From DTC Startup to Retail Success with Shane Pittson from quip and So&So Venture Studio

“Treat packaging like your entire marketing funnel—it’s a billboard, an ad, and a welcome series.”

Shane Pittson, Co-Founder of So and So Venture Studio and former VP of Growth & Marketing (and first employee) at quip, joins Krystina Rubino on Growth Talks to dive into how incremental testing, creative optimization, and customer-centric strategies drove quip’s transformation from a DTC startup to a retail powerhouse.

In this episode, Shane discusses the surprising success of early channels like Pinterest and audio, why “creative is the new targeting,” and how treating packaging like an entire marketing funnel helped bridge the gap between retail customers and brand support. He also shares valuable insights for early-stage founders on prioritizing product-market fit and testing smartly to avoid costly mistakes.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Incremental testing is key. Learn how to explore unconventional channels, like audio advertising, while managing CAC effectively.
• Scaling into retail? Treat packaging like your entire marketing funnel. Every detail matters.
• Post-purchase surveys aren’t just for attribution—they’re goldmines for product and marketing innovation.
• Don’t leave creativity up to AI. Optimizing creative for platform-specific ad formats can unlock new audiences and results.
• Building trust with platform reps ensures access to beta tools and early adoption of emerging ad formats.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Shane Pittson’s career

01:32 Scaling quip from startup to retail success

05:22 Testing unconventional channels like Pinterest and audio

10:45 The role of post-purchase surveys in growth marketing

15:32 How to navigate offline marketing challenges

20:12 Why packaging design is critical for retail success

25:18 Balancing creative autonomy and external partnerships

30:08 Shane’s advice for early-stage founders

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• quip: https://www.getquip.com
• So&So Venture Studio: https://www.soand.so/

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