Hear how entrepreneurs across the country reach customers globally with Amazon

When Leanne and Richard Sexton realised the baby wipes they were using caused their two boys to suffer from nappy rash, they knew they needed to find an alternative.

Frustratingly, they were unable to find anything that suited their needs. Most eco-friendly offerings were far too expensive for their budget, while the cheaper, mass-market options came up wanting in terms of quality.

Drawing on her experience working in media and marketing, including a stint in luxury advertising for brands in glossy magazines, Leanne could see there was a need for a brand that mums could be proud to pull out of their bag: “I knew there would be a demand from mums for affordable baby wipes that they could say were safe for both the environment and for their kids. And so, we set out to build an integrity-based brand that offered transparency around what goes into the products we sell. That’s Joonya.”

Strengths combined

Combining Leanne’s insight with Richard’s background in finance and passion for entrepreneurship, the couple’s mission has been to provide parents with access to stylish, eco-friendly, and safe baby products at affordable prices. Parents have clearly been looking for precisely this, with Joonya proving a hit from the start.

Within its first year of operation, the brand won the 2017 Mother & Baby Magazine Award for fragrance-free wipes. Then, when Amazon launched its Retail and Marketplace offering in Australia, Leanne and Richard understood it was an exciting opportunity, having already experienced success with Amazon in the US. Consequently, Joonya was one of the very first baby wipes to appear on Amazon.com.au, and within the first few weeks of operation Joonya’s wipes were the top-ranked product in the baby products section.

Despite the success they had already experienced, Richard admits the response caught them by surprise at the time: “Being a small business you think that only the big brands get a chance to shine, but with Amazon the cream rises to the top regardless of your size. It’s all about your customer services.”

Room to grow

Since then, a constant stream of orders from Amazon has helped the brand build momentum, and this success has enabled Leanne and Richard to expand their offering beyond wipes, with Joonya adopting a more holistic ‘baby essentials’ approach, including the imminent launch of a new nappies range.

This expansion has been possible in part due to Joonya’s recent adoption of Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), which enables sellers to send their products to an Amazon fulfilment centre and then Amazon look after the rest, including picking, packing, shipping and all customer service, helping sellers scale their business and reach more buyers.

“Our whole model is about supplying premium baby essentials for less when people buy in bulk,” explains Richard. “So, it made sense for us to partner with a program that enables us to further capitalise on one of Joonya’s signature strengths.”

Thanks to FBA, the brand can now offer customers bulk buys of up to 24 packs of baby wipes at a discount. And as Joonya’s products are used frequently and in large volume, FBA’s ability to make deliveries quickly and cheaply is a perfect fit.

According to Leanne, this support from Amazon has had a major impact on Joonya’s success: “We’re really grateful to continue to be partnered with Amazon as it grows in Australia. It’s really helping our brand grow, and it’s so encouraging to find a place where small brands like ours aren’t pushed to the wayside. Despite being such a small brand, we truly feel loved and appreciated on Amazon’s marketplace.”

Most commercial deodorants available in Australia prevent sweating by using an aluminium base to clog underarm glands. Unsatisfied with this, Lisa Raciti decided she wanted to find a more natural, healthy alternative.

Looking around, she couldn’t find a deodorant that ticked all of her boxes; both vegan and effective, cruelty-free and completely natural, so she decided to create a product of her own that could fill the gap in the market: KIND-LY.

KIND-LY has a unique take on natural deodorant, compared with other products on the Australian market, which Lisa describes as deodorant pastes: “They require you to stick your fingers in the jar, dig out the product, rub it between your hands, and then apply it to your underarms. That isn’t something I’m into and I’m sure most people would feel the same.”

Natural and familiar

Instead, Lisa was determined to develop something a little more familiar to those who have used deodorant in the 21st century. So, in 2018 she launched KIND-LY’s 100 per cent natural roll-on deodorant, enriched with probiotics and magnesium and blended with essential oils instead of synthetic, chemical fragrances.

Launching at a trade show, Lisa initially secured a national distributor, but by signing up with Amazon US she was able access a much bigger market, resulting in fantastic exposure for KIND-LY and its deodorant.

Encouraged by the response, Lisa soon launched the KIND-LY Armpit Detox, a mudmask product users apply to their underarms that draws out impurities, clears skin, and assists in the transition to natural deodorant after years of anti-perspirant pore clogging.

Finding fulfilment

Now with her range doubled, Lisa started looking for more distribution for KIND-LY’s products. Following her success with Amazon in the US, she partnered with Amazon Australia and its Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) program, which enables sellers to send their products to Amazon’s fulfilment centres and then Amazon looks after the rest, including picking, packing, shipping and all customer service.

“Amazon, both in Australia and the US has been wonderful in terms of raising KIND-LY’s brand awareness, and it’s been great watching sales increase as Amazon Australia’s traffic has done so,” explains Lisa. “It’s just me on my own, so using FBA has been fantastic. Anything that relieves some of the burden on me to ensure that orders get out on time has been wonderful.”

Lisa now has her sights set on launching a third product, and she looks forward to expanding her Australian-made and Australian-owned range: “It’s great that Amazon is looking to support and help promote local, Australian businesses.”