The New Rules of DTC: How AquaSonic Became a Multi-Channel Powerhouse

Summary

DTC success used to hinge on cutting out the middleman. Today, the real growth opportunity is knowing how to show up everywhere customers shop.

In this episode of Retail Remix, AquaSonic Founder and CEO Arsalan Rahbarpoor shares how he built an Amazon-native oral care brand that now sells across Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy and TikTok Shop.

Key Takeaways

• Arsalan Rahbarpoor, Founder & CEO, AquaSonic and Pure Daily Care shares how he identified white space in oral care by combining premium design with accessible pricing;
• Why launching on Amazon was foundational to AquaSonic’s future multi-channel success;
• What changed when the digital-native brand expanded into brick-and-mortar;
• How TikTok Shop creates a different kind of discovery-driven opportunity than Amazon or brick-and-mortar retail;
• Why AquaSonic is expanding beyond oral care into broader health, wellness and everyday essentials.

When Arsalan Rahbarpoor looked at the oral care aisle, he didn’t see competition. He saw a gap.

“The idea of creating an oral care category felt really outdated in the market at that time,” said Rahbarpoor, Founder and CEO of AquaSonic and Pure Daily Care. “All the players were the legacy players. Same brand, same designs, not much innovation from a consumer standpoint.”

That observation became the foundation for AquaSonic — a brand that launched on Amazon, disrupted a legacy-dominated category and has since expanded into Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy and TikTok Shop.

Starting on Amazon — By Design

AquaSonic’s first product was a black electric toothbrush. The choice was deliberate.

“Nothing black existed on Amazon — everything was white,” Rahbarpoor said. The AquaSonic Black Series launched with four modes, eight brush heads, a travel case and a wireless charger, retailing at $39.95. Legacy brands at the time were selling comparable products for $80 to $300.

The decision to launch on Amazon before building a direct-to-consumer site was also intentional. Rahbarpoor described Amazon as “one of the purest reflections of consumer demand.”

“You get immediate feedback,” he said. “What works, you double down on. What doesn’t work, you can tweak it, fix it and go back in the market.”

That real-time data loop shaped the brand’s product development and gave AquaSonic the consumer intelligence it needed before pursuing broader distribution.

The Signal to Go Brick-and-Mortar

Rahbarpoor identified a specific inflection point that told him the brand was ready for national retail: consistent velocity and strong repeat purchase behavior on Amazon.

“Aquasonic customers would buy an electric toothbrush for themselves,” he said. “They look at the value, they look at the quality and how much they’ve spent. Now they came back to buy another one for their spouse, for their kids, or even give away for holiday gifts.”

That repeat behavior — roughly three to four years into the brand’s life — prompted a deliberate push into physical retail. AquaSonic is now in Walmart, Walgreens and Best Buy nationwide, and launched in Target approximately two months before this interview. The brand is in active conversations with additional retailers for launches planned in 2026 and early 2027.

What Changes on the Shelf

Moving from a product detail page to a physical shelf required a fundamental shift in how AquaSonic thought about packaging.

“When we launched on Amazon, packaging wasn’t really our main focus,” Rahbarpoor said. “When we got into retail, we learned that we really need to focus on packaging because you only get two to four seconds of consumer attention to really have them actually pick up the product on the shelf.”

The operational demands also changed. AquaSonic previously planned inventory three to six months out for Amazon. For retail, that window extended to seven to 12 months. The company also worked with its manufacturing partners to add dedicated production lines to meet the increased volume across channels.

TikTok Shop: Discovery Over Search

TikTok Shop represents a different kind of opportunity than either Amazon or brick-and-mortar retail — one driven by discovery rather than intent.

“I like to call TikTok the modern day QVC,” Rahbarpoor said. “We have sold on QVC in the past, but man, selling on TikTok is like selling on steroids. It’s completely different. It’s less about search and more about discovery.”

On TikTok, Rahbarpoor said customers are “looking for viral products, looking for viral colors that they cannot find on Amazon or their average retail stores.” One of AquaSonic’s current best sellers on the platform is a hot pink electric toothbrush.

To drive that discovery, the brand focuses on engagement, velocity and creator performance. AquaSonic worked with creators before launching on TikTok Shop, but has since scaled that effort significantly. Product sampling fuels organic, viral content.

Measuring Success Differently Across Channels

Rahbarpoor tracks performance using channel-specific metrics. On TikTok Shop, the key indicators are engagement, velocity and creator performance. In brick-and-mortar, the focus shifts to sell-through rates, turns and long-term shelf productivity.

The products that perform best also differ by channel. “TikTok favors products that are visually have that wow factor,” he said, “while retail tends to reward the value, the clarity of the product and what messaging is sending to the consumer.”

What stays consistent across all channels is the brand itself. “Regardless of where we’re selling the products, whether if it’s on TikTok or Walmart, we want to stay consistent to the brand,” Rahbarpoor said. “Whether someone discovers us on TikTok or Walmart, the product packaging, branding experience needs to feel aligned.”

Wellness as a Growth Driver

Consumer behavior is also shaping where AquaSonic goes next. Rahbarpoor said shoppers are increasingly thinking about health in a more integrated way — not as individual purchases, but as part of a broader daily routine.

“Consumers are really thinking about health in a much more integrated way,” he said. “Not just one-off products. It’s about a routine system.”

That shift is influencing AquaSonic’s product roadmap. The brand is expanding into teeth whitening strips, ultrasonic retainer cleaners and kids’ products, with additional categories in development. The longer-term vision, Rahbarpoor said, is “to build a platform of brands that modernize everyday essentials outside of just oral care.”

Rahbarpoor outlined three priorities for the period ahead: expanding into more retail doors, continuing to innovate within the product line and growing into adjacent health and wellness categories.

For a brand that started with a single black toothbrush on Amazon, the trajectory reflects something broader about how consumer brands are scaling today — not by choosing between digital and physical, but by learning how to operate effectively across both.

Related Links

• Explore AquaSonic’s oral care products and wellness essentials
• Get more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPoints
• Subscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix
  

Summary

DTC success used to hinge on cutting out the middleman. Today, the real growth opportunity is knowing how to show up everywhere customers shop.

In this episode of Retail Remix, AquaSonic Founder and CEO Arsalan Rahbarpoor shares how he built an Amazon-native oral care brand that now sells across Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy and TikTok Shop.

Key Takeaways

• Arsalan Rahbarpoor, Founder & CEO, AquaSonic and Pure Daily Care shares how he identified white space in oral care by combining premium design with accessible pricing;
• Why launching on Amazon was foundational to AquaSonic’s future multi-channel success;
• What changed when the digital-native brand expanded into brick-and-mortar;
• How TikTok Shop creates a different kind of discovery-driven opportunity than Amazon or brick-and-mortar retail;
• Why AquaSonic is expanding beyond oral care into broader health, wellness and everyday essentials.

When Arsalan Rahbarpoor looked at the oral care aisle, he didn’t see competition. He saw a gap.

“The idea of creating an oral care category felt really outdated in the market at that time,” said Rahbarpoor, Founder and CEO of AquaSonic and Pure Daily Care. “All the players were the legacy players. Same brand, same designs, not much innovation from a consumer standpoint.”

That observation became the foundation for AquaSonic — a brand that launched on Amazon, disrupted a legacy-dominated category and has since expanded into Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy and TikTok Shop.

Starting on Amazon — By Design

AquaSonic’s first product was a black electric toothbrush. The choice was deliberate.

“Nothing black existed on Amazon — everything was white,” Rahbarpoor said. The AquaSonic Black Series launched with four modes, eight brush heads, a travel case and a wireless charger, retailing at $39.95. Legacy brands at the time were selling comparable products for $80 to $300.

The decision to launch on Amazon before building a direct-to-consumer site was also intentional. Rahbarpoor described Amazon as “one of the purest reflections of consumer demand.”

“You get immediate feedback,” he said. “What works, you double down on. What doesn’t work, you can tweak it, fix it and go back in the market.”

That real-time data loop shaped the brand’s product development and gave AquaSonic the consumer intelligence it needed before pursuing broader distribution.

The Signal to Go Brick-and-Mortar

Rahbarpoor identified a specific inflection point that told him the brand was ready for national retail: consistent velocity and strong repeat purchase behavior on Amazon.

“Aquasonic customers would buy an electric toothbrush for themselves,” he said. “They look at the value, they look at the quality and how much they’ve spent. Now they came back to buy another one for their spouse, for their kids, or even give away for holiday gifts.”

That repeat behavior — roughly three to four years into the brand’s life — prompted a deliberate push into physical retail. AquaSonic is now in Walmart, Walgreens and Best Buy nationwide, and launched in Target approximately two months before this interview. The brand is in active conversations with additional retailers for launches planned in 2026 and early 2027.

What Changes on the Shelf

Moving from a product detail page to a physical shelf required a fundamental shift in how AquaSonic thought about packaging.

“When we launched on Amazon, packaging wasn’t really our main focus,” Rahbarpoor said. “When we got into retail, we learned that we really need to focus on packaging because you only get two to four seconds of consumer attention to really have them actually pick up the product on the shelf.”

The operational demands also changed. AquaSonic previously planned inventory three to six months out for Amazon. For retail, that window extended to seven to 12 months. The company also worked with its manufacturing partners to add dedicated production lines to meet the increased volume across channels.

TikTok Shop: Discovery Over Search

TikTok Shop represents a different kind of opportunity than either Amazon or brick-and-mortar retail — one driven by discovery rather than intent.

“I like to call TikTok the modern day QVC,” Rahbarpoor said. “We have sold on QVC in the past, but man, selling on TikTok is like selling on steroids. It’s completely different. It’s less about search and more about discovery.”

On TikTok, Rahbarpoor said customers are “looking for viral products, looking for viral colors that they cannot find on Amazon or their average retail stores.” One of AquaSonic’s current best sellers on the platform is a hot pink electric toothbrush.

To drive that discovery, the brand focuses on engagement, velocity and creator performance. AquaSonic worked with creators before launching on TikTok Shop, but has since scaled that effort significantly. Product sampling fuels organic, viral content.

Measuring Success Differently Across Channels

Rahbarpoor tracks performance using channel-specific metrics. On TikTok Shop, the key indicators are engagement, velocity and creator performance. In brick-and-mortar, the focus shifts to sell-through rates, turns and long-term shelf productivity.

The products that perform best also differ by channel. “TikTok favors products that are visually have that wow factor,” he said, “while retail tends to reward the value, the clarity of the product and what messaging is sending to the consumer.”

What stays consistent across all channels is the brand itself. “Regardless of where we’re selling the products, whether if it’s on TikTok or Walmart, we want to stay consistent to the brand,” Rahbarpoor said. “Whether someone discovers us on TikTok or Walmart, the product packaging, branding experience needs to feel aligned.”

Wellness as a Growth Driver

Consumer behavior is also shaping where AquaSonic goes next. Rahbarpoor said shoppers are increasingly thinking about health in a more integrated way — not as individual purchases, but as part of a broader daily routine.

“Consumers are really thinking about health in a much more integrated way,” he said. “Not just one-off products. It’s about a routine system.”

That shift is influencing AquaSonic’s product roadmap. The brand is expanding into teeth whitening strips, ultrasonic retainer cleaners and kids’ products, with additional categories in development. The longer-term vision, Rahbarpoor said, is “to build a platform of brands that modernize everyday essentials outside of just oral care.”

Rahbarpoor outlined three priorities for the period ahead: expanding into more retail doors, continuing to innovate within the product line and growing into adjacent health and wellness categories.

For a brand that started with a single black toothbrush on Amazon, the trajectory reflects something broader about how consumer brands are scaling today — not by choosing between digital and physical, but by learning how to operate effectively across both.

Related Links

• Explore AquaSonic’s oral care products and wellness essentials
• Get more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPoints
• Subscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix