How Hylo Athletics scales sustainable operations while retaining more revenue with Loop

Hylo: A Sustainable Athletics Brand

Hylo Athletics is a UK-based sustainable footwear brand that creates high-performance athletic shoes with significantly lower environmental impact. As a certified B Corp, sustainability is at the core of everything they do - from the renewable and recyclable materials in their products to their comprehensive recycling program that transforms used shoes into new products.

The Challenge: Balancing Sustainability Goals with Operational Efficiency

Hylo Athletics faced significant challenges with their previous returns solution that impacted both customer experience and internal efficiency:

• A generic, visually underwhelming returns portal that didn't align with their brand identity
• Clunky exchange processes requiring customers to manually describe desired items in text boxes
• Hours of weekly manual processing by the CX team to handle exchanges
• Frustrated customers who complained about the long-winded return experience
• Complex sustainability initiatives like their recycling program that the previous system couldn't properly support

For a brand transitioning from lifestyle walking shoes to high-performance athletic footwear while maintaining their sustainability commitment, these inefficiencies were particularly problematic.

After a lack-luster experience with their previous RMS, Hylo knew they needed a reliable partner - Adam Yardley, Operations Lead explains: "If you can minimize the amount of times you need to change different solutions, you will save yourselves countless hours. Loop is a great example of that."

Environmental Commitment in Action: Hylo's Sustainable Operations Framework

"Sustainability is the core of who we are and what we do." - Adam Yardley, Operations Lead

Hylo's commitment to sustainability extends throughout their entire operation:

• Materials: Performance products made with renewable and recyclable materials
• Return Packaging: Encouraging customers to return products in existing shoe boxes to reduce waste
• Recycling Program: Taking back used Hylo products at their own shipping cost to recycle and repurpose into future products
• Supply Chain: Choosing sea freighting over air transport to reduce carbon emissions, despite longer timelines
• Retail Innovation: Rolling out recycling bins in physical retail locations to collect used footwear

This comprehensive approach to sustainability requires flexible systems that can adapt to unique operational requirements - something their previous returns solution simply couldn't deliver.

Why Loop? Reliable Partnership Through Business Evolution

Hylo chose Loop for its ability to deliver both exceptional customer experiences and operational efficiency while accommodating their unique sustainability initiatives. Key differentiators included:

• Transparent Partnership: "No ugly surprises" from sales through onboarding and ongoing support
• Flexible Customization: Loop's Workflows feature enables them to manage complex scenarios like recycling non-Hylo shoes
• Seamless Integration: Connections with Gorgias and EasyPost streamline operations
• Scalability: Confidence that Loop will handle their needs as they grow and evolve

Adam Yardley highlights this flexibility: "Workflows is one of the best features. The sheer customization and customizability of it... is actually probably a big differentiator between other players in the return market."

This experience shaped Yardley's advice to other merchants: "Find partners you don't need to change in the future. If you can minimize the amount of times you need to change solutions and integrations, you will save yourself countless hours and days. Loop is a great example of that."

Revenue Retention through Seamless Exchanges

Loop's exchange capabilities have transformed Hylo's ability to retain revenue from returns:

• Advanced Exchanges: Simplified process for exchanging sizes and colors
• Shop Now: In-app shopping experience that enables customers to explore alternatives
• Bonus Credit: Incentivizing exchanges over refunds
• Automated Backend: Eliminating manual processing that previously consumed hours of staff time

The result? "We're retaining more of our customers and also just making their experience that much easier," according to Adam Yardley.

The Outcome: Streamlined Operations, Happier Customers, and Sustainable Growth

Since implementing Loop, Hylo Athletics has seen significant improvements across their business:

• Customer Satisfaction: "Barely get any tickets around returns" compared to frequent complaints with their previous system
• Operational Efficiency: Automated processes save the CX team countless hours each week
• Business Agility: Flexible Workflows adapt to their evolving business model and sustainability initiatives
• Brand Alignment: A polished, customized returns portal that properly represents their premium, sustainability-focused brand
• Future-Ready: Confidence that Loop will support them through business transitions and scaling

For Hylo Athletics, Loop isn't just a returns solution - it's a strategic partner enabling them to deliver on their sustainability mission while building a scalable, customer-focused business.

As they continue to evolve their business model and expand their B2B presence, Hylo remains confident that Loop will continue to adapt alongside them: "We know that you'll be able to handle whatever we throw at you... when we're scaling, when we're evolving processes, and when we're either needing different data or needing different customer-facing processes," says Yardley.

Loop: Your Reliable Returns Partner Through Every Challenge

When market conditions shift and consumer behavior changes, your post purchase strategy requires a partner with unwavering reliability. Loop provides the consistent, trustworthy returns partnership that keeps your customer experience stable even when the market isn't.