This is part of our #SmileABCs series, highlighting and going in-depth with small businesses and ecommerce brands. Check out the full series here.
Have you ever wondered how clean your cleaning products really are? While big consumer-packaged goods brands are hiding their dirty laundry, Dropps is revolutionizing the clothing detergent industry with their sustainable liquid unit dose pods.
Dropps was started in 2008 by Jonathan Propper after his mother Lenore started an apparel brand using a patented cotton yarn. “Without availability of any commercial detergents gentle enough for their fabrics, Jonathan and Lenore created an ultra-concentrated low-sudsing detergent to properly treat natural fibers and keep them looking better, longer.”
This effective yet gentle detergent was one of the very first 3X concentrated liquid detergents on the market and consumer reports named it #1 in overall cleaning quality among hand-laundry detergents. At this point, Jonathan knew he was onto something.
Then Jonathan had an “aha” moment: Why ship big bottles of water around the country? There’s water already in the machine–why not remove it from the detergent entirely? Drawing from other industries, Jonathan created the very first liquid unit dose laundry detergent pod in 2008 and Dropps was born. Since then, laundry pods have taken the laundry category by storm!
Cleaning up the laundry detergent industry
In this age of conscious consumers, people want to know how the products they buy affect our planet. When Jonathan thought about the current state of the laundry detergent industry, the sad reality set in.
“It’s no secret that our oceans and waterways are drowning in single use plastic, and the household consumables category is a major contributor to our global plastic pollution crisis,” Dropps writes on their website. Jonathan knew Dropps had the potential to change this.
“Because of our sustainable packaging and innovative pod design, Dropps has been able to save 4.5 million liters of water since 2018!”
How exactly did Dropps accomplish this? Through a combination of adapting to customer preferences, sustainable distribution methods, and clean ingredients.
“By choosing low-waste alternatives such as Dropps, consumers can put pressure on leading consumer packaged goods companies to rethink their supply chain with our planet in mind.” Dropps understands that true environmental change needs to happen at the corporate level. By offering a convenient and simple solution to the dirty side of laundry detergent, they are redesigning the way consumer products are designed, manufactured, and disposed.
As with any industry, distribution plays a critical role in sustainability. Dropps’ advice for business owners on this front is to pursue carbon off-setting initiatives so that carbon-offsetting projects get the resources they need to make a noticeable change.
The final piece of the puzzle involves what goes into making the products. “Dropps eliminates the B.S.(*Bad Stuff) and focus on what works. We harness the power of nature to make products that really clean and make your life simpler.” Their formulas are dye-free, phthalate-free, phosphate-free and animal-cruelty-free and third-party lab tested to prove it works. “It’s made with ingredients so clean it won EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year.”
Cleaning is communal
Aside from their commitment to sustainability, Dropps differs from competitors because of their strong community. “Cleaning is communal, and our digital spaces act as somewhat of a forum where customers come to share cleaning tips and tricks on how Dropps works for them and their household.”
Dropps leveraged these comments, suggestions, and life hacks to create a digital Cleaning Resource Centre where new, potential, and loyal customers alike can learn the best processes for removing the toughest stains. And at the end of the day, no matter how many resources Dropps creates for customers on their own, user-generated content like this will always build more trust within their community.
With over 116K followers on Instagram, this cleaning brand has carved out their own little corner of the internet. By constantly experimenting with new Tik Tok and Instagram series and storytelling tactics, Dropps keeps their content fresh and their customers engaged. “When we have leaned on the creativity of our team and let our Dropps humor come through, that’s where we’ve found the most success,” Julian Thomas, Content and Media Relations at Dropp explains.
Dropps Rewards Program
Dropps launched their loyalty program in 2017 to show their customers how much they appreciate them. With their rewards program customers earn points for referrals or purchases and have the opportunity to redeem them for discounts off their next purchase.
“Being a digital-first, subscription-based business, our customer’s loyalty proves paramount.”
Subscription-based ecommerce stores and points programs go hand in hand because the more points customers collect, the more they save. This is the perfect motivator to ensure your shoppers keep hitting that “renew subscription” button.
When it comes to laundry detergent, a lot of us have our tried and true brands that we stick with. This is why Dropps is the perfect candidate for a referral program.
“We believe that sharing is caring. We encourage our customers to tell their community to give Dropps a try, and they can be rewarded for their referral!” Referred customers get $15 off their first order ($30 minimum), and referring customers earn $30 redeemable on their next shipment ($45 minimum, and limit 20 referrals per person).
Whether you want to clean up your laundry regimen or you’re searching for inspiration on building a loyal brand community, look no further than Dropps.
