DTC Podcast Ep 582: How SURI Sold 5,000 Toothbrushes in a Week

Guest: Mark (Co-Founder, SURI)
Host: Eric Dick, DTC Newsletter and Podcast
Date: February 2, 2026

Overview

This episode dives deep into how SURI—a brand disrupting the “boring” electric toothbrush space—scaled rapidly to sell 5,000 units in a single week. Mark, SURI’s co-founder, shares the story of their product development, market entry, growth levers, and the psychology behind turning an everyday utility into a beloved ritual. The discussion highlights key DTC marketing tactics, the importance of reviews, omnichannel presence, and the challenges and emotional rewards of scaling a fast-growing e-commerce brand.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Create a New Toothbrush?

• Pain Point: Toothbrushing is universal, yet no one loves their brush. "Everyone brushes their teeth. No one currently loves it." (00:00, 01:29)
• Market Opportunity: The category is dominated by two players with 80% share, but consumer passion is limited—leading to an opportunity for disruption by exceeding low expectations.
• Hypothesis: Build an electric toothbrush with great cleaning, beautiful design, sustainable materials, and features people actually want (long battery, travel case), rather than "gimmicks" like Bluetooth.
  "People are like, you know, we said, oh, do you use your Bluetooth? No. Why would I use Bluetooth on my toothbrush?" (01:29)

2. Product Development Journey

• Development: Took one year; involved reverse-engineering brushes, lobbying factories, and pioneering the use of plant-based materials in the brush head.
• Design: Fortune played a role—a talented industrial designer joined them pre-career.
  "He was just graduating from an industrial design degree... and he helped us with the design and then joined the company." (03:13)

3. Launch & Product-Market Fit

• Immediate Validation: Sold out initial 5,000 units in a week through effective Facebook ads.
• Marketing Approach: Ads leaned into common pain points ("Do you love the gunk...? Does your battery always die?") (04:42)
• Reviews: Rapid accumulation of positive Trustpilot reviews (15,000+ at 4.7/5), which Mark calls their "secret sauce." Instituted a custom GPT to analyze review language; notably, “love” emerges as the top descriptor.
• Word of Mouth: The emotional impact drives organic growth.
  "If someone feels compelled to say 'I love my toothbrush'... it's human nature to share the things you love with the people you love." (06:08)

4. Why Do People Love SURI?

• Expectation vs. Experience: Exploited the "problem hiding in plain sight" of low customer expectations.
• Surprise and Delight: By thoughtfully designing every touchpoint—from unboxing to support—SURI turns a mundane routine into something people genuinely enjoy.
  "Happiness equals expectations minus reality... so if your expectations are here and the reality is this, you're pretty happy." (07:31)

5. Paid Media & Creative Evolution

• Early Paid Ads: Outsourced initially, but a pivotal moment came with hiring an in-house Director of Growth who rapidly created better-performing ads with existing assets (09:49).
• Iterative Creative: Continual testing and improving, including whitelisting and creative iterations.
• Growth Mix: Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google remain core, but influencers and email marketing are growing fast. Plans to launch at Target, Erewhon, and Best Buy augment digital with retail.
  "There's a virtuous cycle building between the channels—a bit of a flywheel." (12:00)

6. Category Positioning & Differentiation

• Vs. Big Brands: SURI stands out for:
  • High performance (clinically backed)
  • Premium, modern design ("looks like a home good")
  • Real sustainability (compostable heads, take-back for recycling)
  • Emotional resonance
• Industry Talent: Notably, ex-Philips CEO and Oral B execs on board, aiding expansion and strategy. "We have three core pillars: performance, design, and sustainability." (13:36) "This is a soap dish made out of 18 of our heads which have been returned to us." (14:45)

7. Category Expansion & Future Products

• Toothpaste: Launched a complementary paste that keeps selling out, with high initial subscription uptake.
• Customer Commitment: Customers demand more SURI products; strong interest in brand expansion for the broader bathroom category. (15:34)

8. Product & Tech Futures

• AI Toothbrush? Mark is skeptical, emphasizing human ritual over unnecessary tech integration:
  "AI is amazing... but my hypothesis is it's not going to brush your teeth." (16:21)
  "We just skipped making Google Maps and instead just made a toothbrush because it passes the toothbrush test." (16:51)

9. Leveraging Customer Reviews

• Company-wide Focus: All team members see live Trustpilot reviews in Slack; reviews drive improvements and product roadmap (ex: UV case power, pressure sensor).
• Social Proof: Reviews drive conversion in ads and on-site; segment reviews by customer types (dental professionals, parents, etc.) (17:50)
• NPS & Retention: Reviews and NPS are North Star metrics.

10. Retention, Recurrence, and Amazon

• Retention Engine: Subscriptions for brush heads are core, but gifting is a major driver (especially during holidays).
• Amazon Leadership: SURI is #1 in sonic toothbrushes in Europe and top 3 overall; Amazon is a significant growth channel.
  "For the last 10 weeks, we've been number one bestseller in sonic toothbrushes." (21:45)
• Growth Plans: Expanding globally and omnichannel; strong inbound interest from retailers worldwide.

11. DTC vs. Retail, Geographic Launch

• Simultaneous Launch: UK and US, with test in Germany. Minor cultural and behavioral differences but shared desire for better brushes.
• Retail Expansion: Nationwide Target launch upcoming.
  "If you brush your teeth, we're coming for you." (22:38)
• Future Growth: All about expanding geographies, products, and channels.

12. Long-Term Vision & Motivation

• Mission: Bring joy and superior oral health through better products; disrupt and grow the market by moving manual brush users to electric.
• Emotional North Star: “Creating a brand that people love”—more important to Mark than profits or eventual exit.
  "Wouldn't it be amazing to bring that same joy, performance, and sustainability to how we make and dispose of these brushes globally?" (25:19)

13. Entrepreneurial Reflections

• On Success: Despite rapid growth, Mark doesn’t yet define himself as “successful”—it’s about continually improving and enjoying the process.
  "Every week and every month we're breaking new ground... I find it exhilarating." (28:06)
• Work-Life Balance: Openly grapples with travel commitments and fatherhood—striving for fulfillment, not just financial milestones.
• Building in Uncertainty: "Build the plane as you're flying it." (31:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On toothbrushes as an unloved necessity:
  "Everyone brushes their teeth. No one currently loves it... When expectations are very, very low, you have an opportunity to create a distance between expectations and reality." — Mark (00:00, 07:31)

• On emotional connection driving word-of-mouth:
  "If someone feels compelled to say 'I love my toothbrush'... it's human nature to share the things you love with the people you love." — Mark (06:08)

• On product design and luck in finding talent:
  "It just so happened he did our project and he's a world class talent." — Mark (03:13)

• On founder mindset:
  "I'm not sure I define myself as successful yet ... I wake up every day and I just keep trying. And totally, honestly, we're making up as we go along." — Mark (28:06)

• On the category expanding and the “toothbrush test”:
  "We just skipped making Google Maps and instead just made a toothbrush because it passes the toothbrush test." — Mark (16:51)

• On business goals:
  "It's probably not profit... I really enjoy the process of trying to get better." — Mark (30:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro: Category overview & unmet needs (00:00–01:29)
• SURI’s origin story & product design journey (01:29–04:27)
• The first signs of product-market fit (04:42–07:11)
• Why ‘love’ is the secret ingredient (07:11–09:24)
• Paid social evolution & creative processes (09:49–12:00)
• Channel mix: Meta, Google, Influencer, email, retail (12:00–12:57)
• Competing with the giants & in-store differentiation (13:03–15:27)
• Expanding the product line (15:27–16:14)
• The “AI toothbrush” question & tooth brushing as a ritual (16:14–17:25)
• Harnessing reviews for product and marketing (17:25–19:51)
• Retention strategies & Amazon growth (19:51–22:32)
• Horizons: Retail, new geographies & products (22:32–23:56)
• UK vs. US market nuance (23:56–24:51)
• The big vision for SURI (24:51–26:49)
• Entrepreneurial motivation and fulfillment (28:06–31:47)

Final Takeaways

The SURI team took a risk by reimagining a “boring” category, focusing on product excellence, design, and sustainability, and channeling authenticity into customer experience and marketing. Their journey reflects how even the most utilitarian DTC categories are ripe for disruption when brands genuinely listen to customers and find ways to create emotional resonance—turning everyday objects into objects of love.