The secret to repeat purchases (hint: it’s not discounts)

Where comfort meets innovation. Dez Price, co-founder and CEO of Vancouver, BC-based men’s underwear and first layer brand BN3TH (pronounced “beneath”), started the company in 2010 because he couldn’t find what he was looking for in the market. His M.O. was simple: underwear is the first thing you put on in the morning, and being comfortable can change how you show up in your day.

“Instead of trying to be louder than every other brand, we built trust through a great product experience and genuine word of mouth. We connected with early adopters, athletes, creators and retailers who believed in elevated basics, and they helped amplify our story,” says Price.

Here, he shares his best tips for maintaining customer relationships, preparing for the holidays and getting the most out of social media. 

—Interview by Marcy Medina, edited by Bianca Prieto

What are your best tips for maintaining customer relationships and getting them to purchase again? 

The biggest thing is earning trust with every interaction. If the product performs and the experience matches the promise, customers come back naturally. A few things that have worked exceptionally well for us are to deliver a product that genuinely improves someone’s day; comfort creates loyalty. And reward loyalty with exclusive drops, early access and personalized offers. 

Be human in how you communicate. Whether it’s email, social, or customer service, people want authenticity, not template responses.

It's also important to keep educating customers on fit, fabrics, and function. When they understand why BN3TH feels different, they stay connected. When something goes wrong, be proactive. Turning a problem into a great experience creates lifelong fans. At the end of the day, retention comes from relationships, and relationships come from showing customers that you’re listening.

What do you do to prepare for the busy holiday season? How do you make sure you’re set up for success? 

Holiday success starts months in advance. We align all departments early–product, marketing, operations, and customer service. You win the holiday season by planning and aligning on the strategy beforehand.

Dial in promotions and messaging early. We make sure the offer is meaningful and true to the brand. Forecast inventory at a granular level. Right product, right timing, right depth. Prepare customer service with expanded FAQs, better tools, and extra coverage. A smooth experience builds trust during the busiest season. 

We also stress-test the website and checkout flow. Speed, clarity, and reliability are everything during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Be sure to maintain constant cross-functional communication. Daily Slack check-ins during the peak weeks/days ensure we’re reacting to inventory levels. Success comes from alignment when strategy, operations, and execution all work together, the customer feels it.

What’s your approach when it comes to social media? 

Our approach is simple: be real, be relatable, and be useful. We aim to create content that educates, entertains, or adds value. We use social to tell the deeper story behind BN3TH. The hero is always our technology related to comfort, then how it will help you perform better every day, followed up with a brand connection to our BN3TH Guy. We maintain a consistent voice that sounds human, not corporate. Instead of chasing trends for the sake of it, we focus on highlighting real people doing real things in our product. We share community moments and partner with ambassadors who authentically use our gear. We also use social media to showcase innovation, fabric technology, and behind-the-scenes development. For us, social media is about building connection, not just broadcasting.

Thanks for reading this week's edition!

You can reach the newsletter team at theskupe@mynewsletter.co. We enjoy hearing from you. 

Interested in advertising? Email us at newslettersales@mvfglobal.com 

The SKUpe is curated and written by Marcy Medina and edited by Bianca Prieto.