Wolf Whiskers uses Waitwhile to easily manage his global waitlist for bespoke shaving brushes
When his waitlist grew to over 100 people in under a minute, Peter Wolf of Wolf Whiskers knew he needed to find a waitlisting solution that would help him manage capacity. He turned to Waitwhile.
Peter did not set out to have a cult wet shaving brush business with orders coming in from all over the world. One day his car was broken into and Peter’s electric razor was stolen. When he realized how expensive disposable razors were he decided to buy individual blades instead.
“I’ve been using Waitwhile since 2017 to waitlist customers in 40+ countries.”
Peter had to research how to use this new type of razor and accidentally stumbled into the world of wet shaving enthusiasts. He saw the beautifully-made artisanal wet brushes some people were using and thought to himself: ‘I can do this.’
A few months later, Peter Wolf turned his first wet shaving brush handle on a lathe under a maple tree in his backyard, combining a passion for creativity and color with a love of working with his hands. Thus, Wolf Whiskers was born. Launched in 2013, the business quickly gained cult status with wet shaving enthusiasts all over the world. People not only clamored for, but were willing to wait months for the made-to-order brushes Peter created for them.
The Challenge
Peter’s shop is a one-man operation so production is limited by his physical capacity. At most he is able to create a few brushes a day. He needed an easy way to manage and limit online orders for his in-demand business. Initially, he used an online spreadsheet, but quickly found it wasnt sufficient. The process was too slow, he couldn’t set limits, and customers couldn’t monitor their position in line, which was impacting business transparency and growth. As a result, he kept getting more orders than he could comfortably commit to in a given time period. He would have to shut down his waitlist for months at a time.
The Solution
Peter started using Waitwhile in 2017 and has had 1930 customers place orders through it. The automated waitlist allowed him to limit the number of people who signed up, gave his customers visibility into their place in line, and automatically sent messages updating them on the status of their orders.
All Peter had to do is put a waitlist link on his Facebook page or website. “Waitwhile makes the process really simple for me. People can sign up from anywhere in the world. I can limit the number of sign ups and the visibility of a public waitlist is cool. Customers love seeing where they are in the line”, he says.
Features used
Virtual Waitlist
Add guests to a virtual waitlist and let them know when it's their turn.
SMS Communication
Keep an open line of communication and update customers on the status of their orders.
The Result
Wet shaving enthusiasts all over the world know about and covet a place on the official Wolf Whiskers waitlist. If you’re lucky enough to snag a spot, it’s normally about a 2-month climb to the top. People wait for their brushes like a kid for Christmas. Sometimes the list will fill up in 35 seconds and sometimes it takes a few hours, but Peter no longer has to worry about over-committing himself.
Waitwhile has helped Peter automate his sign up process, allowing him to manage global demand in a way that makes sense for him. It’s given his customers transparency into wait times so they can always know when to expect their order. Most importantly, using Waitwhile has made it possible for Peter to focus on doing what he loves most - creating gorgeous brushes to the exact specifications of his global customer base.
