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In Northern England, House of Malt is an independent family firm that has grown into one of the most prominent online stores of specialty whiskeys and spirits in the U.K. They were founded in 2015 as an independent family business and have used for their online business from 2017.
House of Malt has a retail location and warehouse situated in Northern England, though a significant portion of their sales are conducted online through their online store. The company currently ships across the U.K. and plan to expand internationally.
Woo interviewed Jethro Hazelhurst, House of Malt's Ecommerce Director.
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; they liked how customizable the Woo platform can be and desired to control as much of their online businesses and operations as they could.
Since the beginning, House of Malt has partnered with Woo by way of the Enterprise Ecommerce program, which has helped improve the flow of cash. Woo has been a boon for their business in numerous other ways, too: the increase in average order values, conversion rates, and an improvement in the amount of time needed for depositing from 7 days to 1 day have all helped them make sure they have enough sufficient working capital available to fund their growth.
Big wins
- The conversion rate was increased and the average order values by 22% following the introduction of Apple Pay through WooPayments.
- Reduced the time for cash deposits from seven days to one day, with the help of the Woo Customer Success team.
- Founded in 2015, House of Malt has grown to be among the top three online sellers of alcohol across the U.K.
Key Extensions
- WooPayments and Apple Pay
- PayPal and PayPal Pay Later
- Searchinise
- The theme of Storefront
- Google Listings and Ads
- Klaviyo email marketing
Success in the time of Brexit and Covid-19
Like numerous British companies, House of Malt was affected by export tax assessments that came with the Brexit law. Because of the difficulties that ensued the company decided to change their attention to clients within the U.K. The company has been one of the top three companies in the U.K. for online specialist whisky sales.
Following the closing of Covid-19, House of Malt was in a position to continue their operations in spite of the shut-downs. House of Malt operates solely through their website.
The physical store is an essential part of their brand and provides unique experiences for clients that they aren't able to match.
Malt matching: Using data to provide customers with the best service
House of Malt has a an excellent understanding of their clients who use their website, which helps inform their strategy for e-commerce.
The general rule is that House of Malt serves four diverse customer segments:
- Customers who like trying the latest products available through the site.
- Returning customers who visit houseofmalt.co.uk for their top products, and then purchase the same items every time.
- Collectors who like to stay up to date on the latest releases and collections.
- Wholesalers who can't find a product anywhere else, and who frequent House of Malt for repeat purchases to replenish bars as well as small shops.
This information is particularly beneficial due to the restrictions on advertising that are placed on retailers of alcohol -- something that House of Malt combats with a strong email marketing program.
Increase the average order value by 22% with 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 introduce WooPayments for Apple Pay specifically due to their traffic on their site. Jethro noted that "The majority of our users are mobile and Apple users are on Safari. I'm able to understand why the conversion rate will increase due to the fact that we have Apple Pay. There's no justification why it shouldn't. There's more friction. This has been an important game changer for us."
Since introducing Apple Pay, House of Malt is reporting a 22% increase in order volumes as well as the rate of conversion has increased after offering different choices for payment.
"The more payment methods we can offer, the better 100 percent. We've seen increased conversion rates as we have added various payment options. Utilizing all payment options as well as WooPayments have seen a great increases over the past few years. All is looking great to keep using it the methods to expand." -" Jethro Hazelhurst, Ecommerce Director, House of Malt
Bringing whiskey across the lake
House of Malt is planning an international expansion plan, first to Europe and then to the U.S. They're working to find shipping partners and their customs logistics, striving to provide the most pleasant customer experience for overseas orders.
The new warehouse is a great addition to the company. House of Malt anticipates thriving in times of high demand quantity, such as during the Christmas season, and also their eventual international expansion.
Incorporating more product and payment options
House of Malt is also working on expanding their product catalog, improving the user experience on their website, as well as developing a subscription service and loyalty program for their repeat customers.
They're continuing to look for additional payment options in order to cater further to customer payment preferences. They're also expanding their buy now, and pay later (BNPL) options with additional providers.
Hazelhurst is certain about the benefits from BNPL: "The fact that people can use buy now and pay later also increases an average value for orders. All buy now pay later options will always aid."
Overall, House of Malt has been extremely pleased with , and is looking towards the future.
"All you've done on WooPayments is making a nice little impact," Hazelhurst said. "Somewhere in the north northwest of England, in a tiny part of an older town. The whiskey we're selling is getting into the hands of people with Woo."