Chapters

Summary

Club Soda’s origins came from Sian’s experience as a psychologist. She first gained interest in the effect of drugs and alcohol during her time at university. When she had sessions with her clients with addiction, she wanted to change society’s attitude towards alcohol as a social tool without any danger.

Sian herself also decided to stop drinking alcohol. Initially, she found it hard to socialise with her friends. Her breakthrough was to find drinks that look like alcohol but are instead non-alcoholic. She brought a six-pack of non-alcoholic beer to her first party after quitting alcohol. None of her friends found out. Sian was able to stay social while maintaining her goal of not drinking.

With her experience with non-alcoholic drinks, Sian went on to start her business, Soda Club. She said there were many exciting moments during her startup. However, it was also quite stressful.

At this time, Sian said she was learning how to do SEO. Other challenges she had mentioned were; working out paid ads, working out shipping solutions, and figuring out the Shopify platform and its integrations. She was a one-women team at this time.

Upon building her business, Sian held a crowdfunding campaign. Unfortunately, she didn’t hit her goal. However, it helped her test her product idea. She found out about her potential customers and got media exposure. It even led her to participate in the Mt. Hawthorn Streets & Lanes Festival. She had a pop-up store where she was able to sell her drinks.

Simon asked who the target audience was for Soda Club. Sian answered that her analytics show females aged from 25 to 34. She thought that not drinking affects women more than men, as women get pregnant. During pregnancy, they are not allowed to drink alcohol. Therefore, they would show more interest in her non-alcoholic drinks.

Simon then asked Sian whether she reckons that it is harder for men to stop drinking. Sian answered yes. She had more negative feedback from men compared to women. Sian hypothesised that it is harder for men because they rarely experience having to cut off alcohol. However, Sian believed that having non-alcoholic alternatives would be beneficial for men. It would help shift the drinking culture within the male cohort.

Next, Sian shared about the marketplace for non-alcoholic drinks. She said she got a lot of phone calls mistaking Soda Club for a 24-hour bottle shop. However, she shared her hopes, noting that demand for non-alcoholic beer is growing at 5% per year in Europe and America.

The two also touched on the different drinking cultures. Sian raised the U.K. as an established market for non-alcoholic products. In the U.S., people have started to become more conscious about their food and drinks. Sian also mentioned how recent research shows soft drinks are unhealthy. Therefore, she thinks non-alcoholic products will grow in the U.S.

Sian mentioned the rehabilitation system. She said the system in Australia is inefficient. Patients might see a counsellor for an hour a day. After that, they will go back to environments that reinforce alcohol. Sian said her experience working in this area strongly motivated her to change the drinking culture within Australia. She wanted to bring a positive message that you can still be fun and playful without alcohol.

Simon asked Sian if she used her personal experience in marketing. She answered yes. She would think about what she wanted when she stopped drinking. It has been beneficial, making it easier for her to do her marketing. She uses a lot of social media for her marketing. Instagram has been working well for Club Soda. It helped her test different branding messages and products. It was also a great way to connect with her community through her photos.

Next, Simon asked about Club Soda’s retail strategy. At this time, Club Soda was only selling online on Shopify. Holding pop-up events wasn’t as profitable as expected. However, Sian said they are still planning to do pop-up shops. Mainly in cities on the east coast as there is demand. She was hoping to compare selling online and selling physically.

Lastly, Simon asked Sian for her call to action. She answered to try things out. Don’t be afraid to fail. There is so much information available on how to grow your ecommerce store. Partners like KeepSpace are out there to help you with your fulfilment. Sian finished by saying, “it’s not going to be too bad.”