Ecommerce On Tap

Why did a strange-looking running shoe with giant foam soles become a billion-dollar brand?
This week on Ecommerce on Tap, Aaron Alpeter and Mark Riskowitz break down the story of Hoka—from its origins in the French Alps to becoming one of the fastest-growing footwear brands in the world.
We cover:
• Why Hoka ignored industry trends
• The biomechanics behind running shoes
• Manufacturing challenges most consumers never see
• Why founders sometimes need to leave incumbents
• How Deckers scaled Hoka into a powerhouse

In this kickoff episode of the new Ecommerce on Tap footwear season, Aaron Alpeter sits down with footwear founder Daniella to unpack the hidden complexity behind one of the world’s most misunderstood industries.
What looks like a simple branding category on the surface is actually a deeply technical, globally fragmented, operationally unforgiving system underneath.
They cover:
Why footwear behaves like a systems business
The hidden mechanics inside every shoe
Why returns are so destructive in footwear
How military history shaped modern footwear manufacturing
Why Vietnam, China, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, and Brazil all play different roles in the supply chain
The role of lasts, midsoles, outsoles, and wear testing
Why scaling a footwear brand is far harder than most founders expect
The inventory forecasting nightmare behind sizing curves
Why consumers evaluate shoes emotionally while brands survive operationally
If you’ve ever underestimated how complicated footwear is, this episode will completely change how you think about the category.

Grüns didn’t just build a supplement brand — they redefined how people consume greens.
In less than 3 years, they went from launch to a $1.2 billion acquisition by Unilever — one of the most aggressive buyers in health & wellness.
In this episode of Ecommerce on Tap, we break down:
Why gummies beat powders
The manufacturing breakthroughs that made Grüns possible
How they scaled to millions of units per day
And why Unilever had to buy them
If you’re building a CPG brand, this is a masterclass in:
Product-market fit
Supply chain innovation
Exit strategy

Fragrance is no longer just a luxury — it’s becoming a daily ritual.
In this episode of Ecommerce on Tap, Aaron Alpeter sits down with 5 SENS founder Divya Gugnani to break down the massive shift happening in the fragrance industry.
They cover:
Why fragrance is the fastest-growing beauty category
The rise of “fragrance wardrobes” vs signature scents
What most founders get wrong about clean beauty
How to build a brand that actually has repeat purchase
The real playbook behind building a business worth buying
If you're building in beauty, DTC, or consumer brands — this is a must-watch.

$1B in sales… and Ari by Ariana Grande barely owns it.
• Why Ari by Ariana Grande scaled to $1B through licensing instead of ownership
• How “Cloud” became a hero SKU by riding luxury fragrance dupe demand
• The real unit economics behind a $70 perfume bottle
• How Sephora and Ulta distribution turned it into a global brand
Aaron Alpeter is a supply chain operator who has worked with 200+ brands. He breaks down how Ari by Ariana Grande built their supply chain to support billion-dollar retail scale.