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Highlights
Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Katy Carrigan, CEO of Goody, a corporate gifting platform that’s raised over $32 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Modernizing Corporate Gifting: Goody is transforming the outdated corporate gifting model by curating a marketplace of items people actually want, moving away from generic fruit baskets and other uninspiring gifts.
- Product-Led Growth Strategy: Goody’s go-to-market approach is rooted in product-led growth, with a focus on inbound sales driven by SEO, SEM, and word-of-mouth, rather than a large outbound sales team.
- Pivot from Consumer to B2B: Initially launched as a consumer gifting app, Goody shifted to B2B after realizing its product was being used in business contexts. The team capitalized on this by focusing on executive assistants who handle company gifting.
- Targeted Growth Through Communities: Katy shared Goody’s strategy of penetrating niche buyer groups like executive assistants, HR teams, and marketing departments to drive growth within companies, using customer feedback to guide expansion.
- High Conversion Rates Through Constant A/B Testing: Katy emphasized the importance of conversion optimization through rigorous A/B testing on marketing pages and user experience to drive sign-ups.
- The Power of Referrals: Goody introduced a successful referral program that contributed significantly to user growth, highlighting how key user moments—like the completion of a gift—can trigger referrals.
Actionable
Takeaways
Focus on Product-Led Growth
Instead of relying on a large outbound sales force, Goody’s product-led growth strategy capitalizes on inbound sales driven by SEO, SEM, and word-of-mouth. For founders, investing in product usability and leveraging organic channels can reduce the need for costly sales resources while keeping acquisition costs low.
Leverage Community to Drive Expansion
Goody’s strategy of targeting niche communities, such as executive assistants who manage corporate gifting, provided a focused and scalable entry point into companies. Founders can apply this by identifying and building relationships with non-obvious buyer personas within their customers' organizations to gain traction.
Use Customer Feedback to Guide Roadmap
Katy stressed the importance of listening to customer feedback to inform Goody's product evolution. Specifically, she waits until requests become a pattern before investing in new features. Founders can use this approach to prioritize development based on real demand rather than assumptions.
Maximize Conversion Through Continuous A/B Testing
By continuously running A/B tests on Goody’s sign-up and marketing pages, the company has optimized its conversion rates. Founders should implement iterative testing on key pages to refine user experiences and increase acquisition efficiency.
Build a Referral Program Around Key User Moments
Goody’s referral program was built around identifying key user moments—such as when a gift was successfully sent—to ask for referrals. Founders can enhance the effectiveness of their own referral programs by timing requests at moments of peak user satisfaction.
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