ng with fabric mills and manufacturers.  But fashion is a fast-paced world and she wanted to find a role where she could apply those hard-won skills in a business that moved a little more slowly. The Myer experience was a lightbulb moment. Worley said she found it hard to reconcile the fact the process of buying clothes and sheets was so different.  “If you take some clothes into a fitting room at a store, you can take off what you are wearing, try them on and see if you like them,” she said. “But with sheets, it was kind of missing that personalisation step.”  So she decided to do something about it.  Mix and match – the choice is yours  In 2017, Worley and her life partner, Andy, founded Sheet Society in Brunswick, Victoria. Like all great ideas, her concept was a simple one: let people choose the pieces of bedding they needed and ignore what they didn’t require, make the product sustainable, and use only natural fibres and dyes.  The couple bootstrapped the business – which is still privately held – with $20,000 in savings, and they were on track to turn over $30 million in 2022, Worley said. They’ve also expanded into international markets, with a presence in New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK. Add to that two bricks-and mortar retail locations, with more under consideration, and Sheet Society is in a perfect position to capitalise on a growing consumer base that cares about quality, style, choice, and sustainability in their bedding.  “Even with a slowing economy, when we talk to consumers, they are really focused on more considered and thoughtful purchasing decisions,” Worley said. “They want products that will last longer and are of a higher quality, and that aligns very closely with our brand values.”  It’s all about the bed  Before Covid-19 hit, Worley’s team consisted of three people. But during lockdown, Australians moved into online shopping with a vengeance and Sheet Society saw massive growth. Its team expanded to 35, with about the same number of contractors and part-timers.  “We were really well positioned with the right product at the right time,” Worley recalled. “The year 2022 was [about expanding] our resourcing capability in line with being a mid-sized business, and so I think we’re really well positioned to make a big impact in 2023.”  Worley said Sheet Society’s mission is to make the bed better, observing that in business sometimes what you decide not to do is more important than what you do.  This is why the company isn’t going to expand its product line up beyond bedding. There will be no tableware, no candles, and no towels. For Sheet Society, it’s all about the bed.  And while they’re not expanding beyond bedding, Sheet Society is launching products true to its ethos.  “We launched a new category in January [2023] that we’re calling bed basics,” Worley said.  Bed basics is a range of mattress and pillow protectors made with 100 per cent natural fibres. They are not sexy products, Worley said, but they are something she and the team really believe in because they help prolong the life of a customer’s bedding. By extending the life of sheets and pillowcases, Sheet Society is also fulfilling its sustainability mission,  keeping old product out of landfill for as long as possible, and delivering long term value to its customers.  “That’s why I love e-commerce so much,” she said. “Customers can shop with brands that are experts at doing one thing really well.  “We’re experts in things for the bed, and that’s good enough for us.”  A unified customer experience  Although Sheet Society has only two retail outlets, it doesn’t view online and in-store shopping as different experiences for customers. Some shoppers will want to come to a store and look at the product, then go home and order it. Others will buy on the spot. And an even greater number simply go to the website and shop there.  “When you’re in-store, the person standing in front of you is really important and it’s also critical to look at the online sessions in the same light.” Worley explained. “Although that person is not looking you in the eye, they have still chosen to come to your website to buy something.”  She said it all comes down to making sure the customer has the right journey. Sheet Society is investing heavily in its online presence to improve the shopping experience. The retailer wants customers to feel inspired and confident about mixing and matching products, and Worley has observed that what shoppers want has shifted. A couple of years ago, it was all about the one or two colours everyone was buying that season. Now it’s more spread out, with customers seeking to buy sheets reflecting their personal style.  The company is also leaning heavily into augmented reality (AR), with an app that lets customers dress a 3D bed in the sheets and pillowcase styles and colours of their choosing so they can get an idea of what the product will look like in their home.  But Worley also admits its early days for AR. “I don’t know that it gets customers across the line, but it was important to position ourselves as experts,” she said. “Investing in that sort of technology brings credibility to the brand. This article was originally published in the 2023 Australian Retail Outlook, powered by KPMG. Download here.