It’s one thing to identify a gap in the market, but quite another to fill that void and amplify it so quickly and effectively that you become a leading provider in that sector.
That’s the short and sweet summation of game-changing bedding company Sheet Society’s trajectory since it launched in 2017.
Frustrated with the three-piece suit approach to purchasing bed linen (matching fitted/flat sheet/pillowcases) and its “sweaty, plastic block” packaging, Sheet Society CEO and co-founder Hayley Worley drew inspiration from her consumer experience and fashion background to reinvent the way people shop for bedclothes.
Using her skillset in the fast-paced world of style trends, Worley’s approach to Sheet Society was as much a fashion brand as a bedding one.
“What our brand has done really well is pick up on fashion trends and bring them through to the bedroom very quickly. Before people had to wait years before a certain colour filtered through to homewares. Now you are not only buying corduroy shirts if that’s the trend, but you’re also buying the same for your bed.“
Since the pandemic the versatility of the bedroom space has risen exponentially, presenting Worley with the opportunity to scale quickly early in the business.
Being born online, the Melbourne-based company was in an enviable position to navigate the unfolding situation with Victoria’s strict lockdowns.
“We had the right product at the right time and already had really good systems in place at the back end so were well placed to pick up that extra traffic online.”
She says being in a position to scale rapidly is one of the best things a small business can have in its arsenal.
“That’s something we’ve really focused on, getting the processes in place well before being at that level of desperately needing them.”
“It’s really why we were able to survive that first phase of lockdown and could ride the waves that came after that.”
Sheet society ceo Hayley Worley. Source: Supplied.
For instance, when Sheet Society’s product development first got consumer traction, the company made sure the operational phase could handle the increase in orders.
“We quickly went from a warehouse of 150sqm to 3500sqm. It was right in the middle of COVID-19 outbreaks and we signed the lease in lockdown. I remember going to look at the space and the landlord had to leave keys in the letterbox.”
When Melbourne’s first lockdown kicked in, Worley initially thought about pulling back advertising, but quickly realised Sheet Society was already geared for this kind of situation.
“It was our chance to go for it, targeting people that can’t go into the department store, can’t window shop.
“We knew they were stuck at home and staying in bed because we were there, so we had every understanding of what customers were going through and we showed up at that moment.”
This soft but targeted approach to its marketing focused on the user experience.
“Our boxing experience is really special, everything comes in tissue paper and with a handwritten note. It was like receiving a little self-gift, something to look forward to when parcels arriving was the most exciting part of the day.”
Even if Sheet Society was out of a particular line, Worley says people were happy to wait.
“They just wanted conversation and engagement. The worst thing you can do is not engage. We took another approach and over-engaged.”
Worley had established good relationships within supply chains in China during her fashion days, so when COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan and began being described as a ‘China problem’ Sheet Society immediately placed a really large order with its supplier thinking that country might be in trouble in the coming months.
“Little did we know that it was going to cross the water (and the world) so when we were locked down our first big order was arriving in Melbourne.”
While there were product lines that sold out quickly, customers could still purchase on pre-order.
“We had a really good follow-up system in place. ‘Hey you’ve placed an order due in next few weeks, we’ll send it to you on this date, and we’ll give you updates along the way.’ That allowed us to capture the customer when they were onsite and also build on that relationship while they were waiting for their products to arrive.”
When Sheet Society launched in 2017 it had three team members including Worley with her product background, her husband Andy who came from an operational background, and a multi-tasking creative. It remained that way until 2019.
Deep into the COVID-19 pandemic it had 35 full-timers and has since grown to 55 full-time staff across the e-commerce teams, plus around 40 casuals in the packing arena.
“Most of our full-timers are now moving from being all-rounders to becoming specialists in their fields as we move into the next phase from small business to medium. All these changes have their challenges but we feel really grateful to have come out of the pandemic crossing all the hurdles at once.
Revenue-wise, Sheet Society peaked early in the pandemic increasing its brand growth by 400% in the period 2019-2020 before settling at 140% in the 2020-2021 period.
In the last six months, the brand is trading at about 12 times its pre-pandemic revenue levels, which leaves the family-owned and operated company in a great position to keep growing in a “sturdy and considered way”.
Now with two brick-and-mortar stores in Victoria (Abbotsford and Armadale) and a growing digital market in the US, Worley’s vision of the future isn’t about world domination in the bedroom — for now.
“We are not about growth at all costs. There’s so much to be had in Australia. I’d love to open up in NSW, that would be next on the list. I think we’ve got some good sustainable growth that we can capture in our backyard before we start looking too far afield.”
Lesley Apps is a freelance writer and regular contributor to SmartCompany Plus.
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