Delivering our new home category
Want the whole story behind the launch? Join Lisa Wong and Philani Kheswa on The Delivery Podcast for all the details on building our new Home category from scratch.
by Philani Kheswa, Head of Strategy & Projects, Lisa Wong, Head of Integrated Proposition Marketing
In this episode of The Delivery Podcast, Lisa Wong, Head of Integrated Proposition Marketing, sits down with Philani Kheswa, Head of Strategy & Projects, to discuss the launch of the new Home and Lifestyle category. They explore the strategies, problem-solving mindsets, and internal alignment required to build a major new retail venture from scratch. Listen to the full episode here.
What was the master strategy behind this? What was the boldest bet you wanted to test before asking the business for real backing?
"The first thing for us was to break it down: what's the smallest amount of something we can put out there that gives us confidence that customers want this? ... Now the second piece was, 'Okay, we've done it in the small scale, can we really blow this thing up in a way that now really uses a lot of the platform-first or just the ecosystem that we've built?'"
Was there ever a moment that you were like, "Oh my god, this actually might blow up in front of me," or do you have all this kind of risk checkbox under control when you drive this forward?
"I think it's more like a faith-based thing. At least that's how I operate. It's almost like my own internal model tells me that this is the right way to go, or at least I have some conviction about what I'm trying to do. And then it's just a question of whatever goes wrong is more like an execution thing, a timing thing, or whatever."
Are there other components or values or skills from the other team that actually help you find a path forward again when things were getting a bit shaky?
"In each team, there has to be one hero at least that you can go to and they don't freak out. There's always one person who says, 'Okay, assume that this is what it would take for it to be possible.' I've built a collection of people like this in different parts of the organization."
Beyond the shiny slide decks, what does this launch actually prove to the business about how we can build at scale?
"There was an initial moment when everyone was like, 'Oh, this is new and super exciting,' but then very quickly it was, 'We're now feeding it into the machine, and it needs to spit out these five or six different things that make sense.' But we had this really nice starting moment where we could shape it right, so by the time it fit into the machine, we had at least laid the foundation."
If you had to deliver this again, what's the one thing you would do differently?
"I think when I was younger I had this thing about second chances. Every time something happens, I'd think, 'I wish X, Y, Z.' But as I've gotten older, I've realised you can't isolate a decision for your benefit and assume everything else remains true. What happens when you change one thing fundamentally changes everything else. So the answer is I probably wouldn't change anything."
Episode transcript
Lisa Wong: Welcome to The Delivery Podcast. My name is Lisa Wong, Head of Proposition Marketing and Product Marketing. I am your host for today, joined by Philani Kheswa, our Head of Strategy and Projects.
Philani Kheswa: Thanks for the introduction, Lisa. I head Strategy and Projects, primarily working in the designer team. Today we're talking about how we've delivered Home and Lifestyle, which is a new category.
Lisa Wong: You are actually one of the first people I knew when I joined four and a half years ago. Designer was one of the first propositions I worked on, and we have worked on many topics together. Home and Living went live and instantly looked like a massive enterprise engine, yet behind the curtain, it was literally just you and a tiny virtual strike team holding the fort. That's definitely a quality I appreciate about you—I can always ring you up to bounce a difficult topic.
Philani Kheswa: When I think about my career, I've always gravitated around problem solving. Over time, the problems get bigger, but the work itself remains the same—the similar steps around problem solving.
Lisa Wong: Let's dive deeper into this one. We are talking about a major new retail category we ventured into without any headcount increase. It's a virtual team with you building this out. What was the master strategy behind this? What was the boldest bet you wanted to test before asking the business for real backing?
Philani Kheswa: It's always easy to tell the story looking back, but it's not as straightforward when you are in the moment. We once tried to do home back in the day, but we were probably too ambitious, and the company setup wasn't ready.
The first step was to break it down: what's the smallest amount we can put out there to give us confidence that customers want this? This happened 18 to 24 months ago in designer, finding a narrow path to get a customer a home item. By December, we knew it was something.
The second piece was asking if we could scale this up using our existing ecosystem. We had to move from a wholesale model—where we take the risk—to a model where we convince partners it's worth bringing their own products in. We had to get both the partners and the internal teams, like fulfillment and partner programs, to buy into the strategy. Once they were behind us, we were ready to go.
Lisa Wong: You make it sound easy. But convincing partners and internal stakeholders is quite challenging. Was there ever a moment you thought, "This might blow up in front of me," or did you have all the risks under control?
Philani Kheswa: It's more of a faith-based thing. My internal model tells me it's the right way to go, and then whatever goes wrong is just an execution or timing issue. There are things you expect to be problems that aren't, and things that come from nowhere that are.
For example, we initially approached a partner with a modest idea for home. They loved it but said our structure didn't look serious enough. They asked us to expand into more categories before they'd commit. That was an "oh no" moment because our internal pitch was that we wouldn't shake the tree too much. Suddenly, we had to introduce new variables. It was scary, but the team unpacked it step by step—like figuring out how to show bedding sizes instead of clothing sizes—and found a solution.
Another interesting challenge was working with ZEOS, a separate team that handles delivery contracts. We had planned everything with our internal fulfillment teams, only to realize later that this separate team was responsible for pricing and determining what products could be sold. It took some work to unravel, but we found a solution together.
Lisa Wong: Are there other values or skills from the team that helped you find a path forward during those critical moments?
Philani Kheswa: I definitely wasn't alone; we had a great core team. But what I've found is that each team has at least one hero you can go to who doesn't freak out. While others might throw processes at you, there's always one person who says, "Assume this is what it would take for it to be possible." If I have a tech problem, I know a product manager who will find a way through the crazy requests.
Lisa Wong: I can relate to that. From a marketing perspective, the excitement around this category was great to see. Was there a specific moment in the past 18 to 24 months when you solved a roadblock and told yourself this was actually going somewhere?
Philani Kheswa: I had many of these moments. The first was seeing Home on the app. I know how much effort it takes to change the platform, so seeing it live was a big deal.
The second was the sizing feature for bedding. UK, German, and French sizes are all different. A colleague worked tirelessly with the right team to unpack it, and when we had sizing, I realized bedding was possible.
The third was getting a definitive "let's go" from a partner. Then, different teams like marketing and CX showed their support. At that point, the challenge became controlling and sustaining the excitement until we actually needed their capacity.
Lisa Wong: I really like your builder's approach. We usually only have one shot to launch something. If we attract customers and it isn't right, they won't give us a second chance. The same goes for partners. Organic growth has been positive, and now the business wants to double down. What does this launch prove about how we can build at scale?
Philani Kheswa: It's interesting how we now think about Home like it was always there. After the initial excitement, it quickly fed into the corporate machinery, requiring long-term plans and budget commitments. But we had a great starting moment to shape the foundation.
We had to convince colleagues around content and adapt to finding core home partners, rather than just relying on fashion partners with small home assortments. We've adjusted along the way to finally say, "We've proven this works. It's showing organic growth, and now we need proper backing to make it happen."
Lisa Wong: This is a great compilation of learnings for other lifestyle expansions.
Philani Kheswa: It gives us a chance to rethink things. Starting from scratch lets you question steps in the machinery. We've had conversations with marketing about shooting sets where the furniture used is actually the product we sell on site—a true 360 offering. It’s a chance to ask, "What happens if...?"
Lisa Wong: Exactly. It challenges us to think from the customer's perspective, because shopping for home is fundamentally different from shopping for fashion. If you had to deliver this again, what's one thing you would do differently?
Philani Kheswa: I hate that question, and my answer is very philosophical. When I was younger, I always wished for second chances to change specific things. But as I've gotten older, I realize you can't isolate a decision and assume everything else remains true. Changing one thing fundamentally changes everything else—the butterfly effect. We took well-considered decisions and a lot of risks, and I couldn't have predicted how things would shape up. So, I probably wouldn't change anything.
Lisa Wong: I really appreciate your deep conviction. I've been in some partner meetings where I couldn't believe they actually said yes.
Philani Kheswa: I'm a hopeless optimist. But you also have to know the characters involved and realize you can't just throw someone into the fire. A friend in VC talks about "boiling a frog"—you have to foreshadow intense changes and ease teams into it.
It's also important to realize that top-down decision-making isn't always what happens on the ground. Leadership might love an idea, but the team on the ground will tell you practically it's a 2027 project. It requires time.
Lisa Wong: A mentor once told me to always celebrate progress and the people who contribute to success along the way. Important projects take 18 to 24 months, and that celebration is what rallies the organisation's heart.
Philani Kheswa: 100%.