Whistl Q&A with smol: a story of growth and innovation

Laundry capsules through the letterbox? Doing things differently is behind the extraordinary success of smol – the planet-friendly home cleaning brand that powers over three million washes a day in the UK.

We recently sat down for a chat with Alice Edwards, Supply Chain Director of smol. In this interview we talked about the company’s growth and how Whistl has both simplified and innovated their processes.

We’ve worked alongside smol to provide a range of services. These include mail insights, competitive tracked parcel services, a consumer returns solution, and international parcel delivery.

How smol established a successful model

Whistl: smol is a remarkable success story. How did it all start?

Alice Edwards: With insight and investment from our two founders, formerly colleagues at one of the global household brands. Paula (Quazi) is a chemistry graduate with marketing expertise. And Nick (Green), whose background was in finance.

They found that while consumers wanted to buy products that would help the planet, two barriers were preventing them: they didn’t think they worked as well, and they didn’t want to pay a higher price. The investment was far more than financial – two years of pushing and prodding R&D formulation chemists, insisting that they try, try and try again until they developed a highly effective and economical formula that’s above all kind to the environment.

That happened in 2017 and smol launched the following year. All part of the plan was that the products – initially laundry capsules and washing-up tablets – would be sold online on a subscription model, in compact eco-packaging delivered direct to the consumer easily, conveniently and at low cost.

Whistl: And how’s that plan working out?

AE: We’re on track, with a team of 113 wonderful people passionate about our range of super-effective, cost-competitive products that use less packaging, less plastic and fewer chemicals. We’ve recently launched a personal care range, including toothpaste in aluminium tubes and an anti-perspirant stick in cardboard.

Whistl: I understand you were a smol customer before you joined the company. That says a lot!

AE: Yes, as a customer I loved how smol as the retailer took control, accurately predicting when I needed supplies and delivering them pitch perfect. And now that’s part of my responsibility as Supply Chain Director. I oversee both the supply side, managing stock levels of raw materials, packaging and finished product, and I also steer operations in our warehousing in Kent. That means making sure our fulfilment activity constantly underpins the level of customer experience that won me over.

Whistl and smol partnership continues to flourish

Whistl: So what does Whistl do for smol?

AE: What don’t they do?! At ground level, we fill a Whistl truck full of orders every working day – two on a Monday, usually – ready to be sorted and handed over to Royal Mail or Yodel for ‘the final mile’. But over and above that, they make our life simpler. With one point of contact, our Whistl Account Manager keeps track of everything and ensures we’re fully-informed, and the whole team is just great to work alongside.

Whistl: ‘Rinse & Return’ is a result of that close collaboration, isn’t it?

AE: Yes, the bottles we use for fabric conditioner and washing-up liquid are made from 100% recycled plastic and are fully-recyclable. But they can be cleansed and reused many times over, and that’s the best option. So we set Whistl the task of devising a way that customers could return empties to us, free of charge and with minimum fuss. Whistl came back with an innovative returns solution super quickly, and customer uptake of Rinse & Return is running way ahead of expectations.

Whistl: Busy, busy, busy. How do you switch off away from smol?

AE: Running and pub-going. I worked for an independent brewery in Hackney prior to joining smol, and I still love to explore all that scene has to offer.

Thanks, Alice!

Find out more about smol at www.smolproducts.com. And get in touch with Whistl if you’re looking for a hassle-free business parcel delivery solution that will help you boost profits and save time.