UAE-Born PureBorn Goes International By Launching Direct Distribution Of Its Eco-Friendly Baby Care Products In Europe The decision behind PureBorn's international expansion is solely driven by an increasing demand for the venture's eco-conscious baby products.
By Aalia Mehreen Ahmed Edited by Aby Sam Thomas
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PureBorn, a UAE-grown vegan baby care brand that designs hypoallergenic, ultra-absorbent diapers, wipes, and pants made with up to 43% organic bamboo, has announced the direct distribution of its products across Europe.
The move comes at the tail end of PureBorn signing an exclusive European distribution deal with Laboratoire Naturel, a Switzerland-based personal care manufacturer, in November 2023.
PureBorn's international expansion is being driven by an increasing demand for the venture's eco-conscious baby products, with it already having a customer base across the European Union (EU) nations such as The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, and France.
As such, the startup's dedicated e-commerce platform, pureborn.com, will now expand to include country-specific portals for easier access to its products. Curated to operate as a one-stop-shop solution, PureBorn's new European website will enable families in all major countries across four regions in Europe to order its products for straight-to-door delivery.
When asked how the new operations in the European market would differ from the work done so far in the UAE, PureBorn founder and CEO Hannah Curran replies that "only the logistics change." "For Europe, we're focusing on direct to consumer and deliveries, aiming to reduce timing, and increase convenience for busy parents," Curran says. "We also have interest from offline retailers there, but right now, the focus is on how we can deliver ourselves what our EU audience has been asking for. We're already doing that well with [e-commerce giant] Amazon, but we will make sure that all our new launches happen first on pureborn.com, so that European families get access to what Middle East customers have access to."
Related: Striking A Balance: Juggling Parenthood And Entrepreneurship in the GCC
Source: PureBorn
Indeed, the focus on creating ease for the end user is what dictated Curran's decision to create country-specific delivery portals, as opposed to other options such as worldwide shipping. "With high volume items, the end charge to the consumer is so crucial," she explains. "We're conscious that although parents opt in for PureBorn quality they still have budgets to manage and we need to ensure they get quick, cost-effective delivery rates."
And it is this attention to detail that Curran hopes could eventually lead to successful retention of customers. In fact, it is a strategy that the founder believes is so crucial to capturing the European market, that she has already set targets in place: to increase repeat purchases by 20% focusing on the subscription model, and to onboard 20,000 new customers per month. With this, PureBorn is expected to achieve a 3-5% market share in the EU over the next twelve months.
But as dependent as Curran is on her business strategies for expanding into a new terrain, she also remains quietly confident that PureBorn's products themselves are ultimately what will guarantee those repeat sales. "We're really lucky that our products speak for themselves," Curran says. "We have a loyal community that continues to grow through word of mouth, and that has been really active in spreading the word. We've always shown that eco-, safe, and plant-based products don't have to be boring, so we're bringing our magic to all aspects, and let the products do the talking for us. With new launches imminent in PureBorn baby skincare, we know we're bringing something different to the market that parents and children deserve."
In the meantime, PureBorn will continue to be served in the UAE across major retail outlets, such as Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarket, and Union Co-Op, with direct purchases also available on the official website. And so, as Curran embarks on a new journey of internal expansion, it isn't lost on her that her story is one of a homegrown success.
"I'm really proud to be recognised as a UAE-founded brand," Curran says. "International brands are usually brought here, but there are so many opportunities to do exciting things with products locally. The era of the challenger brand is upon us, and it's exciting to see the global change in landscape that's happening. I came here at 17 with big dreams of making an impact, and I still feel like we're just at the beginning of our journey- the best is yet to come. I'm looking forward to showcasing the UAE on a global level through PureBorn, and building on what we have already achieved here."
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