Pole Junkie - How they Boosted Customer Feedback with Eco Packaging

Pole Junkie - Boosting Customer Feedback with Eco Packaging

Pole Junkie is an on-line retailer specialising in active wear and shoes for pole dancing enthusiasts. Launched in early 2015 by two friends, Heather and Kirsten, this Glasgow based company helps people from all over Europe – and now the rest of the world – get their hands on outfits and accessories which could previously be tricky and expensive to come by.

If you haven’t heard of pole dancing as a legitimate form of exercise, then now is the time to cast aside those preconceived notions and take another look.  Effectively combining strength training, flexibility and endurance into one, this form of dance is also incredibly good fun and helps you achieve an upper body strength that Arnold Schwarzenegger can only dream about, all whilst looking sleek, sexy and toned.

The Problem

Up until recently, Pole Junkie had been using single use poly mailing bags and such was their growing success that, every year, they were sending out around 24,000.   Thrilled with their loyal customer base, but dissatisfied with their use of plastics, Heather and Kirsten visited our stand at the Internet Retailing EXPO (NEC Birmingham) in February this year to discuss an eco-friendly and sustainable packaging alternative.  They explained that they and their market sector were crying out for a plastic free option, as, of course, were their valued customers.

The Solution

Luckily, Lil Packaging had just the answer for Pole Junkie: The Lil Bag.  These Kraft Paper mailbags - also known as paper mailers or paper mailing sacks - have been specifically designed by us for eCommerce.  They fit the bill perfectly when it comes to sending eco-friendly and sustainable fashion.  Additionally, printed using plant-based, up-cycled inks, they don’t contain animal products.  Kirsten and Heather were optimistic that they had found what could be a perfect solution.

Pole Junkie - How they Boosted Customer Feedback with Eco PackagingWorking closely with their dedicated account manager at Lil Packaging and with their own designer, Pole Junkie put the Lil Bag through its paces on an initial trial.  The results were so pleasing that they decided to take a leap of faith and invest in this future-proof, alternative packaging solution, even though their unit costs weren’t going to be in line with what they had been paying previously for plastic bags.

Heather and Kirsten didn’t just have the foresight and the vision to change to an eco-friendly mailer; they also used the opportunity to build on their brand awareness. They custom printed their bags with a mission statement that reflected not only what they were hoping to achieve by switching to an eco-friendly Kraft paper mailing bag, but also demonstrated the core mission statement of their business.

The Outcome

The upshot of Pole Junkie’s savvy business decisions and proactive approach, plus the speed and efficiency with which Lil Packaging was able to assist them, have led to fantastic results.

With great artwork personalising their bags, these paper mailers turned out even better than anticipated.  Consequently, Pole Junkie launched them as part of a social media campaign centred on their efforts to reduce plastic waste.  This proved to be an enormous hit with customers; some even commented that they had stopped shopping online – and therefore with Pole Junkie – due to plastic mailbags, but as a result of these changes, they had decided to return and were placing orders immediately.

Partnering with Trust Pilot, Pole Junkie can see how their reviews demonstrate just how pleased customers are with the change to eco-friendly packaging.  Consequently, they feel that the increased cost from plastic to paper mailbags has already more than repaid itself because of the marketing opportunity with which it also provided them.

Working in creative collaboration with Lil Packaging, Pole Junkie really has climbed to great heights.  Feedback has been everything both parties would have hoped for, with Heather stating that, ‘the mailbags are getting great feedback for us and our Trust Pilot score has grown from strength to strength, thank you so much!”

Lil Packaging would also like to say thanks and that is to the team at Pole Junkie for putting their faith in Lil and being prepared to take a risk or two.  Not only is Pole Junkie a company that aims to help customers feel empowered and confident as a result of their own love of pole dancing, it’s also forward thinking and brave enough not to put profitability before the environment.  And whether or not you’re brave enough to try on 9” patent pleaser boots with high-waist leopard shorts, that’s something we can all get behind.

 

We approached Lil packaging as we were looking at ways to cut down on any unnecessary plastic we added at our point of contact. The custom printed Kraft paper mail bags have been the perfect solution for sending our clothing out in. From start to finish, Nigel our account manager helped us through the process with speed and efficiency. Our designer made us some great artwork and the bags turned out looking even better than we expected them. We launched them as part of a campaign on social media about reducing our plastic waste and it has been a hit with customers. Some even commented they had stopped shopping online (and therefore with Pole Junkie) due to the plastic mail bags and were going to be placing an order that very day because of it.

We have partnered with TrustPilot and many of the reviews comment on how pleased they are to see eco friendly packaging. To us, the increased cost from plastic to paper mail bags has more than paid for itself already with the marketing opportunity.

A fantastic byproduct since then is that many brands in our industry want to follow suit and are trying to cut down single use plastic within the pole wear industry.

We’d recommend Lil to any e-commerce business as so far it’s been as much of a marketing tool as it has packaging.

Heather, Co-founder, Pole Junkie

 

If you’re interested in seeing how we’ve helped other major brands around the world with their packaging needs, you can check out our other case studies right here.

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