A product collage of Tropical Suds, a St. Croix-based, locally owned cosmetics and personal care company. Photo Credit: TROPICAL SUDS
A backlog of orders rapidly being fulfilled, social media videos going viral with millions of views, customers singing praises about the products, over $10,000 in sales in a few hours, and even copycats stealing the company's creative marketing strategy to try and replicate the outcomes. This is not a story from a startup that is in some far-flung part of the world, this success story is from a St. Croix-based and locally owned cosmetics, beauty and personal care company named Tropical Suds.
The company was born during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when personal hygiene was top-of-mind and natural alternatives to achieve such goals gained momentum.
The Consortium sought and received responses from the company regarding its products, success and challenges as it deals with rapid growth.
On its products, Tropical Suds said, "We offer a variety of beautifully handcrafted soaps, skincare, and feminine hygiene products. Production and demand have picked up tremendously due to the higher order volume from viral exposures. We have recently served all 50 states and a majority of the U.S. territories."
Relative to social media exposure, Tropical Suds, which has over 50,000 followers on TikTok, its most popular social media platform where the company's videos garner millions of views, stated, "On our biggest viral TikTok video with 5.4 million views, we made over $10,000 in sales within the first few hours. Hearing the “Cha-Ching” every time someone placed an order that night had become very exciting and surreal. It was a family affair with all hands on deck for the influx of online purchases."
Tropical Suds has been looking for space to expand its operations as it addresses one of the challenges of fast growth. "Storage and office space is in works as we are running out of space to store inventory due to our amazing growth over the past few months," said the company.
Another challenge is maintaining relevance on social media which has helped propel sales. "Social media has been challenging due to constant changes in algorithms, trends, and individuals not agreeing with that way you present or advertise. But overall it has been an unforgettable journey," Tropical Suds told the Consortium.
The company had some advice for budding entrepreneurs: "Keep pushing because the day you choose to give up, is the day it might take off. Slow and steady wins the race."
Follow Tropical Suds on TikTok here, on Facebook, Instagram, or visit the website where you can order products and experience the brand for yourself.
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