How Ecommerce Brands Are Turning Everyday Essentials Into Premium Must-Haves
Touchland transformed hand sanitizer into a $700M brand with sleek design, beautiful photography, signature scents, proving even the basics can go premium. Source: https://touchland.com/
Creating demand in the premium market and elevated customers
Everyday products, once considered purely functional, are now being reimagined as stylish, premium experiences. From hand sanitizer to deodorant to toothpaste, ecommerce brands are finding new ways to create demand in categories once dominated by price and utility.
The shift is clear: aesthetics, storytelling, and emotional appeal are just as important as product performance. Customers are willing to pay more for daily-use items when they’re thoughtfully presented, sensorial, and aligned with personal style.
Here’s how brands are driving growth by elevating the basics.
What does it mean to “premiumize” an essential?
It’s the process of repositioning a utilitarian product as something aspirational. This typically involves upgraded packaging, a refined brand voice, and a focus on the emotional or sensory benefits of the product (not just the functional ones).
For example, instead of simply offering a hand sanitizer that “kills germs,” a brand might describe it as a “mood-boosting mist” in a “signature scent,” housed in a design-forward package.
Olive Ateliers, an aspirational lifestyle brand, has garnered a devoted following on social media for its aesthetic approach to e-commerce and premium content. Photo by BILLIONMONSTERS.
Key strategies brands are using to stand out
Prioritize a premium experience:
Websites are clean, visual, and mobile-optimized, often incorporating high-quality photography, dynamic elements, and motion to create a more immersive shopping experience.Lead with emotion in product copy:
Many brands borrow from fragrance and wellness industries to describe their products. Terms like “sensory journey,” “uplifting,” and “refreshing” help shift the conversation from function to feeling.Keep things fresh:
New scents, seasonal drops, and limited collaborations give shoppers reasons to return and collect. These releases also create shareable moments on social media and reinforce brand relevance.Encourage bundling to raise AOV:
Instead of selling products individually, brands offer bundles with complementary items, subscription options, or tiered pricing to increase cart size and repeat purchase rates.Offer lifestyle add-ons:
Accessories like travel cases, organizers, or refillable containers serve both a functional and stylistic purpose, while adding incremental revenue at checkout.
Conclusion
The playbook for ecommerce growth is changing. Essentials no longer have to be generic or low-cost to win. By elevating the product experience—from design and copy to bundling and newness—brands are carving out space in crowded markets and building deeper customer loyalty.
Whether you’re launching a new product or refreshing an old one, consider how your brand can bring everyday utility into a more premium, emotionally resonant space. It could be your biggest growth lever yet.
