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~ Ranpak ~ crossborder-magazine.pdf 1 25/01/2022 9:24:09

“Obviously, in the beginning, we were a really small financial perspective. And also the communication with the
company, but eventually we got bigger, and we were able to guys from Ranpak was really good; the whole process with
spend more money on the warehouse and logistics. However, them was very smooth.”
our philosophy hasn’t changed: we believe in doing
everything ourselves.” What lessons or challenges will you highlight from
your experience selling online and cross-border?
A cost-effective packaging solution to conquer Europe Paul: “Because we have everything in-house, we are able to
influence the customer journey in all areas. Our goal is to
One of Medpet’s challenges during its European expansion perfect the entire customer journey, where it’s not about the
was to find a cost-effective automated packaging solution. country but about the person. That too is different in each
This “holy grail” of logistics was a key component for country.”
the brand, which wanted to focus its efforts on keeping
its operations running smoothly across all the different “In that sense, I think that there is a list of things you
countries. To do so, Medpets joined forces with Ranpak, and should always track. For example, taking cultural differences
so far, the brand couldn’t be happier about it. into account. Do not blindly translate communication. You
need to localise the content. You also need to keep in mind
that consumer trust is gained in different ways, and this
differentiates each country. The best way to match your
strategy to that country’s specific expectations is to work
in-house with country specialists. In fact, operate as much
as possible as if you were based in that country. For example,
concerning localisation, we have native employees for each
country in which we sell.”
C
What trends have you noticed concerning premium M
pet products?
Y
Paul: “Bio and responsible food, vegan food for dogs and
cats, and the popularity of small dogs are increasing, which CM
in turn increases the demand for purses for the dog, jackets, MY
and clothing. Small dogs have also become consumers of
CY
fashion via their owners. Also, there is a rising trend in
CMY
When did you decide to work with Ranpak? the humanisation of pets, and you can see that also in the
Mathieu: “After years of using Ranpak as a void-fill solution fashion items for pets, for example. And finally, from a K
with complete satisfaction, we quickly got in touch with the technical perspective, we see a trend in buying automatic
automation department. After a thorough analysis of our food and water supplies and cameras for your pets, among
current packaging, we quickly came to the conclusion that other gadgets.”
we could solve 80% of our packaging needs with the help
of Ranpak. If expansion is needed, we will certainly choose Any words of advice for an entrepreneur who wishes
Ranpak again. They really took care of the entire process to expand cross-border in Europe?
before delivery. The installation only took a week before Mathieu: “I think that the key advice would be to do your
everything was up and running.” homework and to research the country well. Each country
is very different when it comes to culture, infrastructure,
Has this improved your efficiency and overall the way payment systems work, delivery times, etc. Thus, do
capabilities? your homework and properly research the market in each
Mathieu: “More than 80% of our orders are now going country because those country-specifics are the key to your
through our machines which means that in the daily success.”
peaks, we are now able to, with only four packing stations,
process over 1200 orders per hour. We also went from eight Paul: “Yes, I think it is key to understand the market, the
different box sizes back to two box sizes, which works much culture, and the way the customer relates to their pets.
better.” And especially the words they use, the way they approach
inquiries or research possible products for their pets. Keep
Can we say that Ranpak is cost-effective or not? in mind that in Europe, the humanisation of pets keeps
Mathieu: “Yes, I think so. When you think you are going to growing. Our pets are our family. And we offer the care and
start with the automation process of any company, you think the respect accorded to a family member in Medpets.” ••
you’re going to spend millions. However, that was not the
case with Ranpak. It was really good for the start, from a

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