Have you ever gone to an amazing concert but then had to deal with your ears ringing for days after?
That’s the exact issue that Marteen Bodewes and Dimitri O wanted to solve.
Maarten and Dimirtri wanted to protect their hearing during their nights out, but didn’t want to wear the yellow foamy earplugs that were so common. So, in 2016, they founded their own brand, Loop Earplugs. Since then, Loop’s modern, sleek earplugs have been rated #1 by users and major media outlets, and the Belgium-based company has grown into an eight-figure business.
Loop Earplugs wants everyone to be able to control noise levels in style.Loop Earplugs
“We give you the tools to control the noise around you, so you can actually do what you really want to do without any sort of disturbances,” Dimitri says. We just want you to live your life at your volume.”
In August of 2018, after nearly four years of running the business, Dimitri and Maarten hit a large enough quota to make the move from 3D printing their earplugs to mass-manufacture injection molding.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to Shopify Masters.
“In the beginning, we were doing batches of 100 … and right now we just sold our two millionth [unit] since the beginning of this year,” Maarten shares.
“When we [started growing], we became more interesting to other bigger [production] partners who were doing earbuds and headphones for the pioneers like Sony and the Beats of this world,” Maarten says. “Those are the partners we work with now.”
As Loop Earplugs gained more recognition from major manufacturers, it began catching attention for its high ratings and reviews.
The New York Times rated Loop Earplugs the #1 choice for concerts in 2022, and it has more than seven thousand five-star reviews on its website alone.
![One of Loop Earplugs’ styles, Engage, in the color Lucid Rose, with its carrying case and four sets of silicone ear tips.
<figcaption>The Loop Earplugs sold-out style Engage, in the color Lucid Rose. <em>Loop Earplugs </em></figcaption></figure>
<p>Maarten shares that it took more than just an amazing product to secure their higher than average ratings. </p>
<p>“You have to reinforce your [story and] voice through influencer marketing, ads, etc.,” he says.</p>
<figure><img decoding=](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Loop_Earplugs_-_Engage_Pink_ProductComposition_1.jpg?v=1670879739)
Maarten shares that it took more than just an amazing product to secure their higher than average ratings.
“You have to reinforce your [story and] voice through influencer marketing, ads, etc.,” he says.
Influencer marketing plays a major role in Loop’s rave reviews. Its genuine testimonials and authenticity set realistic expectations for its audiences, and excite and incise new customers.
“[They’ve] been a huge driver of our success in the last two, two and a half years,” Maarten says. “We have a lot of storytelling to do, a lot of awareness building to create, and who better to do that with than with influencers.”
Tune in to the full Shopify Masters episode to learn how Maarten Bodewes and Dimitri O designed, marketed, and scaled Loop Earplugs to a top-rated position within a niche market.
