Marie-Christine Brodeur got into business thanks to her cat’s Instagram account, Floki (Photo: Courtesy)

Before going into business, Marie-Christine Brodeur had built up a community of customers who, in less than two days, snatched up the first hundred colorful bandanas she had put online. his secret? Create an Instagram account for your cat Floki.

Indeed, the people who gravitated around her feline companions immediately told her they wanted to get the same stuff that her cat proudly displayed in their photos. Catso & Co was born.

Following the success, which took its toll around the world, the Carignan entrepreneur launched a second Instagram account, this time to document his career in the business world. By focusing on transparency, which she has learned from the videos on YouTube, she believes she has managed to forge a very close bond with her customers located all over the world.

“My customers who bought products from me in 2018 still buy products today because they feel they are part of the company. I included them too, thanks stories“That’s when I went to register the company,” says Marie-Christine Brodeur, who explains that since the beginning of the year, 41% of her orders have been placed by recurring customers.

This sense of belonging builds the loyalty of its customers, who even go so far as to promote the brand on purpose among its community members.

If today, nearly half of its 23,700 Instagram subscribers live in Canada, that wasn’t always the case. In the early days, they mainly came from outside the country, especially France and the United States. Marie-Christine Brodeur also woke up several times a night to ideally respond in less than fifteen minutes to those who had contacted her from different time zones… a pace she does not maintain today. Can keep

The female-orchestra also seeks to surround itself with a “credible team” so that it can spare some aspects of this community management. A job is easier said than done, she believes, because this communication channel allows her to reach her customers directly.

Indeed, although its products can be found in ten points of sale in the province for six months, 90% of its business is achieved through its online store, with most of its traffic coming from its account.

Bandanas and bow ties, made on Montreal’s south coast, were quickly joined on their virtual shelves for a master to synchronize together with their fur ball, along with collars and harnesses for dogs and cats.

(Photo courtesy)

Today, 80% of its products are made in Quebec, as demand exceeds its production capacity, another challenge facing the young entrepreneur.

And it’s taken a significant leap since Katso & Co. made its way into the pages of the magazine British Vogue.

British boost

A few months earlier, Marie-Christine Brodeur was approached by a member of the magazine’s editorial team. the trend, the American company Condé Naste told them that Catso & Co was selected to appear in the “Vogue advertising feature” section of the July issue. “At first, I thought it was just another fraudulent attempt to log into my Instagram page, steal and steal my account,” she laughs.

As she would again end up in the pages of a British publication, Katso & Co would send five new photos, this time to her four-legged customers embellished in their products so that one of them could be selected by the production team. Thus the entrepreneur leverages this platform to highlight one of his community members, as a way of thanking him for encouraging him.

Since the June 3 issue went live, Marie-Christine Brodeur has seen a 460% increase in accounts accessing her company’s page, as well as a 1188% increase in interactions with its content. In four days, the harness featured in the pages of the magazine has sold more copies than when it was launched two months ago. “It’s huge,” she says.

In addition to opening the way for new partnerships in the United Kingdom, this mention also has implications in Quebec, when various stores want to keep their products in-store. This will also be one of the major projects for the pet brand in the coming months.