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Based in Northern England, House of Malt is an independently-owned family company that has grown to become one of the top online stores of specialty whiskies and spirits in the U.K. They were founded in 2015 as an independently-owned family company and has been able for their online business from 2017.
House of Malt has a store and retail outlet in Northern England, though a significant portion of their transactions are done online via their store. The company currently ships within of the U.K. and have plans for international expansion.
Woo interviewed Jethro Hazelhurst, House of Malt's Ecommerce Director.
for Whiskey
House of Malt chose as their online store platform since they wanted to avoid the other highly-regulated platforms They liked the fact that they could customize the Woo platform was and also wanted to own as much of their online business and operations as they possibly could.
Since that time, House of Malt has been working with Woo through Woo's Enterprise Ecommerce program, which has improved the flow of cash. Woo has proved to be a benefit to their business in many other ways. an increase in average order value as well as conversion rates and an improvement in the amount of time needed for depositing from 7 days to 1 day has all allowed them to make sure they have enough 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 seven days to just one day thanks to Woo Customer Success. Woo Customer Success team.
- Founded in 2015, House of Malt has grown to become one of the top three online sellers of spirits across the U.K.
Key Extensions
- WooPayments with Apple Pay
- Paypal and Pay Later by PayPal
- Searchinise
- The Storefront theme
- Google Listings and ads
- Klaviyo email marketing
Achievement in the wake of Brexit and Covid-19
Much like numerous British businesses, House of Malt was impacted by the export tax levies following the Brexit law. With the complications that arose and a need to adapt, they decided to shift the focus of their business to customers in the U.K. They have since become one of the top three firms within the U.K. in online whisky sales.
In the event of the Covid-19 closures, House of Malt was in a position to continue their operations even through the closures. They operate solely through their website.
The physical store remains an integral element of their branding and gives unique experiences to clients that they can't match.
Data mining: using data to cater to customers
House of Malt has a an excellent understanding of their clients who use their website that informs their strategy for e-commerce.
Generally speaking, House of Malt serves four distinct customer needs:
- Customers that like to try the new products offered on our website.
- Customers who have been returning to houseofmalt.co.uk for their top items and buy identical items each time.
- Collectors who like to stay informed about the latest releases and collections.
- Wholesalers who can't find an item elsewhere as well as frequent House of Malt for repeat purchases that restock bars and small stores.
This data is especially beneficial due to the restrictions on advertising which are imposed on alcohol merchants -- which House of Malt combats with a strong email marketing program.
Increasing average order value by 22% when using Apple Pay and WooPayments
House of Malt offers a variety of payment options, including PayPal, PayPal credit card processing, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay via WooPayments.
They decided to bring on WooPayments for Apple Pay particularly due to their site traffic. Jethro noted that "The majority of the users are mobile and Apple users on Safari. It is easy to see how the conversion rate would go up as a result of having Apple Pay. There's no motive why it wouldn't. There's just less friction. This is a huge game changer in our favor."
After introducing Apple Pay, House of Malt has noticed a 22% increase in average order volume, and the rate of conversion has increased due to the addition of additional choices for payment.
"The more payment options we can offer, the better- 100 100%. There has been an increase in conversion rates when we began offering additional payment options. Using all the payment methods as well as WooPayments, we've seen nice increases over the past few years. It's all been looking good 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 to expand internationally, initially to Europe and then to the U.S. They're trying to find shipping partners as well as their customs logistics in the hopes of providing the best service for customers who purchase from overseas.
The new warehouse is a great addition to the company. House of Malt anticipates thriving in times of high demand volumes, such as the Christmas season, and also their potential global expansion.
Integrating more payment and product options
House of Malt is also looking to expand their range of products, enhancing their user experience, and developing a subscription service and loyalty programs for their regular customers.
They're looking to find more payment options to meet customer preference for payment. This includes expanding their buy now, and pay later (BNPL) options to include additional suppliers.
Hazelhurst is certain about the advantages from BNPL: "The fact that people can use buy now and pay later, also boosts the an average value for orders. All buy now pay later options will always aid."
In the end, House of Malt has enjoyed a wonderful experience its customers, and we are looking towards the future.
"All your work on and WooPayments has made a pleasant tiny 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 those who have Woo."