Pine-Sol launches online store to support women entrepreneurs of color

Dive Brief:

Clorox brand Pine-Sol this week debuted The Pine-Store, an online store featuring holiday-themed gifts and apparel, including a pine-scented candle, the brand said in an announcement.
All of the Pine-Store's proceeds will be donated to digitalundivided, a nonprofit social startup which creates programs that support entrepreneurs of color and their communities. The company will also donate $250,000 to the charity. Prices range between $10 and $45 for products such as the "No outside clothes" blanket.
With the Pine-Store, Pine-Sol joins the list of brands that have launched online stores to gain greater insight into their customer base. The site will soon offer an exclusive footwear collection in partnership with Vashtie Kola. Shoppers can sign up to find out more about the collaboration and to be notified when it drops.

Dive Insight:

The launch of Pine-Sol's online store is the company's way of thanking the Black community, which has supported the brand for generations, Cassandra Lewis, brand manager of Pine-Sol, said in a statement. For digitalundivided, the collaboration is an opportunity to continue its support of women entrepreneurs of color, a cohort that has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lauren Maillian, CEO of digitalundivided, said in a statement.

Pine-Sol joins a growing list of brands opening online shops to reach consumers directly, including Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s and Sour Patch Kids. Other brands, such as General Mills and Frito-Lay, have also tied their digital store merchandise proceeds to charitable causes. Given that consumer products goods companies don't have as much access to consumer data as their retail partners, more brands have launched online stores to gain greater insight into their customer base. However, it remains to be seen whether these direct-to-consumer experiments will yield substantive results.

Scented candles have been popular with marketers looking to create branded merchandise that may appeal to their biggest fans. The brands jumping on this trend include Dunkin', McDonald's and Babe Wine.

The launch of the online shop also comes as Pine-Sol's parent company Clorox, increased its ad spending by 30% during a recent quarter amid coronavirus-induced demand for cleaning products. Per a report from CNBC, the company also plans to spend more on ads during the fourth quarter.