When Claudia Snoh and her mother, Mariella Cho, launched Kloo, their craft coffee concentrate brand, they took an unconventional approach: soft launching to elicit customer feedback so they could refine the brand and product before an official brand launch. This strategy might sound counterintuitive, but it proved to be the cornerstone of their current success.
“When our product and initial website were ready but nothing else was, instead of waiting for the rest of the infrastructure that is common for an ecom business like social emails, even some part of the packaging to be all set up, I thought it would be smarter to just start selling right away as a trial run,” explains Claudia.
Soft launching their coffee concentrate gave them crucial time to perfect their product before a larger marketing push, by getting and implementing feedback. The duo knew that once people form an opinion about a premium brand, it’s challenging to change that perspective. The Kloo team felt it would be better to refine a product without the eyes of the market on it.
For other founders interested in perfecting their brand before investing in marketing, advertising, or sales, Claudia shares the soft launch strategy that helped established Kloo as a premium coffee company.
Collecting unbiased feedback
During its soft launch, Kloo sold exclusively to family, friends, and those who discovered it through word of mouth or discovery and review platforms like Thing Testing and Grommet. What made this period valuable for Claudia was her aggressive pursuit of customer feedback.
“We asked for lots and lots of feedback from customers,” Claudia says. “I would text them, email them, ask to speak to them on the phone. Whether we knew them or not personally, I would just bother them.” This hands-on approach to customer communications gave Kloo real-time insights she could implement.
The feedback led to major adjustments in three key areas:
1. Brand storytelling
Surveys revealed a crucial insight: Customers who heard the brand story directly from Claudia understood what made Kloo unique. However, those who discovered it online thought it was, according to Claudia, “just another coffee concentrate brand with a cool bottle,” missing the fact Kloo was co-founded by Mariella, a Q Grader (coffee’s equivalent of a master sommelier), and used a proprietary brewing process.
This led to significant changes, including investment in a brand video highlighting Mariella’s journey from immigrant to Q Grader, as well as prominent mention and placement of the video in brand materials. The founders also redesigned their website to focus on their journey of launching Kloo, why the quality of the beans and their process is producing a better product, and why they’re leaning into the craft of their process rather than the aesthetics.
2. Packaging evolution
The lesson about the importance of craft over aesthetics was driven home when Claudia received feedback that Kloo’s early subscribers didn’t need premium glass bottles with every order. Many subscribers even offered to return their bottles for recycling. “Their feedback was, at the end of the day they’re subscribed because of the flavor of our coffee. The nice packaging is just an added bonus,” Claudia says.
Kloo immediately shifted to producing refill pouches for subscribers, which had the added benefit of improving unit economics and allowing it to offer better subscription pricing.
3. Strategic pricing
The soft launch also revealed critical insights about pricing: Customers strongly dislike shipping fees, and the price per bottle matters more than total order value.
Claudia and the team pivoted to reduce bottle prices from $35 to $32, eliminated shipping fees, introduced a significant $7 bottle discount for subscribers, and increased minimum order quantity to two bottles. These changes improved profitability and increased completed checkout carts, all while driving higher conversion rates.
Getting survey participants wasn’t always easy though. To get customers to respond, Kloo offered free products—whether the surveys took place online or via phone—to incentivize responses.
When designing customer surveys, Kloo kept its questions focused, because “survey fatigue is really real,” notes Claudia. “If you try to keep it less than 10 minutes, which equates to about 10 to 15 questions, that’s the really sweet spot to target,” she says.
Future-proofing your launch
The thoroughness of Kloo’s soft launch strategy has positioned it for sustainable growth. Six months post-launch, it’s already planning expansion into new product categories, backed by proven demand from survey data.
For founders planning their own launches, Claudia suggests taking the time to test, learn, and adjust before going big: “Prioritize one thing [about your brand] and repeat that story everywhere: on your website, on social email, SMS, in your elevator pitch—repeat that story everywhere you go.” This element will become crystal clear during a soft-launch period as you notice and keep track of the elements that resonate with consumers.
Kloo’s success shows that a methodical prelaunch strategy, while time-consuming, can create a foundation for rapid growth. The key is to remain flexible and responsive to customer feedback, while staying true to your brand’s value proposition. Catch the full Shopify Masters interview to discover how Claudia navigated her professional journey—and Kloo’s soft launch challenges.
