Popcorn Shed, as you might guess from the name, is a family-owned business that has been popping and growing since 2016.
Founded by cousins Laura Jane Jackson and Sam Feller, the brand brings a challenger and startup mentality to the FMCG sector, serving up gourmet popcorn in over 27 inventive flavours.
From classic salted caramel to quirky experimental flavours, Popcorn Shed has carved out a niche in a crowded snack market by combining creativity, authenticity and a strong sense of brand personality.
But beyond the tasty treats, there is plenty for retail marketers to learn from the brand’s approach to growth and marketing.
Retail Gazette caught up with Laura Jane Jackson – otherwise known as the ‘Kernel-In-Chief’ – to find out how Popcorn Shed has built a loyal customer base, leveraged social media and maintained authenticity while scaling in a competitive market.
The perks of a challenger mindset
Jackson is under no illusions that Popcorn Shed cannot still realistically call itself a startup, but the company still likes to think of itself that way.
“We’re always trying to improve, never satisfied and always curious about how things could be better – that for me is the challenger mindset.”
Stopping at bestsellers and getting stuck in the same processes is wholeheartedly against what Jackson believes to be growth. Instead, she hopes Popcorn Shed will always stay nimble.
Decision-making is not overly complicated for the brand – and that is actually rather freeing. “We don’t have crazy processes. Of course, we have structure, but if someone has a great idea and it’s exciting, we’ll go for it. We’ll run with it. That’s something we really try to hold on to.”
Customer loyalty and retention are key factors in delivering successful marketing – especially when a brand lacks the scale or budgets of a big FMCG competitor.
Jackson believes real emotional loyalty is created by ensuring the marketing feels human. Popcorn Shed values the care and attention that goes into the beginning of a kernel’s journey to its end, acknowledging that consumers no longer wish to buy into products that feel manufactured with a lack of thought behind them.
“In a world of AI and consistency, especially for challenger brands, people can tell when you really care about the product,” Jackson adds. “For us, we obsess over product and flavour, storytelling, our tone of voice, and being really honest about who we are.”
Knowing where to place valuable and limited marketing spend has always been a case of trial and error for the popcorn startup. Paid social did not prove to be effective for the brand in a direct way.
“We couldn’t see it moving the needle enough to justify the spend.” Where Jackson does invest is in the brand’s database, email marketing and organic social – all the while telling the brand story properly.
“For us, it’s about focusing on where our loyal customers already are and building on that, rather than trying to chase people who don’t yet know the brand. We’ve put more energy into improving the offering for people who already love Popcorn Shed.”
What successful marketing looks like for Popcorn Shed
Budget and resource constraints force Jackson and her team to innovate and focus on what really matters to consumers in the brand’s campaigns.
One way they do this is through creating standout popcorn flavours. “To source flavours and cultural trends, we listen very closely to our customers, we go to trade shows, and we pay attention to what chefs are doing and talking about. Being immersed in food culture more broadly, those signals are all around us.”
This does not mean Popcorn Shed automatically launches a flavour just because it is trending. “For example, Dubai chocolate was a massive trend, but we just didn’t think it would translate to popcorn. When you factor in the cost and everything else, it didn’t make sense for us.”
According to Jackson, the company is full of foodies who are naturally curious and always listening and thinking about the next great idea for the brand. “It’s really about taking in a wide range of signals and then being quite disciplined about what actually makes sense for us.”
Recently, the brand decided to capitalise on the matcha trend and create popcorn of that ilk. To promote the new batch, just two members of the social team took to Carnaby Street in London to create taste test videos with the public. “That content created such a buzz on social media, and we even picked up a couple of wholesale listings off the back of it, just from getting across how good it tasted. That wasn’t a big, expensive marketing campaign.”
“Of course, having more money gives you more options. The kind of spend where you can hand out thousands of free packs is just massive for us, so we can’t do that. But when we’re forced to focus, we really do – and I think that’s where we tend to be at our most creative.”
With regards to social media marketing, Jackson quickly found that “beautiful, polished photos” were not going to cut it with the public. “We got such low engagement because it felt very salesy and transactional.” Popcorn Shed therefore changed its social media strategy and opted for the less polished look.
“More imperfect, off the cuff and a little less scripted seems to be working really well for us.”
The brand has also found that sharing the story of its conception and the real people behind it has helped. “I think because we were very scrappy when we launched, we didn’t really want to share our story or be honest. But I actually think that’s what people want to see – who’s making the product, who’s behind it. We’ve been showing our faces more and more and I think that’s really having a positive impact for the brand.”
On TikTok, this sentiment is echoed. Customers on live videos have asked the brand questions about the processes and people behind the popcorn. “And I think that’s what our customers want – they want to know the humans behind the brand.”
Focusing on what matters when considering data, measurement and partnering with retailers
Popcorn Shed, of course, does not have an enterprise-level data stack – but this does not take away from the way the brand chooses to make effective marketing decisions. At the end of each year, the company has an internal stats report that highlights high and low-performing flavours. The flavours that have proven to be unsuccessful are titled ‘the ghosts of popcorn’s past’ and delisted.
While Jackson places emphasis on these sales trends and repeat purchases, she also places importance on feedback. “Even if it’s from just one person, it can sometimes be more important than the numbers,” Jackson adds.
Rather than obsessing over data and getting lost in it, the brand treats it holistically. “It helps guide us, but it doesn’t make the decisions for us. I’d say we use the data intuitively. Sometimes something is an anomaly. For example, we sell on Amazon, and one SKU might suddenly do really well, and we try to figure out why. Or maybe a spike in website traffic is driven by an influencer – we don’t always know.”
When it comes to measuring campaign success, Jackson recognises that sales is “obviously” a huge metric, but she also considers awareness to be a significant measure. “For example, a flavour might not sell very well, but if the conversation around it is huge, it can still benefit the brand overall.”
Recently, Popcorn Shed launched a spin-the-wheel and win campaign entitled ‘Pop Luck’ in which some flavours were tasty and some were “a bit disgusting.” Jackson adds: “We weren’t sure if the sales would be huge, but people started talking about it a lot and it went a bit viral on TikTok which has done really great things for the brand. So even though it’s not one of our best sellers, it’s been excellent for visibility. Brand building is just as important as immediate sales, so we try to balance both.”
Jackson realises that it is harder for self-funded and smaller brands as they always desire a return on investment and do not always have the means to test campaigns extensively like larger challenger brands. They also do not have control of the full customer journey with regard to working with retailers.
“The copy on the pack and the way the pack feels and looks – that’s all we really control. We obviously guide retailers on how we want it to look, but retailers can merchandise our product however they like.”
What Jackson claims Popcorn Shed has become really good at is focusing on the things it can control: flavour descriptions, packaging and all the elements that sit with the brand. “We have good relationships with our retailers, so we explain the best way to store and merchandise it, give feedback on flavours, planograms and so on. Where we do have control – that’s where our focus has to be.”
It seems “focus” is the keyword for Jackson and the company she founded. And rightly so. Popcorn Shed’s success has derived from focusing on its niche and sticking to its mission. “We really commit to what we believe in, and we don’t get side-tracked with the next big promotion – I’m not sure big companies can always say the same.”
For Jackson, the case of Dash Water and the copycat products that larger FMCG brands have attempted to create to simulate the success of the brand is a fine example. “There’s something missing in the copycats’ packaging, tone of voice or promotions – you just don’t feel like they have the same mission. That focus on mission is what makes challenger brands truly stand out.
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