Show Notes | Series 1, Episode 2 | Holland Cooper
About our podcast
Brightpearl’s Lightning 50 E-Commerce Growth Hacking podcast, hosted by Caroline Baldwin, is a bitesize 15-minute podcast that gets under the hood of highly successful e-commerce brands to discover the key technologies they are using to power growth.
About our guest
Holland Cooper is a British luxury lifestyle brand specializing in women’s fashion. Launched in 2008, the brand started out on the events circuit, promoting its statement tweed garments at top events such as Cheltenham Races. Since then it’s built huge popularity in the premium sector for its country-inspired ‘investment pieces’, and operates DTC via its Shopify Plus website, as well as wholesale to independent outlets such as Jules B and Millbry Hill. The brand grew 243% in 2019/20. For this podcast, we spoke to Founder & CEO, Jade Holland Cooper.
Transcript highlights:
● “British tailoring is at the heart of the business and why I started in the first place. I noticed women tend to buy a luxury key piece but everything else high street - so I wanted our products to be at a price point that meant they could wear everything by us - for walking the dog, riding, skiing, a night out. Our staple garments aren’t intended for a season or trend but much longer.”
● “In the beginning we were all about the events circuit. It was before social media kicked off, so nothing like now when the website and online has become a central tool and asset to our business. The website is our shop window and the gateway to global sales.”
● “Our huge growth during lockdown was due to a number of factors. One thing was I started to personally engage with our customers through Instagram, and they started to really connect with our brand and who we are. I became more open about what was happening with us rather than maintaining a polished, ‘closed book’ front. I now respond to every single customer message, even if it’s 400 a day.”
● “In growth you will always face challenges - Covid was an enormous challenge operationally, logistically, from a stock perspective - and we had to manage that as a team. It’s how you learn from those bumps in the road and get better and stronger for the following year. We have great people on our team with real expertise, it’s a collaborative effort - and you have to be able to trust them so you can move forward.”
● “My main advice is when your business is growing, don’t be afraid to change up your systems. Every year you’re almost a different business, so your requirements will be different. Something we’ve been good at is picking systems that will grow with us, and Brightpearl has been great for that. When you’re multichannel there’s a challenge to find a system that fits with everything, but for five or six years it’s been a great connector for us and I think it will continue to be.”
● “We’re also using great tech for B2B like JOOR [a wholesale management platform], because wholesale has grown dramatically for us. There are further things we’re putting in place for other parts of the business, like more advanced warehouse systems, sample development and sample trackers.”
● “As you get bigger, all departments need streamlining systems. You need transparency, connectivity and communication across all of your departments so the business flows seamlessly.”
● “We’re striving to be bigger and better every year and getting the Lightning 50 recognition along the way is fantastic. Our consumers love the brand, we’re extending into overseas markets and it’s an incredibly exciting place for us to be in.”
Top takeaways
● Holland Cooper ranked 22nd place on the Brightpearl Lightning 50.
● That followed a 243% YOY revenue increase in 2019/20
● The tech they say was instrumental in their growth was Brightpearl, the Shopify Plus website, and taking a more personal approach on Instagram.
● The business is using JOOR as well as more sophisticated warehouse software in future to bolster its growing wholesale market.
● Jade claims being open with customers and responding personally to every message during Covid caused a huge boost in engagement with the brand.