Taking a fresh approach to product innovation with Scintilla
Backed by data-driven insights, DUDE Wipes breaks into new category at Walmart with exclusive launch of LiL’ DUDE Wipes
When it comes to product innovation in retail, weighing the risk to reward is always top of mind. For many, introducing new products to market is a significant, but worthwhile investment to stay relevant in a dynamic retail environment. However, more than 80% of new products fail to meet their objectives1. In a world where customer trends are constantly shifting, how do you ensure you’re delivering what your customers truly want?
Using first-party insights from Scintilla, Walmart merchants and suppliers can gain a deeper understanding of the Walmart omnichannel shopper, empowering them to innovate with greater confidence. One Walmart supplier that has taken full advantage of Scintilla is DUDE Wipes.
Scintilla Supports DUDE Wipes Growth
Founded in a Chicago apartment in 2010 by childhood friends Sean Riley, Brian Wilkin, Ryan Meegan, and Jeff Klimkowski, the brand went on to secure an investment on ABC’s Shark Tank in 2015, and in 2017, Walmart selected DUDE Wipes for nationwide distribution as part of its Open Call program. Today, DUDE Wipes has 20+ items across six departments sold on Walmart.com and in Walmart stores throughout the country.
DUDE Wipes has gone “all in” on data and insights since subscribing to Scintilla last year, gaining unique visibility into aggregated customer trends to help inform their retail strategy. DUDE Wipes also regularly surveys the Walmart Customer Spark Community, a double opt-in community of verified Walmart shoppers that is 4x more engaged than competitor panels, to gain valuable insights into customer wants, needs, and preferences.
By offering a single source of truth, Scintilla transforms the way suppliers collaborate with Walmart merchants, enabling more informed decision-making and ways to validate new growth opportunities. One notable example of this is the recent launch of LiL’ DUDE Wipes.
Launching in a New Category with Scintilla
When their merchant first approached DUDE Wipes with the idea to launch a flushable potty training wipe, their team used Scintilla to further explore the opportunity and understand the unique customer needs in this new category. Scintilla data revealed that Dude Wipes attracted younger, higher-income shoppers, many of whom were also purchasing baby wipes. This insight demonstrated an incremental opportunity for Dude Wipes to enter a new category while leveraging their established brand recognition.
They also leveraged Scintilla’s verified customer community to further understand general sentiment around the DUDE brand among verified shoppers within the baby wipe category. The responses indicated there was an openness for something new – so they got to work. As the DUDE team moved forward with developing this new product, they also surveyed shoppers about key purchasing drivers, including pricing and formula ingredients, and even shared early concepts of product packaging to gauge customer reception.
"When we saw this opportunity to bring fresh energy to the baby wipe aisle, we reached out to DUDE Wipes, and together, we used insights from Scintilla to better understand purchase drivers and what customers ultimately wanted from a baby wipe - considering factors such as scents, ingredients, flushability and pack sizes," said Ryland Allen, Vice President, Baby, Walmart U.S. "Understanding our customers’ needs, wants and preferences is core to our strategy, and Scintilla helps us execute our shared goal to bring innovation to new categories that our customers love."
What’s Next for DUDE Wipes and Scintilla
Now available exclusively on Walmart.com and in 4,000+ stores nationwide, LiL’ DUDE Wipes is making its debut on digital and physical shelves. That’s not all – DUDE Wipes is already leveraging Scintilla to evaluate performance, gather feedback from customers, and vet new product expansion opportunities in categories they currently operate in, including camping, and brand-new categories, like adult incontinence.
“Scintilla completely transformed the relationship with our Walmart merchant. We can all bring big, bold ideas—grounded in category and shopper insights—into the conversation and work together to deliver an exciting, relevant assortment for Walmart customers,” said Susanna Valerius, Vice President, Sales Strategy at DUDE Wipes. “The ability to reach our target audience and hear directly from Walmart shoppers to bring their voice into the earliest stages of innovation is invaluable. It’s not just product feedback—it’s insight-driven collaboration that fuels smarter, faster decisions with confidence we wouldn't have otherwise."
The bottom line? Unlocking data and insights through Scintilla, combined with a customer-centric approach, enables suppliers like DUDE Wipes to innovate confidently, collaborate effectively with Walmart merchants, and drive significant growth by meeting evolving customer needs.
This story was also published on Walmart's corporate site.
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