In the e-commerce world, it’s rare to find personalized service. In some ways, it’s the nature of the channel. But Active Oasis, an outdoor e-commerce store founded in 2021 by Anthony Yodice, aims to break that mold by offering outdoor products that fit every customer’s needs.
The company started off different than it is today, as it sold mostly outdoor products for camping, motocross and other outdoor activities. However, as the company was a drop-shipper, the product wasn’t as high value as it needed to be to grow the business. That’s when Yodice pivoted to home design and began educating himself.
“After spending about two years in the space and getting to know a lot of designers, I figured out where I wanted to be” he said. “And when we started out, I cold-called designers throughout California and New York for three to six months just to understand a little more about design and see what it is I could offer them to make their lives easier. During that time, I got to understand what the designers do and how they build.”
Jumping in, Yodice is focusing on fire features right now, with a few various items like saunas and outdoor kitchen products. And soon, he will start carrying outdoor furniture.
“We believe in essentially providing people what they need to create their outdoor oasis, which is kind of a play on words with our name. We want to supply everyday people with the ability to make their backyard their favorite place. Right now, we are building around the central idea that we want people to connect and sit around a fire and have a conversation area. It’s not just something that looks cool for your backyard, but it creates a focal point that brings people in.”
Yodice says he doesn’t just put any products on the site. Each item is tested, and every brand is heavily researched. And unlike other e-commerce sites, when a customer chooses a product, he speaks with them directly to make sure they’re getting what they need.
“Many e-commerce companies try to sell the entire United States, but I live in New York City and have been getting in contact with different contractors and designers here in my own city where I can meet with people one-on-one, versus having to call them from across the country and talk with them,” Yodice said. “I’m trying to get down to the pavement and get information out to people so that when they’re here, I can walk them through what it is we can provide them. This is especially true for the outdoor kitchen space. I’m nowhere near a designer, but I act as a guide and sit down with customers to figure out what they’re looking for.”
Getting into the game in 2021, the timing didn’t make the entrance into the e-commerce world easy for Yodice. But with continued education, he’s found a way to not only survive, but thrive.
“I’ve learned a lot about the e-commerce business, like not to rely too heavily on Google ads,” he said. “I’ve done a lot more of SEO work, and I’ve talked with other e-commerce brands and small local businesses about this, and I feel like the smartest thing for somebody who wants to do e-commerce is to find a niche where they can kind of get it out with the SEO and be able to use good keywords. Relying on ads is almost like a curse and you become enslaved to Google’s algorithm.”
Yodice plans to continue to focus on fire features for the rest of the year and, hopefully, bring in outdoor furniture in January 2026. His next move is hunting for suppliers.
“We want to start the process of adding more outdoor suppliers because I want to have a runway ready for when it’s prime selling time.”
