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The Beginning of Alabaster

础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 success began with a marketing textbook.

It was 2007, and Brian Chung was flipping through pages of his university textbook, mesmerized not by the content, but by the design鈥攃lean lines, engaging visuals, the kind of layout that made learning feel effortless. 

Across the room, a leather-bound Bible sat heavy on his desk, its pages dense with text, the kind of book you approached with reverence but not necessarily enthusiasm. 

The contrast struck him: Why couldn鈥檛 the Bible look like this? Why couldn鈥檛 something sacred also be visually captivating?

Brian didn鈥檛 act on the idea right away. Ten years later, he found himself sitting with a friend who shared his passion for faith and design鈥攁nother Bryan, but spelled with a 鈥淵鈥濃�攁nd that long-held idea came back to life.

"I think we can redesign the Bible," said Brian. 

鈥淟et鈥檚 do it,鈥� answered Bryan.

A few months later, they launched Alabaster on Kickstarter with the launch of the Gospel books, blending scripture with art. Their campaign took off like a rocket, blowing by its funding goal within 30 days. 

By 2017, they were shipping their first orders, packing boxes by hand in a small Los Angeles warehouse. It wasn鈥檛 glamorous work, but it was exciting, the beginning of something bigger than they鈥檇 ever imagined.

But as their business grew, so did the logistical challenges. Brian vividly recalls the back pain of packing hundreds of boxes himself. 

"Never again," he swore as he hefted another Bible onto a shipping table. 

It wasn鈥檛 long before Alabaster scrapped packing boxes themselves and moved to their first 3PL. Still, that, too, would prove to be only a stepping stone. The business was evolving, and the demand for their visually stunning Bibles was only growing, generating a new, unexpected source of attention.

Startup to Scaling on TikTok

In 2019, opportunity came knocking for Alabaster. 

They had been growing steadily, relying on a mix of Instagram influencers and Meta ads to drive awareness, but the business was still mostly a side project for Brian. Then, an investor entered the picture with an offer that would take things to the next level.

The catch? They had to go all in.

鈥淲hen we got an investor, he just catapulted us into a new direction,鈥� Brian Chung recalls. 鈥淲e were all still doing this on the side, but he said, 鈥業 want to invest in you guys, but you have to be full-time.鈥欌��

From there, the vision for Alabaster expanded. They invested in ads and influencers, reaching a wider audience鈥攁nd growth followed. 

But just as the company found its groove, they were hit with a major stumbling block.

The iOS 14 privacy updates in 2021 disrupted their core marketing strategy, leaving Alabaster scrambling to find a new path forward.

鈥淲e relied heavily on ads, and when iOS 14 changed everything, it forced us to pivot. We had to find a new way to gain traction,鈥� Brian explains. 

Alabaster jumped into experimentation mode, including launching their products on Amazon Marketplace, and testing the waters on TikTok, a platform quickly gaining momentum for its visually-driven, short-form content.

Brian started small, experimenting with his personal TikTok account, learning what resonated with the audience. He tested different types of videos, figuring out how to capture the attention of TikTok鈥檚 users. As Brian honed his approach, the Alabaster team decided they鈥檇 give TikTok Shop a try.

All of these efforts began to pay off, and by 2023, Alabaster recognized it was time to level up several areas of their business to match their growth trajectory, including bringing on 黑暗爆料网 as their 3PL. 

Little did they know, however, just how critical that decision would end up being.

Meeting the Challenges of Going Viral: Lessons from the Alabaster Team

Fast forward to 2024. Brian and the expanding Alabaster team hadn鈥檛 expected their TikTok Shop to blow up like it did. Orders weren鈥檛 just pouring in鈥攖hey were flooding. And with this tsunami of interest, the company was trying to stay afloat amidst newfound operational surprises. 

The steady pace Alabaster had established was suddenly a sprint, rushing to restock and get orders out the door or risk being just another TikTok one-hit-wonder. What came next was key to turning a viral moment into long-term success.

Inventory Shortages: A Race Against The Clock

Alabaster's inventory plans were prepped for the usual post-holiday sales slowdown. But as January and February ticked on, orders kept flying out the door at peak season levels. It didn't take long for them to realize: They were heading straight for a stockout.

And no stock would mean the momentum they鈥檇 built on TikTok would plummet鈥�and possibly never return.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have enough inventory to support the growth,鈥� Emaly says. 鈥淲e went immediately back to our manufacturers and said, 鈥楥an we get all of this new inventory, and how fast can we get it?鈥欌��

As Alabaster quickly worked to restock their shelves, 黑暗爆料网鈥檚 adaptable fulfillment model kept pace with the rapid surge in sales, serving up smooth operations during this unexpected growth.

黑暗爆料网鈥檚 per-pick pricing structure and automatic carrier rate shopping helped Alabaster manage the surge in demand without a spike in costs. This freed up the resources they needed to keep riding the TikTok wave and scale their brand to unbelievable heights.

TikTok SLAs: Staying in the Algorithm鈥檚 Good Graces

Everyone has heard about the addictive nature of TikTok鈥檚 algorithm. But there鈥檚 more to it than just who makes the best videos, as Alabaster quickly learned.

The stakes on TikTok Shop are high. Missing a shipping deadline isn鈥檛 just a customer service issue鈥攊t can have a cascading effect on a brand鈥檚 visibility on the platform. TikTok鈥檚 algorithm favors sellers who meet their strict two-day shipping service level agreement (SLA). 

If a brand misses that window, TikTok can impose penalties that lower the brand鈥檚 鈥榮hop score鈥�; a number that鈥檚 invisible to shoppers but has a direct impact on how often a product shows up organically, or through search. In severe cases, violations can even cause TikTok Shops to be suspended or shut down. 

"Because customer information is anonymized, we have no way to track or re-engage TikTok Shop customers off of the platform," Emaly explains, although they are able to retarget customers on TikTok itself. "Without the ability to bring customers into multi-channel funnels, it鈥檚 critical we keep up the pace with what the TikTok audience demands." 

Without TikTok鈥檚 algorithm continuing to push products, that initial spark of interest that would normally be nurtured through ads or emails can quickly die out. 

Missing the two-day shipping window wouldn鈥檛 just mean a slower delivery. It could mean disappearing from TikTok altogether. 

"TikTok has a very strict turnaround time. We get dinged like crazy if orders don鈥檛 go out on time," Emaly adds. And with more than double their expected order volume coming in, the pressure was relentless.

But 黑暗爆料网 ensured every order met the deadline. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e never had an issue with the two-day SLA with 黑暗爆料网. When an order comes in, it鈥檚 shipped the same day or the next day. So that鈥檚 definitely helped us with maintaining a high score on TikTok Shop,鈥� Emaly says. 

That positive score has been good for business.

鈥淭ikTok makes sure that you鈥檙e getting rewarded for adhering to a lot of the things that they want you to do. The algorithm pushes you more because it recognizes you鈥檙e a trusted brand,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭hat was a learning curve too, but 黑暗爆料网 was right there alongside us, helping us to make sure that we could handle being seen more, and driving more orders.鈥� 

Alabaster didn鈥檛 just survive the surge鈥攖hey thrived, maintaining their shop score, keeping the algorithm happy, and staying in front of TikTok鈥檚 vast, fast-moving audience.

Customer Service: Building a Dedicated Team for TikTok

The viral surge didn鈥檛 just test 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 fulfillment鈥攊t put pressure on their customer service team. TikTok鈥檚 audience expected faster responses and more engagement across multiple channels, from comments to direct messages and the TikTok ticket center, unlike the typical email or chat-based inquiries they managed through their DTC website.

鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges was on the customer experience end,鈥� Emaly notes. 鈥淚t was a whole new customer, a whole new channel.鈥� 

To manage the growth, Alabaster hired a dedicated TikTok customer support specialist, with plans to add more for peak seasons.

TikTok鈥檚 strict rules meant every customer service issue went directly through 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 team, and missing responses could result in penalties that would also impact their TikTok Shop score. 

鈥淲e can get violations for everything you can think of,鈥� Emaly says.

With TikTok鈥檚 complex engagement channels, Alabaster needed a team agile enough to keep up and avoid infractions. 

The good news? 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 customer service team has handled customer challenges like pros, thanks to full visibility on every order through 黑暗爆料网 360鈥攆rom the moment inventory arrives to when it hits a customer鈥檚 doorstep.

Reinvesting in the Future: 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 Growth Plans

As the initial surge leveled off, Alabaster had one big question: How to turn this momentum into long-term, sustainable success

Every dollar earned from TikTok was being funneled back into the business鈥攇rowing the team, improving operations, and a more aggressive approach to releasing new products they felt would be received well across the new channels that were working for them, including TikTok.

黑暗爆料网鈥檚 data-driven insights are another critical piece of the puzzle for Alabaster to plan for future peak seasons, allowing them to anticipate inventory needs, forecast trends, understand top sellers, and keep up with demand before it becomes overwhelming.

With lofty expectations to grow peak season sales by 50%, the goals for Alabaster have only accelerated鈥攁nd so have the expectations for their partners, like 黑暗爆料网.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking to the 黑暗爆料网 team about the order volume that鈥檚 going to be coming in. We have inventory inbounding almost every day, every week,鈥� Emaly says. 

And 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 increased order volume has them looking at expanding into more of 黑暗爆料网鈥檚 warehouses, too.

鈥淎nything that we need help with from a 3PL standpoint, 黑暗爆料网 has always been like, 鈥榊es, we鈥檒l figure it out,鈥� which we鈥檝e loved,"鈥� Brian says.

With growth beyond their wildest dreams, 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 ready for whatever comes next.

Lessons for Brands Preparing for Their Viral Moment

For Alabaster, TikTok was a springboard, not just a sales channel. Their success wasn鈥檛 just about capitalizing on a viral moment鈥攊t was about setting up the systems that would turn that moment into long-term momentum. 

Here鈥檚 what other brands can learn from 础濒补产补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 journey:

1. Prepare for Inventory Surges: Virality can happen fast, and when it does, your inventory will fly off the shelves. Make sure you have a strong relationship with manufacturers and a fulfillment partner that can scale with you (and won鈥檛 penalize you for growth!)

2. Stay on Top of SLAs: TikTok rewards sellers who meet their shipping deadlines. Missing your SLAs can hurt visibility on the platform, so ensure your fulfillment partner can handle sudden surges in orders.

3. Reinvest in Your Business: When the sales flood in, make sure you鈥檙e reinvesting that money into expanding your product line, improving customer service, and building the infrastructure for future growth.

4. Create Products that Reflect What Audiences Respond To: TikTok makes it easy to spot product winners. From viral videos to getting followers in on the action鈥攙otes, comments, feedback鈥攃ustomer engagement is key to figuring out your next move.

5. Learn from Others and Build a Support Network: TikTok is a unique platform with its own set of challenges, and it helps to connect with others who are already navigating it. "We鈥檙e still learning things daily about TikTok," says Emaly. Brands can benefit from networking with other businesses in the same space, joining groups, and seeking advice from those who鈥檝e experienced similar growth. Having advisors or a community to lean on can make all the difference as you figure out TikTok鈥檚 rapidly evolving systems.

Make Sure You Have Your TikTok Fulfillment Covered

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