Cash Back Darling Aisle Decided To Reinvent Itself — And It Backfired

When starting fresh ends up being a rotten idea

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

It’s been a week since I watched the latest video from Aisle, the cashback platform turned snack subscription service.

In the video, Founder Chris Tiffin, known mononymously as Tiffin, revealed the new direction for the brand confirming the service we knew and loved was no more.

What was supposedly a well-received improvement ended up becoming anything but. Fans made their feelings known:

“Count me out!!! Loved aisle the way it was. Good luck with your new aisle” one user commented.

For Aisle, the message was clear. This wasn’t the kind of reaction they had in mind. Growing the company while pleasing customers is one of many battles founders face.

In many cases, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. With enough experience, you can get pretty close.

Backstory

Aisle was something unique in the world of cash-back platforms. What made it special was in the world of apps — it decided to not be one. All communications were done through text.

The process was simple. Text your receipt. Get a corny auto-response confirming your receipt. Within a…