Polysleep launched on Shopify Plus in 2016 with a bold ambition to shake up the mattress market. Since then, the company has scaled from disruptive startup to multi-million dollar business selling into multiple global markets.
Since moving to Shopify Plus, Polysleep successfully:
- Increased net revenue 3X since 2020
- Achieved 900% growth in organic traffic to its store
- Expanded internationally despite a small team
Challenge: Scaling a startup in a hyper-competitive market
Polysleep has always dreamed big. Back in 2016, the direct-to-customer (DTC) brand set out to disrupt the Canadian mattress industry, and it had the innovative products to do so: premium, Canadian-made mattresses, delivered in a box. All it needed was a commerce platform that would allow it to meet some very specific goals:
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Launch without huge investment: Polysleep wanted to launch quickly, keep costs to a minimum, and start testing the market. Its lean, in-house team needed control of everything without relying on outside developers.
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Innovate at pace: To get an edge on established competitors, the brand needed to be agile. Launching new products, new functions, and “crazy” ideas had to be fast.
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Scale revenue at home and away: Polysleep’s first goal was domestic domination. It needed to generate high-intent traffic, implement first-to-market ideas, and provide superb service. Then, the team planned to target international expansion.
Solution: Outscaling competitors and expanding internationally
Polysleep chose Shopify Plus from day one. It made sense because the team had a hyper-growth mindset and was determined to rise to the top.
The company quickly launched a customized storefront, then used Shopify Plus’s native functions and marketplace apps to improve the shopping experience.
For example, Polysleep created 3D product models using the native functionality of the Shopify app. These detailed 3D models helped recreate the experience of viewing products in-store. “Customers can play with the different layers, and pinch and zoom, almost like a video game,” says Marketing Director and Ecommerce Director Jonathan Menard. This interactivity helps customers make faster purchase decisions and increases sales.
The business also leverages Shopify Plus to drive high-intent website traffic. It uses the built-in blogging engine to educate customers on Polysleep’s value over competitors and build trust. It also uses Klaviyo to create email flows that educate customers and then share great deals and special offers that help boost conversions.
To grow local visibility, Polysleep started selling its mattresses in premium brick-and-mortar stores. The growing business then added a store locator to its website. This brought more customers to partners’ doors and improved local search. “If someone types, ‘best mattress in Montreal,’ search engines find us now,” says Jonathan, “Our digital marketing efforts bring excellent returns. In fact, we bring 10X more traffic to our website than legacy competitors combined.”
With domestic sales firing on all cylinders, Polysleep soon began using Shopify Plus to expand internationally, starting with the United States. It used Shopify’s Translate and Adapt app to translate native French into English, then turned to Shopify's international sales tools to help manage localization across borders. “If we see an opportunity in a new country, Shopify's international sales tools make it super easy for us to adjust to that new market and start selling quickly,” says Jonathan.
He adds, “With Shopify Plus, we always have something new to try and stand out in our industry.”
Even at the start, Shopify Plus made it easy to test the water without any huge investment. As we grow and upscale the competition, it allows us to be lean, fast, smart, and innovative.
Results: Eye-opening growth
Polysleep scaled from a standing start to more than $10 million in annual revenue within five years on Shopify Plus. Even then, the business didn’t snooze.
Net revenue continued to grow, increasing 3X since 2020. The multi-million dollar business is now recognized as a giant of the mattress world. Polysleep achieved this explosive growth and international expansion with a team of fewer than 15 people.
“Shopify Plus helps us be as efficient as possible and make all these crazy ideas come to life. So it's doable for other small teams, too,” says Jonathan.
With 900% growth in organic traffic since 2018, more high-intent customers are continuing to find Polysleep every day. Best of all, Polysleep is free to grow at the speed of its ideas, unconstrained by developer or other tech-related bottlenecks.
Shopify Plus helps us have leverage versus our competitors. With all its tools, marketplace of apps, and customer support, we always have something new to try to stand out in our industry.
