How Smackin’ Onboarded 100s of Affiliates and Scaled with KNO Insights

When Max joined Smackin’ as Director of eCommerce, he stepped into a brand that had already rewritten the snack rulebook. 

Co-founded by college roommates Cole and Brian, Smackin’ had transformed sunflower seeds from a humble road-trip staple into a viral TikTok sensation. Leveraging social media and trendy flavors, the brand soared to become the fastest-growing snack brand in 2023, with TikTok Shop crowning them as its #1 Food & Bev product.

But viral fame was just the beginning. For Max, the mission was clear: deepen the connection with customers across every touchpoint, whether on retail shelves, TikTok, or their DTC website. To achieve that, Smackin’ needed more than trends—they needed actionable insights.

“We’ve always been big on customer feedback,” Max explained. “We have Facebook groups where we test packaging and new flavors, but with KnoCommerce, we can scale that approach and collect insights from every customer that comes through.”

In a short period, Max saw promising results with KNO: 

• Hundreds of affiliates onboarded in just one month.
• Future products planned based on real customer feedback.
• Data-backed decisions driving email targeting, ad strategy, and content ROI.

Let’s talk about how Smackin’ achieved this… 

Turning fans into co-creators: Customers shaped the product roadmap

Smackin’ uses KnoCommerce’s post-purchase surveys to ask customers pivotal questions, such as:

Before you go, what other snacks would you like us to make with our flavors?

The answers led to a fresh perspective on what customers actually wanted. Pretzels emerged as the most-requested snack, shifting the brand’s perception of itself.

“It’s made us realize we’re not just a sunflower seed brand,” Max said. “People want chips, pretzels, and even products we’ve never considered. Clearly, our brand is more about flavors and culture than seeds alone.”

By segmenting customers based on their preferences, Smackin’ is now building hyper-targeted email campaigns for future product launches. For example, those interested in alternative snacks like chips and pumpkin seeds will be among the first to hear about upcoming products, ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates.

Another survey question, “Are you aware of the SMACKIN’ Flavor Pass? And do you participate?”, fuels Smackin’’s affiliate program powered by Social Snowball. After completing a survey, customers are invited to join the program.

“If they say yes, they’re prompted to sign up and start earning money by posting about us on social media,” Max explained. This seamless integration has turned loyal customers into brand advocates, amplifying Smackin’s reach.

Getting to know your customers—and rewarding them for it

One of Smackin’s biggest goals has been to better understand their customers—not just where they shop, but who they really are.

A simple yet powerful approach was tying loyalty points to survey responses. Max shared, “We’re building surveys to ask things like what streamers, athletes, or sports games our customers follow. Knowing that kind of information helps us figure out who they are on a deeper level.”

By offering loyalty points in exchange for survey responses, the team hit two goals at once:

• Rewarding customers in a way that drives repeat purchases.
• Gathering actionable insights to guide partnerships, marketing campaigns, and product launches.

“Most brands might know their customers in a general sense, but not specifics. Imagine knowing your audience loves a certain podcast—now you can reach out and potentially collaborate. Or if they’re into baseball, you could target ad spend to align with those interests.”

For instance, customers expressing interest in affiliate opportunities, like the ‘Flavor Pass,’ are funneled directly into a sign-up process. This brought hundreds of new affiliates in just one month, contributing to brand loyalty and bottom-line growth.

Smarter interactions, better results: How logic boosted engagement

One standout feature of KnoCommerce that Smackin’ leverages is Logic, which tailors the survey experience in real time based on customer responses. This ensures every interaction is meaningful and actionable.

For example, when customers are asked if they’re interested in joining the affiliate program, there are two paths based on their answer:

• If they say yes, they’re immediately routed to the sign-up form, making it seamless to start earning by promoting Smackin’.
• If they say no, KnoCommerce’s Logic redirects them to another question or offer that aligns with their interests, such as providing feedback on recent purchases or exploring new product ideas.

“Without Logic, if we asked the affiliate question, half the traffic to that signup form would be useless,” Max explained. “With KnoCommerce, we can redirect those customers to other actions that provide value to us or them, ensuring no interaction goes to waste.”

Long-term wins through customer insights

Another question Smackin’ asks is, “How long did you know about Smackin’ before purchasing?” The answers revealed a key driver for the team’s long-term strategy: patience.

“We learned that about 70% of our customers knew about us for over a month before buying,” Max shared. “It’s made us take a more holistic view of our ads, focusing on a three-to-six-month horizon instead of expecting immediate results.”

Smackin’ also uncovered its omnichannel impact. While TikTok Shop drives significant revenue, 22% of DTC customers first discovered the brand on TikTok.

“That halo effect was something we could only guess before,” Max said. “Now, we can associate 22% of traffic directly with TikTok views, giving us a clearer picture of ROI and guiding our content strategy.”

Actionable insights, measurable growth

From tailoring go-to-market plans to creating email segments for future product launches (like pumpkin seeds, perhaps?) to quantifying the impact of their social channels, every insight propels them forward.

Max summed it up best: “Knowing who our customers are—what they watch, what they want—gives us an edge most brands don’t have. It’s not just data. It’s direction.”

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