A three-year plan (2027 to 2029) built on what Pott's own drops, customers and subscriptions are already showing us. Ads stay on the whole way. This plan is about what goes on top of them.
The business is already growing fast, and most of that growth comes from customers coming back.
Two things stand out. Pott's best customers are very loyal: 65% of 2026 revenue so far is from returning customers. And they want variety, which is why filling out the scent range matters. New customers are the harder part: on today's ads, a new customer costs roughly what their first order earns. So growth that relies on ad spend alone will slow down. The drops, the Club, affiliates and shops are how Pott finds and keeps customers more cheaply.
The pot is the thing that stays in your home forever, so it can carry exclusivity.
Job: loyalty, hype, margin, a reason to come back.
The scent gets used up, so it's where the steady, repeat revenue comes from.
Job: volume, recurring revenue, customer lifetime value.
Every Pott drop since January 2025, measured from Shopify orders, with no VIP group or early-access hype behind any of them.
| Drop | Launch | Pots sold | How fast it went | Launch day vs normal | Returning buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raku | 31 Oct 25 | ~210 | Sold out in ~14 hrs | 2.5x | 79% |
| Emily Doran (Coast) | 14 Aug 26 | ~200 | Sold out in ~25 hrs | 2.7x | 85% |
| Harlie Brown | 27 Feb 26 | ~250 | Half in 3 hrs, 90% in 3 to 5 days | 5.8x | 79% |
| Pudding | 22 Nov 25 | ~160 | Starter packs gone in ~4 days | 2.0x | 81% |
| Teal | 31 Jan 26 | ~80 | Half in hours, rest over 2 weeks | 1.9x | 84% |
| Steve Brown (pre-order) | 27 Mar 26 | ~140 | About 2 weeks | 2.5x | 86% |
| Cableknit | 9 Dec 25 | ~120 | 2 to 3 weeks | 1.3x | 72% |
| Isle of Wight Tomato | 1 Jun 26 | ~270 | Ongoing range, still on sale | 2.1x | 72% |
| Octagon | 23 Oct 26 | ~95 so far | Starter packs half in 1 hr, ~100 left | 1.3x | 81% |
| Gold Wick Trimmer | 29 Oct 26 | 166 | Not sold out, 107 left | 1.7x | 62% |
"Normal" = Pott's average day in the week before each launch, so Q4 launches look smaller against busier days. "Sold out" = stock at zero and sales stopped; restocks not checked. Early-2025 launches (Pott Loves, Lavendula, English Garden) and brand collabs with Citizens of Soil and every story barely moved and aren't shown.
About 150 to 250 people buy an artisan pot on day one, nearly all existing customers. Harlie Brown and Raku each pulled back 55 to 80 customers who hadn't ordered in over a year.
The two drops that sold out had about 200 pots, close to day-one demand. Octagon and the Trimmer had more stock than the list bought on the day, so they're still selling.
Pots that sell out in under a day are underpriced. The next artisan drops can go up 15 to 25% and still sell out to the Club.
The VIP group, built on the loyalty plan from 20 October so it's one programme, not two.
| Tier | How you get in | Qualify today | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Any customer, or anyone who joins a drop waitlist | 18,700+ | Drop reminders, store credit after first orders, public access at the normal time |
| Regular | 3+ orders in 12 months, or an active subscription | ~4,860 | 24 hours early access to every drop and collab, free UK delivery, new scents 48 hours early |
| Collector | 6+ orders or £300+ in 12 months | ~2,410 | 48 hours early access, a Collector-only glaze every quarter, numbered pieces first, a vote on future glazes and scents, invites to maker events |
The community: a private Club space (a Facebook group, like Little Sleepies, or an Instagram broadcast channel). It's where drops are teased, makers are introduced and members share their shelves. It runs on the existing Pott team's voice, not ads.
Why earned, not paid: early access only feels valuable if not everyone has it. Earning it through orders or a subscription also pushes people towards the refill habit, which is where Pott's long-term revenue comes from.
Rules for every artisan drop, taken from what worked this year.
Each one gets its own pot and scent and sells for two to four months. The Isle of Wight Tomato collab (Tomato Vine) is the model: about 270 pots in its first three weeks, and Tomato Vine is now one of Pott's top scents.
| Season | Launch | Scent direction | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother's Day / early spring | Mid-Feb (Mothering Sunday is 7 Mar 2027) | Fresh floral, clean and light after winter | The biggest candle gifting day of Q1, and people want lighter scents after Christmas |
| Spring | April | Floral, garden | Spring is when people refresh their homes |
| Summer: Isle of Wight Tomatoes, again | 1 June | Green, tomato leaf, garden | Proven. Do it every year as Pott's summer tradition |
| Autumn (short) | September | Woody, fig, harvest | Bridges summer to Christmas, runs about 8 weeks |
| Christmas | October, Club first | Spice, fir, gourmand | The biggest season. Club early access before the public launch |
Once a year, one collab can be with a well-known name (a chef, designer or presenter) for reach. The rest stay with makers and British brands that match Pott's voice.
Pott's customers move between scents: only 36% of repeat refill orders repeat the same scent, and 1,145 customers have bought six or more. More scents means more reasons to reorder. Today's best sellers are Orangery, Fig, Tonka, Noël, Fir, Eden, Seasalt, Cook and Tomato Vine.
Club goal: 8,000 Regulars+ by Dec. Drops sell out within 24 hours.
Club goal: 15,000. Shop QR scans that turn into subscriptions, tracked by store.
Needs a wholesale team, a warehouse partner and probably outside investment.
| Month | Drop Day | Collab / scents | Club, affiliates, shops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Thu 28 Jan | "Reset" fresh scent for the new year | Pott Club opens; founding members announced |
| Feb | Thu 25 Feb | Mother's Day collab launches mid-Feb, Club first | Pick 20 to 30 pilot shops |
| Mar | Thu 25 Mar | Mothering Sunday 7 Mar; spring scents | Shop-only pot designed; QR refill page built |
| Apr | Thu 29 Apr | Spring floral collab | Affiliate pilot with 50 Club members |
| May | Thu 27 May | New core scent (first gap filled) | Isle of Wight waitlist opens |
| Jun | Thu 24 Jun | Isle of Wight Tomato collab, 1 Jun | Affiliate programme opens to all |
| Jul | Thu 29 Jul | Summer scents | Pilot shops place Christmas orders |
| Aug | Thu 26 Aug | New core scent | Pilot stock lands in shops |
| Sep | Thu 30 Sep | Autumn collab (short) | First read of shop sales and QR scans |
| Oct | Thu 28 Oct | Christmas collab, Club early access | Affiliates seeded with Christmas range |
| Nov | Thu 12 Nov (moved, Black Friday is 26 Nov) | Christmas drop | Club early access to Black Friday |
| Dec | Thu 3 Dec | Festive drop (Pudding-style) | Review the year; pitch premium retailers for 2028 |
That's 12 drops plus 5 collabs, a lot for a small team. If capacity is tight, run drops every other month in H1 and go monthly once sell-outs are consistent.
Rough revenue by source. These are planning estimates with the assumptions labelled, not a forecast.
| Source (£m) | 2026 est. | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New customers (ads, affiliates, press) | 1.05 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Returning one-off orders (refills, more pots) | 0.95 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
| Refill subscriptions | 0.65 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| Drops and collabs | 0.15 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.3 |
| Wholesale (at wholesale prices) | 0 | 0.15 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 6.0 |
| International (US first) | 0 | 0.05 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Total | ~2.8 | ~4.9 | ~9.1 | ~16.0 | ~24.2 |
| Growth | +67% | +75% | +86% | +76% | +51% |
Kova's additions, on top of ads and the plan above. Ordered by how soon they're worth doing.
Run ads for "join the waitlist for the next Pott" and "join the Club". A sign-up costs a fraction of a purchase, and the drop sells to those people for free. It changes ads from paying for sales to building a list.
When: from the first 2027 drop.
Pott already sells a set of four core scent samples. Make it the cheap way in for new customers, then move them to a starter pack and subscription. A cheaper first order lowers the cost of finding new customers.
When: test in Q1 2027.
Every drop pot carries a number and a maker's card, logged to the owner's account. Later, a Club trade-in or resale board lets people swap pieces. If pots hold their value, the drop prices are easier to justify.
When: numbering from Jan 2027; trade-in in 2028.
Collectors vote on the next glaze colour or scent from a shortlist. People who helped choose a product buy it, and the vote itself is free content for the community and for ads.
When: from Q2 2027.
A short film and a written profile for every maker (studio, process, kiln). It feeds the drop, the ads, press and the shops. It also makes Pott the brand that champions British potters, which is hard for a bigger candle brand to copy.
When: every drop from Jan 2027.
Boutique hotels and spas get their own glaze in rooms and the lobby, plus a refill contract. That's recurring business revenue, and guests discover Pott for free. Corporate Christmas gifting already happens in a small way (Pott has corporate order products), so make it a proper offer.
When: pilot in H2 2027 with 3 to 5 hotels.
Refills are light and cheap to post, and pots are heavy. Launch the US (then the EU) with starter packs from a local warehouse and refill subscriptions. Test with UK customers' overseas friends through referral first.
When: test 2028, launch 2029.
The same Pott ceramic for diffusers (already sold), room spray, and hand wash or soap refills. Every home can take more Potts, and each one adds another refill to the subscription.
When: one new format in 2028.
Personalised or engraved pots for weddings, new homes and new babies, plus a gift registry. It gives people a reason to buy another pot, which matters because pots never wear out.
When: test engraving in 2027.
"Glaze your own Pott" evenings with a maker, held in shops that stock Pott. Shops sell more and get footfall, Pott gets content and local press, and every guest leaves with a starter pack and a QR code.
When: with the 2027 wholesale pilot.
The shop's cut is what stops shops resenting the QR code, and the shop's own code shows exactly which shops' customers come back. Scents are the same everywhere; only the pot is exclusive. In 2027 the pilot answers three questions: how fast stock sells in shops, how many QR scans turn into subscriptions, and whether shops reorder.
| Risk | Why it matters | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Pots don't wear out | Little Sleepies works partly because kids outgrow their pyjamas. A pot needs another reason to buy again. | Good sign: about 35% of returning one-off orders already include another pot (a 2nd starter pack or a candle). Push rooms, gifting and collecting. Track the share of customers with 2+ pots. |
| Too many launches | 17 launches a year stretches a small team and can tire the list. | Fixed Drop Day, templated launches, every other month in H1 if needed. |
| Makers can't scale | Handmade pots limit volume, which is good for scarcity but caps revenue. | Mix artisan drops (scarce) with factory-made collab and shop pots (volume). |
| Wholesale cash and margin | Shops pay about half of retail price, often 60 to 90 days later. | Start small, keep shop prices firm, fund stock ahead of Christmas orders. |
| Ads get less efficient as spend grows | Today a new customer roughly breaks even on the first order. | Ads grow waitlists and the Club; affiliates, shops and referrals bring in a share of new customers. |
| Team and funding | Shops, the US and a bigger range all need people and stock. | Hire a Club and community lead in 2027 and a wholesale lead in 2028. Raise funding before the 2028 retail push. |