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How Nick Perry and Peter Winkle launched global optical business Bailey Nelson, and how Afterpay has helped them grow.

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Launching any business means making sacrifices – and that was certainly true for the co-founders of <a href="https://baileynelson.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bailey Nelson</a>.By any definition, by their late twenties, Nick Perry and Peter Winkle had excelled in their careers; Perry was working with the founding team at The ICONIC, while Winkle, an ex-management consultant, was set to take up a full scholarship at the University of Oxford.And yet another future beckoned; the pair had spotted a niche in the optometry market, and were convinced that a business selling stylish, modern glasses at competitive prices had potential to be successful.

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So, Perry left his job and Winkle turned down Oxford – and instead they set up a stall at North Bondi markets.&nbsp;It was, they admit, a humbling experience.&nbsp;“We literally had a table with a white plastic tablecloth over it with 20 frames laid out,” recalls Perry. “Most of our friends lived in Bondi, so basically anytime we saw someone we would hide under the table.”&nbsp;When Winkle’s parents – understandably perplexed by their son’s decision to jettison a place at Oxford – visited their stall, the pair memorably failed to sell a single pair of glasses.&nbsp;“Things were very, very tense,” remembers Perry.

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Fortunately, the business soon grew, and within a few months, Bailey Nelson opened its first store in William St, Paddington. Today, a decade later, the brand has more than 110 stores in four countries, as well as a thriving online business.Despite Bailey Nelson’s rapid expansion, Winkle and Perry’s vision has remained the same since inception. “We pride ourselves on providing incredible glasses, incredibly good prices and a great customer experience in store,” says Winkle.The pair credit their success to a great product, hard work, attracting the right talent – and perfect timing; when Bailey Nelson launched the retail optometry landscape was ripe for innovation, they say.

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"The pair credit their success to a great product, hard work, attracting the right talent – and perfect timing."

“When Peter and were looking to start the business [shopping for glasses] was a very medical experience. The optometrist we used to go to didn’t have a lot of passion for what they were doing, and the prices were unbelievably high. So, it was kind of a grudge purchase,” Perry says.&nbsp;Plus, having studied mechanical engineering, Perry could see that most optical frames were fairly inexpensive to manufacture – but sold with a huge mark-up. “I just thought it was extraordinary. It seemed like such a high margin."

Today, Bailey Nelson has evolved into a full-service optometry business, offering eyewear, retail, sunglasses, contact lenses and optometry services.Just as Winkle and Perry have taken an innovative approach to optometry, they have been similarly forward-thinking in their approach to payments, and, in 2018 Bailey Nelson became the first optical retailer to partner with Afterpay. Today, all their stores offer Afterpay or Clearpay.“We would recommend to every merchant that they should be working with Afterpay,” says Winkle.The business took on Afterpay after customers – especially younger customers – began asking for it, and at first, says Perry, they didn’t understand the value of the payments platform – or the younger generations’ aversion to credit. “I’m an older Millennial and I’ve always had credit cards,” says Perry. “So, I didn’t get it at the start. But you have to follow the younger customers – they are the trendsetters.”

Today, Afterpay allows Bailey Nelson customers to purchase glasses or other optical products when they need them and pay them off in instalments. Offering this kind of flexibility is critical for customer-centric brands, says Winkle, especially those in the health space.&nbsp;“Buying glasses is a necessity not a desire. People need them for work and home, so we believe it’s important to have different payment options.”And the Afterpay partnership has benefited Bailey Nelson, too. Customers who pay with Afterpay spend, on average, 10 per cent more than other customers at Bailey Nelson. They also shop more frequently with the brand. Meanwhile, Afterpay Day drives awareness and last year a 41 per cent spike in sales.“Afterpay has played an important role in our business journey up until this point and will so in the future.”

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How Nick Perry and Peter Winkle launched global optical business Bailey Nelson, and how Afterpay has helped them grow


How Nick Perry and Peter Winkle launched global optical retailer Bailey Nelson, and how Afterpay has helped them grow

Bailey Nelson's innovative vision for the optometrist indutry

Inside Bailey Nelson’s vision for a new type of optometrist

How design company Orbitkey landed on the perfect approach to Afterpay Day – and quadrupled its revenue as a result.

Announcing when a brand is having a sale is a fine art: do it too early, and you won’t be able to meet daily sales targets as people wait for the sale to begin; but do it too late, and you’ll miss out on a slew of new customers.For <a href="https://www.orbitkey.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Orbitkey</a> e-commerce and marketing lead Hans Suhartanto, there’s a magic number, which he figured out in the third year of participating in <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/afterpay-day-merchants" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Afterpay Day</a>.&nbsp;“Three to four days is a good time to announce that we’ve joined the event,” he says. “If we promote earlier, people will hold back. Three to four days strikes a balance between the customer knowing about Afterpay Day and also maintaining consistent daily sales.”

Preparation and clear communication are key. Suhartanto says his team prepares for Afterpay Day two months before the event, collecting assets and creating stories, videos, email content and posts that will be unleashed a few days before the event.“We do it mostly through our social channels, such as Instagram and Facebook, and we try different things each year,” he says.Afterpay gives brands <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/afterpay-day-merchants/marketing-toolkit-online" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a banner to use during the promotion</a>, but Suhartanto believes companies must use their own style in order to differentiate themselves.“There are a lot of brands that participate in the event, so while useful, that makes the Afterpay asset similar. What works best for us is to combine the look and feel of Afterpay Day branding with our own style, such as our images and videos, so that the customer can understand our products and recognise them straight away.”

Suhartanto recommends promoting a brand’s distinct offerings clearly and prominently. “Make it easy for the customer to know which product is discounted. What works for us is a site-wide promotion using a single discount value of 15 per cent for most stock, except the newest releases.”

"What works best for us is to combine the look and feel of Afterpay Day branding with our own style..."

Because the event is short (four days), Suhartanto says it’s important to have a varied strategy, which includes paid advertising on social media alongside a brand’s own unique content.“There’s no room to test and learn on the day – you have to have it all organised beforehand to get the most value out of the event.”

The company also stands by <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/email-marketing/how-to-build-an-email-list-from-scratch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">email marketing</a>: converting a person who’s already signed up to the brand’s emails is much easier than someone who just “stumbles” on Orbitkey, Suhartanto advises.“Brand awareness means a potential pool of new customers, and we tend to target that group during Afterpay Day.”

Afterpay Day has not only increased awareness of the brand, with referrals from the Afterpay Shop Directory increasing by 7000 per cent, but quadrupled Orbitkey’s total revenue. &nbsp;“Afterpay is widely recognised by Australian consumers: it’s a trusted brand, and helps drive awareness online and offline,” Suhartanto says. "It's also similar in nature to Black Friday. It gives us a lot of impact.”

How design company Orbitkey landed on the perfect approach to Afterpay Day – and quadrupled its revenue as a result.

Orbitkey's perfect suite of marketing tactics tools enabled it to quadruple its revenue during Afterpay Day.

How Orbitkey approached - and won -Afterpay Day

Orbitkey’s three-pronged approach to Afterpay Day

How Orbitkey landed on the perfect suite of tools to promote Afterpay Day

Ana Piteira is the serial entrepreneur behind Blanca, Reliquia Jewellery and three other retail brands. She shares her tips.

You may not know her name, but you’re almost certainly familiar with Ana Piteira’s work. Her colourful, striped shirts have become a style staple – seen across Australia from bars to the beach – with a patchwork aesthetic that’s inspired countless imitations.And yet, incredibly, right up until the moment Piteira launched her fashion label <a href="https://blanca.shop/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Blanca</a>, she wasn’t sure it would be successful. “I just thought, ‘Let’s just put it online and see what happens. Maybe no one will like it.’”“Everything is quite experimental for me,” she continues.Blanca is the latest in a string of successful experiments for Piteira, who has established herself as one of Australia’s leading fashion entrepreneurs, having launched not one but four other brands – <a href="https://reliquiacollective.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reliquia Jewellery</a>, <a href="https://valetstudio.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Valet Studio</a>, <a href="https://respiro.studio/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Respiro Studio</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aeyre_home/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aeyre Home</a> – as well as a public relations agency, <a href="https://www.suenocommunications.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sueno Communications</a>.Of all her brands, Blanca is the biggest, and Reliquia, a cool-girl, gold jewellery brand, the most established. Together, all five businesses confirm Piteira’s talent for identifying trends and building brands. Recently, Piteira moved to a dedicated 400sqm warehouse in Sydney to accommodate growth.“I’m the kind of person who’ll say, ‘Yes’ and then work out how to do it later,” says Piteira of her ability to juggle five brands at once. “I just try and take every opportunity. I like learning on the job.”

“I’m the kind of person who’ll say, ‘Yes’ and then work out how to do it later.”

Building brandsA key part of Piteira’s success has been creating aspirational, distinctive – and distinct – brands. Early on, she decided that rather than launching one overarching business, offering jewellery, hair accessories and clothing, she would build individual brands, each with their own websites, social media followings and identities. Hence, Valet only produces hair accessories, Reliquia is known for gold jewellery and Aeyre only offers homewares.“Reliquia was the first brand [I built] and I thought it had a really strong aesthetic and identity,” says Piteira. “I didn’t want to dilute that when I introduced Valet, which was next. Valet involved different materials – it was predominantly resin and really colourful and bright. I thought there would definitely be overlap, but I didn’t know that [the two brands] would necessarily [attract] the same girl.”As it turned out, Reliquia performed strongly in Australia, whereas the more irreverent, playful Valet found greater international success, including with stockists like Selfridges and Liberty. “So, I think they are different customers and that ultimately it was the right decision to separate them,” she says.Using content to engage customersThe benefit of building separate brands is that whenever Piteira launches a new business, she cross-promotes it to customers of her existing brands using content.“We create a lot of content where we use the brands altogether and show the customer how it can be styled together. Our EDMs usually entail products from all our categories. We want to introduce our customers to the idea that we are a collective world, [and show that] you can seamlessly style everything together.”The importance of User-Generated ContentAs a public relations specialist, Piteira is, unsurprisingly, a huge proponent of PR. “I really believe in PR, obviously, but I think it’s an ever-changing environment. Its relevance is always shifting. When I started out it was all about print media. Now, it’s very much about digital and user-generated content (USG).”

"I really believe in PR, obviously, but I think it’s an ever-changing environment."

In fact, USG has played an important role in building all Piteira’s brands. “[User-generated content] is a ‘win-win.’ It’s really nice to see your brand being worn by different people in different ways… It’s a really fun and exciting way of getting content for a brand, [plus it’s amazing to see] the results it can drive.”However, she adds that <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/social-media-tips/influencer-marketing-small-business" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">influencer</a> marketing and USG only works when it’s authentic. “I think the audience now is super savvy. So, it’s about [knowing] where your brand is resonating with its audience, and finding the right partners [to collaborate with].”Bricks-and-mortar benefitsTwo years ago, Piteira took her first steps into brick-and-mortar retail and opened a boutique in Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction. She views the store, which is bright and colourful, as “an extension of [our] online presence”.“I think the role of a physical store these days is quite different to how it used to be. It’s not only about the sales that you’re generating, it’s about having a showroom for your product where people can go and see, touch and feel the range,” she says, adding “I really do believe a lot of them go [into the store] and then purchase online”&nbsp;

“I think the role of a physical store these days is quite different."

Partnering wisely&nbsp;Along with <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/social-media-tips/instagram-influencers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">influencers</a> and a physical presence, carefully chosen stockists have also played a key role in amplifying the brands. “We’ve been focused on wholesale from day one,” says Piteira, who was able to draw on her experience and contacts from her sales and PR business to get her brands into retailers like The ICONIC and David Jones.&nbsp;“Stockists are really important in terms of being showrooms for your brand. There’s a customer discovery there that would perhaps not otherwise occur when you’re in different stores. I think it’s similar to working with <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/social-media-tips/influencer-marketing-examples" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">influencers</a> – it’s nice to see your product in different stores and to see buyers buy from a different perspective.”Afterpay has been another key growth partner, says Piteira. “Afterpay is a really valuable service to a lot of customers. Customers love it, so in order to provide the best customer experience we partnered with [the BNPL platform].”Piteira adds that there is a natural alignment between her brands and the Afterpay customer. “I think Afterpay has done a really amazing job of capturing the retail market and our customer is a pretty trend-driven customer, too.”A renewed focus on <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/customer-retention/customer-retention-rate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">retention</a>Heading into 2023, Piteira intends to double down on <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/customer-retention/customer-retention-strategies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">retention</a> marketing. “We’re developing a <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/marketing/customer-loyalty-program" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">loyalty program</a> and we’ll be focusing on communicating directly with our customer and giving them content that is interesting to them and that they want to engage with without necessarily only pushing product all the time.”With acquisition costs rising and <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/boosting-profitability/preparing-for-inflation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inflationary pressures</a> growing, she says that the days of driving revenue by investing only in Google or social media ads are over. “It’s going to require so much more effort to not only engage customers but then retain them. We want to shift our focus to looking after our customers and making sure that we continue to provide them with a good experience time and time again – not just once."

Meet Ana Piteira, the serial entrepreneur behind Blanca, Reliquia Jewellery and more.

Ana Piteira, the serial entrepreneur behind Blanca, Reliquia Jewellery and more, explains why PR, stockists and USG are crucial to her brands' success.

Ana Piteira: The founder of Blanca, Reliquia, on launching six brands

The secrets to launching six successful businesses

Blanca Reliquia Ana Piteria

How making customers feel heard is the secret to Empress Athleticus’ success.

When it comes to buying clothes, women who are considered ‘plus-sized’ face more challenges than most, and no one knows that better than Brittany Lewin, a proud size 16-18 and the co-founder of activewear brand <a href="https://www.empressathleticus.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Empress Athleticus</a>.Lewin and her friend, lawyer Kristy Perdriau, launched Empress Athleticus (which offers activewear in sizes six to 30) in 2020, after becoming frustrated by the fashion industry’s attitude towards plus-sized women.

“Lots of brands talk about being body positive, but they do it because they have to, not because they want to,” says Lewin, who adds that, too often, plus-sized clothing is ill-fitting and lacking in style. Fed up with fashion brands co-opting the language of inclusivity without truly serving their plus-sized customers, Lewin and Perdriau were determined to prove that there was a market for high-quality, well-fitting activewear for all sizes.

They didn’t have to wait long. On the night that Empress Athleticus launched, the brand’s first batch of black garments sold out in less than an hour. The next batch sold out, too, and by the end of the brand’s first year in business, Empress Athleticus was turning over seven figures in sales.Today, with sales still growing month on month, the brand also boasts an impressively high 70 per cent monthly retention rate.<h2>Creating a close relationship with customers</h2>&nbsp;A large part of the brand’s success – and a major reason for its repeated sell-outs – is its close relationship with customers. “We really focus on retaining our customers and looking after them,” says Lewin. “It’s about quality versus quantity of customers.”

Key to this is a small but extremely loyal Facebook Group or ‘fan page’ that Lewin and Perdriau have cultivated around the brand. “They tell us what they want, how they want it and when,” explains Lewin of the 6000-strong group, which she describes as the brand’s “heart”.Whenever Empress Athleticus releases a new range, they showcase the collection to their Facebook Group first and offer it on pre-sale. Members also have the opportunity to ask questions or make suggestions.&nbsp;The group grew partly from Lewin’s personal social media following (as a businesswoman and plus-sized model she has 16,000 followers on Instagram and 24,000 on TikTok). However, she and Perdriau have also worked hard to promote the group and elicit feedback from customers. “We are always asking our customers for feedback. We value everyone and we have a suggestion at the bottom of every order that says: ‘Follow our fan page and give us your feedback’” says Lewin.“Any feedback is good,” she affirms, “good or bad – because you want to know how you can grow as a business.”

“Any feedback is good – good or bad – because you want to know how you can grow as a business.”

<h2>Fit and the feel-good factor</h2>Another key to Empress Athleticus’ success is the fit of its products. Unlike many brands that offer plus-sized garments that are simply ‘sized up’ from a cookie-cutter size six pattern and don’t take into account different body shapes, Empress Athleticus has a unique grading system. Developed after a decade of experience, "each size is tested and approved on our fit models, family, friends and feedback from customers,” says Lewin.&nbsp;The brand is also careful to ensure that garments are sized correctly and offer plenty of stretch so that customers don’t feel they need to choose a size up. “It’s about making customers feel comfortable and confident knowing they can purchase the same size no matter what product they choose.”This is also the rationale behind the brand’s authentic approach to photography, with many of Empress Athleticus’ products shot on Lewin herself, with minimal retouching."I leave all my cellulite in there – everything. It helps our customers feel more confident and comfortable to see a plus-size woman absolutely rocking her lumps and bumps. It’s really, really important to us.”

<h2>Leaning into change</h2>Early on in the business, Lewin noticed a bolt of leftover material and decided to experiment with making size-inclusive underwear. “I had a pattern in mind, and we decided to just make it and see what happened,” says Lewin. “And it sold out in 10 minutes. Everybody loved them.”Today intimates make up 40 per cent of the brand’s revenue, and Lewin says this success is a lesson in leaning into unexpected opportunities.<h2>Offering a range of payment options</h2>Afterpay has also played a major factor in Empress Athleticus’ success, with 40 per cent of customers using the buy now, pay later service.“I am personally a massive fan of Afterpay, and as a business owner I wanted to offer it to our customers,” says Lewin, who adds that events such as Support Small and Afterpay Day have become key dates in Empress Athleticus’ marketing calendar.“I know there are other companies like it out there, but Afterpay is just trusted,” she says. “If you don’t offer it as a business, you lose out on a massive demographic.”

How making customers feel heard is the secret to Empress Athleticus’ success

The co-founder of Empress Athleticus’ success Brittany Lewin explains how the plus-sized brand achieved success.

Empress Athleticus: the plus-sized brand making seven figures

The plus-sized brand that became a seven-figure success

Success story Empress Athleticus

Inside the success of men’s health platform Mosh.

It was bad enough to be experiencing hair loss in his early 20s, but when lawyer-turned-management-consultant Gabe Baker went searching for treatment, things somehow got worse.The large hair loss treatment clinics he visited turned out to be expensive and determined to lock him into a long-term contract. Plus, he adds, as a self-conscious young 20-something, “it was a fairly embarrassing experience walking into a hair loss clinic”.

"It was a fairly embarrassing experience walking into a hair loss clinic.”

Baker was sure there was a better way – and after talking it through with his flatmate, financial consultant David Narunsky, the pair decided to launch a business that offered hair loss consultations and treatments online using telehealth.“Bringing the whole model online solved a lot of the issues,” says Baker. “It meant you could [deliver the services] in a discreet way. And you also cut out all the real estate costs and could therefore offer a cheaper and more affordable solution to potential customers.”Providing home delivery for products made treatment even more convenient and discreet for customers. “You don’t even have to worry about going for repeat prescriptions or frequent visits to the pharmacy.”It was a neat end-to-end solution, but even Baker and Narunsky couldn’t have predicted how successful their business, <a href="https://www.getmosh.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mosh</a>, would become.

Just five years since the pair dreamed up the idea from their Bondi flat, Mosh has more than 50,000 customers, attracted three rounds of investment and been valued at $90m. It has also expanded into other men’s health areas including weight loss, erectile dysfunction and mental health.&nbsp;“Guys are pretty bad when it comes to being proactive about our health care,” says Narunsky. “Mosh as a platform is focused on making men’s health easier.”<h2>Bootstrapping vs borrowing</h2>At first, Mosh grew thanks to Narunsky and Baker’s sheer determination (“We would come home every day with a passion to do a bit more. That passion or fire was always there.”) and their own savings.Looking back, the pair say that <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/boosting-profitability/bootstrapping-business" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bootstrappin</a>g was the right choice for them. “For me, finding the right product, and market fit and validating the concept before going out to market for funding makes a lot of sense,” says Narunsky.Later, their background in finance and management consultancy helped them structure the funding deals they secured for Mosh.<h2>Why marketing matters</h2>&nbsp;What neither Narunsky or Baker had experience in was marketing – and early on they admit they underestimated its importance.“We were overly focused on product and one of the big learnings for me is that you have to have a solid go-to marketing strategy in place as you’re building your product. Otherwise, you end up with a perfect product…but nobody knows about it.”

They quickly rectified this by making marketing one of their first hires, and today Mosh, which has a stylish, modern website, has a number of sports sponsorships in place to boost brand awareness.“It’s about entering into ‘purposeful partnerships’,” says Narunsky, pointing to Mosh’s sponsorship of Melbourne’s St Kilda Football Club, which has a dedicated mental health and wellness facility for players. “There’s a really nice alignment there between our mental health offering and what they have built.”<h2>How Mosh uses content throughout the funnel</h2>Another key marketing strategy is content. Today, Mosh offers an extensive database of engaging articles about men’s health. “We really try to break down the stigma surrounding a lot of the issues that we’re trying to treat.”Not only does Mosh’s content, delivered by <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/email-marketing/what-is" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">email marketing</a> and <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/social-media-tips/small-business-social-media-guide" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">social media</a>, keep the brand front of mind with customers, but it helps educate customers and raise awareness of additional products and services available on Mosh.“We’ve been able to start conversations… what’s really interesting is the majority of our customers are treating a condition for the first time. We’re really building out a new market here.”

<h2>Maintaining the right mindset</h2>Throughout Mosh’s business journey, Baker and Narunsky say that maintaining a positive mindset has been key. “Building a business is hard,” says Narunsky. “There are no free lunches! And we are operating a complicated business.&nbsp;“It’s highly regulated, there are lots of stakeholders – we’re dealing with medical professionals, we’re dealing with customers, we’re dealing with a range of different categories,” says Narunsky, adding that scaling and securing investment is also particularly challenging right now.“But I’m a big believer in having the right team, having the right mindset,” says Narunsky. Because if you’re in the entrepreneurial space, you’re going to be facing battles.”<h2>The pandemic push</h2>One battle that Mosh initially faced was convincing doctors and patients of the validity of telehealth.“Before the pandemic, we had to go and speak at conferences or events and we’d have to try and explain to people that it’s not illegal to consult your doctor online. We would always say, ‘Raise your hand if you know that you can speak to your doctor online’ and barely anyone would raise their hand.”The global pandemic changed all of that, says Baker.<h2>Partnering with Afterpay</h2>Another boost to the business has been Afterpay, which Mosh partnered with early on.“Our customers were demanding it as an option,” says Baker, who adds that offering Afterpay has increased Mosh’s reach. “It’s expanded the pool of available users to us because there’s a huge chunk of the population looking to shop online with flexible payment options.”

Inside the success of men’s health platform Mosh

Founders of men's health platform Mosh, Gabe Baker and David Narunksy, explain how they built their business, and how marketing and content fueled its growth.

Mosh: from Bondi bedroom to $90m business

From Bondi bedroom to multimillion-dollar business

Mosh success story 

A customer-first approach, luxurious experience and Afterpay have helped grow this Bendigo hair salon.

They say that location is everything, and that was certainly the case for <a href="https://www.hairfolk.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hairfolk</a> founders Jemma Lea and Georgia Hosking.The pair had both worked as hairdressers for 15 years when Lea happened to spot a beautiful, vacant heritage building on the main street of Bendigo.“I drove past one day and saw that it was for lease and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, that would make such a great salon’. I called Georgia and was like, ‘Do you want to open a salon together?’”That was in 2018. Fast forward four years and their hairdressing salon Hairfolk is a huge success, welcoming 150 clients, including 20 first-timers, through its doors every week.

<h3>Growing the business</h3>Instagram played a huge role in the early days of Hairfolk. Although Lea and Hosking were able to bring their existing clients to Hairfolk, social media enabled them to showcase their work.“Having a good presence on <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/social-media-tips/small-business-social-media-guide" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">social media </a>really kick-started the business. We knew Instagram was going to be a big part of our journey,” says Lea. “Obviously word of mouth and your reputation plays into success, but when people can actually see your work, it makes a big difference.”Right from the start, Lea and Hosking were also focused on offering more than just a haircut or treatment, and instead providing a luxurious, <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/customer-service/customer-centricity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">customer-centric</a> experience that clients would want to return to.

<h3>How Hairfolk puts clients first</h3>At Hairfolk, <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/customer-service/customer-service" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">customer experience</a> is everything. Not only is the salon set in a striking heritage building, with sleekly luxurious and light-filled interiors, but upon arrival, clients can enjoy a complimentary espresso or glass of bubbles. When they’re ready to leave the salon, looking and feeling fresh, they can choose to use <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Afterpay</a>.“People want experiences and they're happy to pay for them,” says Lea. “When someone comes in after having their kids all day, or they’re with their girlfriends getting ready to go out, they want that extra luxury.”Lea understands that for many of her clients, a visit to the salon can be a vital act of self-care or a splurge they’ve been looking forward to for weeks. Afterpay allows clients to enjoy this experience while paying off the cost in instalments.&nbsp;

<h3>Afterpay enables high-end treatments</h3>Hairfolk is known for its on-trend offerings such as balayage and hair extensions – both of which can be costly, especially when specialist products are required for maintenance. Afterpay allows clients to pay for these services over time.“Afterpay is something we always wanted and needed within our business,” says Lea. “Particularly for those bigger jobs, like hair extensions, we definitely notice it can extend people’s spending further. Afterpay can be the difference between someone taking home some shampoo and conditioner or opting out completely.”When it comes to smaller services, like haircuts and blowouts, Lea says Afterpay can still be the reason their clients choose Hairfolk over other local salons. She also notes that the increased spending she sees from clients using Afterpay more than makes up for the product’s service fees.

<h3>Afterpay eases friction</h3>For the last six months, Hairfolk’s clients have been able to use Afterpay just by tapping their phone on the salon’s EFTPOS terminal. It’s a process that Lea believes further removes anxiety around spending money at the salon.&nbsp;With Afterpay, clients can just tap their phone and go, without the team even realising they opted to use the buy now, pay later service.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I definitely recommend Afterpay to other salon owners,” she says.When it came to building their business from the ground up, Lea and Hosking relied on the loyalty of their clients from previous salons, the curiosity of Bendigo locals (who are always keen to check out a new opening), and the power of social media.&nbsp;“Having a good presence on social media really kick-started the business. We knew Instagram was going to be a big part of our journey,” says Lea. “Obviously word of mouth and your reputation plays into success, but when people can actually see your work, it makes a big difference.”With thousands of followers, the Hairfolk Instagram account shows off the team’s best work and reminds the salon’s clients that Afterpay is available.

A customer-first approach, luxurious experience and Afterpay have helped grow this Bendigo hair salon

A customer-first approach, luxurious experience and partnering with Afterpay have helped grow Hairfolk, a Bendigo L'Oreal hair salon.

How Hairfolk salon keeps clients coming back

How Hairfolk keeps clients coming back

How weekly drops and warm, friendly staff have helped fuel growth.

Unordered Highlight List

When Debi Bowker and Lee Kleiman first went into business together, it was for one reason: they wanted to have fun.The pair got on so well during a hotel fit out project that they decided to go into business together so they could continue the good times. Combining Debi’s business acumen and Lee’s background in fashion, they recruited Debi’s daughter Meghan Maher fresh from uni and, together, launched fashion brand <a href="https://www.repertoire.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Repertoire</a> in 2006.“Right from day one, there was one thing that Lee was clear on: if she was to be a part of a fashion business, it needed a lot of heart,” explains Maher. “Back when we launched, the fashion industry didn’t always have the best reputation – there was a lot of fast fashion, pack and wrap, and judgment in the stores of high-end brands. That’s not what we wanted for Repertoire.”

The women quickly decided on their guiding mission – to make accessible clothing in New Zealand that’s elegantly relaxed with an edge, which makes women feel beautiful, and that’s offered in a supportive and inspirational environment.Sixteen years later, that mission remains unchanged – and the fun that Kleiman, Maher and Leanne Luijken (their newest business partner) have working together permeates throughout the entire business.&nbsp;Today, the brand, which launched in Tauranga, has 60 employees and six stores across New Zealand, with an eye firmly focused on opening more in the coming year. They’re also about to wholesale their Repertoire clothing to selected retailers, a growth strategy that will see them quickly increase their footprint across the country.

<h2>Good design always wins</h2>Repertoire’s clothing designs hit the mark because the brand aims to make women feel good, rather than to follow a trend.&nbsp;“Our clothing is definitely the key to our growth. When our designer Lee creates clothing, she takes into consideration all the factors women struggle with. Repertoire clothing doesn’t look good on coat hangers, it’s designed to look beautiful on bodies,” says Maher. “The fit and quality of our clothing always impresses customers – they know their investment with us will go a long way in making them feel good and will have longevity in their wardrobe. That’s what keeps them coming back.”&nbsp;

"The fit and quality of our clothing always impresses customers."

"In designing for women, not trends, we make sure we create stylish clothing that offers comfort and flexibility. We realised early on that our customers need their clothes to move with them throughout the day. They might change their shoes and tweak their accessories, but their clothing needs to work with whatever they have on that day - that might include a school run, business meetings, lunch with a friend, then dinner and a movie..."&nbsp;<h2>Customers return for the staff</h2>Another key driver of success? Repertoire’s staff.“We have the most incredible staff – women who really care about our customers and who love our products. They’ve created friendships with our customers; customers will come in to just say hi.”“Shopping requires you to be quite vulnerable,” continues Maher. “It’s not always easy to try on clothing, to give a new outfit a go. Our team makes women feel safe and inspired when they shop with us, so customers really enjoy the shopping experience. As a result, we have such a loyal base of customers.”When recruiting, Maher says they look for women who have a passion for fashion and who love using their skillset to dress a woman in a way that makes them feel amazing.

"There is nothing like the moment you share with a customer when she steps out of the fitting room and can't believe how good she looks in what she has on! Seeing that instant lift in energy and confidence is an incredible moment and so we look for that knowledge, understanding and passion when we hire."&nbsp;<h2>Develop a community to embrace your customers</h2>Covid and lockdowns delivered a silver lining for Repertoire. Being locked down and isolated meant the team had to think outside the square to communicate and connect with their customers – and as a result, they’ve built a strong online (and offline) community.“During lockdown we were connecting with our customers through social media, offering home consults, virtual wardrobe audits, photos of styling ideas, interviews with relevant guests and helpful videos,” she says. “We knew our customers needed a distraction and we saw it as a good opportunity to connect with them in a different way.&nbsp;That strong online connection has remained post lockdown. Repertoire’s VIP Facebook page ‘Style Tribe’ has a highly engaged community of women who regularly post and share supportive comments to build each other up, and Repertoire’s regular 7pm Thursday Facebook lives, where the founders present new pieces and how they can be worn, are can’t-be-missed appointment viewing for many of their 21,000 followers.&nbsp;"We don't profess to be social media experts but we're passionate about fashion and making women look and feel amazing and that comes through on social," she says. "I think people respond to the fact that we are real and authentic on social media and you can tell how much we care."&nbsp;&nbsp;

“For us, the community we’ve created with our customers is so important. It shows that Repertoire is much more than just fashion and that’s exactly what we set out to achieve.”<h2>Don’t be afraid to do things differently</h2>Unlike most fashion brands, Repertoire produces a new collection every week rather than seasonally. On Wednesdays the pieces hit the stores and on Thursday nights at 7pm the team go live on social media to present the new designs to their customers, who are normally perched on the couch, wine in hand.&nbsp;“We noticed that women get tired when you just release seasonal drops, with nothing new and exciting in between and no reason to go back into store,” explains Maher.

Women get tired when you just release seasonal drops, with nothing new in between.

“Instead, we do small drops each Thursday. It’s not fast fashion because we do very small units of less than 50 and everything is designed to go with other pieces and to be worn for years. During our Facebook Live we educate customers around how to wear a piece and how it works in the wardrobe. With limited stock, our customers know to pounce fast as items often sell out quickly.”<h2>How Afterpay make Repertoire pieces more accessible</h2>Because Repertoire releases clothing in limited weekly batches, offering customers the opportunity to buy now and pay later with Afterpay ensures that they don’t miss out.&nbsp;Maher wishes they’d jumped onto Afterpay sooner. “We are so grateful for a service that allows people to pay and take their purchase with them that same day,” she says. “Because we only produce only a small number of units, it was heart breaking whenever someone didn’t pick up their laybuy.”In addition, she says has noticed a marked increase in sales as a result of Afterpay.“I think it’s because customers are far more likely to purchase if they can take a piece home with them immediately. Giving them a little flexibility in terms of their spend is brilliant. What surprises me is the vast age range of women that use it – it’s remarkable and speaks volumes on how easy it is to use.”

"What surprises me is the vast age range of women that use Afterpay."

As well as helping customers manage their payments, Afterpay has delivered Repertoire new customers through promotions, events and other supporting initiatives they offer retailers.“I would recommend Afterpay to other retailers because it’s so simple to use and it’s effective. I love how it works with tech and that the services are always improving. I’m a big fan of supporting businesses that continue to adapt with time and make our job easier, which is our experience with Afterpay.”

How weekly drops and warm, friendly staff have helped fuel growth.

Discover how Repertoire uses weekly drops and warm, friendly staff to drive sales.

Fashion brand Repertoire shares the secrets of its success

Inside the national success of feel-good fashion brand Repertoire 

Repertoire NZ

Their secret? Keeping their offering simple, classic and customer-focused

In a crowded market like fashion, you might imagine that every niche has already been discovered and filled. Not so, as mother-and-daughter duo Yolande Ellis and Elle Pugh discovered.“Seven years ago, you couldn’t find a good selection of cashmere garments anywhere in New Zealand or Australia, and certainly not year-round,” recalls Pugh, who had previously worked for global luxury brands in London.“We realised that with our changing climate and more people travelling to cooler climates throughout the year, there was a need for cashmere more regularly than just peak winter.”That was 2016, and, having spotted a gap in the market, the pair decided to make the leap and launch <a href="https://www.elleandriley.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elle + Riley</a> from their garage.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At first Ellis, who had previously worked as a stylist and make-up artist, and Pugh assumed that the business would be purely direct-to-consumer e-commerce. But they quickly realised that as a luxurious, tactile product, cashmere was better suited to a bricks-and-mortar experience. “People needed to feel it and try it to fall in love with it, so we tried a pop-up store,” says Pugh.That store was so successful that the pair signed a lease on a permanent location just a few months later – and haven’t looked back.Six years later, Elle + Riley sells cashmere garments in six (soon to be seven) stores around NZ. They have 22 employees, a seven-figure turnover and 10,000 loyal customers, many of whom return to buy the same piece every season, in multiple colours.

Ellis and Pugh source their cashmere from Mongolia and garments are manufactured across Italy, Nepal and China.&nbsp;Pugh describes the typical Elle + Riley customer as someone who is more focused on quality classics rather than trend-driven silhouettes.“They’re discerning, travel a lot, are slightly more mature and can afford to invest in quality, given our basic sweaters start at $500. They’ll come in and buy their cashmere wardrobe set for their trip to Aspen or New York,” says Pugh.<h2>Bricks over clicks</h2>When Pugh and Ellis realised their business needed to have bricks-and-mortar stores in order to win over new customers, they didn’t hesitate.“We’ve been quite brave in terms of how fast we’ve expanded – six stores in six years.&nbsp;“That’s been an expensive and risky move and we’ve had to close some stores along the way, but it’s definitely helped us grow a lot faster and reach customers we otherwise might not have been able to,” says Pugh. “We haven’t been shy about being aggressive with our growth strategy.”

“We’ve been quite brave in terms of how fast we’ve expanded – six stores in six years."&nbsp;

<h2>Listen, rather than tell</h2>For the first four years, Pugh and Ellis spent most of their time on the shop floor, which helped them better understand their customers.“We’d work with the customers and listen – to what colours they wanted, what styles, what wasn’t fitting right… This allowed us to adapt and change things for them, making sure we were giving them what they wanted.”Pugh says that it quickly became apparent that Elle + Riley’s customers were more interested in classics than directional pieces. “What they really want is high-quality, classic garments in timeless shades like oatmeal and grey marle that they will get a lot of wear out of, so that has always remained our focus.

“Delivering what our customers want has actually given us freedom in that we don’t have to follow the seasonal fashion calendar or keep up with trends or go on sale the same time as everyone else.”<h2>Stick to your knitting</h2>Never has this saying been so apt… Pugh says that sticking to selling only cashmere garments means that their business proposition is crystal clear for customers.“We really stand by having one product and doing it well. We started with coffee table books and homeware in-store as well, but we ended up selling so much cashmere that we realised we needed to move those other items out,” she says.“It just comes back to us remembering to stick to our niche of what’s missing in the market, and for us that’s quality cashmere clothing.”&nbsp;<h2>Partner with the right suppliers</h2>When Shanghai went into lockdown for four weeks, so did Elle + Riley’s stock. Thankfully they could lean on another of their suppliers in Nepal to fill those gaps, but it reminded them of an important lesson: partnering with the right suppliers – and having more than one – is vital.“We’ve worked with some of our suppliers right from day one, however, we never want to put all our eggs in one basket,” she explains. “Having a few different suppliers, and ideally in different countries, has been important to us to mitigate risk.”

<a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-NZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Afterpay</a> has been a key commercial partner, says Pugh, who recognised its value early on. “I thought it was an awesome opportunity, especially for our price point. I like the fact that the customer doesn’t need to come into store to pay it off and that they can take their purchase straightaway, which is exciting for them, and we don’t have to store it.”Pugh adds that <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-NZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Afterpay</a> has introduced younger customers to Elle + Riley, by allowing them to spread their payments in instalments. Afterpay events, such as Support Small, have also delivered new customers and sales. This year, the brand saw an 1890 per cent uplift in Afterpay sales thanks to Support Small.“Results like that are obviously brilliant for us, so off the back of that we’re doing Afterpay Day. I think it’s good to provide your customers with another way to be able to purchase from your business, and the tech behind Afterpay is really, really good.”Photos by Holly Burgess

Their secret? Keeping their offering simple, classic and customer-focused 

Discover the secrets to Elle + Riley's success from prioritising brick and mortar to listening to customers. 

Elle + Riley's Elle Pugh on opening seven stores in seven years

How Elle + Riley opened seven stores in seven years

Elle + Riley NZ

Founder Charlotte Palardis talks slow fashion, securing stockists and forging a cult following.

Numerical Highlight List

For Australian fashion label<a href="https://bybillie.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> By Billie</a>, a white cotton T-shirt, screen-printed with the slogan ‘Inhale Exhale’, was a game-changer.“To start with I didn’t really like it,” admits founder and creative director Charlotte Palardis. “It’s quite different, and I wasn’t sure if people would process it or not. The day we [dropped] it online, we’d already given a bunch of them away to friends and [media and influencers], so we only had 20 units in stock.”Incredibly, the tees sold out within mere seconds. Palardis was stunned, and two hours later she uploaded a video on Instagram sharing that a re-release of the T-shirt would be available for pre-order.

“We sold $300,000 of the T-shirts in 24 hours,” she recalls, noting that while the eye-catching print and cool, oversized cut probably contributed to the piece’s success, the limited pre-order created a sense of urgency that saw sales skyrocket.“It shows that when people think they’re missing out on something, they feel they need it more,” explains Palardis. “So that became our model moving forward. With pre-order, you're not having products sitting there for months that you then have to mark down or [send] to landfill.”

"When people think they’re missing out on something, they feel they need it more."

This sustainable, slow-fashion approach has proved lucrative for the label, too. Today By Billie – which started as a childrenswear brand in 2018 before expanding into womenswear – boasts a seven-figure annual revenue, more than 50 global stockists, a staff of five and a band of loyal followers.<h2>Start small and persevere</h2>Palardis was a first-time mum with a four-week-old baby when inspiration for By Billie sparked. She’d just moved from Brisbane to Crescent Head, a small town in northern NSW, and “was getting a bit lost in the mum world”.Keen to start her own creative project or, potentially, a business, she saw a gap in the market for gender-neutral baby and children’s clothes. “I wanted outfits to dress [my daughter] Billie in that weren’t frilly or super girlie,” she says.As a trained teacher with no background in design – but a strong business brain having grown up working in her family’s restaurants – Palardis started searching for manufacturers online. It took a year before she found one, based in China, that aligned with her sustainable and ethical vision, worked with organic cotton and, importantly, offered low minimum order quantities.

“For my first order I only had $1500 to spend,” she shares. “The manufacturer did 50 pieces of each colour and style, and I had two or three designs – they were extremely basic cotton baby rompers.”Palardis created a Shopify e-commerce website, uploaded her products and excitedly launched the collection. “That night, I sat there waiting… and had one sale. I thought ‘What have I done? I’m a failure,’” she remembers. “But every day from then on, I’d get two sales, and then three sales, and the momentum kept going. I’m so glad I stuck with it.”Eventually, Palardis generated enough profit from her debut range to create the next one. “I've used the profit I've made from each collection to build on that,” she says. “I’ve never had any loans.”<h2>Opt for organic growth and partnerships</h2>As a new mum Palardis had an Instagram page called <a href="https://www.instagram.com/by.billie/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Loved By Billie</a>, where she resold her daughter’s tiny, preloved baby clothes. When it came time to launch her brand, she converted it into a business page – with a humble 150 followers.

So how has By Billie amassed 163,000 followers in less than five years?&nbsp;Palardis explains that gifting pieces to micro influencers, who’ve shared and tagged By Billie, has helped boost brand visibility in an authentic way.“We’ve never paid an <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/social-media-tips/influencer-marketing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">influencer</a> to post for us,” she reveals. For her, organic marketing is not only cheaper, but feels “more truthful”, as influencers and customers who post about the label are ambassadors by choice.She has a similar approach to design collaborations. Recently, By Billie partnered with stylist and content creator Lisa Danielle on a soon-to-be unveiled collection, and has also joined forces with<a href="https://luvlou.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Luv Lou</a> on a line of sunglasses. Each collab is first and foremost about the creative partnership, while the opportunity to tap into a new customer base is a valuable by-product.<h2>Create a sense of exclusivity</h2>After the ‘Inhale Exhale’ T-shirt initially sold out, By Billie did three restocks. “We didn’t want to [overexpose] it, but we wanted to fulfil that demand,” explains Palardis. “We still get emails to this day asking if we’re bringing it back, but we've sworn to never recut it… because then it becomes less valuable to the people who do own it.”

Today, those customers form part of By Billie’s very loyal following. “Sixty to 70 per cent of our customers are return customers,” says Palardis. “When I look at the Shopify statistics, on a launch we might have 500 or 600 returning customers, and 200 first-time customers.”<h2>Secure stockists – but keep it selective</h2>Today, By Billie is stocked in more than 50 bricks-and-mortar stores around the world, from Sydney to LA and Japan.“We wanted to find the right balance between getting seen by people but also having an element of exclusivity in our online store,” Palardis explains. “We didn’t want to oversaturate the market where [in] every store you walked into, you’d find By Billie.”

“We wanted the right balance between getting seen but also having an element of exclusivity."

By Billie stockists are given only a select number of designs in small quantities, which amps up customer interest and desire. “We’ve had certain stores where customers have literally lined up at the front door waiting to come in and buy By Billie,” says Palardis.Selling wholesale is financially viable for the business because their stockists pay 100 per cent up front. Overall, most of the brand’s revenue continues to come from its e-commerce store, but physical stockists play an important role in enhancing brand identity and increasing visibility.<h2>Use sales strategically</h2>Palardis likes to reward her customers with sales and discounts, but – as per her overarching brand ethos – she takes a less-is-more approach.“We only do three or four sales a year, but they’re always huge days for us,” she says. “For <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/afterpayday" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Afterpay Day</a> this August we did 40 per cent off, which was massive – usually we only do 20 per cent.”

The brand founder notes that implementing Afterpay was a no-brainer for her business. “I originally wanted to create my e-commerce store on Squarespace, but it wasn’t compatible with Afterpay at the time [though today it is], so I went with Shopify. There was no way that I would buy higher priced items without Afterpay, so why would I expect my customer to?”Offering Afterpay has driven significant sales for the brand. “Last year we generated $780,000 from Afterpay; that’s 24 per cent of our total sales,” she says. “Having it as an option for customers is huge – I don’t think any business could do without it.”

Founder Charlotte Palardis talks slow fashion, securing stockists and forging a cult following.

By Billie founder Charlotte Palardis talks slow fashion, securing stockists and forging a cult following by creating a sense of exclusivity