Overseas markets boost
Cuddledry success
Cuddledry, the award winning Somerset firm that found national acclaim for its unique, quality, organic baby bath towel through an appearance on TV’s Dragon’s Den, now reports a fast growing international reputation with exports to 20 countries.
Cuddledry turnover has grown within two years of set up to £125,000 in 2007 to £400,000 projected for 2008. The company aims to increase overseas sales to 50% of total by 2010.
Polly Marsh and Helen Wooldridge, company founders and mums themselves, came up with the original design idea for the Cuddledry Bathing Apron to make baby bath time safe, simple and snug. The winning formula has led to an extended range of Cuddledry products which include Cuddlebug towels for toddlers, bath mitts and even a Doggydry apron towel in response to customer demand.
The fast growth of export sales in one year to 25% of Cuddledry sales today, is largely down to the partners’ understanding of the need to cater for the differences in language and culture in overseas markets.
With early advice from UKTI and the Regional Language Network SW (RLN SW), the intrepid duo have been able to make export decisions sooner rather later and with greater confidence, knowing their approach to global markets was the right one.
Key action areas were translations of European packaging into French, German, Dutch and Italian, as well as English for those countries with distributors appointed. Product and promotional literature are also translated. A decision was taken not to translate the website www.cuddledry.com but to encourage agents and distributors to do so or include Cuddledry in their own site. Customers logging on from around the world are automatically taken directly to the site in their own language run by the firm’s distributors such as in Australia, www.cuddledry.com.au.
Polly Marsh explains that it has been important to ensure the meaning is identical in every language, even in English speaking nations.
“We used translators as advised by RLN SW but final proofs were checked by our agents or distributors in each country to ensure correct language is used to make sense in that particular market.
“RLN SW advised us to use a multilingual student at the major Kind und Jugend trade show at Cologne in Germany to which buyers came to from all over the world. This proved enormously helping in dealing with distributor enquiries and appointments.
“We now have gone a step further and recently appointed a dedicated, international account manager, Sarah Speake who is fluent in French, Spanish and Russian.
“The advice from the RLN SW has been fantastic with business advisor Susan Roe assessing every piece of our marketing material and offering advice on sourcing translators and attending exhibition events overseas.
“Our advice to other businesses is to ask for help. We have learnt so much and appreciate that getting language and culture right has been critical to our success and in our understanding of the varying market needs of different countries. For example, our best selling oatmeal coloured baby towel in the UK comes second to pink and blue in Italy, whilst in Holland the colour of choice would be likely to be bright orange or lime green!”
Susan Roe of RLN SW said: “Cuddledry is a brilliant example of a firm that takes language and culture seriously in its drive to win markets overseas. Using expertise available through RLN SW and UKTI they have been able to focus on clarity in their international communications which has resulted in the company’s amazing success.”
Visit the Cuddledry website at www.cuddledry.com.
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