Data is a Gamechanger for Legacy Brands

Our "small but mighty" marketing team at Bar Keepers Friend.

If there's anything I've learned over the last 5-6 years, it's that consumer data is damn expensive. 

I mean... I've known this throughout my entire career, but it was particularly evident in the manufacturing and retail sector. After all, we sell products to folks all over North America - at a dizzying variety of brick-and-mortar stores. The data is often proprietary and there's a lot of it out there!

One thing I've always taken pride in is our marketing team at Bar Keepers Friend. "We're small, but mighty" is a phrase you'll hear from me often when describing our team. Despite the lack of certain data points (namely specific consumer shopping habits), we made it work. Our website and social media channels were our "sources of truth," and we made use of this valuable data - which was free and accessible. 

"Despite the lack of certain data points (namely specific consumer shopping habits), we made it work."

Our goal from the beginning (when I started in Dec 2019) was to introduce our legacy brand to younger folks - and we did just that. Increased sales soon followed. In early 2021, we discovered that our website demographics had shifted from a majority audience of women 65 years and older to women 25-55 years - with more men finally entering the mix too! 

Still, we were missing out on that sweet, sweet consumer purchase data - at least the large chunk that could be obtained from larger chains. It's worth mentioning, of course, that this wasn't from a lack of caring or trying. It was simply a case of, "you don't know what you don't know." 

Because we had access to other forms of data, it was "good enough" until we could find viable sources of consumer purchase data - or determine the financial impact of having said data across multiple departments. "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" That's another one of my phrases. ;) 

When our team gained access to Byzzer data (Byzzer powered by NielsenIQ) in 2024, it opened so many new doors for us. With the help of my colleague Sarah Jones (BKF sales manager and Byzzer power-user) I gained access to a full year of shopping data from our largest retailers. It was sooooooo cool - and genuinely eye-opening.

"It's worth mentioning, of course, that this wasn't from a lack of caring or trying. It was simply a case of, "you don't know what you don't know." 

Fast forward three-ish months, about a week post-acquisition, and our advisors present us with even MORE comprehensive consumer data - like, dizzying levels of comprehensive. It's data that I personally wouldn't have known to look for - and I can already so many ways to leverage it for our strategy in the remainder of 2025. 

These last 4-5 months have taught me a lot. I always knew the importance of data, but my understanding was pretty surface level compared to what I've seen recently. I never thought putting together a trackable sales funnel would be feasible (or useful) until very recently. 

Data is a literal game changer and it's not worth skimping out on. It's worth the hefty investment.

If you don't know what to look for, JUST ASK. 

Leverage your network because sometimes, "you don't know what you don't know."