Digital Innovation Grant helps to 'rejuvenate' Sheffield-based health and beauty specialist

Sheffield-based Rejuvenated was founded by health and wellness expert Kathryn Danzey in 2003. Kathryn recognised that whilst collagen can help to combat the effects of old age, the amount required to revitalise skin, hair and connective tissues meant a large number of tablets needed to be consumed every day – something that she felt was impractical.

The solution Kathryn pioneered was Collagen Shots®, a single collagen-rich drink consumed daily, helping to combat the effects of old age. Since launching their family business, Rejuvenated have won over 120 independent awards and successfully sold over 15 million drinks.

Each drink is manufactured in the UK, and over the past 20 years, the local family-run company has built up a global customer base, with their products sold in more than 200 beauty clinics.

With many of their orders coming from Europe, Rejuvenated was hit hard by post-Brexit trading regulations, which made it more difficult to sell its unique products in the EU. The Russian invasion of Ukraine also saw the business lose its single largest client overnight. Recognising that she needed to rethink her business model, Kathryn turned to Business Sheffield for advice.

Working with growth adviser Andrew Sorsby, Kathryn recognised many of her customers placed repeat orders, and she was keen to introduce a regular subscription-based service. However, the website and IT systems Rejuvenated relied upon meant this posed a significant challenge.

Andrew encouraged Kathryn to apply to the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme, a match-funded ERDF funded grant scheme designed to help businesses across the region improve productivity by embracing new forms of technology.

The grant Kathryn received enabled her to successfully upgrade her website, giving her much more flexibility when it came to targeting new customers. Crucially, the new site integrated with the company’s accountancy systems, improving the way orders are managed.

Since launching its new subscription service, Rejuvenated has seen orders boom. The company sells over 200,000 drinks a month via its website and has also secured new contracts with pharmacies and health and wellness centres in Sweden, Italy and Lithuania. As well as reducing the administrative burden on the business, Rejuvenated is also investing in new product development, based upon the latest scientific research into the impact of collagen on the ageing process.

Kathryn Danzey, Founder, Rejuvenated, said:

“Rejuvenated holds a unique place in the market. Our products are recommended by over 200 aesthetic and beauty clinics within the UK. The challenge we faced was that although many of our customers bought products regularly from us, the limitations of the technology we used meant that we were unable to track the journey of our customers effectively.

As we age, the amount of collagen our bodies produce decreases. Rejuvenated’s formulas use active ingredients designed to improve health and wellness. We identified that a subscription-based offer could help us to forge stronger relationships with our customers, as well as helping us to reward loyalty and keep them informed of our latest product developments.

To achieve this, we knew we needed to invest in our website and IT infrastructure, helping the business to operate more effectively. When we discussed our plans with Andrew, he suggested that we may be eligible to receive help through the Digital Innovation Grant scheme.

Many of our customers buy regularly from us, and we felt that launching a subscription-based offer could help us to forge stronger relationships, rewarding loyalty and helping us to understand purchasing habits more effectively. The problem we faced was that the technology we relied upon was fairly inflexible, making it difficult to understand the journey of our customers.

The funds haven’t just helped us to target new orders, but they have also helped us to operate more effectively as a business. For example, because the new website integrates with our accountancy and finance systems, it helps to avoid a lot of duplication, freeing up time within the business to concentrate upon research, development and targeting future growth.”

Andrew Sorsby, Growth Adviser, Business Sheffield, said:

“Rejuvenated is a business that has enjoyed a significant growth journey over the past 20 years. The products it manufactures are sold and enjoyed by people across the world, as a result of the distribution agreements the company has secured.

“The challenge facing Rejuvenated was improving accessibility to its product range. Building a new website was vital to achieving this, enabling the business to understand customer buying habits, as well as offering the potential to launch a subscription service – a win-win for both the business and its customers. The Digital Innovation Grant scheme was developed specifically to help companies operate more effectively by harnessing new forms of technology, and the measures introduced by Rejuvenated, as a result of the funding the company has received, have not only helped the business to successfully introduce new services, but crucially lay the foundations for future growth.”

The Digital Innovation Grant scheme was launched in July 2021 and helps SME businesses across South Yorkshire to access match-funded grants to help them embrace new ways of working to improve productivity and growth and enter new markets. The scheme is now closed to new applications.

The programme funded up to 50% of projects with costs totalling £2,000-£10,000. It is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is delivered across South Yorkshire by Enterprising Barnsley, part of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. To find out more information, visit https://www.enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk/.

Please note, the Digital Innovation Grant scheme is closed to new applicants.