SoaPen Makes Handwashing Fun

New York, N.Y.

Growing up in New Delhi — one of the most densely populated cities in the world — Shubham Issar learned how important thorough handwashing is to community health. But 20 seconds of hand washing often feels like an eternity to kids. 

Shubham realized that if she could make washing with soap fun, millions of children could avoid serious illnesses. In 2016, she co-founded SoaPen, a small business that makes soap-filled pens. Kids use the pens to draw designs on their hands, then wash away the soap along with germs and bacteria.

Shubham sells the pens through a Shopify-powered website, and she also advertises and sells them on Amazon. Using the platform’s cost-effective data-powered digital ads, she can easily reach thousands of potential customers — parents of young children — and see which marketing campaigns work best. Amazon also stores and ships Shubham’s products, ensuring they’re delivered quickly and saving her time and shipping costs on every order. 

“As an entrepreneur, I use every tool at my disposal to help my business succeed,” Shubham said. 

Shubham added that she hopes lawmakers and regulators understand that Amazon’s global audience, affordable marketing options and state-of-the-art logistics services make it an asset to small businesses. If the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) changes the way the platform works, small business sellers and their customers would be forced to use more expensive, less effective alternatives. 

“It’s easy to say that ‘big equals bad,’ but that’s not the full story,” she said. “Amazon offers us incredible value, and my business wouldn’t be thriving without it.”

Learn more about Shubham’s story and Soapen at https://soapen.com/.