When four college friends started a line of flushable cleansing wipes for men, they didn’t expect how quickly it’d take off—or grow through online sales channels, including Walmart Marketplace.
In recent years, Walmart.com has seen an average of 38 million search impressions for products in the Personal Care category per day,* so it’s no surprise to us they’ve seen some big wins!
The challenge? Shipping their own orders took time away from efforts to amplify their business. So, they looked to Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).
Read on to learn how DUDE Wipes has scaled from their apartment floor to Walmart’s website and stores (and, with help from WFS, isn’t slowing their roll anytime soon).
When four college friends started a line of flushable cleansing wipes for men, they didn’t expect how quickly it’d take off—or grow through online sales channels, including Walmart Marketplace.
In recent years, Walmart.com has seen an average of 38 million search impressions for products in the Personal Care category per day,* so it’s no surprise to us they’ve seen some big wins!
The challenge? Shipping their own orders took time away from efforts to amplify their business. So, they looked to Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).
Read on to learn how DUDE Wipes has scaled from their apartment floor to Walmart’s website and stores (and, with help from WFS, isn’t slowing their roll anytime soon).
*Walmart first-party data, Jan. 28, 2023–Oct. 21, 2023.
GOALS
Expand assortment
Ship products quickly
Grow market share
“Today, we have about 1% market share of the $15-billion bath tissue category. We want it to be 2% next year and 8% over the next ten years. So, we’re adding more products and continuing to deliver a better solution to customers.”
Jeff Klimkowski
Co-Founder & CFO
DUDE Wipes
BIG WINS WITH WFS
+475%
YoY increase in WFS GMV*
+807%
YoY increase in WFS units sold*
+413%
YoY increase in 2-day delivery promise*
*2024
The Strategy
1. Making Walmart Marketplace their testing playground
Opportunity
Because DUDE Wipes is a unique product in the market, the team lacked insights into the types of personal care products and price points that would resonate with their demographic. This was especially important as they began to expand their assortment.
Solution
By viewing Walmart Marketplace as their “innovation lab,” the DUDE Wipes team has been able to experiment with new products, try different types of pack sizes, and, ultimately, understand what their customer wants.
2. Offering two-day shipping across the US with WFS
Opportunity
With just one shipping location in Chicago and limited staff, DUDE Wipes struggled to deliver fast, nationwide orders to customers while trying to scale their business.
Solution
The team began leveraging Walmart’s fulfillment program in November of 2022, and has since freed up time and resources by allowing WFS to store, pick, pack, and ship items across the US within 2 days.*
*Non-peak. Some heavy & bulky items excluded. Only standard shipping is available in non-contiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii.
WFS is not only efficient, but it’s more cost-effective than the biggest online competitor that Walmart has. We spend less on our order fulfillment through WFS than elsewhere.
Joey Thomas
Senior Director of eCommerce
DUDE Wipes
Did you know? Walmart Fulfillment Services costs 15% less** than most competitors.
**Fulfillment cost per item, on average. Walmart first-party data, December 2023-March 2024.
3. Leaning into customized inventory recommendations
Opportunity
The team wanted to improve the customer experience due to the lack of inventory-level visibility when working with previous warehouse partners. If an out-of-stock item was purchased, they had to cancel the order.
Solution
Using machine-learning-based insights, WFS manages DUDE Wipes’ inventory levels and provides recommendations for when the team should send in additional items. Items are automatically de-listed until stock is available.
KEY TAKEAWAY
