How HIBR Doubled Kickstarter Goals and Scaled Pillow Sales on WooCommerce

Winning on Kickstarter and Rebranding

Nick Ondrako and Erick Arbe set out to redesign the pillow market by combining advanced foam formulas and streamlined marketing. They launched a 60-day Kickstarter that not only met its goal but doubled funding by appealing to backers with clear reward tiers. Early success hit a snag when Brookstone claimed a trademark on their name, Fohm. Instead of legal fees, they pivoted to a fresh brand identity, HIBR, and used the change to sharpen their messaging and visuals.

Choosing an Online-First Model with WooCommerce

Both founders brought web development and marketing experience to the table. They decided to skip retail shelves and focus on a **direct-to-consumer** strategy. WordPress familiarity made WooCommerce a clear pick. Its open source core and addon ecosystem meant HIBR could unlock new features without extra licensing fees. Community-built extensions kept the store lean and allowed for quick updates when needed.

Maintaining a Simple, High-Quality Product Line

HIBR offers a concise selection: a single pillow in a few sizes and firmness options. By limiting variants, they reduced complexity in the backend and warehouse. Inventory management and shipping settings stayed straightforward. This approach let them pour energy into foam research rather than juggling dozens of SKU details in the store.

Custom Cart Drop and Seamless Checkout

To speed purchases, Erick built a sidecart feature integrated into their custom theme. The mini cart slides out on click so visitors can adjust quantities or checkout without changing pages. It took a few days of tinkering and reading WooCommerce docs, but the result shaved seconds off the path to order confirmation.

Streamlined Shipping with UPS Integration

HIBR uses a single shipping manager that connects to two warehouses. Orders export directly into UPS and print labels in batch. A custom internal system tracks PO numbers and handoffs. This flow cuts manual data entry and helps manage costs when shipping heavy items like pillows, its a game changer for their margins.

Expanding the Brand Through Marketing Channels

Next on the agenda: a mattress line and a stronger lifestyle blog. Instagram and Facebook serve as primary social channels, with plans to drive more engagement through user-generated content. Email newsletters keep backers and new customers in the loop about product updates and promotions.