With a bold new look which enabled it to credibly compete with aspirational brands like Molton Brown, Soapsmith saw a 47% leap in Instagram followers and 86% more press coverage after its redesign.
Despite its uniquely scented, handcrafted soap and body care products having a cult following, reach and awareness of Soapsmith was limited. Working with Bulletproof in 2019 to reposition and rebrand, the aim was to grow awareness, listings and sales.
The design process identified the need to rationalise Soapsmith’s portfolio down from 50 to 21 SKUs, significantly improving production efficiencies. A daringly colourful new brand world spanning the identity, packaging and website was then created, reflecting the vibrant London locations inspiring the brand’s products, brought to life through bespoke illustrations for each of Soapsmith’s seven unique scents.
Centred around the creative concept ‘Urban Artistry’, the category-disrupting design drove-up Soapsmith’s physical UK stockists from 4 to 46, including high-end stores Fortnum & Mason and Liberty. The premium new look also enabled a price increase of £2 on average per product.
The redesign had a massive impact. Sales leapt 75% (against a 30% target), overseas listings were gained, and the business expanded, taking on a second unit, developing its manufacturing capabilities and recruiting three new staff.
