Rachel (Midori) Drolet, Midori Bikini owner and founder, was 19 years old when she boarded a flight to Oahu, Hawaii for the summer. Two weeks into the trip, she bought a little Brazilian piece from a local shop, and from there she knew there was no going back.

“When I returned to the mainland for school, I realized my new go-to bikini was way smaller than most Southern California beaches had seen at the time,” she said. 

After four months of researching swimwear, Rachel launched Midori out of her dorm room.

We sat down with Rachel to discuss how Loop supports her scaling Shopify brand. 

The following is a transcript of an interview by Kristi Meyer, Loop’s customer marketing manager. Some of the questions have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Tell us a bit about your business. How has it evolved over the years?

Back in 2011, when I first visited Hawaii on that momentous trip, buying my Brazilian swimsuit was uncomfortable. I didn’t feel very welcomed, so I knew immediately customer service was key for us. Even though we’re online, that doesn’t mean we can’t offer a great shopping experience.

I used to get fabric from a local store and sew swimsuits with my college roommate’s sewing machine. Then I found a manufacturer, all of which was fully funded with my babysitting money. We started off just with bottoms, but once Instagram debuted, we gained a ton of traction and the brand took off.

Today, we offer swimsuits that fit better, last longer, carry UPF 50+, are eco-friendly, PETA-APPROVED Vegan, and are certified skin-safe by STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. In other words, our swimsuits are not only stylish, but high-quality. 

Why did you join Loop? And why do you stay with us?

The main challenges when it comes to swimsuit returns revolve around fit. Grading between sizes is typically minimal since we want to ensure a perfect fit for customers. Plus, every swimwear brand has different sizing guides and types of fabric that stretch differently.

Returns have always been pretty high for us for those reasons, but since joining Loop our retention rates have increased to over 70%. We’ve come to understand that making returns easy for customers, regardless of the return outcome, is an important part of the customer journey that helps to retain their business.

But, the key differentiating factor for us is the ease of exchanges. Our customers love taking advantage of Instant Exchange since it lets them shop our entire catalog during a return.

I’m confident we’ll remain with Loop as we continue to scale because they continuously support us in delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Want to learn more about how Loop can help your brand? Contact us for a demo.