In contrast to other players in the space, Witz’s reputation stood out to the SheaMoisture team for their being honest, thoughtful, and respectful of their clients’ brands: “Some companies were either very focused on metrics and KPIs that aligned with their own business or weren’t willing to listen to how to engage our audience—which was, at the time, a largely-underserved multicultural female consumer,” says Dennis.“But week in and week out, Witz spent the time to test, learn, and understand what worked best in the marketplace—and how to apply data and knowledge to put the best product forward. This was a key factor in our ability to grow the business successfully.”

One of the most successful strategies—tested and perfected by the Witz team—was developing innovative product bundles that give consumers opportunities to purchase sets rather than individual items, thereby increasing SheaMoisture’s profit margins significantly. Executing this model successfully required an ability to understand and adapt to what customers were looking for, and a constant commitment to keeping a finger on the pulse of emerging trends and changing algorithms to drive the company’s rapid growth.