Édouard Eyglunent, co-founder of the start-up Wecandoo, which offers craft workshops to the general public, was the eco guest of franceinfo on Monday.
The start-up Wecandoo offers the general public the opportunity to try their hand at an artisanal practice with workshops. Created in 2016, the company now brings together 2,500 artisans throughout France. Édouard Eyglunent, co-founder of Wecandoo, was the eco guest of franceinfo on Monday November 13.
franceinfo: Wecandoo, explain to us what it is in a few words.
Édouard Eyglunent: It’s a website that allows individuals or companies to go to an artisan, to get hands-on with them to discover their know-how, and create a creation alongside them.
Are only craftsmen offering their services on this platform?
Exactly. We really select the artisans we work with. These are professionals who have at least two years of experience, who have real expertise and who open their doors for a few hours. We have a selection charter of around ten criteria. The craftsman must be a professional, therefore registered with the Chamber of Trades, that during the workshop he transforms the material, that he has at least two years of experience… And like that, we have a whole list of criteria that allow us to validate the quality of its know-how, but also of the experience that will be offered in a place that is well equipped, for example.
The company is seven years old now, is there a before and after Covid?
Completely. The effect of Covid is even quite crazy. You would have thought that there would be a very negative impact. Obviously during the confinements, we had big drops in reservations. But in fact, mentalities have changed enormously during Covid and with this aspect “I want to know where the products I buy come from”. Many people also try to make their own bread, have made their own soap, etc. It also triggered new behaviors, the desire to reconnect with “doing”.
People took up manual activities, cooking, DIY and it stuck?
Exactly. We saw this in the phases of deconfinement, with huge peaks in reservations. And at the end of Covid, quite simply, we noticed that more and more people were sensitive to “doing”. The trend is confirmed, but these are things that, historically, were omnipresent in our lives. When we went to school, before, we did manual jobs, these things which have disappeared a little from our daily lives because the services have simply taken precedence. And what we propose is to put craftsmanship back into our daily lives through workshops.
Is it a Parisian bohemian thing or does it work elsewhere in France?
It works everywhere in France. We create formats with the workshops, so our job is to meet the artisans, to imagine with them the best format we can make. And we create formats for the youngest. So it starts from the age of six, but it’s also good for people who have more time, for example in retirement. There are also Parisian bobos, obviously, but really, we reach all audiences and all geographies. We have a lot of workshops, obviously in large cities. But we also have workshops completely outside the cities.
Do you have a typical client?
It is rather feminine. I would say that there are 60-70% women, that’s a big part. And they are also customers who are very sensitive to better consumption.
What is the podium of the most popular workshops among the French?
Pottery is very popular. It’s funny, the relationship with pottery has evolved a little. There was always this aspect of ‘pottery classes that we did every week’, etc. And now it’s becoming much more widespread. Then there is cosmetics, which is very popular, and then the food industry, in the broad sense, so both things to drink and things to eat.
How do you get paid at Wecandoo?
We operate a bit like a platform, so it’s a fairly classic model. We pay 80% to the craftsmen and 20% which we keep for ourselves, to establish relationships, to do everything we do in the end: communication, finding the craftsmen, etc.
Is the economic model viable or are you currently in a development phase?
We are in a development phase and all our geographies, which we call “mature”, geographies which are more than two years old, are profitable. But on the other hand, when you open a new city, obviously, there is an investment phase to conquer the market, to make yourself known to both artisans and customers.
Do you have the impression that people see artisans differently today, particularly thanks to your platform?
I think that we are participating in an overall movement, that people want to get closer to “better done” and “done closer”, closer to home. And yes, the artisans, we allow them to develop a new offer. In fact, historically, craftsmen tend to produce, whether in series or to measure. And we allow them to open a range of services that allows them to reach customers differently. Because there, they will spend two or three hours with a client. There is a close relationship that will be established and we will establish a rapprochement with our customers.
Are the craftsmen who come to you, or whom you seek out, rather young and rather connected?
But it is not the absolute majority either. We also have some old timers who have been there for a very long time. Transmission is truly in the DNA of craftsmanship. This is something that has always been the case with learning. It’s omnipresent in crafts and what we offer are “nano-learning”, very small apprenticeships.
Are you expanding internationally?
Yes exactly. We opened this year in three new countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and England. This allows us to reach new audiences, with all the challenges that come with it. We are starting to adopt a new geography, a new language. What are the problems facing artisans in these countries? What are customers’ expectations too? The maturity of the markets is very different each time and that is quite a challenge.
Are these the same workshops that are offered?
We try to adapt each time. Obviously, we know the workshops that will operate. So we’re testing, we’re launching the first workshops, we’re seeing how it works. And based on that, we adapt each time. Today, I would say that in England, they are a little more eccentric, we have leather harnesses, we have lots of things like that. Brewing works great too.