The bath and body care brand, which has amassed 3 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, has spent the last year employing an AI-driven community management tool to analyze comments, direct messages, and other interactions across its social channels. Initially adopted to accelerate customer response times, the tool has since evolved into a comprehensive system for detecting product demand, gauging sentiment around launches, and guiding innovation decisions. Since deploying this AI solution, Tree Hut reports a 430% year-over-year growth in social engagements. Tree Hut operates under Naterra, a family-owned personal-care company headquartered in Coppell, Texas, with other brands in its portfolio such as Baby Magic, Splash, and Bdy. In an interview with Modern Retail, Sarah Craig, associate director of integrated media at Naterra, explained how Tree Hut leverages AI to analyze community feedback and how these insights influence everything from scent choices to future brand experiences. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. How is Tree Hut currently using AI? “It began as a simple initiative to use AI to maintain more active engagement with our community across social platforms. Tree Hut is a community-first brand with a vast audience and strong organic reach across channels, so we needed to respond more quickly and efficiently to DMs, comments, and questions. We adopted an AI tool for this purpose. Using this tool, we developed a system embedded within the comments and conversations our audience has — covering topics like desired new products or scents, preferred formats, and collaboration ideas. Over time, we accumulated a large database of recurring requests, allowing us to move beyond basic community management and start leveraging AI insights strategically to inform product development, innovation, and new-launch planning. ” Can you share an example of AI’s impact on product development? “A perfect example is Cinnamon Dolce, a beloved vault scent within our community. Traditionally, we brought it back seasonally during the holidays in our Shea Sugar Scrub, our flagship product. For years, customers requested its permanent return, national availability, and expansion into other formats like shave oil or body wash.

While we knew there was interest, AI enabled us to quantify that demand clearly. We detected thousands of mentions and requests. By linking mentions to specific scents and formats via AI, the volume became undeniable. This insight allowed us to align with our spring launch and broaden Cinnamon Dolce’s presence into additional formats such as Hydroglow Body Lotion and Foaming Gel Wash. ” What about marketing? “Cinnamon Dolce is actually featured at the conclusion of our Super Bowl ad. That moment was inspired entirely by insights gathered from our community through AI. ” How else is AI applied beyond product decisions? “We also use AI to monitor sentiment related to our launches and marketing campaigns. It provides us with granular, real-time insight into audience reactions—often from day one, long before sales data is available. This enables us to track how a launch performs and identify potential adjustments for future cycles. For instance, during a fall collaboration with Peanuts, we observed an overwhelming demand for more customized collectible units specific to the partner. This helps us gauge the level of investment or exclusives to extend for future collaborations with other brands or intellectual properties. ” How do you envision AI influencing Tree Hut’s future strategy? “What we accomplished with Cinnamon Dolce now serves as a model for how we approach launches and craft experiences that genuinely reflect what our community requests. ”