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Located in Northern England, House of Malt is an independent family business that has grown into one of the leading online sellers of whiskeys and spirits in the U.K. It was established in 2015 as a family-owned business and have used for their online business since 2017.
House of Malt has a store and retail outlet in Northern England, though a vast majority of transactions are done online via their store. The company currently ships across their own U.K. and are planning to expand internationally.
Woo interviewed Jethro Hazelhurst, House of Malt's Director of Ecommerce.
for Whiskey
House of Malt chose as their eCommerce platform due to the fact that they were looking to stay clear of other platforms that are highly controlled and they were impressed by how flexible the Woo platform was and also wanted to own as much of their online business and operations as they could.
Since then, House of Malt has been working with Woo by way of Woo's Enterprise Ecommerce program, which has helped improve their cash flow. Woo has been a boon to their business in a variety of other ways. the increase in average order values along with conversion rates, as well as the reduction in the time required for depositing from seven days to one day has all allowed them to ensure there is the working capital needed to help their business growth.
Big wins
- The conversion rate was increased and the average order value by 22% after implementing Apple Pay through WooPayments.
- Reduced the time for cash deposits from 7 days to 1 day thanks to the Woo Customer Success team.
- Founded in 2015, House of Malt has grown to be among the biggest three online sellers of alcohol within the U.K.
Key Extensions
- WooPayments using Apple Pay
- Payments through PayPal as well as Pay Later with PayPal
- Searchinise
- The Storefront theme
- Google Listings and ads
- Klaviyo email marketing
Achievement in the wake of Brexit and Covid-19
Much like the majority of British businesses, House of Malt was impacted by the export tax levies following the Brexit law. Due to the issues that resulted the company decided to change their focus to customers within the U.K. They have been one of the top three businesses in the U.K. for online specialist whisky sales.
In the event of the Covid-19 closures, House of Malt was able to maintain their business despite the shutdowns, operating solely through their website.
The physical store is an essential aspect of their business and gives unique experiences to customers that other stores cannot match.
Malt matching: Using data to serve customers
House of Malt has a amazing knowledge of their clients who use their website that informs their strategy for e-commerce.
The general rule is that House of Malt serves four distinct customer needs:
- Customers that like to try the latest products available on our website.
- Repeat buyers who return to houseofmalt.co.uk to purchase their most-loved products, and then purchase identical items each time.
- Collectors who are keen to stay up to date on the most recent releases and collections.
- Wholesalers that can't get a product anywhere else, and who frequent House of Malt for repeat purchases, which allow them to replenish bar stock and small shops.
This information is particularly helpful due to restrictions on ads that are placed on liquor merchants, which House of Malt combats with the use of a robust email marketing program.
Increase the average order value by 22% when using Apple Pay and WooPayments
House of Malt offers a range of options for payment, including PayPal, PayPal credit card processing, Apple Pay and Google Pay through WooPayments.
They decided to bring on WooPayments to support Apple Pay particularly due to their traffic on their site. Jethro said "The majority of our customers are mobile and Apple users are on Safari. I can easily see why the conversion rate would go up because of the addition of Apple Pay. There's no justification why it shouldn't. There's just less friction. This is a huge game changer in our favor."
After introducing Apple Pay, House of Malt has seen the increase of 22% in the average volume of orders as well as the rate of conversion has increased since offering more payment options.
"The more payment options we can offer, the better- 100 percent. There has been an increase in conversion rates since we started offering more payment methods. With all of the payment methods as well as WooPayments We've witnessed a nice growth over the years. All is looking great for us to continue the methods to expand." -- Jethro Hazelhurst, Ecommerce Director, House of Malt
Bringing whiskey across the waters
House of Malt is planning an international expansion plan, first to Europe and then to the U.S. They're trying with shipping companies and their customs logistics, striving to provide the most pleasant customer experience when ordering overseas.
Thanks to their brand new warehouse, House of Malt anticipates thriving under periods of high order volumes, such as the time of year when they are most busy and eventual global expansion.
Integrating more payment and product options
House of Malt is also looking to expand their range of products, enhancing the user experience on their website, as well as creating a subscription service as well as a loyalty programs for their regular customers.
They're looking to find other payment options to better meet the needs of customers payment preferences. They're also expanding their buy now, buy later (BNPL) options by partnering with other suppliers.
Hazelhurst knows the benefits of BNPL: "The fact that customers can make use of buy now, pay later will increase the an average value for orders. Buy now, pay later options will always assist."
Overall, House of Malt has had a great experience with the company and looks forward to the future.
"All the work you've put into WooPayments makes a great tiny impact" Hazelhurst said. "Somewhere in the north-western region of England located in a small isolated corner of an old town. The whiskey we're selling is getting into the hands of folks who use Woo."