Florida
Independent sellers
56,000
Average annual sales
$195,000
Items sold
358 million
Collectibles-maker Youtooz goes from Amazon skeptic to believer
Miami, FL
Youtooz
When fans started relisting their Youtooz collectibles on Amazon, Austin Long, CEO of Youtooz, knew he had to rethink his sales strategy. In the first month of selling in the Amazon store, Long said the concern ‘Amazon would cannibalize his direct-to-consumer sales’ went away. Long learned that instead of buying on his website or the Amazon store, customers were doing both.
“We definitely find that on Amazon there’s a lot more gifting,” said Long. “There’s people buying it for someone else and we see a lot of repeat sales; someone orders something on our website and they really love it, so they’ll get a second one on Amazon,” said Long.
“We definitely find that on Amazon there’s a lot more gifting,” said Long. “There’s people buying it for someone else and we see a lot of repeat sales; someone orders something on our website and they really love it, so they’ll get a second one on Amazon,” said Long.
Dungeon Forward redefines streetwear as regal with Amazon
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dungeon Forward
Years ago, as an architecture student at Florida A&M University, David Castro would buy plain t-shirts and bring them to life with paint, using the garments to tell empowering stories with artistic flair.
“The inspiration came from not having the finances to pay for things I thought were cool,” Castro said. Over time their canvas expanded to hats, which have since become what they call ‘crowns for the culture’ and the centerpiece of Dungeon Forward’s thriving business.
“Streetwear is not the first thought that comes to mind when you think of royalty, but the ideas that move the world and drive everything come from the street,” said Castro. With the Amazon Black Business Accelerator, Dungeon Forward is redefining streetwear and changing the perspective on what a crown could look and feel like.
“The inspiration came from not having the finances to pay for things I thought were cool,” Castro said. Over time their canvas expanded to hats, which have since become what they call ‘crowns for the culture’ and the centerpiece of Dungeon Forward’s thriving business.
“Streetwear is not the first thought that comes to mind when you think of royalty, but the ideas that move the world and drive everything come from the street,” said Castro. With the Amazon Black Business Accelerator, Dungeon Forward is redefining streetwear and changing the perspective on what a crown could look and feel like.
Ecommerce shift brings Ali + Oli founders quality family time
Miami, FL
Ali + Oli
Married couple Oliver and Alejandra James bring complementary personalities to their Miami-based baby product business, Ali+Oli.
“I handle most of the physical and she does most of the brain work,” Oliver said. “She’ll love that answer.”
As parents to three children, they were looking for ways to spend more quality time as a family and decided to start selling online, including in the Amazon store. The shift has given them the freedom to do more of what they love—focus on their family and expand their collection of innovative products, like their stackable snack bowl sets and star-shaped binky holders.
“I handle most of the physical and she does most of the brain work,” Oliver said. “She’ll love that answer.”
As parents to three children, they were looking for ways to spend more quality time as a family and decided to start selling online, including in the Amazon store. The shift has given them the freedom to do more of what they love—focus on their family and expand their collection of innovative products, like their stackable snack bowl sets and star-shaped binky holders.