Background
Driven by strong values rooted in sustainability and accessibility, Mooncup have become a household name and the go-to choice for eco-friendly period products. In recent years, Mooncup have seen an increase in B2B demand, and, following an acquisition by &SISTERS in 2023, needed a new solution that could keep up.
The challenge
Mooncup are a brand with a great reputation and legacy behind them, notably as the first medical-grade silicone menstrual cup to launch in the UK. With an ever-growing, loyal B2C customer base globally, it was only a matter of time before the wholesale requests started rolling in.
With offices, universities, and councils looking to provide sustainable, accessible products to their employees and communities, Mooncup needed a way to meet the growing demand from B2B buyers.
Initially, some of their B2B buyers were ordering in bulk from Mooncup’s B2C store; without contacting the business about wholesale pricing or shipping options. This worked for smaller companies who reordered sporadically but was a challenge for larger companies looking to place higher-value orders regularly. Additionally, Mooncup worked with several distributors who sold their products to smaller customers through their website.
In 2024, Mooncup decided to merge their B2C and B2B into one site. While this was an important step in streamlining their operations, it opened up more questions about managing hybrid customers’ experiences and levels of demand. They wanted a platform that allowed them to place and manage wholesale orders separately, with bespoke pricing and shipping options.
The solution
Mooncup provide a self-service option for their customers but have also utilised SparkLayer’s Sales Agent feature. This enables them to complete baskets and process orders on behalf of their buyers, speeding up the process and providing an enhanced customer experience. Bigger accounts, like Boots or Sainsbury’s, will often submit a PO or email that the Mooncup team use to build orders. This can be as often as once a day, while smaller buyers are likely to submit POs every week.
By linking SparkLayer to their existing Shopify account, they’re able to pull through all relevant product and catalogue information. They also use the platform to inform their 3PL of delivery times, share relevant documents, and add delivery notes where needed. This has removed the need for additional platforms or systems as all information flows directly between SparkLayer and Shopify.
Mooncup use the SparkLayer Customer Groups feature to assign a bespoke price list to each of their B2B buyers. This provides them complete control over the pricing that their customers see, allowing them to monitor profit margin by buyer and offer a customised experience.
They’re able to remain competitive, delight their customers, and keep track of their orders in one centralised place. When it comes to payment terms, the majority of the brand’s customers are using their ‘Pay by invoice’ option, with the option to apply for payment terms.
The results
Mooncup initially launched SparkLayer with a small group of their customers - this included those who placed orders regularly and were less likely to need a level of communication or consulting. They saw high levels of adoption within this trial phase and went on to share the re-platforming news via email to their customer base.
From there, Mooncup have seen a significant uptake across their B2B customers, including those that wanted to make the most of the Sales Agent feature. By offering the self-service route and the Sales Agent masquerade ordering, Mooncup now save over 5 hours a week per customer account.
Compared to their previous set-up, the business can now provide a tailored experience while saving valuable time thanks to automation, notification configurations, and the centralisation of data.
Processes are now streamlined, with minimal back-and-forth required unless chosen by customers. This has led to a reduction in support tickets and reliance on the team, with buyers able to process and track orders themselves through the 24/7 portal access. Where previously, Support and other teams may have been spending time addressing queries, there’s now a simplified process for dealing with questions and challenges.
"What I was able to do is essentially set up SparkLayer to be my little ERP - I now process orders for bigger customers through SparkLayer as well. We have more and more customers who are interested in the Sales Agent functionality. We set up our customers so that they can just go in and log in if they want to. What that means is that even if they don't want to do the ordering themselves, we can still use Sales Agent ordering for them.
If they still want to send orders as they did previously, they can still do that. And if they want to order for themselves, they can. And, with the vast majority of the customers, we barely had any questions back. There are customers who used to call us about their orders and now enjoy the fact that they can just do it in their own time. They essentially don't have to contact us so the order can just come in and go out.
Thanks to SparkLayer, we get the time back to speak to our customers about the fun and important things. When it comes to order management and tracking, the systems can do that talking for us." ~ Paulina Szklarek, Head of Operations at Mooncup
Explore more
To learn more about Mooncup, their product range, and the story of their brand, visit their website.
To see how SparkLayer works with Shopify, you can explore via the links below: