Mr Pool Man wins small business online retail innovation award

Central Coast-based online pool supplies business, Mr Pool Man, has been named winner of the Australia Post Small Business Innovation Award at the 2026 Online Retail Industry Awards (ORIAS).

The business won the award for its free pool water testing tool.

Nat Hintze, director and co-founder of Mr Pool Man, says the tool helps customers manage their pool chemistry at home.

“For too long the pool industry has relied on customers not knowing what their water actually needs. We wanted to give them the same answer a pool shop would – for free, without downloading an app on their phone, instantly.”

The system pairs a branded 12-pack of test strips – shipped free with every order and positioned as “12 months of free water testing” – with a custom-built online tool that reads the strip via a QR code on the pack.

“Customers get exact, volume-adjusted dosing recommendations for their pool size, with the recommended Water TechniX chemicals linked directly to their cart,” says Hintze, adding that typically it takes 10 to 15 taps from poolside to checkout.

The tool was designed by Hintze and built end-to-end by the Mr Pool Man in-house team.

IMAGE: Nick Antonopoulos, general manager Australia Post, Tom Hintze, COO Mr Pool Man, Natalie Hintze, CMO Mr Pool Man, Debbie Cummings sales director NSW StarTrack, presenting the 2026 Australia Post Small Business Innovation Award at the ORIAS. (Supplied)