The business
Pureplay eCommerce Retailer Feel Good Contacts sells contact lenses, glasses and eye care online. They have a strong repeat customer base and have been fast-growing for the last five years. IIts brand, reliability and fast shipping are the core reasons customers keep coming back.
Feel Good Contacts built its reputation on convenience: next-day delivery, competitively priced own-brand lenses, and a simplified buying experience. The pitch is simple, major brand quality without the major brand price — and that proposition has driven growth quickly in a highly competitive market.
Marketing is measured carefully. Channels are tested, analysed, and scaled or switched off based on their impact on orders.
The problem
High sales volumes are great until your payment let you down. Feel Good Contacts had two related issues: high fees, and an excess of payments being declined.
"Our success rate was 75%," Debebe says. "That means one in four transactions didn't go through despite all card and address details being correct. And the fees were painful. We were being charged too much for every sale."
The issue was compounded by the need for a stable, reliable payment partner in. The team wanted a gateway that could handle growth without creating risk, and a provider that would stay the course rather than leave them searching for alternatives.
"When you are growing, you need a payment partner that is stable, keeps you updated and shares your success with you," Debebe says. "We were looking for a long-term solution, not another short-term fix."
The solution
Akil had known the Feel Good Contacts team for a while. He put together a clear ROI analysis showing what a switch to Checkout.com would save. The projection was £5,000 to £6,000 a month.
"The numbers were straightforward," Debebe says. "Small percentage differences add up fast when you are doing volume. Akil made the case obvious."
Feel Good Contacts handled the integration with its own IT team. Akil stayed involved, not just during the sale but through the awkward middle part where most consultants disappear.
The £6k saving and the 10% lift
The projected savings landed. The business now saves between £5,000 and £6,000 a month on processing fees. The payment success rate moved from 75% to 85%.
Checkout.com's backend also made chargeback and reconciliation work easier. Disputes that previously dragged through email chains could now be handled in a few clicks inside the portal.
Why Akil
The technical results matter, but Debebe was vocal about the working relationship. The main thing he values is that Akil follows through and kept our interests as his priority.
"Akil makes sure his team honours what he promises. We have had situations where the contract was already signed, and he still went back and got things corrected. That is rare."— Henoke Debebe, Group Finance Head, Feel Good Contacts
Beyond the contract fixes, he describes Akil as easy to reach and willing to explain the detail.
"He will give you the full picture. He picks up the phone. It has become more of a friendship than a supplier relationship. We have hapilly recommended him to other people."
What is next
With payment stability sorted, the business is moving on to bigger projects. Feel Good Contacts is re-platforming, building mobile apps, and looking at international expansion.
The payment infrastructure that once felt like a liability is now just a working part of the business.
