How to take an Australian heritage brand into the future
This family company making Aussie ugg boots moves fast on new technology while staying true to its traditional values of quality and craftsmanship.
“One thing I dislike about ecommerce is competing online based on price,” says Mortels Sheepskin Factory managing director Tony Mortel. “My advice is: don’t undercut yourself. Stick to your standards, stick to your quality and get more creative rather than being strictly price-driven.” Tony’s confidence is built on decades of retail experience, including two stores in regional NSW. Mortels has been making sheepskin ugg boots since 1958 and was an early adopter in the ecommerce revolution, first selling online in 1999 – “even before we had reliable internet,” he jokes.
His advice for taking a legacy brand into the future? Be quick to adopt new technology while holding tight to the traditions at your core. From the day Mortels was founded by his parents, Frank and Rita – Dutch immigrants from a long line of shoemakers – in-house production and sourcing local materials have been the foundation of their success. “Everyone in the business cares about the quality,” he says. “Every ugg boot passes through eight pairs of hands before it’s ready for sale.” Tony and his wife, Stephanie, took over the business in 1992 and now have an ugg boot museum, shop and café at their factory in Thornton, near Maitland in NSW. In 2020, the year of lockdowns, Mortels sold 40,000 pairs of uggs, with online sales increasing from 5 to 30 per cent of its annual turnover.
Tony says they’d moved their shipping to Australia Post’s MyPost Business account the year before, “otherwise it would’ve been a logistical nightmare!” MyPost Business gives the company significant savings1 and streamlines its process. Mortels charges a flat-rate shipping fee of $15 Australia wide. Now that it qualifies for the maximum Band 5 discount with MyPost Business, it saves up to 40 per cent when sending eligible parcels within the same city, making delivery more cost effective. From one portal, the fulfilment team can bulk-upload orders, print labels, pay for postage and send customers their tracking details2. “During our peak periods, we were sending 150 orders a day,” says Tony. “MyPost Business helped us get those out the door quicker. It kept the business flowing much better than it would have otherwise.”