Kimberly Palmer, the marketing manager at Bendigo Woollen Mills, Australia’s largest manufacturer of hand-knitting yarn. Kimberley joined the company just over a year ago and shares her insights on transforming the marketing strategies, focusing on customer engagement, brand storytelling, and community building.
Despite economic challenges, Kimberly has achieved double-digit growth in direct-to-consumer sales by elevating the brand’s visual appeal and connecting with both existing and new customers.
Kimberley also discusses the importance of a structured trade plan, the joy of crafting, and future innovations for the brand.
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“Whatever will be, will be.”
“What a good yarny pun”.
Transcription:
Anton:
Hi, I’m Anton Buchner, Business Director at TrinityP3 Marketing Management Consultancy. Welcome back to Managing Marketing, a weekly podcast where we discuss the big issues and opportunities facing marketers, media, and advertising with industry thought leaders and practitioners.
Today, I’m talking with Kimberly Palmer, Marketing Manager, at the Bendigo Woollen Mills. Now, Bendigo Woollen Mills was founded 41 years ago, and it’s Australia’s largest manufacturer of hand-knitting yarn.
And Kimberly joined just over a year ago to help them transform their marketing approach. So, to find out how she achieved double-digit direct consumer retail sales growth in the past year, despite the economy being a little bit flat, it’s with great pleasure that I welcome Kimberly Palmer, or Kimber, because she’s a good friend.
Welcome, Kimber, to the Managing Marketing Podcast.
Kimberly:
Thanks for having me, Anton.
Anton:
You’re welcome. Now, Bendigo Woollen Mills, when you first told me (over a year ago now) that you’d cracked a new job, I was going, “Wow, tell me all about it. What’s the Bendigo Woollen Mills? How did you end up there?” And you got a great background in e-commerce, so I thought, “Wow, there’s got to be something brewing.” Share with the listeners what enticed you to Bendigo Woollen Mills.
Kimberly:
So, I always love working with growing Australian brands, and I’ve worked with a lot of startup e-com brands over the years, from Wishlist.com.au to Flexicar, to Milligram to Kip&Co. And so, I get excited by brands that are in a real growth phase.
With Bendigo Woollen Mills, it’s obviously a really established brand, but an awesome Australian brand, and a brand that I was a customer of and created products that I loved. But I definitely felt their marketing could do with some work, and their e-commerce and digital marketing could do with some work.
So, they were actually looking for someone to help at a junior level. And I wrote them a letter and said, “I’m not junior level, but I think I could do some awesome things, and would you give me a trial?” And that’s how it all started.
Anton:
There you go. And you brought your expertise. Now, I was a bit of a … well, not really a knitter, I was a sewer, I suppose. That’s my background. I’ve not been a great knitter, but anyone listening who is a knitter is probably going to go, “Yeah, of course, I know Bendigo Woollen Mills. I buy my yarn from them.” The name’s got a pretty good brand name, doesn’t it?
Kimberly:
It does, and it’s funny. Any craft brand, either nobody knows about it who’s not a crafter, and anybody who’s a crafter will definitely know about it. And so, I was an online retailer a couple of weeks ago, and I’m talking to people on multiple stands, and at least one person on every other stand either was a customer or had a daughter, sister, wife that was a customer.
We are a little bit of a female space, there are some male knitters and crocheters. So, yes, it’s a really known and loved brand among a certain segment of the community. But the thing with all things knit and crochet, the traditional customer is getting a lot older. Knitting was something that many of say our grandparents’ generation did.
They may have either taught our moms, and moms were too busy working, but it’s had this real renaissance and resurgence. And so, for Bendigo Woollen Mills, my focus has been how do we keep our current customers that love us happy and take them on a journey, but also introduce the brand to some of the newer crafters out there.
Particularly with COVID, that exploded, where there was a lot more people crafting now, and everybody realized it was a pretty nice way to spend your time. And if nothing else, a way to make you sitting and watching Netflix a little bit more productive and less guilty.
Anton:
Now you get a jumper or a scarf or whatever out from it.
Kimberly:
Or not. Well, a blanket, Anton, because then when you’re cold-
Anton:
A blanket. Oh, there you go.
Kimberly:
As it grows, you can watch it, keep warm, and do something at the same time.
Anton:
Love it. I like when you said “crafting” too, I’ve got to get my terminology right. Yeah, the crafting segment, I love that.
Well, what did you find? What was the brand talking to an older audience, and then what did you do to help turn that around a little bit?
Kimberly:
Some of it was we had a really beautiful product, and our customers were making beautiful things with our product, but our visuals probably weren’t there, and they weren’t as inspiring as the work that people were doing with it.
So, it was convincing the business to invest more in I guess, elevating the visual appeal. And that’s everything from a design perspective, investing in photography, and even just making sure our projects that we show (because we sell yarns and patterns) were shot in a number of ways that made them more appealing, and also, people could understand what they were going to do with it.
So, along with the yarn resurgence, there’s some rockstar-level patterns out there. So, there are people that will sell – I’m working on something at the moment. And there’s a social media space exclusively for yarn crafts, Ravelry, and in there, people sell patterns via this.
And a nice pattern will sell … through Ravelry you might sell a hundred patterns or something like that. This pattern has been sold and made 60,000 times in four years. So, there is this … yeah, I know, it’s crazy. It’s the Ranunculus sweater if anybody’s interested.
Anton:
Ranunculus.
Kimberly:
And so, these pattern developers have also built this cult of making things beautiful and sharing. So, we are not anywhere near at that level, but it starts to show in the space what it was that was inspiring the next generation and trying to take some of those cues and incorporate that into our own marketing.
Anton:
Great, and you’re telling me that a part of that was also moving from product to a bit more thinking like the customer. So, lifting the veil behind the business. We had-
Kimberly:
Absolutely.
Anton:
I have no idea what it is, but what did you find?
Kimberly:
Yeah, no, well, there’s a few things. So, we manufacture in Australia still, and there’s so few brands that do that, and people love that story. They love it in all areas (but in our segment in particular), and they love to see it happening.
So, we worked with a local agency to come in and photograph the production process and do some videos to meet some of our staff. And then we also invited some customers in to be part of it. And that was one of the first steps.
And it was showing the story of your yarn being made and people, that really resonated with them. And then a step beyond that is actually getting into the product. We’re very good and have been very good at making yarn for 40 years, that’s why people love our product.
But we weren’t necessarily strongly telling the stories of each of those yarns. And some have more of a story than others. But one of my favorite ones from the last few months is we worked with a single-source, single-origin fleece from somewhere in New South Wales. And I was like, “Wow, we can do something with this.” And the farmer, luckily, was on board, and we were able to create and tell this entire farm-to-yarn story. A little bit of the paddock-to-plate that you see in food.
But we had the fantastic farmer (70-year-old farmer) who’s been on the land his whole life raising Corriedales and improving that fleece. And we were able to buy it and turn it into some beautiful yarn and also some products. And people love that story. They like seeing the wool grower behind their wool.
And so, it’s been looking for opportunities like that where the business hadn’t particularly done that before. And it’s something that our customers have really enjoyed. And of all demographics, from our newer customers to our long-term customers, they really like seeing and knowing where it all comes from.
Anton:
Yeah, and you hit the nail on the head there, but the trend of whether it’s “paddock to plate” or “farm to yarn,” I like that. Knowing where it comes from, the whole ethical sourcing, sustainability, whatever angle it might be, but just knowing it’s come from this particular area, as you say, if it is Australia, from Australian farms, and then being – do you say spun, or what happens to yarn?
Kimberly:
Yes, well, it is spun.
Anton:
Washed and spun?
Kimberly:
Well, it’s essentially spun, plied, and dyed and sometimes blended. There’s a whole bunch of phases. To make a little string of yarn there’s a lot more to it than you would expect, but yes. And a lot of yarns and a lot of yarn brands that people buy, and big-box retailers are all imported yarns.
And also, a lot of people here would buy yarns from their higher-end yarns they might buy in from Europe or the States. And we have the ability to either produce or design yarns that are as good if not better quality.
And a big part of the business shift has been that we’ve always been cheap, but we’ve never been cheap quality. So, it’s actually also been about trying to change it to a bit more of a value story, which our customers get.
But I just think for the business, it was they were a bit more price-focused probably than the customer was. And it has allowed us to introduce some higher-end yarns that the business was nervous, “Would our customers buy it?”
But they were buying it somewhere else. So, if we could bring it to them and with the effort and love that we’ve put into it, they would therefore trust that we are giving them a good product. They’ll buy it.
So, it’s also been a bit of that product (I won’t say product extension because it’s yarn) … but we’ve expanded what we’ve been able to sell in the last year, and our customers have definitely come on that journey with us.
Anton:
Nice one, so you’ve got a brand that’s been reinvigorated, I suppose, best way of saying that. Great content, great stories. What about the activity? Did you start building some rigor around planning or around your activity?
Kimberly:
Absolutely. So, when I joined the business, I instituted a trade plan. So, really actively trade the business. So, I’m both a marketer, businessperson, an e-commerce person, and I’m able to bring all that together.
So, it’s less for me about make all the pretty pictures, you still need to go, “How am I making the sales?” So, the trade plan I have, I set a year in advance, and then break that down into monthly and weekly.
And so, then, into that trade plan, we’ll build everything from launches to promotions, to storytelling, to physical activations, and then really trade the business. And that was a bit of a new approach as well.
I think with a lot of businesses (and this is not the only one where I’ve come to it) where it’s always like, “We want to make as much money as we can,” which is great. But if you’re actually, “Okay, well then what does that really look like when we bet that down?” And then that helps you actually get there.
It’s that old adage, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you’ve arrived?” So, that’s been really successful as well. And it has, I think, given everybody direction to work towards it. It is challenging at times because that means, “Okay, we know we need to try and launch this on this date because we’ve got this result against it.”
But that hasn’t proven to be a bad thing. So, the trade plan side of it is something that if people don’t have a trade plan in a business that’s got a retail element, it’s something you should absolutely do.
Anton:
I’m just going to pause here. You are pixelating a lot, you might want to turn your video off. I’m hoping the audio-
Kimberly:
I’m not being … you’re not doing a filming, are you?
Anton:
I’m hoping the audio is okay. No, no, it’s just the-
Kimberly:
Oh, I was hoping it’s just audio. I’m like, I still got makeup on.
Anton:
It’s just the audio. No, no. But your audio is coming through to me pixelated. It might be on the recording, but just band cameras.
Kimberly:
I’ve banded off my camera.
Anton:
Yeah, that’s sounding better. We’ll just keep going, it might just be, hopefully, how I’m hearing it. Hopefully it’s all okay. I’ll pick it up on planning.
So, obviously, need that trade plan, need that rigor, gives you accountability from the marketing perspective and also back to the owners. The owners are Australian, is that right?
Kimberly:
Absolutely. It’s actually owned by one person. And he’s owned the business – he did start it with a business partner who … I’m actually not sure if he’s still – oh, no, can you stop that bit?
Anton:
Yep.
Kimberly:
Only because I was about to start rambling. So, can we do that question again? I’m just going to start again. Do you want to rewind me?
Anton:
So, he’s Australian, it’s an Australian owner, isn’t it?
Kimberly:
Yeah, it’s absolutely 100% Australian owned. Single owner who still works in the business today.
Anton:
Gee, I’d be loving you. Bringing the new brand perspective, new stories, adding a trade plan, adding rigor.
Kimberly:
I like to think we have a good working relationship, but it was a big leap for him to trust somebody with a brand that has already been successful. And so, we’ve been on a journey together, and we’re still on that journey, but no, I think it’s going well, and the sales results are really ultimately what I think most business owners care about, so-
Anton:
Yeah, same with me.
Kimberly:
The sales results are going well, but I also think it’s allowed the team, and he’s also seen that excitement for what we are doing. And so, it’s nice for the entire team has also enjoyed a bit of the uplift and the energy and seeing their brand in an even better way.
Anton:
A better light. I think what’s really interesting from the outside looking in (and me seeing some of the work you’ve been doing) is this shift to that customer focus. So, the bringing-to-life of stories, really nurturing a group or community of customers.
Some of the ideas you’ve been doing to create this fandom that’s been really exciting. Tell the listeners more around that, because I think you really have gone from product-centric to customer-centric with your marketing, which is exciting.
Kimberly:
Look, it’s something I always try to do, but here, we had raving fans. There are people that truly love our brand, and so, it was looking for opportunities to either amplify or share that more. So, on a small scale, we have a Facebook community group where the community interacts, and that has nearly 30,000 people that are in there sharing and commenting on work.
And so, we’ve been making sure to give that a little bit more time and attention. Some of it has been about physical manifestations. So, we ran our first open day this year. And we put together a one-day program where we were doing factory tours. We had some offers in the shop. We had a little area where people could sit knit, and get some help.
And we also brought in some super bargains from one of our sister brands. And it was a bit of a test. We were like, “Oh my goodness, will anybody come?” And we were taking bookings for this, and it sold out in 24 hours, and it was a paid event. It wasn’t a lot of money, but it was interesting.
And then people were like, “Oh, no, I missed out. How could I get in?” And then we brought in a photographer to document that, and that event really was a chance to see much more closely how much people were really engaging with the brand. And so, we’ll be looking for further activations.
I also took the brand recently to Finders Keepers market in Melbourne, they have it in Sydney as well. And so quite a design-led market. And we had a stall there, and it was like, yeah, I met some of the younger people. We got mobbed, and it was a mix of young and old people.
And again, they just wanted to tell us how much they loved the brand, how excited they were that we were here, that they could touch and feel, because we have one physical store in Bendigo, but everything else is online.
And it’s a super tactile product, and everybody likes to touch and feel and squish. Everyone talks about their squishy parcels. So, giving people that opportunity to squish in real life, and then those people go on and tell other people and other people and other people.
So, it’s a really awesome brand to work on from that perspective. And it’s nice to be able to see that in real life and get out from behind your computer screen and meet the fans.
Anton:
You’re the rock star of knitting, is that right?
Kimberly:
Well, I feel a little weird. The brand is – we’re pretty famous, so if I do say so myself.
Anton:
But I think that’s cool. I think there’s a really good insight there, and I see it quite regularly with e-commerce brands, and you would know this from your history with e-com. It’s very easy to get stuck in product content, pricing, and looking at your sales results, just going, “Okay, we’re just going to test a little bit more creative on our page,” whatever platform you’re selling through.
And you forget about who the real customers are, and those rich stories of when people actually come to an event who tell you something or the squishy parcel or whatever it is — in reality, that’s the emotion, that’s the emotion of the brand.
So, I love what you’re doing, is bringing to life the brand. Obviously getting people connecting in communities, but getting off Facebook groups (Facebook groups are fine), but coming to meetups, capturing that content, then getting that back through the different platforms you’re on. That, to me, is fairly obvious but missed by so many brands.
Kimberly:
Well, and I will say, it’s hard to do. It’s hard work, and it’s not super quantifiable in terms of if you run a digital campaign or send a particular ADM, you can go, “Okay, I did this activity, and I got these sales.”
When you’re running a physical event, and both of those events that I mentioned there have had a sales component, but I could have made more sales doing something else with the effort. But the magic and that chance to connect, that’s what you can’t replicate purely in a digital environment.
So, it’s about making space for all of that. And the emotional side’s interesting as well, because the brand had struggled before I was there to articulate who they were. So, sometimes, they’ll be like, “So, we’re Australia’s hand knitting company for 40 years.”
And I’m like, “Yeah, but that’s not really what you are.” And so, we did some work shopping, and what we’ve started to talk about is crafting joy. That we help our customers craft joy, but also, we’re crafting joy because it’s a joyful process to make and create.
And you’re often making and creating. A lot of our crafters are making for somebody else. So, it’s a gift of love. They’re giving it to kids and grandkids and partners, and a lot of them do it for charity as well. So, there’s all this joy in what we do. So, it’s trying to remember that amongst the business of business.
Anton:
But that’s great too. How did that go down with the owner? Was he part of the-
Kimberly:
Yeah, he was into that one, so that was good.
Anton:
And when you get by and across the business, you know that and most of the listeners will know that. But I think we can land on something that’s relatively simple, but an emotional hook, like “crafting joy,” which straightaway says to me exactly what you do.
And spreading the joy, spreading the love, spreading the happiness, whatever it ends up being, I can buy into that really easily and tell the stories. So, look forward to more events, is that what you’re saying? Within reason?
Kimberly:
Well, I tell you, I’m a little bit tired, so yes, there will be more, but maybe not in the short term. It’s also one of the things about our business, most businesses are seasonal, and we are probably seasonal in a bit of a different way, in that our peak time is probably everybody else’s quiet time. So, our peak time is probably April to September. When it’s cold, people crochet more.
Anton:
Winter.
Kimberly:
Yes. Or they kind of go into winter, a little bit out of it, and don’t get me wrong, they’re still crafting, but that’s when you have this flood. So, we’ve just come out of our most insanely busy time. Other brands will be in the ramp-up, but we’re not in the ramp-down, but it’s definitely a bit more BBAU soon.
Anton:
And are there a database of crafters that you promote to?
Kimberly:
Yes, so we do, we have a big list. So, the business’s Genesis was more as a direct mail company. And so, they have had hundreds of thousands of customers over years. These days, it’s much more moved to be online rather than physical mailers.
We do do at least one major mail-out a year with something we call a shade card, and it’s a physical card that has a little strip of yarn from all of our core ranges. So, we have a segment that we physically mail that to, but our other large comms channels are ADMs, and we have over a hundred thousand people on our email list and our social channels.
But we’re also a brand because people are highly engaged with knitting and crafting. They come to us as well a lot more easily, perhaps, than for some other brands that I’ve worked with. So, in some ways, part of my job is easy. People already love it, and they come looking for us.
And so, we really are using those channels more to either share new releases, share stories, or connect customers and showcase what they’re doing. So, it’s a nice place to be in from that perspective.
Anton:
It’s a real lean forward, isn’t it? And a repeat purchase cycle would be fairly strong?
Kimberly:
Yes, and I would say actually, probably (and I suspect for many crafting brands, it’s the same) once somebody’s into it, they’re really into it. So, unless you get it wrong, there should be strong repeat purchase.
But there’s a bit of joke out in the crafting world there. We made a comment off-air about crafters being jokers. And there’s a very solid belief out there that buying yarn is not the same thing as creating with yarn, there’s two different beliefs there.
So, everybody loves a stash. They build a stash just so that they’ve got the perfect yarn for one day when they’ve got the perfect project. So, that’s a fun element of that. That’s a little bit like a shoe collection if you were a shoe retailer, I guess, with yarn.
Anton:
I think what sparked that is I was down in Tasmania recently at the Salamanca Market, and I saw all this crafting and knitting needles going on, and there’s all these bags with jokes on them, “Whatever will be, will be.” I thought, oh, okay, it must be something.
Kimberly:
What a good yarny pun, what a good yarny pun.
Anton:
What a good yarny pun, oh, a classic. You talked earlier about the new wave of customers. So, you’ve got the older generation who were clearly knitters. What are you finding with the new generation coming through? Have you changed the strategy against both those audiences, or have you done different things?
Kimberly:
That is definitely still a work in progress. So, the younger crafters coming through, one of the big things is probably that the craft is different. They’re coming in as crocheters, not as knitters necessarily.
And so, for us, that’s about making sure we’re supporting that audience with more patterns and featuring our yarn worked up in crochet. For the younger audience as well, they really like a bit more education and potentially kits, and there are some other brands out there doing some great work with that. And that’s definitely something we are working towards as well.
And even the type of patterns. So, for knitting, for example, the more traditional way of knitting in the past has been you knit pieces and then sew them together. The more modern wave of knitting patterns is something called top-down. So, you start at the neck, and you knit down in one piece, so there’s no sewing up at the ends.
And a lot of the newer, younger knitters who’ve picked up knitting in the last 10, 15, 20 years, that’s how they want to knit. And we didn’t really have patterns for that. So, it’s about making sure you’ve got something like that in your offering, and you still then have to have both.
We don’t want to alienate our existing customers, but we want to go, “Hey, we’re a brand that also is evolving with the times, and come with us.”
Anton:
On trend, yeah. Where do the patterns come from?
Kimberly:
In-house. So, actually, I myself sit in an office with our creative director, and she is a busy lady. Also, we have some external pattern writers that we work with. It’s probably like fashion design, probably just much slower in a way because we have to conceptualize the garment and then work out how we would you create the garment.
Anton:
How do you create it?
Kimberly:
Yes, and so, we will then come up with a concept, work on a pattern. It then has to be written for multiple sizes. That’s something else probably that has become really important to brands like ours. Knitting patterns used to come in one or two sizes and now, could you imagine if you were like, “Oh no, you can only buy this pattern if you’re a skinny person?” So, it’s been extending our size ranges.
And then you have to go and get all those tests knitted, and you’re looking for whether it be errors in the patterns or does the same pattern work for somebody who’s a size 8, who’s a size 16. So, that process can be quite a long but rewarding process.
And then patterns for us are inspiration. So, when I joined the business, I was like, “How do patterns fit in this business?” And we were talking about it like, “Patterns are something that you sell, but is it a major product, or what’s the role they play for the business?” And we’ve decided that patterns are inspiration.
If you see something beautiful, you want to make it. So, that’s the role that it plays. And people buy patterns from many places (they don’t need to buy patterns from us), but we want to make sure we do have an offering, really solid, well-tested, everybody-can-do-it patterns, and so that’s there if they want to use our patterns.
Anton:
And can customers get involved in that at all? Do customers get involved in patterns ideas? Do they mail them to you or email them to you?
Kimberly:
Customers get involved in everything. We get daily emails and comments for suggestions for patterns and yarns and what they love and what we used to have that don’t have anymore. And we definitely hear all of that.
And then we also have essentially a marketplace on our site for independent designers. So, that’s where somebody probably is a customer but also has a pattern idea, and then they make their own patterns.
And the independent designer’s program on our site, they sell through our site. We don’t take a clip of the ticket, they get 100% of the revenue. And it’s our way of contributing back to the creative community and also offering our customers a bit more of a range of patterns.
Anton:
Awesome. I was going to say, what great content in terms of all the feedback from your customers, firstly, and what you’re talking about, the emails, the letters, et cetera, and the ideas, that’s awesome.
But secondly, that marketplace, yeah, if anyone’s listening that wants to design side or creative side, get involved, you’re doing much wider work than I ever thought of. I’m sure our listeners-
Kimberly:
It feels niche, if you’re like, “Oh, we actually knit or crochet,” and let me tell you, thousands and thousands and thousands of people … and we ran a big event in Bendigo every year called the Australian Sheep & Wool Show.
And it’s like Coachella for knitters and crocheters because whilst it’s an agricultural show, they have this whole – half the Bendigo Show Grounds are all independent yarn suppliers, lots of people do indie dyeing and indie spinning, and then everyone else that comes to visit us, which we love.
And anyway, we had a workshop on-site where we were just hosting the space for a crocheter from Iceland, and she does a very particular kind of crochet. And she was talking to me afterwards, and I said, “Oh, I’m still learning. When you release a new pattern, how many do you sell?”
And she’s like, “Oh, probably 5,000.” I’m like, “$5,000?” She goes, “No, no, 5,000 patterns in one week.” From a crochet person that specializes in a particular kind of crochet out of Iceland. And she was funny. She was an amazing lady, but the people (I was there letting them in, and there were people that were coming to the workshop) loved her.
One lady ran up to her, dropped her bags, hugged her, started crying, and said, “You got me through COVID.” So, there’s a lot of love out there-
Anton:
A fan.
Kimberly:
Totally, when you do beautiful work in this space, the people really appreciate it. So, it was really cute, I loved it.
Anton:
That’s cute. And the joy you talked about earlier-
Kimberly:
Exactly.
Anton:
You’ve just landed on. I can feel a losing, I can hear it in your voice, but also, I’ve seen some of the work, and you just go, “Yeah, yeah.” It’s brand-aligned, you’ve made it customer-centric, customer-focused and the stories and content and ideas and the fandom that’s following you.
It’s almost like, as you said, it was probably always there. Any direct-mail business knows its customers and knows what products to sell, et cetera, but just bringing it all to life in a modern way sounds awesome.
Kimberly:
Oh, it’s a lot of fun and there’s lots more to do, but it’s been … it’s really nice when you’re working with a product and a brand that you can really believe in. And not every marketer is blessed with that.
And to be honest, I cherry-pick who I work with. I can’t sell something that I don’t really think is a great idea. But with this one, it was like, “This is a little bit even closer to my heart.”
Anton:
What’s coming down the line? Can you share anything share that’s coming in the next 12 months that listeners might go, “Wow.”
Kimberly:
We’re literally working on quite a lot of new product development. And a little bit the way that the business worked before was the production side probably led the business. They would say, “We’ve got this yarn coming through, now go and sell it.”
So, what we’ve been actually working on is going the other way around. What would our customers really like to buy, and can we make it? And so, that shift is ongoing but has been working really well.
We are working on extending some of that physical community activation side of things. And one of the things I was talking to the owner about recently was that because it isn’t as … so back in the day, probably when our parents or grandparents were knitting or crocheting, they were doing that because that was the only way to get a sweater, or that was the only way to get a blanket.
And of course, now everybody can go online and get whatever. So, it’s not that craft of necessity. It’s now really a craft for enjoyment. But to a certain extent, I was saying to him, “If we don’t continue to teach people to knit or crochet, our customer base will probably decline.
So, we are looking for ways to nurture that. And some of that can be done digitally, but some will need to be done IRL. So, working on that. And then I think with us, it’s more the experience when people physically come to our site.
So, we make almost all of our yarn in Bendigo, we have a factory shop there. But lots of people come and visit us on a tourist trail or a weekend. And so, we are looking for ways to make that site a bit more of a fun destination for everyone.
Because it’s very funny most of the time. There’ll be the ladies inside, and there’s the husbands hanging in the car park. So, what can we-
Anton:
What can you offer?
Kimberly:
Yes. Well, because if they’re there and comfortable longer, the lady can do some more shopping of yarn.
Anton:
Well, here’s an insight from Germany in 1992, they had (in women’s fashion stores) pool tables. And they worked out. Men and partners were happy to come and just sit on the pool table for a while while their partners shopped. So, maybe a dartboard or-
Kimberly:
We’ll be working on our version of that. And then I guess, just continuing to work. We are looking for ways to bring in more of that inspiration to potentially work with some of independent designers, potentially from around the world to bring yarn to life.
So, they’re some of the ways we’re looking forward and continuing to elevate the brand, the challenge in a lot of craft space … for example, in the U.S. (for anybody that knows the craft space there), a major chain there just collapsed, Joann, which was a big crafting, big-box retailer there. And they’d been having trouble for a while.
But it’s that trying to be all things to all people en masse that has not really worked very well. And so, for us, it’s probably looking to – and even here, if you go into something like a spotlight store, it looks like a bit of a disaster, and everything’s cheap and untidy.
So, we’re trying to go, “Hang on, that’s not us.” So, how do we still say accessible, but make sure it’s a joyful experience also to shop with us? And then on the less fun but really important side of things, we’re going through a digital transformation project as well.
So, migrating at the moment our store from a bespoke Magento to Shopify, just to allow us to do a little bit more there as well. So, yeah, lots of technical things, and then fun, pretty squishy things, and then meeting people things to keep us occupied and keep everybody being able to craft some joy themselves.
Anton:
I’ve got to say, overarched by joy. Oh, awesome, I reckon we should get you back on in 12 months if you’ve – you doubled, did you say, in the last year?
Kimberly:
In some months I would … look, it’s a private business, so I need to be cautious about self.
Anton:
Things have been strong, let’s put it that way.
Kimberly:
Things have been very strong, very strong.
Anton:
Double-digit growth.
Kimberly:
Yeah, so it’s been going really well. And because in the marketing space and the business space, and you talk to other people, it’s been a really tough year for a lot of people and a lot of businesses.
And so, it’s nice to be able to buck that trend. And I think there’s still a lot of room for growth from particularly bringing new people on, but also just continuing to inspire the crafters that have been with us a long time.
Because there’s definitely … when we released it, there was a particular range we released this year, and it was a bit of a stretch for the business to do it, but it was a big yarn trend overseas. And the customers went insane, the social commentary (something like 1200 comments in a day).
And they were saying, “Now, I can actually get from you what I’m buying somewhere else.” So, these are long-term crafters that wanted to buy a certain product, and we didn’t sell it. So, it’s looking for those opportunities where we’re not just bringing on new people, but the people that are shopping with us that are already our fans, don’t let them go, so we want them to buy it all from us.
Anton:
There you go, inspiring, inspiring. Hey, Kimber, what I was going to say is let’s catch up in 12 months again. I’d love to hear some of those inspirations that you’ve done in these next 12 months.
Hey, thanks for coming on and sharing your wisdom for our listeners. You’ve made a huge impact, and keep going, sounds awesome.
Kimberly:
Thanks, Anton.
Anton:
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