How Nathan & Sons Reinvented the Taste Guarantee with Onward’s Self-Service Alternative Selection

Challenge

Consumables brands need more than refunds when customers don't like the taste

Nathan & Sons faced a problem that traditional shipping protection couldn't solve: what happens when a customer doesn't like the taste of a consumable product? For natural gum with unconventional ingredients, taste preferences vary dramatically. Some customers immediately find their favorite flavor, while others need to try alternatives before discovering what works for them.

The brand's previous provider, a competitor in the order protection space, offered only one solution to taste dissatisfaction: issue store credit and hope the customer came back to shop. This created friction at precisely the wrong moment. Customers who were already not satisfied with their purchase then had to take their store credit, browse through product options, figure out what to try instead, and place a new order. Many simply requested refunds and moved on, taking their potential lifetime value with them.

For a consumable brand where repeat purchases drive profitability, this approach was fundamentally flawed. Store credit could mean delay, effort, and lost momentum. By the time customers received their credit and contemplated what to order next, many had already moved on to competitors or simply forgotten about the brand entirely. Nathan & Sons was losing not just individual transactions but entire customer relationships because their protection provider couldn't facilitate immediate alternatives.

When the idea to enable self-service product selection within the claims flow itself came about, Nathan & Sons discovered that their previous provider lacked the technical capability to execute on the vision. Customers who wanted to try a different flavor had no path forward except store credit or refund. This wasn't just a minor inconvenience, it was a fundamental gap that conflicted with how consumables brands need to handle product satisfaction. The functionality simply didn't exist with their previous provider, which became the primary driver behind Nathan & Sons' decision to switch to Onward.

Solution

Self-service product trial within the claims flow eliminates friction and drives retention

Onward provided Nathan & Sons with functionality that no other order protection provider offered: the ability for customers to select alternative products directly within the claims flow when they're not satisfied with their purchase.

Benefit #1: In-flow product selection removes friction at the critical moment

When a Nathan & Sons customer isn't happy with their gum purchase, they can now navigate directly to the claims flow and select a different product of the same or lesser value to try instead. No waiting for store credit. No hunting through the catalog. No placing a new order. The customer simply says "I'd like to try this instead," and Onward handles the rest.

This immediate course correction happens while the customer is still engaged with the brand. Instead of returns leading to disengagement, it becomes a moment of problem-solving. The customer feels heard, the issue gets resolved instantly, and the brand maintains the relationship. What would have been a lost customer becomes an opportunity to find the right product match.

The self-service nature means no human intervention is required. Customers don't need to contact support, explain their situation, or wait for a representative to process their request. They make their selection, submit their claim, and receive their alternative product. For Nathan & Sons' team, this means taste-related issues resolve themselves without consuming customer service resources.

Benefit #2: Exchanges replace refunds, protecting revenue and relationships

The impact on Nathan & Sons' business model was immediate. Instead of issuing refunds that represented pure revenue loss, the brand now facilitates exchanges that keep customers in relationship with the product line. A customer who doesn't like one flavor gets to try another. The revenue stays with Nathan & Sons, the customer stays engaged with the brand, and both parties move toward finding the right product fit.

This exchange-first approach also generates valuable preference data. Nathan & Sons can track which flavors customers try first, which alternatives they select when switching, and which products ultimately create satisfied repeat customers. This insight informs everything from product development to marketing messaging to inventory planning. What was previously a dead end becomes a learning opportunity.

The psychological shift matters too. Customers who experience this frictionless resolution develop trust in the brand. They see that Nathan & Sons stands behind their products and makes it genuinely easy to find the right match. This trust translates into higher lifetime value, more word-of-mouth referrals, and increased willingness to try new products as the brand expands its line.

Benefit #3: Competitive advantage that drove the provider switch

The self-service product trial functionality was the key differentiator that led Nathan & Sons to switch from their previous provider to Onward. While competitors in the order protection space offered basic shipping coverage and store credit for satisfaction issues, none provided the technical infrastructure to enable in-flow product selection.

This wasn't a nice-to-have feature for Nathan & Sons. It was essential for how they wanted to operate as a consumables brand. The ability to turn taste dissatisfaction into an immediate alternative trial represented a fundamental competitive advantage in customer retention and lifetime value optimization. When their previous provider couldn't deliver this capability, Nathan & Sons made the switch to Onward.

The functionality is particularly powerful for taste-driven categories like gum, beverages, supplements, and food products where individual preferences vary widely and first-try success isn't guaranteed. Onward built this specifically for consumables brands that need more sophisticated tools than traditional shipping protection provides.

Why It Worked

The Consumables Innovation Advantage

Nathan & Sons' success with Onward represents a fundamental evolution in post-purchase protection for consumables brands:

Category-specific solution. Generic shipping protection treats all products the same. Onward's approach recognizes that consumables require different tools because taste dissatisfaction is fundamentally different from shipping damage. The in-flow product trial functionality addresses this category-specific need.

Immediate resolution reduces churn. The moment between disappointment and disengagement is measured in minutes, not days. By enabling instant alternative selection, Nathan & Sons captures customers who would otherwise request refunds and disappear. Speed matters when emotions are involved.

Exchanges protect revenue and relationships. Store credit sounds customer-friendly but often results in abandoned credits and lost customers. Direct product exchange keeps both the revenue and the relationship intact while moving toward product-market fit at the individual customer level.

Self-service scales without overhead. As Nathan & Sons grows, taste-related claims will grow proportionally. The self-service model means this scaling happens without adding customer service headcount or operational complexity. The system handles increased volume automatically.

Competitive differentiation drove the switch. When Nathan & Sons evaluated order protection providers, the self-service product trial functionality became the deciding factor. Their previous provider simply couldn't deliver this capability, making the switch to Onward an easy decision despite the effort required to change providers.