Uncle Matt’s Hats: Using Storytelling, UGC, and Mission to Grow an eCommerce Brand (episode 596)
Steve Willicott is the founder at Uncle Matt’s Hats, selling baseball caps and supporting men’s mental health. Founded in 2024, they sell via their Shopify store, and are about to launch their second range.
In this episode, Steve explains how Uncle Matt’s Hats has built every part of the business around its mission — from product design to packaging to customer acquisition. It’s a smart look at how purpose-led brands can create stronger differentiation, generate organic content, and grow without relying on big ad budgets.
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Dive in:
[06:38] Focusing on mission over product
[09:27] Designing meaningful, ethical hats
[11:34] Expanding beyond baseball caps
[15:13] Organic UGC and giftable packaging
[20:01] Sharing mental health stories and support
[22:42] Reducing customer acquisition costs
[23:54] Listen to Steve’s Top Tips!
A clear mission can make your brand easier to grow
Uncle Matt’s Hats shows how a strong mission can do more than inspire people. It can also sharpen your marketing. Steve explains that customers often buy into the purpose first, then the product second. That matters in crowded categories where products can look very similar. For eCommerce brands, a clear reason to exist can become your biggest point of difference. It gives customers something to remember, talk about, and come back for.
Product design should support the story, not just the sale
One of the smartest lessons in this episode is that product design can carry meaning. Steve did not just source a blank cap and add a logo. He built details into the hat that connect directly to the mental health mission. That makes the product feel more thoughtful and more valuable. For other eCommerce operators, this is a useful reminder: product decisions are marketing decisions too. The more your product tells the brand story, the less your ads have to do all the work.
Packaging can become a powerful growth channel
The packaging at Uncle Matt’s Hats is not just there to protect the product. It is designed to surprise people, create emotion, and encourage sharing. The oversized ice-cream tub makes customers want to film the unboxing and post it online. That creates user-generated content without the brand having to pay heavily for it. For eCommerce teams, this is a major takeaway. If packaging creates a moment worth sharing, it can help acquisition, retention, and gifting at the same time.
Every part of the customer journey should do more than one job
A strong theme in this conversation is efficiency. Steve talks about how every element of the business has to work harder because startup budgets are tight. The product supports the mission. The packaging creates content. The unboxing helps referrals. That mindset is useful for every eCommerce owner. When each touchpoint solves more than one business problem, growth becomes far more cost-effective.
Listen closely to customers when deciding what to launch next
The move into beanies and T-shirts did not come from chasing trends. It came from listening to what customers were already saying. People loved the brand but did not always wear baseball caps. That feedback created a simple expansion path. Many eCommerce brands guess what customers want next, but this episode shows a better approach. If you pay attention to buying behavior and customer comments, product expansion becomes much less risky.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Email marketing
Tool Top Tip
- AI note takers
Carbon Top Tip
- Use only the packaging materials you truly need. Keep it minimal, avoid single-use plastic, and choose recycled or sustainable materials wherever possible.
Interview links
Related Episodes
- How Priory Direct is Changing B2B eCommerce with Sustainable Packaging (episode 482)
- Balancing Growth and Purpose with Y.O.U Underwear’s Sarah Jordan (episode 492)
- How Asan Cup’s Social Sustainability Purpose Boosted eCommerce Sales with Ira Guha (episode 544)
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