The Will&Able brand was developed during the COVID-19 lockdown to create employment. Its parent company, Altus, is the largest employer of those with disabilities, and Will&Able's inception was to create meaningful employment opportunities for our staff.
Marketing and Sales manager Grant Hartley said that Will&Able's positioning as a cleaning brand is: 'It does the job and Creates a job.'
"This communicates its purpose of enabling shoppers to switch brands to a product that creates work for disadvantaged Kiwis with disabilities," said Hartley.
Hartley continued that for customers who return their used Will&Able bottles to one of their collection points, such as AON offices and selected Z stores in Auckland, the company will clean and reuse them, creating more employment opportunities.
Will&Able is a pioneer and has potential for leadership in two distinct areas; Hartley said that the brand could contract to pack other types of liquid products for other companies and house brands. Secondly, it has a viable option to return, wash, and reuse packaging, reducing waste and the usage of earth's resources.
However, Will&Able's most unique point of difference is its people, the products it sells, which are practical and eco-friendly, and the jobs it can create for people with disabilities.
Increased costs, retail margin expectations, and the short timeline for new products to meet minimum hurdle rates are some of the biggest challenges facing Will&Able and the industry moving into 2024. Hartley said there had also been a premiumisation shift from powders to liquids, then to tablets and capsules in dishwashing and laundry, with consumer uptake primarily centred on the value of products given ongoing economic conditions, seeking larger packs.
This has inspired the launch of 2L Laundry Liquid products for both Ultra and Sensitive skin types to meet consumers' demand for these products' shift in value.
For 2024, Hartley hopes that the retailer category review process will address the cluttered nature of the cleaning category, streamlining it to help bring clarity to consumers.
