The Role Of Automation In A Business with Isabel Aagaard, Co-founder of LastObject

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Isabel Aagaard, Co-Founder of LastObject, joined The eCom Ops Podcast to share her expertise on how to run an efficient eCommerce business and the role of automation at LastSwab. Check out all the other episodes of the podcast here.

To learn more about Isabel and LastObject:

Selling On:

  • Amazon
  • Shopify

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

Key Takeaways:

The concept: LastObject and reusable Q-tips

Isabel and her Co-Founder wanted to create a product that actually made a difference to the world, which led them to invent something that would stand out from the crowd. The idea of LastSwab is based on reusable Q-tips that aims to replace single-use items, thus decreasing consumption and waste creation. They pitched LastSwab on Kickstarter and got an amazing response from the zero-waste community, they then transitioned to selling on Shopify.

Maximising automation through tech stack

Isabel is focused on creating a solid tech stack to maximise automation. They use Shopify, MailChimp, skubana, Hubspot, Sapia and Google Sheets for furthering their automation edge. This diverse range of tools has ensured them to automate the whole fufilment process and fulfill the orders without having to increase personnel. 

The Role of automation in the company

Isabel’s goal is to have the company grow in terms of orders and delivery, not in personel. For this, automation is the key. Despite having a small team of five, they keep up with demand by making use of dedicated freelancers who are each assigned specific tasks. The company has a simple take on problem-solving that if it can’t be automated and handled by a freelancer, giving three hours a week, and is not a mandatory task for the company. “So just get rid of it”, says Isabel!

They’ve also made sure that their warehouses in America, Denmark, and Asia are all integrated with Spotify, sometimes using third party apps as middlemen, just to ensure smooth sailing when it comes to deliveries.

Creating customer satisfaction and brand loyalty

The company has two people dedicated to customer care so no customer feels unheard. They also use newsletters to keep the customer base up-to-date with their newest ideas and even encourage them to share their views on new designs. Since the company is focused on waste elimination, they keep an eye on their carbon footprint as well! That’s the reason they recently shifted a warehouse from the Netherlands to Denmark, for quicker shipping. Isabel is all about “walking the walk!”.

Plans for the future

Since their product is supposed to be a one-time purchase, the company is branching out into other items as well. They have recently released the LastTissue and have plans for other products designed to replace one-time use objects.

Isabel says their goal is to work on their current systems and make them even more functional, so they can take up to ten times more orders daily than they are now.

Currently, they are on Amazon and reaching countries in North America, Asia, and Europe. Most sales are done on their own website and the rest through distributors, but their goal is to increase sales through other platforms, which they’re doing gradually but surely.

Isabel’s biggest influence

Isabel maintains that reading relevant blog posts, listening to podcasts and some trial and error, are very valuable teachers.

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