Case Study: Perfy
Novel x Perfy
Whether you’re a legacy brand or a growing Shopify store, Novel is your best on-ramp to web3.
Just ask Vasa Martinez, Founder and CEO of Perfy, a fast-growing beverage brand selling low-sugar sodas enhanced with nootropics and adaptogens. Web3 has been part of Vasa’s roadmap from the get-go.
Like Liquid Death, Taika, Off Limits, and so many other brands, Perfy turned to Novel to help realize its web3 vision. We recently sat down with Vasa to learn how Novel helped launch Perfy’s NFT project and onboard customers into the brand’s web3 universe. In our conversation, we dive deep into:
Why CPG brands should consider web3 from day one
Novel’s unmatched white-glove service and embedded support
The Perfy loyalty program: layering Novel’s token-gated benefits
“I’ve worked with so many tech vendors over the years, but high-touch teams like Novel are few and far between. I can’t think of another partner that’s been this welcoming.”
The Early Days: Integrating web3 Into Perfy’s DNA
Vasa spent the last ten years spearheading digital marketing for fast-growing F&B brands.
After stints with category leaders like Quest and Legendary Foods, he arrived at his current roles: CMO at Outer Aisle; founder at Growthbuster, the social media marketing agency for F&B startups; and founder of Perfy in early 2022. When he started building Perfy, he collaborated closely with food science R&D teams.
Around the same time, he happened to buy his first NFT from Doodles– a community-driven NFT project– and decided to feature the token in a piece of Perfy-branded art. He posted it on Twitter, where it quickly went viral. Today, customers can purchase a case of limited-edition Dr. Perfy featuring that exact Doodle.
Web3 Collaboration with Doodles NFT
In hindsight, that immediate social virality piqued Vasa’s interest in merging commerce and web3. In his mind, that was all the confirmation he needed to completely integrate web3 into the DNA of Perfy.
“After I bought that Doodle and the idea of a metaverse soda was such a hit on social media, I knew there was a spark for a community here – as long as I went after it.”
Perfy’s Onboarding with Novel: A Turnkey NFT Integration
From the get-go, Vasa knew there was something unrivaled about Novel’s technology.
He decided to work with Novel due to its core foundation: a well-developed and thoughtful approach that enabled brands to create NFTs with ease, sell them on Shopify, and add perks for a loyal community.
In his opinion, web3 tech — not just NFT artwork — was primed to be transformative for commerce.
Vasa points out that onboarding with Novel was a turnkey, fluid experience. His positive experience with Ismail, Novel's Director of Customer Experience, distinctly stood out in his mind. In Vasa's words, “Ismail has been an incredible support and streamlined our onboarding process from end to end.”
As an early-stage founder, Vasa predictably has a ton on his plate. In turn, investing the time required to learn any new system was daunting. In response,the Novel team was supportive throughout onboarding and ramp-up, with close contact as needed to ensure Perfy was set up and thriving.
“As a strategist, I knew that web3 technology would immediately change the eCommerce game forever. Using Novel, I could dive right into that mix and figure things out as I go.”
How Novel Helps Drive Perfy’s Loyalty & Retention Vision
In onboarding to web3, Vasa wasn’t looking for a major digital overhaul.
Rather, he wanted to de-risk the structure and use web3 to enhance existing Web 2.0 capabilities. He knew Novel would be the perfect partner for that transition, considering its no-code interface and complete integration with Shopify.
Diving deeper, users can receive loyalty cards for increasing perks as they level up through five unique tiers, from bronze to diamond, by purchasing more and more cases of Perfy. At that final tier, you can sell your previous gains and make your money back — simply by being a consistent customer of the brand.
The ability to easily reward digital participation with real-world, monetary value was a fundamental reason Vasa signed on. Novel enables the Perfy team to combine three retention models into one solution:
A subscription program
A loyalty points program
Cadence-based repurchases
Gated Discounts for Loyalty Members
Vasa has high hopes for integrating in-person participation into this web3-centric vision. For instance, he intends to reward new customers for buying single cans in brick-and-mortar locations around the country.
Why Brands Should Invest in Community
From Vasa’s perspective at Perfy, emerging brand founders might look at web3 as a shiny toy to play with, but he advises potential Novel customers and colleagues to consider their approaches carefully.
When it comes to integrating web3 and commerce, Vasa recommends making sure that your extended team and investors are aligned around the same vision.
Before taking the plunge into web3, founders should ask themselves three distinct questions:
Are you participating for the right reasons or jumping on a fad?
How will web3 improve your specific shopping experience?
Will NFT projects generate real value for your customer?
If the answers to these questions are all positive, then Vasa recommends tackling your web3 voyage with open arms, starting with Novel. However, he advises that in that web3 journey, fostering a healthy brand community with happy members is ultimately what matters most.
In turn, this community will ultimately drive your brand’s long-term value, and your sustainable revenue.
For instance, Perfy’s loyalty program is free and only presents potential gains to users. From an investment perspective, this makes it a low-risk proposition to customers, which is vital for a brand new as Perfy. Users must be able to see guaranteed downstream benefits, and Novel’s token-gated benefits make that possible with just a series of clicks on your Shopify back end.
Vasa adds that his job is to identify and secure Perfy’s first 1,000 fans. Leading with the intent to provide your community value is simultaneously the safest and most authentic way to get there.
On this note, Vasa points to Liquid Death (another happy Novel customer) as a prime example of a thriving, communal approach to a web3-powered customer experience.
“Your brand’s long-term value will be decided by your community. Using Novel as an on-ramp, web3 is the perfect channel to reward and cultivate your early fans.”
Novel’s Ongoing Perks: From Sustainability to Saved Fees
In working with Novel, Vasa’s been pleasantly surprised by an additional unique perk: an environmentally friendly approach to the technology itself.
Novel is built on Polygon: a “sidechain” that’s more sustainable than standard options like Ethereum. In fact, minting an NFT on Polygon requires the same amount of energy used to send two emails. Minting on Polygon is more efficient than minting on Ethereum, and to make it seamless, Novel covers transaction fees for users.
In turn, Perfy can win over folks who are wary about web3 due to its notoriously high energy consumption.
Vasa speaks to the genuine helpfulness – going above and beyond– in every aspect of the Novel’s product.
