Unders by Proof Launches at Walmart

Feminine wellness company Proof teamed with Walmart to roll out its budget-friendly line of leak-proof period underwear, Unders by Proof, to the retailer's 4,000-plus stores and Walmart.com.The Unders collection launched at Walmart last month, encompassing brief-style underwear in black with sizes ranging from XS to XL in three absorbencies: light ($19.97), moderate ($29.97) and heavy (online only, $34.97). Proof boasts its light brief can hold one light-tampon or panty-liner worth of liquid, and its regular brief can hold up to two tampons worth of liquid. In stores, a custom in-line shelf display positioned in the personal care department stocks the underwear, according to a Proof representative. In July, Unders will receive more prominent merchandising on a dedicated, account-specific endcap (see rendering at right), communicating the underwear is washable, absorbent and fights odor, and depicting a QR code linking to ShopProof.com. All in-store materials and product packaging were designed by the brand's in-house team, according to the Proof representative. The program marks the first time Unders has received endcap placement at any retailer. Beyond P-O-P activity, Proof is celebrating the arrival of its SKUs at the retail giant with a marketing plan that includes social media, influencers and paid digital media. “We have dedicated most resources toward Walmart-focused influencers, who can reach a wide net of Walmart shoppers specifically,” Jodi Caden, chief executive officer of Los Angeles-based Proof, told the Path to Purchase Institute. “These influencers are known for calling attention to product launches and trends in Walmart. We’re partnering with adjacent brands to drive business as well.”Proof, for example, tied in to the May 28 designation of "Menstrual Hygiene Day" by partnering with RB Health LLC’s feminine wellness care brand Queen V to run a giveaway on Instagram awarding a period self-care bundle, comprising one set of Unders by Proof (one light, moderate and heavy brief) in XS-XL along with a Queen V special edition self-care kit consisting of a custom mirror, a cleansing bar, probiotic supplements and intimate wipes. Instagram users entered from May 28-30 by following @ShopProof and @QueenVLife, liking and saving the related May 28 update from Proof, and sharing their email. Entrants were given a bonus for tagging a friend to enter and an extra bonus for snapping a picture of both brands at Walmart. Multiple Twitter, Instagram and Facebook updates from Proof also continue to plug Unders' availability at Walmart.Designed to be leak proof, Unders underwear is the budget alternative to the liquid-absorbing undergarments Proof sells at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Soma, and on ShopProof.com, which range in price from $25 to $49 a pair. The line furthers the company's mission of providing accessible, quality period and leak care to women of any age.“From periods, to postpartum to workouts to incontinence, we aim to prevent leaks of all kinds at every stage of life,” Caden said. “We’ve learned so much in the almost three years we’ve been in-market about women’s needs and their desire to reduce plastic waste created by pads, tampons and pantiliners,” she continued. “So many are shocked to learn that a single woman may dispose of 11,000 tampons in her lifetime-contributing to the estimated 20 billion pads and tampons that are tossed into landfills each year. Pads and tampons contain non-recyclable materials, and wrapped in their plastic wrappers, can take up to 800 years to decompose. Unders by Proof is reusable and washable, meaning the impact on Mother Earth is much friendlier.”Beyond Walmart, Unders by Proof also rolled out to Target and Meijer stores and the retailers' respective websites in April. Target carries the brand's light and regular briefs in XS-XL for a few cents more than at Walmart, while Meijer stocks an exclusive heavy brief for $34.99, which holds up to four tampons worth of liquid.Unders by Proof is rolling out to retailers at a time when the U.S. is reportedly facing a tampon shortage due to supply chain issues. The options for alternative, more sustainable, menstruation products at retail also have been increasing in recent years. Last year, Target added an exclusive line of period underwear from Thinx, for example, and menstrual cups are growing in popularity and availability at retailers including, Rite Aid and Amazon.

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