How Santa Barbara Startup OneWheel Scaled to Success

OneWheel Consistently Scores a Huge Increase In Year Over Year Revenue. Here’s How Rainfactory Helped.

Casey Neistat Praised OneWheel in his 2015 Youtube Review. Today, this Santa Barbara icon can be found in streets all over the US.

When OneWheel brought Rainfactory on after their successful product launch campaign, we wasted no time in bridging the gap between a great product and its potential customers. We took OneWheel from their first $1 million in sales, to their next $6 million, and so on. We optimized the top of funnel impressions; we optimized the bottom of funnel conversions. Continuous innovation in how we advertised was central to our strategy. At the same time, it was crucial that we maximize our return on ad spend (ROAS). 

We’ve seen several design interpretations since 2014 brought us the first hoverboard, but perhaps the most intriguing design is the OneWheel Self-Balancing Electric Skateboard. 

the hoverboard with the most mystique” – Buzzfeed

Dubbed “the hoverboard with the most mystique” by BuzzFeed, its singular wheel makes for a ride familiar to surfers and snowboarders, and a centralized propulsion system brings a reimagined sense of control. With the latest model reaching a top speed of 19 mph, it’s not uncommon today to see young professionals commuting on OneWheels to work. But how did OneWheel get their start, and what made them so successful?

While hoverboards are no doubt a hot item, the industry has a decent barrier to entry. When you commit to selling a product, one of the first things you need to think about is who it will most appeal to. OneWheel is recommended for all able-bodied riders over 13, but the largest homogenous group showing enthusiasm for the product is—perhaps predictably—young men. Priced at nearly $1800, OneWheel faced the challenge of selling an expensive recreational product to a target demographic with relatively little disposable income. 

For OneWheel’s direct-to-consumer online business, Rainfactory not only crafted new approaches, but developed methods to quickly and reliably test these approaches for effectiveness. OneWheel reaped the benefits from taking risks, but at the same time Rainfactory continually mitigated risk of failure. 

The 2018 addition of a lower-priced entry-level model, called the OneWheel Pint, competitive monthly payment plans, and an innovative Hulu campaign proved effective. 

Think you’ve got the next killer product? Start with us here.

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