Last month, international DTC ecommerce company ESW secured a partnership with US-based fragrance wholesaler Michael Malul London. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Michael Malul London fragrances are currently sold in over 1,500 stores across the United States, and the partnership with ESW will allow the company to expand its product reach to an additional twenty-four countries across Europe and the UK.
To learn more about how the ESW partnership provides a much-needed solution for Michael Malul London to expand their operations through international shipping, as well as the partnerships benefits and potential impact on Michael Malul’s global brand presence, CosmeticsDesign spoke with Clarissa Schealer, VP, Beauty, Wellness & Lifestyle, ESW and Hanan Malul, Chief Executive Officer, Michael Malul London for their insights.
Identifying pain points
One of the greatest challenges facing Michael Malul London when scaling its product offerings to an international consumer base is the ‘dangerous goods distinction.’ Many fragrance products are classified under this distinction due to their flammable nature, and “fragrance transportation is highly regulated” as a result, explained Schealer.
Due to this distinction and risk, “many brands simply choose not to ship by air – which severely limits their ability to have a viable, global DTC business,” she added. In the case of Michael Malul London fragrances, the brand’s “unique and long-lasting scents have created a cult following, where fans from all over the world can be seen on TikTok and Instagram sharing their passion for their favorite Michael Malul fragrance.”
However, the brand faced a difficult issue with the ‘dangerous goods distinction’ and “prior to partnering with ESW, wasn’t able to capitalize fully on this fandom because there was no global path to purchase for international shoppers,” Schealer shared. Further, “the complexities presented by this distinction can be quite daunting and even prohibitive to many companies like Michael Malul London as it requires additional handling, paperwork and regulations by region and carrier,” she elaborated.
Providing a solution
The partnership between ESW and Michael Malul London “quickly eliminated the friction in the brand’s direct-to-consumer journey across borders, especially around the ‘dangerous goods distinction’ carried by fragrances,” Schealer said.
In addition to using “ESW’s Dangerous Goods lanes for shipping fragrances to twenty-four countries, Michael Malul London’s brand afficionados can now purchase fragrances in their local currency with local payment methods,” solving several immediate issues to expanding direct to consumer product accessibility.
Further, to support Michael Malul London in its global expansion efforts, “ESW manages duties, taxes, and compliance as well as ensuring that Dangerous Goods protocols are followed,” she stated. As a result, “all of these factors contribute to enabling greater global commerce for Michael Malul while creating an engaging customer experience for the brand’s fragrance loving consumers no matter where they live.”
The partnership offers additional benefits to both companies as well. “Our partnership with ESW will allow us to focus on capturing moods and moments, conjuring up the subliminal through our evocative and lasting scents, while ESW eliminates the friction in our customer’s journey,” shared Malul.
This will “enable us to grow and deepen our fan base without compromise,” he said, and the partnership also reflects the values of Michael Malul itself. For example, “as a company that has always used plastic free packaging and is committed to being cruelty free, we love that every package we ship with ESW leverages their carbon neutral delivery.”
About the future of the company considering the expansion, Malul stated that “we expect to achieve considerable growth as an organization thanks to ESW unlocking our global potential.”