CUSTOMER PROFILE
Playing it by ear
It’s not just the kids who are listening and learning. Since taking over Yoto’s UK fulfilment in late 2022, Whistl has responded with a flexible, dynamic solution based on almost-daily improvement and innovation. Whistl Magazine recently caught up with Alex Lainé, Operations Director at Yoto. Q Yoto is all about the magic
as robust or didn’t have the scope of Whistl’s solution. Q How’s it going so far? AL So far, so good. Whistl got us through peak with an interim solution, then put in place a more permanent arrangement of racking/binning once they knew their way round our inventory and requirements. Their approach to any issues we may have is great, and we are now engaged in what I call ‘unheralded’ work to try and be even more efficient: more compact packaging to minimise cardboard, trying to improve picking times, switching to seafreight rather than air. They totally buy into the process of ‘establish, improve, evaluate’. Director of such a fast-growing, forward-thinking company switch off when time allows? AL I ride my bike, and that has involved the Trans Alba Race around Scotland – Google it! I also enjoy my allotment, and having just moved house, home improvements also seem to be on the agenda. Happy days! Thanks Alex for sharing your experiences with us. Q Finally, how does the Ops
part of a company that physically designs, makes and sells products that make a difference. It’s brilliant to have appreciative parents as customers.
of storytelling and the power of audio, but what’s the story behind Yoto itself? AL Yoto was formed in 2017 by two guys from the music industry, both with young families. Here’s the founding ideal, verbatim from CEO Ben: …that kids should be able to safely listen to audio on their own terms, without the distraction or dangers of using connected devices made for adults. Hence the development of screen-free audio players that let children explore content at their own pace. ‘Kids in control’ is central to our ethos, but equally it’s about helping families. Product development is guided by three questions: Does it make bedtime easier, is this new feature going to bring joy to parents too, and will it be easy enough for grandparents to use? Q And where’s the company at today? AL We’ve got offices in London and New York plus a team in France, sales are doubling year-on-year, and the Yoto Player was named one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 Inventions of 2020. Over and above all that, it feels great to be
Q You’re Operations Director at Yoto. What does that involve? AL Pretty much everything from
the factory door onwards – overseeing product to and
from the warehouse, through to customers. We do have stockists, but we are principally a direct- to-consumer brand. So, my role covers logistics, sales operations, systems operations such as Shopify and stock management, plus I support the Customer Happiness Team! Q And where does Whistl fit in? AL Like most tech start-ups, fulfilment was handled in-house until the volumes began to ramp up. We switched to Whistl at a particularly challenging time of year – October 2022, with the peak sales period nearly upon us – for the size and scope it could offer. We needed scale and innovation, access to post as well as carriers, and economies of scale. There were cheaper 3PL companies out there, but their offerings weren’t
Yoto in brief
Yoto’s screen-free audio players let kids listen, learn and play at their own pace. The Yoto Player was launched in 2020, and quickly found a home on the world’s play mats, bedside tables and kitchen counters. The third generation Yoto Player was introduced earlier this year. The Yoto Mini is a portable player launched in 2021, and accompanies kids on their journeys and travels. Both models use the same cards, with over 1000 titles available from the Yoto Card Store. As well as familiar children’s stories there are cards covering music, games and education.
2022 4.7 billion minutes of listening by 1 million children in 192 countries.
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Whistl Magazine • Summer 2023
Whistl Magazine • Summer 2023
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