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            customer needs and requirements as well as working with   growth coming from Eastern Europe. When it comes to
            trusted manufacturers and suppliers to ensure the quality and   marketplaces, we operate on twelve platforms across ten
            reliability of our products, and finally, by providing excellent   European countries,” says Patrick.
            customer service and reliable support to our customers.
            Overall, our approach centres around providing high-quality   “Currently, we create all content in our core language and
            equipment, excellent customer service, and reliable support   from there, we translate to all other languages. In fact, we
            to professionals. This approach has helped us to establish a   are really active on Youtube, and we create videos with, for
            strong reputation as a trusted supplier.”         example, recognised chefs and artisans that showcase how
                                                              to use our products in their professions. These videos are
            A one-stop-shop for professionals and amateur     translated into all of our main languages. This is how we
            hobbyists alike                                   try to localise and provide accurate information about each
            One of the key differences between expondo and any other   product in a native way to each market.”
            online shop currently available is the kind of products it
            provides. Expondo aims to provide clients with professional   Do you define expondo primarily as a B2B or
            equipment for any sector and any kind of activity. This   specialised online shop or a combination of both?
            has created two very different profiles of potential buyers   “At expondo, we primarily operate direct-to-consumer, as
            for expondo: the professional that lives off any given trade   a specialised online shop offering professional equipment
            and the person who wants to perform or pursue a hobby or   and products. While we mainly serve businesses and
            any passion with a bit more quality. This strategy pushes   individuals who require high-quality equipment for
            expondo to balance quality and affordability to create the   professional use, we also focus on meeting the specific
            perfect environment for both groups.              needs of different professional sectors and business fields.
                                                              We constantly improve our products by taking into account
            How does expondo choose the equipment/products it   customer feedback and suggestions. However, we also have
            offers?                                           a significant customer base in the B2B sector, and we are
            “We carefully research the needs of different professional   committed to providing the highest level of service and
            sectors and business fields to identify the most relevant   support to our business customers.”
            equipment and products. We work with trusted
            manufacturers and suppliers who share our commitment to   Have you noticed a substantial change in consumer
            quality and reliability. Before offering a product, we conduct   patterns before and after the COVID crisis? Did
            thorough testing and quality control to ensure it meets our   COVID affect you?
            standards.”                                       “In the beginning, we didn’t know exactly what was going
                                                              to happen. When the COVID crisis struck, we thought that
            And how do you achieve a consistent level of high-  maybe our sales would plummet. But instead, they increased
            quality products?                                 by a lot. And then we had a dilemma: how are we going to
            Many times, when people buy a high-quality product,   guarantee the fulfilment of all these new orders? Are we
            they are also paying far more than what the quality of the   capable of increasing production and bringing all those
            materials or the technology of the product or design really   products to our warehouses in Poland? Eventually, we did
            requires. You are, in fact, paying for the brand prestige.    find our way around it, and it was a boost for the company.”

            Patrick continues: “This happens a lot in the world of cars,   “Now, regarding consumer patterns, yes, there has been
            where you buy a luxury brand of vehicle, and you pay for   an increase in demand for certain products, such as home
            the brand prestige. This is because if you look carefully in   kitchen equipment and DIY tools or sports equipment,
            the market, you will find other cars with the same level of   since more people were spending time at home during the
            quality components and technology but at a far lower and   pandemic (and even now, as remote work continues). In
            more affordable price, from other brands that don’t have that   2023 we’ve seen a continued trend towards online shopping
            level of prestige. And it’s precisely for this reason that we   and sustainability. We have responded by expanding our eco-
            don’t want to become a luxury online shop; instead, we want   friendly product range and B-Stock, exploring sustainable
            to be a high-quality and, at the same time, affordable online   business practices,” Patrick continues.
            shop. We ensure that all our products pass through German
            quality controls, and this also helps us keep track of what   Choosing the right ally to grow stronger
            we’re selling (and what’s doing well).            Having strong allies is vital in everything we do in life.
                                                              Business is no different. For expondo, growing and
            How do you handle localisation?                   expanding requires having a strong ally to simplify and make
            “With our D2C website, we deliver across 30 markets in   their entire operation more efficient. One of these allies is
            Europe, with our core markets being Germany, France,   ChannelEngine.
            Italy, Switzerland, and Poland, and the most dynamic







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