Created in 2020, the What Matters brand offers daily care and hygiene products that are 100% organic, refillable and made in France. Thanks to the Instagram social network, the company achieved 3 million in sales in the first year and was quickly noticed by retailers.

July 2020. Design bottles made of reinforced glass attract attention on Instagram. The aesthetics of the products and the transparency of the discourse are pleasing. Launched with around fifty re-enchanted everyday references, the brand What Matters attracted more and more subscribers, many of whom became customers. The French DNVB (Digital Native Vertical Brands), i.e. a company which launched on digital, has in a few months more than 15 subscribers on Instagram. Three years later, it brings together 000.

Instagram, source of income and provider of retail business

Charlotte Catton and Franck Ladouce, co-founders of the company, know from experience that without a big media budget, the brand will not take off. If they attack wisely enough by investing 50 euros per day to sponsor their Instagram publications, they quickly increase this item of expenditure, deemed profitable. " There are two ways to spend your money on Instagram: push beautiful visuals to increase brand awareness, without really knowing if it leads to sales; or opt for a performance strategy implying that the communication must be profitable by the orders placed in parallel, says Charlotte Catton. We chose the latter and with hindsight, we should have invested a lot more at startup. The novelty effect is a big selling factor. »

Its success, the brand also owes it to the close bond that it manages to weave with its subscribers. A member of the team is responsible for answering all comments and questions within two hours, always adopting a pleasant tone and a respectful and warm manner. " Lhe quality of this link is also based on the bias of bringing the subject of reducing plastic and preserving the environment without ever arousing fear or making people feel guilty. We value change through fun and our posts are always happy and positive. »

From digital business development to physical points of sale

A strategy that is paying off for What Matters, which generates 2 million euros in turnover on Instagram and Facebook in 2021. If the social network is the main source of income during the first months, it is also proving to be a excellent provider of retail and physical business. Pharmacies, concept stores and department stores contact the team after discovering What Matters products on buyers' phones. " This is how we were able to invest in a large 30 m2 stand at Printemps Haussmann from September 2021! »

After two years of hyper growth and a fundraising of 4 million euros, the company also intends to continue to innovate, both in its product ranges and in the question of refillable packaging in the broad sense. The team is now working to perpetuate the brand, in particular by diversifying its distribution channels, still in digital but also in retail with hotel professionals.