MRR trajectory
7.2x
£40K to £290K MRR in 18 months.
§
§ · archetype · bristol sustainable
A Bristol B-Corp brand · £40K → £290K MRR.
Industry archetype drawn from patterns across multiple Bristol sustainability-led DTC engagements. Representative metrics across 18 months: 7.2x MRR, AOV +62%, M12 retention 65%, refill attach 38%.
Industry archetype · drawn from patterns across multiple Bristol B-Corp sustainable lifestyle engagements · brand identity composite
refill attach
38%
Repeat-buyer attach to refill / returnable-pack.
M12 retention
65%
Subscriber retention 12 months after first purchase.
§ 01 · the brand archetype
A Stokes Croft B-Corp in motion.
The archetype represents a slice of Bristol sustainable lifestyle DTC we ship into reliably: a B-Corp-certified or in-process operator at £40K MRR pre-engagement on a Shopify Basic stack, with strong sustainability story but product detail pages that buried the credentials below the fold, no formal refill or returnable-pack programme despite buyer demand, and a Klaviyo program running default flows that didn't merchandise the circular mechanics.
Three structural problems compounded the growth ceiling. Sustainability credentials (PCR percentages, carbon-offset shipping evidence, B-Corp scores, supply-chain provenance) were buried below product photos rather than surfaced as conversion drivers. Refill and returnable-pack programmes were operationally costly and operationally invisible — no SKU-level merchandising, no flow-architecture, no visible deposit-and-return pricing. And the Klaviyo programme was generic-DTC rather than circular-DTC, missing the refill-replenishment, deposit-return, and B-Corp-aligned voice triggers.
§ 02 · the approach
12 weeks. Five workstreams. Refill live.
Workstream 1 · Shopify Plus migration with sustainability surfaces. Migration to Shopify Plus, custom theme work for above-the-fold sustainability surfaces (PCR%, carbon-offset shipping, B-Corp score, supply-chain provenance), structured schema.org markup for sourcing claims. Conversion lifted from 1.6% to 3.0%.
Workstream 2 · Refill + returnable-pack programme. Custom Shopify Functions for refill-vs-new pricing logic, deposit-and-return SKU mechanics, returns-platform integration. Refill attach reached 38% of repeat customers within 7 months.
Workstream 3 · Klaviyo circular-DTC flow architecture. Refill replenishment cadence (tied to product lifespan), deposit-return reminder, B-Corp aligned voice across touchpoints, segmentation by refill-cohort vs new-buyer cohort. Email revenue share moved from 9% to 28%.
Workstream 4 · PCR-pack roll-out + supply-chain widget. Front-end widget surfacing supply-chain traceability per SKU, PCR% per pack component, certified offset partners. The widget became one of the top-three highest-converting page elements.
Workstream 5 · Bundle + refill-essential merchandising. Built bundle SKUs that group essentials with refill-cadence products. AOV moved from £38 to £62 across 12 months.
§ 03 · tech stack named
Shopify Plus core. Circular-fluent.
commerce
Shopify Plus + Functions
Plus core with Functions for refill-vs-new pricing logic.
subscription
Recharge
Recharge for refill-cadence subscriptions.
email
Klaviyo
Circular-DTC flow architecture, refill replenishment.
returns
Loop / Aftership
Returns + deposit-return mechanics, label generation.
support
Gorgias
Gorgias with refill + return macros.
traceability
Supply-chain widget
Custom widget for SKU-level provenance + PCR%.
§ 04 · cohort + 18-month detail
The numbers behind the headline.
| metric | pre | m6 | m18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRR | £40K | £115K | £290K |
| AOV | £38 | £51 | £62 |
| Conversion rate | 1.6% | 2.4% | 3.0% |
| Refill attach | 0% | 22% | 38% |
| Email rev share | 9% | 19% | 28% |
| M12 retention | 28% | 49% | 65% |
Metrics representative of the archetype; specific brands range plus or minus 20 percent.
§ 05 · what this means for bristol brands
If your Bristol brand looks like this archetype.
The pattern this archetype represents (Bristol B-Corp or sustainability-led DTC in the £25K to £100K MRR range, with strong story but buried credentials, no formal refill / returnable-pack programme, basic Klaviyo flows) is one of our most-shipped South West engagement shapes. The 12-week timeline holds steady; metrics typically land within plus or minus 20 percent.
Five capabilities transfer directly. Shopify Plus migration with above-the-fold sustainability surfaces. Refill + returnable-pack programme infrastructure. Klaviyo circular-DTC flow architecture. PCR-pack supply-chain traceability widget. Bundle + refill-essential merchandising.
Every Bristol engagement starts with a 30-minute discovery call. Scope, timeline, and budget come back in writing within 48 hours. GMT cadence Mon to Fri.
§ 06 · book the bristol call