They match quite well, DHL eCommerce and Termeer Groep, the family business behind Sacha, Manfield and Sissy-Boy. The logistics partner brings out the best in the shoe, clothing and lifestyle seller, and vice versa. With its strategy, the fashion company focuses not only on its own stores and webshop, but also on marketplaces: a growing channel in Dutch and foreign e-commerce, with well-known examples such as Zalando and Wehkamp. That's where the customer starts searching, so that's where you want to be visible as a seller. Because the more visibility, the more conversion – also abroad, where your own brand may not yet be as well known. For this reason, Termeer puts a lot of energy into the marketplaces in addition to its own stores and webshop. Logistics partner DHL eCommerce is indispensable. Anouk Nelissen, Marketing and E-commerce Director at Termeer Groep, explains how this works.
Anouk Nelissen has been working at Termeer for ten years now. As Marketing and E-commerce Director, she saw the company grow from a physical shoe store with a smaller website to a real online force with great visibility on many different sales channels. With a team of about forty people, she continues to focus on growth: Termeer sees opportunities on new marketplaces, at home and abroad. To this end, they like to work together with smart partners.
Family business with a long history
'We started with our shoes in the clay', says Anouk Nelissen. Termeer has been around since 1909. It started as a family business and it still is. Ward Termeer, the director and owner, is the fourth generation to be at the helm. The company has expanded rapidly in recent years: the marketing and e-commerce department has grown into a team of about forty employees. But some things remained the same. The lines are still short, if you need something you just walk in together. And last but not least: the customer is king. They should always have something to choose from and you never want to sell 'no'.
It started small
When Nelissen started at Termeer ten years ago, the emphasis was still on shoe stores in the shopping streets of the Netherlands and Belgium. There was a webshop, but it was still in its proverbial infancy. With a team of five, she started a rapid online advance. Termeer now sells via webshops in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, together accounting for more than 25 percent of the total turnover.
A strong logistics partner fits in with this growth, and that became DHL eCommerce. It clicked immediately. 'To be honest: we joined DHL eCommerce in 2014 and that was mainly due to the rates. It was simply the most attractive option.' But soon the collaboration came to rest on more than just advantageous prices. Flexible working, fast switching and personal communication; that's a style that suits both companies well. 'Moreover, DHL eCommerce has continued to grow in recent years, in terms of network and services. Look at the user-friendly consumer app. And the figures don't lie, because DHL eCommerce is able to offer more than 98 percent of the orders to the customer within 24 hours.'
Everything at your fingertips
With the help of DHL eCommerce, Termeer focuses on multiple sales channels side by side. Such an omnichannel strategy involves a lot of work, says Nelissen. 'To start with, we have our central warehouse in Tilburg. But we keep our stock flexible. So is the desired product no longer in our warehouse, but still in the store in Amsterdam? Or not in the store in Utrecht, but in the warehouse? Then – thanks to our smart systems and flexible logistics partner – we can still ensure that the customer gets what he wants as quickly as possible.'
Fine-grained distribution
But more importantly: the ordering and delivery process is streamlined from start to finish, regardless of the webshop or marketplace where the order was placed. The systems are linked to APIs, the correct shipping label comes directly from the printer at Termeer, and DHL eCommerce takes all packages in one pick-up. Saves time and mistakes, because warehouse employees can process orders for all marketplaces in the same way. Nelissen: 'Moreover, it is easy to expand: DHL eCommerce can connect a new marketplace directly to our system, and then we can ship from here.'
'The cooperation with DHL eCommerce is just right, and that is very important', Nelissen explains. Visibility across sales channels is the way to reach new customers and increase your conversion. In addition, marketplaces set strict conditions, for example about fast delivery times and sufficient return options. Service that the customer expects nowadays, DHL eCommerce can deliver. You reach customers with a large online presence, but you keep them with top-notch delivery. Whether it is quiet or very busy, for example around the holidays or Black Friday.
Smooth collaboration
DHL eCommerce and Termeer work well together, Nelissen sees. The short lines of one also run to the other. 'If they have more freight than expected in our warehouse, they call DHL eCommerce themselves. Need more roll containers? Coming up. Do we have to drive twice? No problem. That system works very well.' Things are going just as smoothly at office level, even if Termeer wants to take big steps. "When we added Sissy-Boy to our company in 2019, we had to switch very quickly. We said to DHL eCommerce: tomorrow we want to go live with the new webshop. That worked in no time.' The contact with the new account manager, Michel Tuin, goes just as smoothly. 'They think along very well when we make new plans to expand.'
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Always up to date
Customers of Sacha, Manfield or Sissy-Boy also enjoy DHL eCommerce as a delivery person. Indeed, they have a lot to choose from. They can easily indicate a later delivery time, different address or pick-up at a ServicePoint via the My DHL app. 'These options are very important to us. Just like the communication: an order confirmation, message with delivery time, mail and ticket in the bus in case of missed delivery and an overview in the My DHL app with DHL ServicePoints nearby. This keeps the customer informed, and therefore satisfied.' This is reflected in the delivery percentage. That is very high at Termeer, because both the order on different channels and the delivery runs smoothly and transparently.
Short lines of communication are decisive
Flexibility and smart logistics make the cooperation between Termeer and DHL eCommerce a success. But personal contact is the most important thing, says Nelissen. "DHL eCommerce may be a global logistics company, but I never have to worry about not getting Michel on the phone. That's what we want, because that's how we are ourselves.' And the international reach of DHL eCommerce has many advantages: this allows Termeer to continue to expand, for example to foreign marketplaces. Anouk and Michel are now looking together at ways to deliver even faster. With a shipping label that also functions as a return label at the same time – because that saves another operation. Well thought out, and another opportunity to increase customer satisfaction and grow together.
Seen in these pictures: Anouk Nelissen, Marketing and E-commerce Director at Termeer Groep (Sacha, Manfield and Sissy Boy) and Michel Tuin, account manager at DHL eCommerce.