DTC Podcast Ep 576: How Silk & Snow Scaled to 10 Retail Stores by Focusing on Profitable CAC

Host: Eric Dick, DTC Newsletter and Podcast
Guest: Albert, Co-Founder of Silk & Snow
Date: January 12, 2026

Overview

This episode explores Silk & Snow’s journey from an “accidental” organic DTC mattress brand to a multi-category homewares retailer with 10 physical stores. Host Eric Dick and guest Albert (co-founder) dive deep into market history, brand evolution, sustainable supply chains, their omnichannel expansion, and how a sustainable approach to customer acquisition cost (CAC) plus loyal customer relationships fueled their growth. The conversation is full of actionable insights for DTC operators on topics from bundling strategies to aligning marketing channels for long-term brand value.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis and Early Days of Silk & Snow

• Silk & Snow entered the crowded DTC mattress market in 2017, years after the “mattress wars” began.
• Lacking first-mover advantage, the founders leaned on their retail and manufacturing backgrounds and focused on quality and close relationships with family-run factories.

  “We were probably the hundredth brand in the market. So the first couple years we actually didn't grow very, very quickly. And what that made us realize is that we really had to reorient the brand just to kind of stand for something.” — Albert (03:01)

• Early focus on creating models around “the whole bedroom” rather than only mattresses.

2. Supply Chain & Manufacturing Roots

• Local supply chain in Toronto; most components (fabric, foam, coils) are North American made.
• Direct relationships with multi-generational manufacturers enabled flexibility, quality, and insulation from shifting international tariffs.

3. Differentiation: Expanding Beyond Mattresses

• Realized mattresses are a “grudge purchase” creating infrequent, transactional relationships.
• Expanded into sleep accessories (pillows, sheets, duvets) and then further into furniture and home decor.

  “We really tried to sell the entire space of a bedroom and also the entire home over time. And it made us very, very different as a brand, as our brand evolved over the years.” — Albert (04:48)

4. Brand Evolution: Building Beyond a Product

• Brand name “Silk & Snow” draws from a love of textiles, roots in Canada, and available domain names.
• Marketing transitioned from functional, pain-based messaging to aspirational, lifestyle-oriented positioning.

  “We evolved our marketing message from trying to solve a functional problem into one in which it was more aspirational and inspirational…” — Albert (13:58)

• Customers now come from various product categories and acquisition channels.

5. Omnichannel Meets Data-Driven Retail Expansion

• Opened first store in 2023 in Ottawa; expanded to 10 by 2026, leveraging digital sales data to identify strategic locations.
• Acknowledged operational challenges in scaling physical retail while maintaining experience parity with digital.

  “With bricks and mortar, it's really tough...you've got to get the underlying infrastructure right first.” — Albert (17:32)

• US market is 3–5 years behind Canadian presence; focus remains on sustainable, measured growth.

6. Sustainability & Social Responsibility in Growth

• Innovative move to replace traditional product bundles with a tree planting initiative (via Veritree), resonating with eco-conscious consumers.

  “A lot of our customers who focus a lot more on sustainability and thoughtfulness...don't want the offering of getting more, they just want something thoughtful and optionality.” — Albert (24:11)

• Over $1.3M saved and 30,000 trees planted by switching from standard bundling.

7. Customer Lifetime Value & Repeat Purchase Focus

• Increasing attention to what customers buy on their second, third, or further visits.

  “What we've been focused on a lot is just seeing what the customer does on their second or third purchase with us or more. And that's been really, really interesting for us.” — Albert (36:23)

• Launches of new staples (like sofas in summer 2025) now see high take rates from pre-existing customer base.

8. Performance Marketing → Brand Building

• Silk & Snow grew with a strong performance marketing mindset, leveraging early Google and digital channels.
• As scale grew, shifted budget toward brand awareness, out-of-home, and content; learned to ignore short-term ROAS in favor of long-term brand health.

  “That was probably one of the turning points of our business—when we finally shut off all the ROAS data and just started having conviction as to this is the right path. You got to build a brand that stands for something…” — Albert (31:24)

9. Operational Scaling: Fulfillment, Returns, and Bundling

• They maintain a boxed shipping model even for complex items (like sofas).
• Improved returns process with charitable partnerships and renewed focus on reusability vs. landfill.

10. Acquisition by Sleep Country Canada

• Silk & Snow joined Sleep Country Canada three years prior to the interview (approx. 2023).
• The relationship is described as synergistic, with each company excelling in core domains (S&S in eComm and product, SCC in brick-and-mortar retail).

  “The partnership is best when you have different strengths and you're very different in the right ways.” — Albert (41:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On entering a crowded market:

  "It was pretty ugly back then… we were probably the hundredth brand." — Albert (02:05)

• On expanding beyond mattresses:

  “The logical first step was we started building out our sleep accessories… and gradually built out from that.” — Albert (11:36)

• On the company name:

  “We wanted to have Silk be a part of the name… and we knew that we were going to start within Canada, so we wanted to call out our Canadian roots as well.” — Albert (12:38)

• On sustainable bundling:

  “Giving bundles is sometimes giving a consumer a lack of choice and something that they might not want. So we found that to be a little bit off brand.” — Albert (24:11)

• On balancing performance and brand:

  “Once you've mastered the low funnel portion... a lot of it is content driven and just being where the customer is even before the necessity of your brand comes.” — Albert (27:45)

• On letting data drive retail:

  “Because we have digitally native roots, everything is data driven. We know exactly where our customer is coming from, and we often let online dictate where our market is.” — Albert (18:19)

• On working within an acquisition:

  “We've been able to operate very independently and we've been encouraged to kind of grow within our own own path. And it's been a really healthy relationship.” — Albert (41:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00-03:00 — Origins and organic growth in “DTC apocalypse” era
• 03:00-05:00 — Differentiation: Bringing retail wisdom and factory closeness
• 06:30-08:30 — Local manufacturing, supply chain, and political advantages
• 11:30-13:00 — Diversifying beyond mattresses to sleep accessories
• 16:14-19:08 — Brick-and-mortar retail rollout, strategy, and operations
• 20:51-22:12 — Approach to brand building, bottom-of-funnel up
• 24:11-25:33 — Transitioning from bundles to eco-initiatives for loyalty
• 27:45-31:24 — Evolution in marketing mix and the move away from ROAS
• 36:23-38:13 — Metrics: Focusing on repeat customer journeys
• 40:45-42:29 — Integration with Sleep Country Canada

Tone & Speaker Dynamics

The tone is reflective, practical, and candid, with Albert sharing operational learnings and philosophy from the trenches. Eric, as host, is affable and blends direct questioning with enthusiastic product feedback.

Additional Highlights

• Black Friday / Cyber Monday: Huge moment for mattresses; Silk & Snow extends sale periods to accommodate longer consideration cycles for big-ticket items. (33:19)
• Vancouver Store Launch: Highlighted as a favorite, highly anticipated, and community-supported. (39:31)
• Culture & Team as They Scale: Albert identifies keeping a strong culture amid geographic and channel expansion as a core focus for 2026. (38:39)

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode is a tactical masterclass in how DTC brands can successfully transition from online-first, single-category businesses into omnichannel, multi-category leaders—balancing immediate ROI with long-term brand, leaning on deep operational roots, and keeping customers and team culture at the heart of every decision.