Ecoafriq
Isabelle Laubier’s grandmother could weave anything – cloth, sugarcane or even old furniture – into beautiful handicrafts.
Decades later, those vivid memories from her childhood in Namibia inspired Isabelle to quit a career in the financial services sector and launch Ecoafriq; a London-based bag company established in 2017. Aiming to help preserve traditional artisanal techniques, Ecoafriq sources sustainable, organic cork, rattan and bamboo, and employs 45 artisans across Africa who turn these materials – and fabric donated by a Singapore-based apparel manufacturer – into trendy bags.
Initially selling her products at street markets in the United Kingdom, in September 2018 Isabelle established an online store. But with Ecoafriq’s new virtual footprint drawing customers from across Western Europe, and as far away as the United States and South Africa, Isabelle wanted a way to better organize these interactions.
“As a new business, I was looking for the cheapest way to communicate with my customers. I did research online, found out about WhatsApp Business and decided to switch,” says Isabelle, who began using the app in March 2019.
90 percent of all Ecoafriq’s online sales originate via WhatsApp
Isabelle says 90 percent of all Ecoafriq’s online sales originate via WhatsApp and 74 percent of those orders are from outside the United Kingdom. The business profile and quick replies features have sharpened her customer engagement – one customer interested in an Ecoafriq leather backpack connected with Isabelle via WhatsApp to learn more about the product and delivery times. Isabelle also recently began using the new catalog feature to showcase her bags. “I’ve asked a few people to look at it, and the reviews are ‘Oh, it’s so cool’,” she adds.
But for Isabelle, smooth exchanges with customers via the WhatsApp Business app are only half the journey. She also uses the app to connect with Ecoafriq suppliers and artisans in Africa who, she says, live in rural areas and visit WiFi spots to send and receive messages.
“WhatsApp [Business] is helping me grow as a new business,” says Isabelle, who plans to expand Ecoafriq’s product offering and generate more jobs in Africa. “The plan is to go worldwide.”
