Dagsmejan on the way to becoming a growth company

Last year was the upscaling year for Dagsmejan. The distribution network was expanded and now includes more than 50 partners in seven countries. The number of product lines, consisting of pyjamas and a lounge collection, has been increased to four – and, most importantly, sales more than quadrupled. “We are super happy with what we achieved last year,” explains Andreas Lenzhofer, who co-founded the start-up with Catarina Dahlin.

The start-up brings innovation to an area that has seen hardly any innovation over the past decades. Dagsmejan transfers technological approaches from the sportswear sector to nightwear: the result is patented knitted fabrics that offer an optimal sleeping climate, whether you tend to sweat, freeze or do both during the night.

Dagsmejan has focused on the global market right from the start; in addition to Switzerland, Germany and Austria, the UK and North America have also been targets. Thanks to the professionally developed, outsourced order processing, the company has been able to supply customers in more than 40 countries. “We added a lot of complexity to it right from the start, but it was the right decision. We would certainly do it again,” says Lenzhofer, who worked in strategy consulting for many years before founding the company.

The Innosuisse special coaches and two market bootcamps in New York and London were very helpful in tackling the international markets quickly. “We learned a lot about taxes, law and customs duties in a short time,” says Lenzhofer. With the bootcamps, the start-up was also able to benefit from the network of the Swiss embassy in London and the swissnex outpost in New York. Dagsmejan was awarded the Innosuisse certificate, which certifies that the company is ready for sustainable growth, in January.

The products aroused great interest in various countries, with leading magazines such as Forbes and Town & Country reporting on the innovative sleepwear from Switzerland. In addition, the start-up takes advantage of the opportunities offered by the internet and relies on advertising on Google and Facebook, as well as search engine optimisation. Dagsmejan has no secret recipe for this, says Lenzhofer: the crucial success factor is the permanent monitoring and optimisation of campaigns.

The company also relies on a direct digital sales channel. “This allows us to communicate our unique selling proposition and interact with customers,” explains Lenzhofer. The team also learns more about customer behaviour, which is gratifying, as he reveals: “Nearly all those who order from us buy more Dagsmejan products in the following six months.”