How hairbrush brand Ugly Swan pivoted its EOFY sales strategy to make $56,000 in three hours

Australian hairbrush and hair towel brand Ugly Swan has hit the ground running this year when it comes to the end of financial year (EOFY) sales, making more than $50,000 within hours, with its founders revealing they opted for a different approach this year during the peak sales season.

Ugly Swan was founded in 2017 by two Adelaide-based mums Marissa McLoughlin and Annette Short, whose products are “all about making a difference to your morning routine and starting the day right”. 

This year the brand made $56,000 in the first three hours of its EOFY sales, selling 751 units in the first 30 minutes and averaging a total of one unit every two seconds.

Speaking to SmartCompany, McLoughlin says the founders looked at the EOFY sales differently this year.

“We wanted to get as many of our products in as many hands as possible, reaching far and wide into different demographics. We have never offered a ‘buy one, get one free’ before so this was our main offer to reach new customers,” she explains. 

“However, we also wanted to reward our loyal customers that knew and loved our brand with an exclusive ‘Early VIP’ access of up to 42% off selected bundles. This model gave us the opportunity to reach and reward both.

“By discounting our products to almost cost price we were able to share them with more families around Australia.”

McLoughlin says EOFY sales are beneficial to brands in terms of helping with cash flow and moving products quickly. 

“EOFY sales are a great way to move large volumes of product in a short timeframe,” she says.

“This helps with cash flow in business, giving us the opportunity to launch and expand our range. With our launch, we are so excited to be able to customise our customers’ hair care routine with exceptional Australian-made natural products.”

The rest of 2023 looks set to be exciting for Ugly Swan as it expands its offering into more haircare products, with a new product launching at the end of July. The decision to expand into haircare products comes after the massive success of Ugly Swan’s viral ‘Scream-Free Maxi Detangling Brush’, which is now one of the brand’s bestsellers.

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Short says the pair couldn’t be prouder of what they have achieved and how far they’ve come in seven years.  

“We have some exciting things happening and launching very soon and we can’t wait to share these amazing Australia Made products with you all,” she says.

“After seven years in business and listening to what our customers need and want, we are launching a revolutionary hair care range that has been tried, tested, loved and exceeded all expectations. We are expecting our launch to be a sellout from our database who know and love our brand.”