Amazon, Ecommerce & Inventory Strategy — 2025-12-12

Overview

Operations and marketing review with the Doudlah Farms team covering active order issues, an Amazon FBA pallet dispute, popcorn bag design approval, Moms Across America coupon code clarification, shipping cost strategy, website UX improvements, social media post approvals, and B2B site testing kickoff.

Attendees:
- Gilbert Barrongo (Asymmetric)
- Karly Oykhman (Asymmetric)
- Avokerie Onorimuo (Asymmetric)
- Sherry / Lucy Doudlah (Doudlah Farms)
- Mark Doudlah (Doudlah Farms)
- Jason Doudlah (Doudlah Farms)

Key Decisions

Action Items

• [ ] Karly — Review duplicate order fix with Mark; confirm resolution holds
• [ ] Karly — Refund duplicate G. Medlin order (order #64247, buckwheat flour + organic white popcorn, South Carolina)
• [ ] Karly — Add MAA20 coupon code; confirm both MAA10 and MAA20 are set to 10% customer discount
• [ ] Karly — Revise New Year's social post to include tagline: "New Year, New Resolution, New Eating Habits"; schedule with white bag imagery
• [ ] Karly — Implement PDP UX changes: short description under product title/above buy buttons; move thumbnails left
• [ ] Karly — Resend B2B access letter/intro email template to Sherry
• [ ] Karly — Meet with Mark to plan and implement UPS shipping plugin
• [ ] Sherry — Contact UW Madison lab today re: nutritional testing turnaround; if ≤1 week, submit popcorn sample immediately
• [ ] Sherry — Send designer feedback: remove hulls graphic from front panel, add "Gourmet White Popcorn" text
• [ ] Sherry — Email B2B testers (Sherry at Seasonal Harvest, Willie Street, Brian Spencer at Outpost) using Karly's template
• [ ] Gilbert — Instruct Amazon to pick up the 4-pallet FBA shipment as originally packed

Topic Details

Website & Order Issues

Duplicate Orders (Courtney Swann, G. Medlin)
- Root cause: suspected back-end timeout; no definitive cause found
- Fix: developer cleared caches, deactivated unnecessary plugins
- Unusual detail: duplicate orders had a 30–45 minute lag between them, not the near-simultaneous timing expected from a timeout
- Karly refunded Courtney Swann's duplicate; G. Medlin refund pending

Incorrect Order — Alicia Macias
- Customer ordered 25 lb yellow cornmeal but called expecting "masa" (a different product Doudlah Farms does not carry)
- Resolution: Karly refunded the order via WooCommerce

Coupon Code Failure — Karen Scribner
- MAA10 code failed at checkout
- Resolution: Jason shipped the order with a complimentary sunflower to compensate for the missed 10% discount
- If Karen reorders: cancel the original (full-price) order, keep the new (discounted) order, do not ship additional product

Moms Across America (MAA) Coupon Codes

Both MAA10 and MAA20 function identically:
- Customer discount: 10% off their order
- Donation: Doudlah Farms separately donates 10% of revenue from MAA-code sales to Moms Across America

The MAA20 code was introduced after an MAA meeting created confusion by implying customers would receive a 20% discount. The dual-code structure preserves flexibility while keeping the actual discount consistent. Messaging must clearly communicate that "20" does not mean 20% off — the customer still receives 10%, and MAA receives 10% from Doudlah Farms.

Note for Karly: Track cumulative MAA-code revenue by year-end so Sherry can calculate and remit the 10% donation to MAA.

Amazon FBA — Pallet Dispute

• Amazon rejected a 4-pallet FBA shipment, claiming it exceeded the 1,500 lb per-pallet limit
• Doudlah Farms weighed the shipment: confirmed ~1,498 lbs total — underweight
• Resolution: Gilbert to instruct Amazon to pick up the shipment as originally packed on 4 pallets; no repacking required
• Inventory impact: cornmeal is currently out of stock on Amazon pending this shipment's processing; popcorn inventory should remain sufficient

Popcorn Bag Design

Front Panel — Changes Required
- ✅ Add: "Gourmet White Popcorn" — reinforces premium positioning and justifies higher shelf price
- ❌ Remove: Hulls graphic — visually resembles food caught in teeth; also inconsistent with gourmet white popcorn being marketed as hull-less

Front Panel — Approved
- "Tested Clean" callout
- Certifications (Regenerative Organic Certified)
- "No seed oils / Gluten-free" callouts
- "Direct from our farm to you" tagline — effectively communicates no-middleman, no-broker model without wordiness
- Field/tram-line background pattern (two-tone, consistent with bean bag branding)

Back Panel — Approved
- "Beyond Organic, Beyond Expectation" tagline
- Personal story featuring Sherry's father — adds authenticity and a face to the brand (Bob's Red Mill model)
- Full "Tested Clean" explanation with list of what the product is free from

Nutritional Facts
- Sherry will have the popcorn tested at UW Madison to obtain official nutritional data
- Hypothesis: regenerative/Demeter-certified growing may yield higher protein content than conventional popcorn
- Launch decision: if testing completes within one week, hold for data; if longer, launch without and update on next batch

Launch Timing
- Target: New Year's health resolution window (early January)
- Messaging angle: guilt-free snack, clean eating, small-batch, farm-direct

Social Media

All draft posts reviewed and approved, including:
- Old World testimonial post
- Cranberry bean post (approved despite current split complaints — festive/seasonal relevance outweighs)
- Doudlah Farms product posts

Revision required:
- New Year's post: add tagline "New Year, New Resolution, New Eating Habits" and feature the new white popcorn bag

Future social messaging pillars for popcorn launch:
- Small-batch production
- Guilt-free snack
- Farm-grown (no middleman, no broker)
- Coming soon / watch for it

Website UX — Product Detail Page (PDP)

Approved change: Move short product description above the buy buttons (currently buried below)
- Rationale: mirrors Amazon's familiar UX pattern; reduces friction for customers accustomed to that layout
- Additional change: move product image thumbnails to the left side

Shipping Cost Strategy

Problem: Free shipping on small, long-distance orders is eroding margins
Solution: Implement a UPS shipping plugin with a minimum-order threshold for free shipping
- Karly to meet with Mark to select and configure the plugin
- Guidance from Sherry: a perfect solution is not required — any cost recovery is a win

B2B Website — Testing Kickoff

The B2B ordering site is ready for user testing.

Testers:
- Sherry (Seasonal Harvest)
- Willie Street
- Brian Spencer (Outpost)

Process: Karly resends intro email template → Sherry forwards to testers → testers access B2B site and provide feedback

Related

• ^[1]
• ^[2]
• ^[3]
• ^[4]
• ^[5]