Empowered consumers

John Szustaczek, The DivaCup

Drug Store News recently had the opportunity to speak with John Szustaczek, The DivaCup’s director of sales and marketing, about the company’s double-digit annual growth rates, why consumers are drawn to the product and The DivaCup’s geo-targeted advertising strategy.

DSN: How popular is The DivaCup?

John Szustaczek: The DivaCup SKUs are extremely popular with all women, especially those in the 19- to 40-year-old demographic. Our year-over-year, same-store sales are growing at double-digit rates. Recent IRI data shows that our SKUs now rank in the top 70 SKUs in the feminine hygiene category for overall sales, as well as in the top 10 SKUs on sales per point of distribution.

DSN: What draws consumers to The DivaCup — sustainability? Safety? Convenience?

Szustaczek: The DivaCup is targeted to all women who menstruate. Consumers are drawn to The DivaCup SKUs for the leak-free protection that they enjoy for up to 12 hours at a time. This convenience allows women to participate in activities that may have been more difficult to engage in while wearing other forms of protection like tampons and pads, which do not offer the same level of freedom or protection. The DivaCup SKUs are cleaner and far more convenient, which is very attractive to consumers.

DSN: Your website uses the word “empowerment” with respect to consumers learning about menstruation. How does your product empower customers?

Szustaczek: Our product helps women learn more about their cycles, their menstruation and their bodies far more than traditional products. Women can accurately measure their flow for their own knowledge and also when conferring with their healthcare provider. Our SKUs also allow women more freedom to participate in a variety of activities for longer periods of time, with the confidence that their menstrual care won’t fail.

DSN: What sort of alternative options are consumers seeking in the personal care aisle? What sort of growth opportunity do you see with that type of consumer?

Szustaczek: Consumers are consistently looking for new and improved products and solutions in personal care. They are very interested in innovative products, and products that are better for their health and their bodies.

DSN: Can you describe your retailer-specific geo-targeted advertising strategy?

Szustaczek: Our geo-targeted, retailer-specific advertising strategy is focused on driving consumers to retailers that sell our SKUs. We work to grow off-take, creating demand that results in consumers buying the SKUs  thereby benefiting our retail partners. Unlike our competitors, we do not sell our SKUs ourselves, therefore, we do not compete directly with our retail partners. We use a combination of in-store promotion, geo-targeted digital ads and social media to promote our retail partners. We also tag specific partners in print, TV and digital ads to drive sales. All of our efforts are geared at driving demand and sales to our retail partners.