Strategic Repositioning

In 2023, we faced a challenging reality: despite pivoting our business, our most critical metrics had stagnated. Retention was low, acquisition efforts failed to translate into loyalty, and our initiatives weren’t delivering meaningful results. We were confident in our direction, but something wasn’t clicking. Even our research lacked the depth needed to uncover the root cause.

By the end of the year, a thought-provoking challenge from the design team sparked a turning point. We took a step back and reconnected with our purpose through an in-depth research process. We focused on understanding what we were truly changing in our customers’ lives. The results were transformative: we grew 6x, nearly tripled retention, and inspired the entire team to embrace our redefined mission and vision. This journey also gave birth to a new brand that encapsulated our evolution and made it easier for customers to connect with our values.

The Process

Everything began in 2023, after we transitioned from a social commerce platform to groceries but struggled to grow. Although we believed in our direction—having identified key customer pain points that drove our pivot—we couldn’t pinpoint why things weren’t working. Metrics stagnated, retention remained low, and acquisition efforts failed to convert into long-term loyalty. At the same time, we were testing multiple initiatives and hypotheses, but none yielded impactful results. We were trapped in a negative flywheel.

By the end of 2023, we realized the need to take a step back and return to basics. Inspired by podcasts and insights from our experience with Y Combinator (an accelerator that helped us in our early days), we handpicked our top customers—those already using Trela the way we envisioned—and embarked on an investigation. Our goal: to understand what we were truly changing in their lives and how we could improve.

During this investigation, we discovered that, thanks to our focus on product curation since day one, Trela was becoming a tool that genuinely helped people eat better. Many customers struggled to find quality, healthy products in traditional supermarkets, which haven’t evolved operationally in decades.

For customers seeking healthier options, the alternatives were limited and inconvenient. They had to browse multiple websites with higher prices—often from small vendors or direct suppliers—none of which had invested in technology to optimize their operations, leading to even higher costs.

These research insights, combined with a deep dive into traditional market business models, enabled us to redefine Trela’s vision, mission, and target persona.

Mission: Trela’s mission is to help people eat better.

Vision: Trela envisions a world where having everything you need for healthy eating—your way—is as simple and affordable as shopping on Amazon. We’re building a marketplace where top producers compete fairly, leveraging our infrastructure to sell their full inventory directly to consumers, while perishable items are stored in our warehouses only after being sold.

Persona: Mariana, aged 30-45, seeks a balance between quality and affordability, prioritizing fresh, healthy products and timely deliveries. With a busy routine balancing remote or hybrid work and family responsibilities, she values practical, home-cooked meals and flexible delivery options that fit her schedule. Health is her top priority, driving her to choose fresh, organic foods with fewer preservatives, while practicality and variety further enhance her shopping experience. Promotions and discounts play a crucial role in her decisions, as she strives to maximize value without compromising quality. She is motivated by convenient online shopping, healthy product diversity, and exclusive offerings that align with her lifestyle. Frequent notifications about discounts or free shipping encourage her to restock essentials or explore new products. Mariana appreciates a seamless shopping experience, from an intuitive app to flexible delivery options, making Trela an integral part of her routine for maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

A positive outcome of this process was that Trela’s mission strongly resonated with the founders and much of the team. Many of us value healthy eating, understanding it as a cornerstone of longevity. This alignment united the company, giving every area a clear direction for action.

Another critical factor was the creation of product curation pillars by our team, based on insights from our interviews. These pillars amplified Trela’s value proposition.

New Branding

After this internal revolution, we realized it was time to clarify our transformation to our users. We partnered with a branding agency to create a new brand that reflects our mission and values.

The process was intense: we overhauled all communications and digital products simultaneously, aligning everything with a launch campaign featuring multiple influencers to establish Trela as the go-to destination for healthier eating.