Direct-to-consumer brand Weezie, known for its monogrammed luxury towels, wants to make its personalized products more accessible.
According to the company, while the homeware category has slowed down overall, Weezie has created a product release strategy that’s bringing in new customers while retaining existing ones. This year Weezie unveiled the biggest expansion of its popular bath towel line since it launched in 2017, called Weezie Basics. As the name suggests, the new line offers customers the brand’s customizable towel designs at a lower price compared to the Signature collection. A set of Weezie Basics handtowels, for example, start at $44 compared to $66 for the Signature version.
So far, Weezie Basics has been a big driver of sales and is expected to continue bringing in new customers this year. It’s also part of the brand’s bigger strategy to grow through seasonal and limited-edition product releases. This year, Weezie says it has grown its customer base 34% compared to last year. Currently, about half of Weezie’s customers are new to the brand while the other half are existing customers.
Lindsey Johnson, co-founder of Weezie, told Modern Retail the Basics line is already proving to be a big customer acquisition driver, due to its accessible entry point. At the same time, Johnson said Basics hasn’t caused a migration over from the higher-priced items by the core customers. She expects the line to continue to bring new people to the brand.
Based on customer feedback and cart behavior, Johnson said, Weezie realized that there was an opportunity to acquire a new type of shopper.
“Basics is meant to attract a customer that is likely more price sensitive than our existing customer,” Johnson said. This cohort includes people buying it for their kids for college or moving into their first apartment. “It’s meant to be a more palatable entree into the brand for that younger customer.” She added that Basics also caters to people who want to try the brand’s luxury towels ,“but may be less interested in or discerning about some of the details.”
Johnson added that many brands run a “good, better, best” product strategy, but until now, Weezie has maintained a luxury positioning.
“We were nervous to bring in anything that wasn’t up to our standards. So we decided to keep the towel’s quality the same but change the design details,” Johnson said. It took time to figure out the design changes that can make for an approachable price while making the margins work. The terry cloth and composition are kept the same, Johnson said, but by removing the manual piping step on the Basics line, it can be fully produced on machines.
For instance, Johnson said Weezie’s Signature towels feature a piped rounded edge that’s done by hand, which give them a premium look and feel. The Basics line omits this step and the edges are done automatically by machines.
“That alone saves a lot of the cost that goes into the towel,” Johnson said. “So what you’re losing is an aesthetic, which is not necessarily for everyone anyway.”
Personalization, such as embroidery and applique, is still available on the Basics line. That allows customers to customize the lower-priced items to their liking, Johnson said.
This was important as personalization was built into the brand’s business from the beginning, Johnson said. That meant investing in in-house customization and fulfillment over the last few years. “We have our own fulfillment center in Atlanta, and roughly 60% of our orders contain at least one item that is customized,” she said.
This model also allows Weezie to compete on speed, Johnson said. “If you want something monogrammed at a local store, it can take four to six weeks,” she said. “Now, what we’re offering is lead times as low as two days, which is available as an option with a surcharge.”
Greg Portell is a senior partner and global markets lead at Kearney. Portell said many brands “are looking for growth in any way possible as they have already played most of their cost reduction cards.”
But, Portell said it can also be risky to take a high-end brand down market. “Not only is there a question of whether it will appeal to consumers, but there is also the risk of whether it will repel the core,” Portell said. “The advantage of launching a new brand is that companies are able to maintain their higher end price points when the market returns.”
Weezie Basics is part of the brand’s overall product diversification.
The call for consistent newness has resulted in a consistent launch of seasonal collections. Weezie released about 20 of these types of collections in 2024 and plans to continue at that rate this year. “Newness is a very big part of our growth strategy,” Johnson said. “It’s not the only one we’re pursuing, but it is certainly one of them.”
This year, the brand already launched a Valentine’s Day shop, an exclusive collection with interior designer Meg Braff, a spring break shop and, most recently, an Easter-themed collection. Next up will be a Mother’s Day shop, which is a major period for the brand outside of Black Friday. Many of its partnerships typically sell out in six to eight weeks, according to the company.
Johnson said new collaborations, seasonal products and giftable items like outdoor pillows and aprons are great for not only attracting new customers to Weezie, but also retaining existing customers. “Our business is split roughly between 50% new and 50% returning customers,” Johnson said.
This is the balance that Weezie wants to strike, as it tries to grow its customer base across various demographics.
“We’ve been off to a good start this year, off of the back of a really good year last year,” Johnson said. If anything, she said the company is having a hard time keeping up with demand. “But that’s obviously a good problem to have, so I can’t complain.”
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