Page 6 - Cross-Border Magazine Nr.3

INTERVIEW WITH NOPPIES

E-COMMERCE

IS NO LONGER

ABOUT

PRODUCTS,

IT’S ABOUT

TECHNOLOGY

Text: Janine Nöthlichs // Photos: Léon van Bon

For over 20 years, the company Noppies has produced maternity fashion and clothing for babies
and children. Throughout the past 10 years, the brand has grown to be a truly global company,
selling through their own web shops (so-called ‘N-shops’), and through marketplaces including
Zalando, Amazon, Nordstrom and La Redoute, in over 18 countries. We met with Erwin
Hammer, Sales Director and member of the board at the company’s headquarters in Lelystad, and
spoke about technology, marketplaces and the ever-changing world of retail.

aternity wear is a niche (profits and losses) and we calculate everything. Every market has
For Noppies, going international was imperative. In its own culture, buyer behaviour and returns culture. There are also
M2008, a good observation of foreign markets showed variations in the transport costs. Sending to Germany, for instance,
that platforms in other countries were technologically very is cheaper than sending to Italy or France. Sometimes, when you
advanced and ready for cross-border sellers. Therefore, increase calculate how much turnover you expect and how much transpor-
in international markets was the only way to substantially grow. tation costs are, you might come to the conclusion that you will
“We are in a niche that is difficult to scale. You cannot create new not make money in a certain country.”
pregnant women to buy your products, so in order to grow we had
to look abroad very early in the process,” explains Erwin Hammer. Top line turnover is not always the goal
Every move was very well calculated: “We are very P&L-driven Next to selling direct-to-customer online, Noppies also has its

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