STO N SHO wanted to regain control over their brand and sell directly on Amazon Marketplace. They leveraged PDM Automotive to streamline product content updates, resulting in an immediate surge in sales.
Taking Control of Amazon Sales
The last thing drivers of performance and luxury vehicles want to do is drill holes in the front bumper to adhere to a two-plate requirement. In 2012, Mike McKinney and his daughter Mashell Tripp, founders of STO N SHO, set out to fix this problem when a family member kept getting fined for not having a front license plate on his 2012 Roush Mustang. Mike designed a license plate holder that adhered to bumpers without screws, and STO N SHO was officially in business. Fast forward 11 years and 400 SKUs later, the STO N SHO business is growing rapidly.
STO N SHO was already using PDM to house its product content because it is “very-user friendly and self-explanatory,” according to Mashell. Still, they needed a better way to manage product content on Amazon Marketplace after they noticed that some resellers often neglected to maintain accurate product content. Reselling through Amazon offered immense reach, but it came at a cost – diminished control over brand reputation. Inaccurate product information by third-party resellers risked compromising STO N SHO’s image and customer trust. Marshell explains, “We were starting to get increased customer returns because the information wasn’t accurate. We felt like our brand was suffering and we started to get concerned about our brand reputation. We made the decision about six months ago that we were going to take over Amazon exclusively.”
Empowering Expansion with PDM
After deciding to sell directly to customers on Amazon, PDM was the game-changer they needed. With PDM’s user-friendly interface, Mashell quickly managed product data, including images, installation instructions, and videos, ensuring consistent and accurate information. This shift to selling directly on Amazon led to a surge in sales, with daily transactions nearly doubling within a short period.
As sales climb, Mashell has more time to wear the other hats she wears weekly. “The fact that PDM is so user-friendly for me makes it easy to get done what I need so that I can do other things around the shop.” Instead of chasing down resellers to update product content, Mashell can focus on growing the business, answering fitment questions, building brackets, shipping orders, and other tasks that keep operations running smoothly while maintaining a great customer experience.
Shopify Integration, Walmart and Other Projects
As STO N SHO’s business needs evolve, they want to leverage PDM further by integrating it with their new Shopify platform. The upcoming integration with Shopify excites Mashell, as the strategic move will synchronize production information across multiple channels seamlessly, erasing discrepancies and improving operational efficiency. “Instead of updating product information in three different places, I can make updates once and the updates deploy across all our digital channels,” she explains. Furthermore, STO N SHO is exploring opportunities on Walmart and other marketplaces, leveraging PDM’s platform to expand without alienating valued resellers.
What we love about STO N SHO’s story is how it embodies the essence of entrepreneurial success, from a creative solution to a universal problem to the strategic use of PDM. With a family-led team that continues to explore expansion avenues, STO N SHO’s story is a testament to how the right tools and dedication can drive business growth and create lasting impact. We can’t wait to see what STO N SHO does next.
