Background

A San Francisco startup launched a brand tackling the waste plastic problem. Their first year succeeded on Kickstarter, but they struggled with mass production sales on Amazon US. Their existing Chinese OEM factory’s MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) of 10,000 units strained the startup’s cash flow.

Our Approach

Toei Sosan pushed three things in parallel:

  1. Sourced Chinese partner factories willing to take MOQ 500 units
  2. Set up Amazon US storefront (FBA-ready, SEO-optimized)
  3. Keyword research and PPC advertising strategy for the US market

Results (6 Months After Launch)

  • Monthly revenue exceeded $100K
  • ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) at 18% (industry average: 25-30%)
  • 1,200+ reviews, 4.7-star average
  • Successfully raised Series A (Amazon performance became key evaluation material)

Lessons

  • “Sustainable materials” + “BPA-free” is a category with 40% YoY search growth on US Amazon
  • To quickly gain early reviews, ran the Vineers Club program intensively for 2 months
  • Against competitor price wars, used Amazon Brand Registry + exclusive content to differentiate

Data partially adjusted with client permission.