Page 45 - CBM22

~ Ranpak ~

Almost fourteen years ago, Elies van der Graaff wanted to buy healthy, high-quality pet
products for her puppy, Tommy, but she quickly realised that the market had little to zero
speciality products to offer online. Fast-forward fourteen years later, and Elies is now the owner
of Medpets, one of Europe’s leading e-commerce companies offering everything to support
the health of your pet. Medpets made their official debut in the Netherlands back in 2008 and
expanded to Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, the UK, and Denmark in the following years.

nderstanding their success is learning the key company, and on the other hand, they also give constant
elements for any cross-border operation that advice to our customers or potential customers via our
Uwants to be efficient and effective. We talked website, using chat functions, or via social media.”
with Paul Elsten, Marketing Manager, and Mathieu
Liebau, Supply Chain Manager for Medpets, to And the veterinarians will answer any question posed
learn more about their amazing cross-border journey by a customer?
and their constant growth. This is their story! Paul: “Any question that you pose to Medpets, that is
veterinary in origin, we will try to answer it with one of our
An almost perfect customer journey professionals. This is also something pretty unique about
The first defining trait of Medpets is their clear bet for Medpets and a clear competitive advantage we have. For
offering a combination of high-quality premium products the regular questions regarding logistics issues, we have our
and a high-quality customer journey. A completely team of customer services, but in the same chat, you have
customer-obsessed approach has led the company to hire its a direct choice to be in contact with our veterinarians by
own veterinary team to provide the best possible customer email, by chat on the website, or by WhatsApp.”
care for its clients.
Have you noticed an increase in the use of
Add to this that its products are mostly produced inside WhatsApp?
the EU, precisely to guarantee their quality, and you can Paul: “Yes. In fact, in the last two months, it has increased
quickly realise that Medpets is a premium brand made in the lead generation and the contacts using WhatsApp a
Europe for the European consumer. A concept that has lot. I think it is because it is widely used by our customers
allowed the brand to spread remarkably fast for a niche in their daily routines, and due to the efficiency it offers.
product, reaching in roughly ten years seven major European It is easier to connect via WhatsApp with us, ask whatever
markets. And it all began with a desperate search for high- question you need to ask, and get an almost immediate
quality pet products. response.”

Could you define Medpets’ market focus approach? What would you say is the prime competitive
Paul: “We started with more pharmacie and food products, advantage of Medpets?
later the assortment on daily supplies expanded as also the Paul: “Well, I think it is the part about our veterinary
demand from our customers on this part (new products, team, not only the fact that we stand for quality and good
trends, humanisation of pets, etc.). Now we have expanded products, but also that we provide professional advice. It’s
into all kinds of premium products related to pets, always trust, it’s knowing that what you are buying is indeed the best
and with the added value that our products are always possible product for your pet, the healthiest. Medpets wants
reviewed or selected, if you want, following veterinary to put the customer at the centre and provide them with an
advice.” almost perfect customer journey. That’s the reason why we
have pursued the philosophy of doing everything in-house
“In that sense, I believe Medpets is kind of unique. Because regarding marketing and customer care. We have our own
we have decided to place above everything else the well- localisation teams, our own customer care teams, and our own
being and welfare of our animal friends. They are, for us logistics and marketing. Basically, everything that we could
and for many people, part of our families. And we care do in-house, we do it. Because this allows us to permeate the
for them. So Medpets does not choose products based on entire organisation with our culture of providing the healthier
profitability only, but we choose mainly based on veterinary and most secure alternative in premium products to our pets.”
advice. That’s why we do not want to be a price leader on
the market but a quality leader. And we are.” So, Medpets has always been online. Have you ever
attempted to go for a brick and mortar approach?
“Currently, we have a veterinarian team of four colleagues. Mathieu: “No. We have been an e-commerce company since
They have on one hand the function of giving advice to the the very start. And that has shaped the way we have built

45