Oura’s $5B Growth Rule: Don’t Translate — Transcreate

Hi {{first_name|there}},

At eTail London Day 2, three brands shared a common message: growth doesn’t come from scale alone — it comes from relevance.

Oura’s George Abbott explained why their $5B brand treats expansion like fashion, not just tech. TikTok Shop’s Nora Zukauskaite broke down why content quality matters more than reach. And AKT London proved that one user-generated video can still outsell paid campaigns.

Here’s what stood out — and why it matters.

Takeaway from: Keynote Fireside Chat – How Oura Is Driving Exponential International Retail Growth
🎤 Speaker: George Abbott, Head of International Expansion, Oura

When a $5.2B wellness brand shares its growth strategy, you pay attention.

That was the standout message in a fireside chat with George Abbott of Oura, who peeled back the curtain on how the brand has scaled across international markets without losing cultural relevance or product integrity.

For Oura, global expansion is about transcreation. That means adapting brand storytelling not just to local languages, but to local mindsets around health and wellness. And in markets like the UAE or Germany, that often requires starting from scratch: local partners, local campaigns, even local photoshoots.

Abbott laid out Oura’s four-part framework for deciding when and how to scale:

Every partnership is judged against these pillars, with one question guiding the process:
👉 Does it make sense for Oura?

Abbott also acknowledged a major shift in how Oura positions itself:

With half of users introduced to the brand via word-of-mouth, Oura is a cultural signal.

That strategy’s working. Not only has Oura’s expansion been deliberate and data-informed, but its marketing is also winning industry acclaim. The brand’s bold “Show Us the Finger” campaign just landed a spot on the ClickZ 25 of 25 for standout marketing in 2025.

Abbott’s final advice for brands looking to scale with integrity?

Day 2 at eTail London opened with a keynote that reframed how brands think about content and commerce — not as separate pillars, but as one continuous, dynamic loop.

Nora Zukauskaite, Director of Integrated Marketing at TikTok Shop UK, introduced the concept of discovery commerce: where consumers don’t search for products — they stumble upon them in content that feels native, personal, and genuinely entertaining. It's the foundation.

Her standout line?

In a digital landscape where trust is currency, TikTok Shop is turning that trust into transactions:

But Nora didn’t just talk about numbers — she challenged brands to rethink how they build teams, create content, and scale.

She also highlighted how TikTok’s affiliate network gives everyday creators — not celebrities — the space to become powerful product advocates. This isn’t influencer marketing as we’ve known it. It’s closer to a decentralised, community-led media engine.

For enterprise brands used to operating in silos, that shift calls for structural change — and a willingness to give up control in favour of authenticity.

Later in the day, Andy from AKT London echoed many of these themes in his session on founder-led growth and the power of UGC. (Scroll down for Andy’s session takeaway.)

Some of the loudest voices in beauty aren’t shouting to millions. In fact, as Andy Coxton of AKT London reminded us on Day 2 of eTail London,

That belief has carried AKT London from West End dressing rooms to Bloomingdale’s shelves and top rankings at Credo Beauty in just five years. But the path wasn’t fuelled by massive ad spend or strategy decks. It started with a homemade formula, a Kickstarter campaign, and a whole lot of trust in people who cared about the product — and the story behind it.

Andy, a former theatre performer, co-founded AKT after realising that 71% of people are unhappy with their deodorant. That insight alone created a rare white space — a product category with mass reach (everyone needs deodorant), and widespread dissatisfaction. And what’s more, AKT’s customer base defies targeting norms: equally split across income levels and age groups.

But the real unlock? Leaning into founder-led content and UGC. One unpaid video from a sustainability shop owner led to “hundreds of thousands” in revenue. “She had about 700 followers, she ran a sustainability shop in Manchester,” Andy said. “It wasn’t glossy. It was real. And it worked.”

Today, that ethos powers AKT’s performance. The brand has just hit one million units sold, with 50% of revenue now coming from outside the UK. The brand's visuals still carry premium polish — but the storytelling is grounded and unapologetically personal.

Andy’s advice to founders and marketers alike? Find your niche, engage it honestly, and don't underestimate the influence of 10 passionate people. “Put them in a WhatsApp group, host a dinner, and turn that into a week of content. That’s community.”

That’s a wrap on eTail London 2025 — but we’re not done yet.

Over the weekend, we’ll be dropping more insights. Keep an eye on your inbox.

Unofficially eTail London Team

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