Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®

Episode #773: Building Loyalty and Trust through Focused Innovation with Lindsey Kling, Coterie
Air Date: November 24, 2025
Guest: Lindsey Kling, SVP Brand Marketing and Partnerships, Coterie
Host: Greg Kihlström

Overview

This episode explores how innovative, customer-focused brands build lasting loyalty and trust in the high-stakes world of baby care. Host Greg Kihlström is joined by Lindsey Kling from Coterie—a brand disrupting baby care with high-performing, safe products and exceptional service. The conversation focuses on innovation driven by direct consumer feedback, the selective and strategic approach to retail, the importance of transparency, and holistic loyalty-building strategies. Lindsey shares actionable insights on staying agile in fast-evolving markets and establishing genuine affinity with customers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Coterie’s Brand Philosophy and Evolution

• Customer-Centric Innovation:

  • Coterie positions itself as a modern baby care brand with a mission to simplify parents’ lives through high-quality, concierge-level products and services (01:57).
  • The brand’s expansion beyond diapers into skincare is rooted in customer demand, validating each new product through rigorous customer feedback loops (04:23, 06:59).

• Lindsey’s Experience and Approach:

  • Lindsey’s background includes disruptive roles at Away and Uber, all linked by a commitment to challenging category norms and innovating in ways that foster deep brand affinity (02:57).

Quote:
"Our big focus is very much about raising awareness and really deepening that connection and loyalty with our community."
—Lindsey Kling (02:57)

2. Innovation Driven by Community Feedback

• Data-Driven Product Development:

  • Coterie launches products only after detecting significant gaps via customer insights. For skincare, 94% of surveyed customers expressed interest, and 80% said they’d buy it from Coterie (04:23).
  • The company maintains a curated SKU list, emphasizing quality and relevance over breadth.

• Holistic Innovation:

  • Innovation transcends physical products, extending to digital experiences and streamlined subscription services—such as personalized messaging and mobile-first management critical for parents (07:38).

Quote:
"We're never doing that without, again, that feedback loop from our customers, from our community... what would they want and what they need."
—Lindsey Kling (07:38)

3. Selective Retail Strategy as Brand Identity

• Strategic Channel Selection:

  • Coterie is “incredibly selective” about retail partnerships to protect its parent-first, premium experience at every touchpoint (10:17).
  • Where a product is sold directly influences brand perception—Coterie partners with retailers like Whole Foods, whose standards match their own (10:17–11:40).

• Retail as Marketing:

  • Retail is viewed not just as a sales channel but as a “giant billboard” for the brand, crucial for trial and discovery, especially for new or expectant parents (14:18).

Quote:
"Where a product is sold says just as much about your brand as the product itself."
—Lindsey Kling (10:17)

4. Complementing D2C and Retail for Growth

• Primary D2C Focus:

  • 88–90% of Coterie’s sales are direct-to-consumer, enabling deep one-on-one relationships and trust-building (12:41).
  • Retail supports discovery and serves as a funnel to D2C, with 10–12% of new customers migrating from retail partners (12:41–14:00).

• Winning Market Share:

  • Competing on-shelf with established brands provides valuable benchmarks and opportunities to win over new customers (14:00).

5. Building Trust through Radical Transparency

• Rigorous Product Standards:
  • Coterie makes all ingredient and safety information accessible, goes beyond industry standards, and publishes independent safety reports (18:08).
  • Certifications (e.g., EWG, National Eczema Association) validate quality and safety, building trust among parents.
• Honest Communication:
  • The brand avoids greenwashing, instead opting for transparency about both products and the real parenting journey (18:08–20:42).

Quote:
"We are also the first brand to issue a safety report where we did independent lab analysis. You can access it if you're curious about every single ingredient."
—Lindsey Kling (19:30)

6. Loyalty Strategies Beyond Traditional Programs

• Experience as Loyalty:
  • Coterie eschews a typical points-based loyalty program in favor of superior subscription experiences, personalized service, and “surprise and delight” moments like sending flowers for milestones (21:02).
  • 70% of subscribers remain active for over 12 months, and 40% of new customers come via word-of-mouth—underscoring high brand advocacy (21:02–22:57).

Quote:
"A lot of it is about finding the moments really across the full customer experience to delight them and make sure they're really feeling heard, listened to, seen."
—Lindsey Kling (21:41)

7. Maintaining Core Values in a Fast-Moving Market

• Relentless Standards:
  • Coterie upholds a culture where saying “no” is celebrated if a product or initiative doesn’t “meet the bar” of being demonstrably better and customer-centric (23:44).
  • Open communication and empowering team members to flag misalignments keep the brand agile and aligned with its mission (25:32).

Quote:
"Being okay saying no is really a superpower that you have to have as a brand, especially when you have such a high expectation for yourself."
—Lindsey Kling (23:44)

8. Staying Agile: Personal and Organizational Approaches

• Curiosity and Collaboration:
  • Lindsey stays agile by embracing curiosity, collaboration, and humility—learning from her team and being open to new ideas (25:58).
  • The organization encourages pivoting rapidly and maintaining a culture of continuous learning.

Quote:
"Being okay with somebody else teaching you something new... letting them teach or lead and being willing to pivot quickly and say no... are all such integral parts of staying agile."
—Lindsey Kling (26:17)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |----------|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:57 | Lindsey Kling | "Our big focus is very much about raising awareness and really deepening that connection..."| | 04:23 | Lindsey Kling | "...listening to our community and listening to our parents and really understanding..." | | 07:38 | Lindsey Kling | "We're never doing that without, again, that feedback loop from our customers..." | | 10:17 | Lindsey Kling | "Where a product is sold says just as much about your brand as the product itself." | | 19:30 | Lindsey Kling | "We are also the first brand to issue a safety report where we did independent lab analysis."| | 21:41 | Lindsey Kling | "A lot of it is about finding the moments... to delight them and make sure they're really feeling heard, listened to, seen."| | 23:44 | Lindsey Kling | "Being okay saying no is really a superpower that you have to have as a brand..." | | 26:17 | Lindsey Kling | "...letting them teach or lead and being willing to pivot quickly and say no..." |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:57] Lindsey’s background, Coterie overview, and brand mission
• [04:23] Customer-led innovation and the skincare launch
• [07:38] Balancing innovation with core brand values and functionality
• [10:17] Selective retail strategy and its impact on brand identity
• [12:41] D2C versus retail strategy: Synergies and new customer acquisition
• [14:18] Treating retail as a high-impact marketing channel
• [18:08] Building trust through transparency, rigorous testing, and communication
• [21:02] Loyalty through holistic, personalized customer experience
• [23:44] Maintaining brand standards, the power of “no,” and internal culture
• [25:58] Staying agile personally and organizationally

Conclusion

Coterie’s approach—anchored in authentic customer feedback, strategic channel selection, radical transparency, and a relentless focus on quality—has positioned it as a standout in the baby care industry. Lindsey Kling demonstrates how building loyalty is less about transactional programs and more about holistic, trust-driven experiences. The company’s willingness to say “no” to anything that doesn’t meet exceedingly high standards, coupled with a culture of curiosity and openness, keeps Coterie agile and customer-focused amidst rapid market evolution.

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