Wix User Testimonial: How One Online Store Made It BIG

Not long ago, Wix ran an exciting campaign that gave anyone with an eCommerce store a chance to win BIG. And by big we mean, a chance to win a commercial produced for them, starring Shaquille O’Neal. Pretty cool, right? Thousands of people entered, but Shaq could only choose one winner. That lucky small business owner? Alfredo, from the all natural and organic beard care company, Age of Beard.

Now that a couple of months have gone by since Alfredo’s commercial hit the screen, we decided to check in with him to see how he’s doing. From a boost in sales to killer ranking on search engines, Alfredo shares what his experience has been like since the Big Man himself helped out his biz.

Wix: Where did the idea for Age of Beard Come From?

Alfredo: Age of Beard was a fun and quirky project that I came up with in order to do something a bit out the norm. I have always had facial hair and I love my beard, so making beard products was something that I felt I could do and have fun with. The project turned into a company once people really started liking the products and they started asking me to make a legit company. I eventually got a booth at a local farmer’s market and the product did extremely well, so it turned into a full functioning eCommerce business. This was also a good opportunity for me to give Wix a spin and see if I could build my own website and run a functioning online business.

Wix: How do you market your products?

Alfredo: The marketing started with friends and family. Then it moved to the local community through the farmer’s market where I would go around passing out cards with my business’s details. Eventually, we were invited to a couple of big barber events and that led to us getting a booth in a pretty big event that was hosted by Beauty Schools of America. Now we mostly market ourselves through ads on Facebook, Google, YouTube and Reddit; of course, I still pass out my business card every time I see a bearded person! To help spread the word of our products, company news and in general to connect with our customers, we use Wix email marketing a few times a month. We also participate in events including a beard fest (Miami Beard and Beer Fest, coming in November 2017!) that will be hosted by Age of Beard, a local brewery and a big barber group called CPR Barbers.

Wix: What were you thinking when you got the phone call from the Wix Team announcing you as the winner of the BIG commercial starring Shaq?

Alfredo: I was shocked, ecstatic, and very surprised because I NEVER win anything! Winning the contest really put a stamp of approval on all of my hard work with Age of Beard and it proves that now we have a pretty bright future with plenty of opportunities ahead of us.

Wix: How has your business changed since getting The Big Man to star in your very own commercial?

Alfredo: I’m getting a LOT more recognition. We had over 30,000 visitors on the website 24 hours after the commercial came out and then we averaged 15,000 visitors a day for a little over two weeks; our total number of visitors in December was 75,000 whereas normally we were bringing in 1,000-3,000 visitors. We also moved into a new warehouse in the first week January thanks to the success of the commercial. We are fully operating out of this new space which is a long way from my kitchen! I have also reached out to a couple of really big barbershops in Miami to encourage them to sell our products and I got responses right away once I mentioned the Shaq commercial. Next stop, retail!

Wix: You got to fly to Atlanta to meet Shaq when he filmed the commercial for Age of Beard, what were the highlights?

Alfredo: First, I want to thank Wix and the eCommerce team for that experience. It was VERY exciting. I loved the hotel, the city, and I got to do a little exploring since it was the first time I actually stayed in Atlanta. Shaq is an amazing person, he’s super humble and nice and he signed all of my childhood basketball cards without hesitation, some of my cards are 20 years old! It was amazing to see all the hard work, all of the people and all of the equipment that was used to make the commercial for the company that I have worked so hard to build. The Wix staff was really helpful and accommodating during the whole process, both before and during the shoot and during the meet and greet I had with Shaq.

Wix: Where do you want to go from here and how can Wix help you get there?

Alfredo: Part of my goals for the company included having a big endorsement from a celebrity or big company and Wix helped me accomplish that. I also wanted to get Age of Beard out to more than just local people in my community and Wix helped me push that to another level, and the people loved it – I got some amazing feedback! Now all I want is to be able to walk into a local store and see my product on the shelf. Wix can help by doing what they do best, which is to continue to give me exposure through their network and providing me the tools to grow on my own. Either way, Wix set me up for success and the continual support is what really makes this experience even bigger and better.

By Jillian Altit

Community Manager