same product through another company’s shopping livestream.At that time, while traffic was very high, the actual purchase rate was low. Customers didn’t quite understand why they needed this product, and since we only emphasized the benefits one-sidedly, the results were disappointing.

However, on wadiz, as many as 12% of those who received the notification that the product is launching soon actually participated in the funding campaign. Internally, we consider this a fairly high conversion rate, and we believe it was thanks to the way we presented the product in wadiz’s unique style. Therefore, we plan to refine our product presentation methods and content from other platforms to align with wadiz’s standards.

Q. Specifically, what kind of people do you think would benefit from trying wadiz’s pre-order program? 

Above all, wadiz is a community of supporters who are open to new products. Rather than dismissing a product they’ve never seen before by thinking, “What is this? It looks unfamiliar,” many people approach it with curiosity, asking, “What is this?” So, if you have a product from a major brand that hasn’t quite met expectations in terms of brand recognition or sales, I recommend giving wadiz pre-order a try.

Also, while this might just be our own experience, on other platforms about 70% of our customers were women, but through wadiz pre-order, we were able to reach a larger number of male customers. I felt that wadiz is a platform where you can reach a diverse customer base and quickly receive specific feedback on your product.

On wadiz, where you can consistently showcase your product’s appeal,
Become a maker who engages with supporters on Wadiz! 

Q. If you could offer some useful advice to aspiring makers regarding funding, what would you say? 

Typically, other platforms follow a simple process where sales come in once you present your product details, but wadiz is a bit different. As I mentioned earlier , there’s a system that allows supporters to receive notifications when a funding campaign launches, and you can actively engage with them through News or the Community before the funding campaign ends. You can also run events. Through these processes, you can consistently showcase the appeal of your product to supporters. Since these are actual factors that lead togreater participationin your funding campaign, I’d advise you to familiarize yourself with them in advance and make sure to follow through, even if it seems like a hassle. Also, even if you’re new to wadiz and have many questions, you can always ask the wadiz staff for help. You’ll learn a lot along the way, so I hope you’ll set aside your worries and give it a try without feeling overwhelmed.

Q. One last question. Could you share HUROM’s plans for the future? 

We recently launched the “Hurom Ultrasonic Food Washer.” It’s a revolutionary home appliance that removes over 99% of harmful substances from food ingredients through a triple-cleaning process combining ultrasonic waves, electrolysis, and water rinsing. Since this product is still unfamiliar to many people, we thought it would be a great idea to introduce it through wadiz, so we’re currently preparing a new funding campaign. Please stay tuned for the latest news from wadiz, which we’ll be sharing soon! 

Interviewees Assistant Manager Yoo Jeong-geun, Senior Associate Lee Su-jeong Written by Jeong So-jeong Edited by Han Ji-hye