Introduction
Sreenath Reddy:
Welcome to another episode of the Intentwise Connect podcast. I’m your host, Sreenath Reddy, CEO of Intentwise. Today, I’m joined by Jay Hunter, Chief Revenue Officer at MaryRuth Organics—one of the fastest-growing health and wellness brands in North America.
Jay brings a unique mix of Amazon advertising roots, data-first thinking, and omnichannel execution. Today, we’ll discuss how his team is scaling across TikTok, Amazon, DTC, and retail with precision and speed. Jay, welcome to the show.
Jay Hunter:
Thanks, Sreenath. Excited to be here. I’ve been following the podcast for a while—this is a fun one for me.
From Amazon Ads to CRO: Jay’s Journey
Sreenath:
You have a fascinating background—you started in Amazon consulting, right?
Jay:
Yeah, I was at a digital agency that specialized in Amazon advertising. I learned the ropes there—managing ads, reading reports, building strategy. But I always leaned into data analytics and building internal tools. Over time, I realized I wanted to help shape more than just ad strategy—I wanted to own the full revenue picture.
That brought me to MaryRuth Organics, where I now manage everything tied to revenue—Amazon, DTC, retail, TikTok, wholesale.
Product Line Expansion: From 1 to 220+ SKUs
Sreenath:
The product catalog has exploded. How many SKUs are you at now?
Jay:
Over 220. When I joined, we had maybe 20. But we’ve scaled with intention—listening to customer demand, leaning into top categories, and using our content and reviews as engines for new product launches.
We test everything—on Amazon, on DTC, even on TikTok—and double down on what works.
Differentiation in a Crowded Category
Sreenath:
Supplements is a brutally competitive space. How does MaryRuth stand out?
Jay:
Great question. Two main ways:
- Authenticity – MaryRuth, our founder, is a real person. She shows up on TikTok. She responds to DMs. She’s our brand.
- Trust-building Content – We invest heavily in education, transparency, and customer-centric storytelling. Our community sees us as partners in their health journey, not just a brand selling pills.
TikTok Shop: Livestreaming 24/7
Sreenath:
Let’s talk TikTok. What’s your approach there?
Jay:
We run a 24/7 livestream on TikTok Shop. I know it sounds wild, but it works. We rotate content—from live talking head streams to B-roll loops of product usage—designed to always be in front of someone scrolling.
And the wild part? It doesn’t just drive TikTok sales. We’ve seen DTC, Amazon, and even retail lift in markets where we’re active on TikTok. It’s a true full-funnel engine.
Measuring Cross-Channel Impact
Sreenath:
How are you measuring TikTok’s impact on other channels?
Jay:
We look at regional lift, attribution modeling, and first-party data trends. For example, when we go heavy in a state on TikTok, we often see a spike in Whole Foods sales in that area. That kind of insight helps us connect awareness to conversion, even across platforms.
Balancing DTC, Amazon, and Retail
Sreenath:
How do you balance your focus across Amazon, DTC, and retail?
Jay:
Each channel has a clear role:
- Amazon = Discovery & credibility
- DTC = Community-building & subscriptions
- Retail = Mass awareness & accessibility
We build channel-specific strategies, but they’re all informed by a central data model. It’s all about alignment—not competition.
Evolving Your Channel Mix Over Time
Sreenath:
What’s changed most in your channel mix over the last two years?
Jay:
The rise of TikTok Shop is the biggest shift. Also, we’ve started leaning more into retail partnerships—not just with Whole Foods, but CVS, GNC, and others. These are margin-conscious, data-smart moves.
We still love Amazon—it’s our foundation—but we’re now playing on five channels instead of two.
Real-Time Analytics as a Growth Engine
Sreenath:
You’ve mentioned analytics multiple times. How are you structured internally?
Jay:
We built an in-house BI tool that looks at total return on marketing spend (T-ROMs)—a metric that helps us evaluate spend across channels, not in silos. Every team gets daily snapshots: what’s converting, where margins are tightening, what needs creative updates.
We’re nimble because we’re data-led and vertically integrated.
Smart Discounting and A/B Testing
Sreenath:
How do you approach pricing and discounts?
Jay:
We run constant A/B tests. Example: We tested 10% off vs $5 off vs “free shipping” and tracked new-to-brand lift. It turns out “free shipping” worked better for certain SKUs on TikTok, while a percent discount crushed it on Amazon.
We don’t guess—we let the data and platform behavior guide the offer.
Staying Competitive Without Slashing Margin
Sreenath:
In such a promo-heavy category, how do you stay profitable?
Jay:
We optimize for product velocity + margin, not just sales. We invest in content that increases conversion instead of defaulting to price cuts. We’ve also gotten smarter with supply chain—in-house forecasting, tighter MOQ management, and close work with ops.
Understanding Incrementality: Art Meets Science
Sreenath:
Let’s talk incrementality. How do you define it?
Jay:
It’s about understanding what would’ve happened without the ad or touchpoint. We run holdout tests, pre-post analysis, and sometimes just lean into qualitative signals—DMs from customers saying, “I saw your live on TikTok.”
It’s both art and science, but we get sharper every month.
Advice for Growth Leaders & Brand Managers
Sreenath:
What advice would you give to someone managing growth at a high-speed brand?
Jay:
Three things:
- Stay curious—the platforms change weekly.
- Don’t outsource your brain—own the numbers, understand what’s really moving.
- No ego—let the data kill your darlings. Test. Learn. Move.
Closing Thoughts
Sreenath:
Jay, this has been incredible. You’ve taken us behind the scenes of a fast-moving, data-driven growth machine. Thank you for joining us.
Jay:
Appreciate it, Sreenath. Big fan of what Intentwise is doing. Thanks again for having me.