French fancies: What Matters

Consequently, the company is not targeting the 5% of people who already use similar products, but rather the 80% who would like to change their consumption habits and who don’t really know how to go about it.

The range of products were initially launched via the company’s webshop, gorgeously scented, organic, very Instagrammable offered in design-led, refillable containers in reinforced glass decorated with an intertwining W and M. Once the bottle is finished, customers can then buy refills, a system that reduces the use of plastic by 70% and is more cost effective.

In addition the company offers a recurring ordering system, not dissimilar to Nespresso, to save customers’ time and money.

More recently, What Matters has focused on having a physical presence. You’ll find the brand at Maison Plisson, Maison Empereur in Marseille and a corner in the heart of Printemps de la beauté in Paris. The latter is a vast space, previously occupied by Clinique, resembling an apartment, where What Matters stages its offering.The brand is looking to increase its in-store presence in other shops, pharmacies and supermarkets

On its Instagram account, What Matters has a significant number of subscribers, because social media is its first line of customer acquisition. In its first year of operation What Matters captured 21,000 customers, almost half of whom became repeat customers, and sold 230,000 products.

More recently the brand has raised additional funds to accelerate growth and expansion into new categories, brick-and-mortar retail, and hotels, as well as international markets. Wisely, the founders chose strategic partners for the financing and, as it grows internationally,  it will consider producing locally on each continent, in keeping with its ecological philosophy.

Images courtesy of What Matters