Making Commoditized Products Custom: The Data Collection Strategy

Описание: Susana Saeliu cut pillow return rates from 13% to under 6% using 5 billion data points and a machine learning-powered customization engine. In this episode, she breaks down how Pluto grew 100%+ year-over-year with a team of just 12 people, why 20% of customers come from organic referrals, and the operational playbook behind manufacturing custom products at scale.

You'll learn:
How to launch an imperfect MVP in 11 months and refine with customer data
Why their questionnaire doubles as a machine learning training system
The strategy for turning passionate customers into your distribution channel
How to build custom manufacturing operations with a lean team
Their approach to strategic product expansion based on customer requests

Why they use AI tactically for efficiency, not strategically for marketing
Pluto proves that data-driven customization can transform commoditized products into defensible businesses - even in categories where one-size-fits-all has dominated for decades.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:59 - Susana's entrepreneurial background and first business
02:11 - The neck pain problem that sparked Pluto
03:03 - First business: bootstrapping a bamboo toilet paper company on Amazon
04:44 - From track racing to discovering the pillow market gap
05:50 - The buying experience: 7 pillows bought and returned
06:54 - Timeline from problem discovery to first customer
08:27 - How pillow customization actually works
09:02 - The questionnaire: body stats, positions, preferences
09:48 - Refining the algorithm and reducing return rates
11:06 - Target customer demographics and psychographics
13:02 - Marketing strategy: customer passion drives growth
14:11 - Why word-of-mouth accounts for 20% of sales
15:01 - Marketing channels and customer acquisition approach
16:07 - Team structure: 12 people running the entire operation
17:10 - LA facility and custom manufacturing process
17:30 - Remote team distribution
17:56 - Expansion plans: Canada now, international in 2026
18:41 - Product line expansion beyond the custom pillow
19:43 - Pluto Pod: the astronaut travel pillow in MoMA Design Store
20:35 - Pluto Puff body pillow and future product launches
22:17 - How Pluto uses AI in customer experience
23:09 - Machine learning vs. AI in their customization engine
24:43 - 2026 priorities: new product launches
25:59 - Philosophy on product development and customer feedback
27:22 - Where to find Pluto: website and social channels
28:25 - Closing

🔗 Connect with Susana Saeliu:   / susanasaeliu  

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