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LIFE-SAVING

BUSINESS

THE AED

CHALLENGE

Text Nico Hoeijmans // Photos: iStock

E-commerce found its way into the medical market. While this market might be less well-
known, there is a big community of specialists and people who invest in learning about fi rst
aid, fi refi ghting and resuscitation. What is it like to sell life-saving products in all of Europe?
We talk to Pieter Joziasse, founder of Medisol, and Job van de Vrie, Support Specialist at
Medisol, about the demands and diff erences in the local European markets.

ounding a medical (web)shop It was the start of their first commercial activities. ‘In 2003,
Pieter Joziasse worked as an intensive care expert we had our first shop selling these products and a year
Fand paramedic. During these years, he had one later, we added automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to
big hobby: building websites. In 2001, he partnered with our assortment. I really wanted that, as it was an extension
a colleague and they became the proud founders of a of what I have been doing as a paramedic all these years.
company called Medisol. ‘In full, that is MEDical Internet Finally, Medisol shifted to fully focus on selling AEDs
SOLutions,’ Joziasse says. With the company, Joziasse and products related to AEDs, like CPR (cardiopulmonary
wanted to provide the world of social services with a resuscitation) dolls. That way, we could fully focus on
platform. ‘We noticed that people like medical experts, the an excellent service, as we could build on an extensive
fire brigade and other people who provide (voluntary) first knowledge about defibrillators.’ As the platform showed,
aid had a lot of questions. On the platform we built, they Medisol operated online in the early stages of e-commerce,
could ask questions about all kinds of medical topics. While though it was not selling anything at this point. It made
the platform reached a lot of people, we saw a rising amount sense to start selling AEDs online, especially in an internet-
of questions were on where to get certain products related to savvy country such as the Netherlands. As a cross-border
social services and first aid, for example the plates members pioneer, the company expanded to France in 2008. ‘Since
of the voluntary fire brigade put in their car. While we loved then, I have been fully focussing myself on the web shops.
to help them find these products, it was our cue to invest in These days, we have internationalised heavily, selling in
order to sell these ourselves.’ sixteen European countries in eleven languages.

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