The Task: Launch a New Format for the Brand

Leilo was known for its ready-to-drink kava cans, but we saw an opportunity to expand the brand into a more portable, versatile format: drink mix stick packs. The goal was to introduce a new product line that could travel easily, lower the barrier to trial, and expand Leilo’s presence across e-commerce and retail channels.

Success meant more than just launching a product. It meant proving the format could drive real demand, convert new consumers, and become a scalable growth platform for the brand.

The Challenge: Building Demand for a New Category Format

While the brand had momentum, powdered drink mixes represented a new format for Leilo and for many consumers discovering kava. This came with a lot of positives (lower barrier to entry) but also some unique challenges, such as:

• Educating consumers on how drink mix fits into the Leilo ritual + adjusting messaging to move a little further away from an “alcohol replacement”

• Driving discovery on Amazon where category competition is high

• Maintaining strong pricing and conversion without heavy discounting

• Proving velocity quickly enough to support broader retail conversations

The pressure was on to demonstrate that the format could perform.

The Solution: A Launch Strategy Focused on Discovery and Conversion

The strategy focused on turning Amazon into the primary launch engine while building a repeatable system for future flavor expansions.

Key pillars included:

1. Product Positioning: Framed drink mix as the most convenient way to bring calm, social energy anywhere - travel days, nights out, or moments when a full can isn’t practical.

2. Conversion-First Ecommerce Strategy: Optimized PDP content, imagery, and messaging to quickly educate shoppers on what kava is and how drink mix works.

3. Pricing & Velocity Strategy: Maintained strong average selling price while driving consistent conversion through optimized listings and visibility.

4. Launch Sequencing: Introduced Berry as the flagship launch flavor, followed by Lemon-Lime to validate repeatability and expand the line.

Results: Leilo’s Most Successful Product Launch to Date

Berry Drink Mix Launch

(July 2025 – February 2026)

• 4,711 units sold

• $111,630 in Amazon revenue

• 15,344 product page sessions

• 30.7% conversion rate

• $23.70 average selling price

• 99.7% buy box ownership

Berry quickly became the most successful product launch in Leilo’s history, validating drink mix as a major new growth driver for the brand.

Lemon-Lime Drink Mix Launch

(January 2026 – February 2026)

• 731 units sold in first six weeks

• 46.8% conversion rate

• $20.44 average selling price

The Lemon-Lime launch confirmed the repeatability of the format, with an even stronger conversion rate as consumer awareness grew.

Impact

Across both launches, drink mix rapidly became one of the brand’s most promising growth platforms. Some of the key outcomes included:

• Proven demand for powdered kava format

• Strong e-commerce conversion performance

• Scalable flavor expansion roadmap

• Momentum to support retail expansion conversations

These launches demonstrated that Leilo could successfully expand beyond ready-to-drink cans and build a multi-format product ecosystem.