How House of Malt Boosted Order Value by 22% with Apple Pay & WooPayments

Turning a Toast into Online Growth

House of Malt began in 2015 as a small family-run spirits shop in Northern England. Very quickly they saw that more shoppers were placing orders online, seeking hard-to-find bottles and new releases. They moved to WooCommerce in 2017 so they could retain control over every part of the site, from product pages to shipping settings.

Background

Within two years, House of Malt was running a retail store and a warehouse, but online sales were the main source of revenue. Their primary customers included first-time tasters, collectors hunting limited editions, and small bars ordering stock. Strict rules around alcohol ads forced the team to invest in email campaigns and direct channels to stay within guidelines.

The Challenge

Checkout friction was an obvious roadblock. Customers on mobile Safari had to type card details, navigate multi-step forms, and wait seven days for payouts to clear before restocking. These delays held back cashflow, and any extra step at checkout risked losing potential sales to competitors.

The Solution

By adopting WooPayments, House of Malt added Apple Pay and Google Pay alongside PayPal and PayPal Pay Later. Apple Pay integration on Safari took less than a day to set up. The team also joined the WooCommerce Enterprise program to shorten payout windows and streamline reporting.

Implementation Details

With WooPayments in place, a new Apple Pay button appeared at checkout on mobile. Customers tapped to pay in an instant, skipping manual entry. On the backend, payouts that once took 7 days now arrive the next morning, so new stock can be ordered without interruption.

Results and Benefits

Average order values rose 22% after Apple Pay went live. House of Malt have seen an uptick in successful checkouts as mobile shoppers clicked through faster. One-day payouts delivered cashflow in a flash, giving House of Malt more flexibility to grab limited-release bottles and meet peaks in demand.

Malt Matching: Using Data to Cater to Customer Interests

House of Malt track four buyer profiles—new tasters, repeat customers, collectors, and wholesale buyers. Each segment see tailored email flows with product recommendations. This focus helps send the right note at the right time, without running afoul of ad rules.

Coping with Brexit and Covid-19

Export taxes after Brexit led them to focus on domestic orders, cementing their spot in the top three UK specialist whisky retailers. When lockdowns hit, they closed the tasting store and doubled down online, keeping the site live while bars and distilleries were shut.

Supporting Growth with Enterprise Ecommerce

Joining the WooCommerce Enterprise program gave House of Malt access to a dedicated support team, faster payout schedules, and custom development resources. This partnership trimmed days off tasks that once required back-and-forth emails and manual checks.

Results at a Glance

• 22% lift in average order value after Apple Pay launch
• Payout speed improved from 7 days to 1 day
• Ranked among the top three UK specialist whisky retailers

Technology Stack

House of Malt runs on WooCommerce with the Storefront theme, Searchanise for site search, Klaviyo for email flows, Google Listings & Ads for acquisition, and PayPal’s credit and pay-later options. Apple Pay and Google Pay flow through WooPayments for seamless checkout.

Looking Ahead

With a smoother checkout in place, the team is gearing up for EU and U.S. expansion, adding shipping partners and customs workflows. Subscriptions and loyalty rewards are on deck to keep frequent buyers engaged, while new BNPL options aim to make bigger bottles easier to buy.