How WUKA built a community around its brand
An early supply issue helped founder Ruby Raut forge a powerful connection with customers.
When ‘The UK's first period pants’ became headline news in March 2018, founder Ruby Raut's excitement quickly turned to panic. The environmental scientist-turned entrepreneur had only launched her company, WUKA (which stands for Wake Up, Kick Ass) four months earlier – and the sudden demand was crashing the brand's website.
"It was like, 'OK, now people know what period pants are and how to buy them!’" recalls Raut. "It was a really pivotal moment."
Months later, Raut was still dealing with pre-orders of WUKA’s reusable and leak-proof underwear. But although overwhelming, the experience delivered a valuable lesson.
"That's when I realised the importance of putting people first and the spirit of community," says Raut, who was transparent with customers about potential delays in receiving their order – and found everyone to be “totally understanding”.
“It was incredible to see them supporting a female-founded company. We're a business that gives back, and people really want to [support that] and try something new."
The idea for WUKA was inspired by Raut’s upbringing in Nepal, where women used sari rags during their period, and the prototype for the pants was created on a sewing machine at her house. Today, WUKA is a multimillion-pound company with more than 200,000 loyal customers; the business employs 17 people, and WUKA’s products are stocked everywhere from Whole Foods to Superdrug.
"We're a business that gives back, and people really want to [support that] and try something new."
"Whenever our product is reviewed, customers always use words like, 'game changer' and 'life saver'," reflects Raut. "I [can’t believe] nobody thought of it before!"
Put community first
The support that Raut received from customers in the early days of the business reinforced her belief in the value of building a strong brand community around WUKA.
"Community is so important in building any brand or business," explains Raut, who started out targeting local community groups (such as mums of teens, and female athletes) on Facebook to gauge the interest of potential customers.
"I'd ask questions like, 'Are you happy with the product you're using?' and 'Are there any changes you'd like to see?' and within 24 hours I had nearly 450 responses from people saying they hated sanitary towels or tampons."
After persuading a local manufacturer to help make an initial sample run of 40 pairs of pants, Raut asked the same forum if anyone wanted to try them and was inundated. "The following week I had a queue of people at the door of my house!" she laughs.
"Community is so important in building any brand or business,"
Once Raut raised enough money (£7000 via Kickstarter in November 2017) to officially launch WUKA, she enlisted a female-founded manufacturer in China that she still uses today. "Both our companies are growing together," she says, adding: "Our manufacturer focuses on reusable products so they really align with our ethos."
Today, while 80 per cent of business is done through the website, the community minded band continues to work with 70 independent stockists and refill shops. "These people are already championing sustainable products within their own community, so it makes so much sense for us to stock products locally so people can access them."
Make proving your idea a priority
Raut admits that she started small and introduced new products slowly.
"Don't spend too much before your idea is validated,” she advises. “One of the reasons we've been successful is that in the first year and a half, all we did was sell one pair of underwear," Raut explains, made from Tencel (a soft, flexible, sustainable material made from responsibly sourced wood pulp).
"I was just learning the ropes of how to run a business, so it was about perfecting the style and working out how to reduce the return rate and increase the retention rate. Being lean really helped us do one thing well. Once you have the playbook, replicate it as you grow bigger."
That's not to say innovation isn't important. "We are constantly innovating," says Raut. "When you're the first [company to launch a particular product], [it feels like] you're under pressure so people don't copy you – you have to be ahead of everything."
WUKA have since diversified when it comes to fabrics (think organic cotton and recycled nylon) and shapes (from bikini to high waist), and in line with the company's ethos, no material ever goes to waste. "We have turned leftover cuts of fabric into reusable pads that we also sell," explains the innovator.
"Clearpay gives people more flexibility, which means we can acquire customers."
Spreading the word
When it came to getting the word out, WUKA was lucky. ‘The UK's first period pants’ is a catchy headline and in March 2018, the journalist interviewing Raut happened to work for a media distribution company which meant the news spread fast.
WUKA also relied on Google and Facebook ads and influencer marketing. "The difficult part is choosing an influencer who speaks a similar language. Once you've nailed that, it works well," explains Raut. "For us, it's someone bold and not afraid to talk about periods or women's health issues."
Removing barriers to purchase
For a company trying to engage customers with a product they’ve probably never tried before, Clearpay is an equally important part of the strategy.
"Clearpay gives people more flexibility, which means we can acquire customers who might have a different pocket power to those we are targeting.
"Period pants are often deemed expensive, and I have to disagree; we stock pants from just £10 a pair... But you do need 2-3 pairs and for a family with 2 or 3 daughters, it adds up very quickly [so Clearpay is an obvious solution].”
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