Why PopSockets picked Best Buy for its newest exclusive product launch
David Barnett, founder and chairman of PopSockets, says the brand is one that is centered around both style and utility.
PopSockets is known for its popular button-shaped phone accessory or “phone grip.” It is a category that PopSockets pioneered, and one that didn’t exist before the invention of the smartphone. In turn, the company has had to create its own playbook for category expansion.
How PopSockets has sought to grow the category, then, is by launching distinct products that appeal to customers who are attracted to PopSockets’ utilitarian features, and other products that appeal to more fashion-focused shoppers. That’s exemplified by PopSockets’ latest product launch.
This week, PopSockets is launching a new version of the company’s phone grip that allows the phone to sit in portrait mode for taking videos or scrolling through TikTok. “We recognized a growing family of pain points around our lack of a portrait stand,” Barnett said.
For this new product, PopSockets decided to tap Best Buy as the exclusive retail partner at launch. PopSockets is sold at other retailers, like Target, but PopSockets thought the new product would appeal most directly to Best Buy’s tech-focused consumers. The new grip that’s designed for portrait mode became available May 25 on the PopSockets’ website as well as through Best Buy’s stores and website, with two colors exclusive to Best Buy: navy and silver.
In 2010, Barnett came up with the concept of a PopSocket when he was looking for a way to stop his earbud cord from getting tangled. He glued two buttons to the back of his phone and wrapped his earbud cord around the buttons. Barnett launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 for an iPhone case with two built-in grips and launched the company in 2014.
In 2024, PopSockets named a new CEO, Jiayu Lin, who has said her priority is to position PopSockets as more of a lifestyle brand. To do so, it has rolled out other accessories like wallets, chargers, cases and mounts. The brand is also focused on doing more licensing partnerships with franchises like Warner Bros. and Disney to introduce itself to new customers. Exclusives with retail partners are another priority — six months ago, PopSockets launched an exclusive collection of magnetic phone grips with Apple.
“We’re trying to form an emotional connection with our user, something that’s comfortable, stylish and part of their lifestyle,” Barnett said. “But we do keep a careful eye on utility. Utility matters, so as solutions come out with new utility — different stands, different stand capabilities — we certainly want to ensure that our products also have those capabilities, though they include the DNA of PopSockets: the comfort, durability, fidgetability and style.”
The new phone accessory is compatible with the wireless MagSafe technology found on Apple’s newer phones, and it also includes an adapter for other phones and cases. PopSockets’ pro product line of MagSafe-compatible grips, wallets and chargers, according to the company, has already surpassed its classic adhesive grips in combined sales.
At Best Buy, Bennett said, customers are more discerning about quality and features, and employees are more willing to explain what a product can do, so it made sense for this particular launch.
“Our Target consumer might lean slightly more towards the style side — not to say that the Best Buy consumer is not sensitive to style,” Barnett said. “At Best Buy, there’s a greater emphasis on the core solutions. And of course, the style matters to the final choice the consumer makes, but since we’re introducing a new solution, it really made sense to partner with Best Buy.”
Until landing on the kick-out format, Barnett said, for at least six years, the company had been toying with different concepts to allow the grip to be used in portrait mode — like, for example, changing the shape of the PopSocket into a rectangle. “We were just not happy with any of them,” he said. “They all changed the form factor of the grip greatly.”
Without sharing any details yet, he added that different product types are on the way, including one that has an entertainment aspect to it that he hopes to launch within the next year.
“We have something very exciting; it faces some real challenges, engineering challenges and, gosh, I can’t tell you much more about that,” he said. “It’s not just a grip, but it really brings a lot of entertainment to people.”