April 29, 2025

Lavina Suthenthiran

“By shifting the content from entertainment to utility and embedding it right on retail product pages, The Desire Company tapped into something powerful: trust, education, and measurable conversion all in one.”

Exclusive interview with Eric Sheinkop, founder and CEO of The Desire Company, and Chase Binnie, CEO of RetailWire 

Eric Sheinkop’s journey started with a simple question to experts like NFL players and touring choreographers: “What’s in your bag?”

From game-day must-haves to wellness essentials used on the road, the goal was to spotlight products that real people actually rely on. It was compelling content; however, the real lightbulb moment came when Sheinkop realized the impact this kind of expert-driven storytelling could have at the point of purchase. By shifting the content from entertainment to utility and embedding it right on retail product pages, The Desire Company tapped into something powerful: trust, education, and measurable conversion all in one.

Sheinkop said, “Our content is getting over a million views a day because it’s on all these retailers, Target, Walmart, Tractor Supply, Best Buy, and they have hundreds of thousands of viewers a day each. And then our stuff lives on connected television and social media. So you’re talking about millions of people interacting with our content. It wasn’t about us creating that audience, it was about us creating the right content for the audience.” 

Sheinkop challenges the traditional idea of what makes up an “audience” by pointing out that in today’s landscape, anyone with attention, anyone with eyeballs, is effectively a media company. That’s the opportunity retail media offers. Whether it’s Walmart, Disney, or another major brand, these companies already have a steady flow of engaged visitors on their digital platforms. Because of that built-in traffic, they can operate like media companies by offering the same kinds of advertising, content, and monetization opportunities that traditional media platforms do.

During the conversation, Chase Binnie pointed out an important distinction in today’s content landscape: While many influencers are creating similar product-focused videos, with some even evolving into full-fledged agencies, there’s still a lingering question around trust and effectiveness.

He highlighted that what makes this expert-led content stand out is its ability to drive real results, not just impressions. As Binnie noted, the key is understanding how this kind of content delivers value both to the retailer and the brand. That led to a deeper discussion around where The Desire Company fits in this ecosystem and how its approach bridges that gap with measurable impact.

“So, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world because we live directly on the retailer’s website and they have all that information, so they could tell immediately if we’re making an impact or not. Versus social media influencers. They’ve got bots that are liking their content, fake comments, their reach is nowhere close to what they say it is,” Sheinkop explained. “And some of them aren’t doing it with any bad intention. It’s just that there are a lot of bots out there and bad actors on social media, whereas we sit in this whole ecosystem, it’s the retailer’s data. We’re not feeding them information and saying, here’s how many impressions and here’s how many clicks they’re telling us. And the most amazing thing about what we provide is you could tell from day one if it’s working or not.”

Sheinkop broke it down simply: When you have 100,000 people visiting a product page every day, the question becomes straightforward — does adding expert-led video content increase conversions or not? There’s no need for guesswork or vague metrics. The effectiveness of the content is measurable almost immediately, making it a clear value-add for retailers looking to drive real impact at the point of purchase.

“As long as you’re not throwing and testing a bunch of the same things at the exact same time and you’re putting one of our pieces of content and then two of our pieces of content, you learn a lot very quickly. And that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to activate with retailers so quickly,” Sheinkop continued.

As the conversation steered toward results, Binnie asked a key question: Is The Desire Company able to access sales data? Given that their content lives directly on retailer product pages, he wanted to know whether retailers share performance insights with the team, especially since they’re not just producing video, but actively shaping the customer journey at the point of sale.

Sheinkop explained that while access to sales data depends on the retailer, with some being more transparent than others, The Desire Company does receive key performance insights. And the results speak for themselves.

When their expert-led content is added to a product page, brands typically see a five to 12 times lift in sales — not just a percentage increase, but a multiple, which is a major leap. Products that require more consideration, such as those with an on/off switch or a plug, tend to perform even better with this kind of content. Why? Because the videos remove guesswork for the shopper. As Sheinkop puts it, they’re not just creating content, they’re delivering expert education that shows how a product works and what kind of results consumers can realistically expect.

“Typically, somebody becomes interested in a product, and then they start googling and doing their own third-party independent research. We’re putting that third-party expert review or product information directly at the point of sale. So, it saves people a lot of time, it helps them buy the right products the first time. And yes, conversion goes up significantly,” Sheinkop stated.

Binnie shared a personal example that highlighted the gap expert content can fill. While shopping for microphones at Best Buy, he asked a sales associate for a recommendation — but was met with uncertainty and vague gestures toward product labels. In that moment, he instinctively turned to YouTube to find reviews and trusted opinions. It drove home a critical point: Having access to expert guidance — whether in-store or online — can be the deciding factor in a purchase. As a shopper, he knew exactly where to go when the in-person support fell short, reinforcing the importance of credible, accessible expertise at the moment of decision.

Building on this point, Sheinkop expanded, “Well, the funny thing is we used to say having our content on your website is like having an expert in every aisle. Wherever you’re going, you have an expert there who’s able to educate you. Just like being in store.”

“Problem is, in store people aren’t as educated on the products as they used to be. This is a lot of people’s part-time gigs, summer jobs, whatever it might be, they don’t take it as seriously as they used to. So being able to provide our content in store along with online, it makes a huge difference for somebody who really wants to understand, ‘Is this the right product?’ For me they’ve got great return policies, but nobody wants to take a product and then it not be right for their intended use and then have to go back into the store and return it. We save all of that headache by just giving the shopper the right information, the expert information at the point of sale,” he added.

Binnie pointed out the rise of influencer marketing, which remains a major trend, but he also raised an important question: Are consumers beginning to trust expert-led videos more than influencer content? With authenticity once being the foundation of influencer marketing, it’s clear that a shift has taken place. As more influencers promote products, the line between genuine recommendations and paid promotions has blurred, leaving consumers more skeptical.

Sheinkop’s insight here was pivotal, as he believes that with expert-led content, shoppers can get the unbiased, trustworthy information they need, especially when it’s tied to clear, demonstrable results rather than personal endorsements.

“That’s the whole issue with influencer marketing. And it still works top-of-funnel. It still works to make people aware that a product exists,” Sheinkop said. “There are a couple of issues with them. One, they’re not getting the engagement or the views that they used to because all of the social media platforms are suppressing content unless you pay for it if they know there’s a brand involved. And then the second is people have become aware of what influencer marketing is. And the second somebody is aware that they’re being marketed to, it’s less effective. Now we’ve taken a very different approach… we’re being straight up as transparent as possible on our videos. It says real experts paid to be honest. They are aware that this person has a monetary relationship with the product or the retailer.”

He continued, “But there’s a lot more trust because they’re being very open about it. And what they’re doing differently than social media is they’re talking about how they’ve used it in real-life situations. Because everybody, they have to use our products for several weeks, if not months, before we allow them to do a review or a product recommendation on social media. It’s become very clear that people are taking it out of the box and reading what they’re supposed to say. Our videos are not like that. Our videos are, ‘I was given this product three weeks ago. I’ve been using it in my training sessions, or I’ve been using it while I’ve been cooking dinner. I’ve been using it with my child at nighttime. And here’s what I think. Here’s the results that you could expect and here’s who I recommend it for.’”

Sheinkop explained that expert-led content offers a distinct approach compared to influencer marketing. While their work is sometimes put into the same category, there’s a key distinction between the two. Influencer marketing is just one channel of communication, alongside celebrity endorsements, but neither provides the kind of expert education that their content delivers. When consumers are in the consideration phase of a purchase, much of the content they encounter is top-of-funnel, which focuses on creating awareness. In contrast, their content is designed for the lower-funnel stage, guiding consumers across the finish line and helping them make informed, confident buying decisions.

“Ironically, top-of-funnel is where you find people, and then in terms of e-commerce, you get to the product page, which is the lowest funnel you’re about to hit purchase, and there’s nobody there,” remarked Binnie.

Sheinkop agreed, noting that it’s crazy how the common response is to throw more money into driving traffic to a website. He posed an important question: If you’re already bringing 100,000 people to your site and getting a 2% conversion rate, would you rather invest in getting 120,000 visitors or focus on boosting your conversion rate from 2% to 5% or even 10%?

The key lies in what happens once people are already on the site. That’s where expert-led content comes in. Sheinkop emphasized that their focus is on providing valuable, expert-level information and education directly on the product page, whether in-store or online, to help increase conversions and make sure visitors are equipped to make informed purchasing decisions.