As a company, Foylo is a paradox: a young company with a wealth of experience. In 2017, the holding company Buildmat acquired D&K Plastics in Antwerp, merged it with the packaging division of Deschacht, and Foylo was born.
Alistar developed a B2B, customer-personalized e-business platform for Foylo where customers can place orders, schedule deliveries, integrate their ERP systems, and much more. We spoke with General Manager Linsay Koyen about the importance of personalized service and e-commerce.
Customization, expertise, and sustainability
“Customization and expertise,” Linsay emphasizes. “That’s where the focus lies. We try to get to know companies and provide tailored advice before we make a sale. And that’s what makes the difference. When we visit on-site, we can assess the situation and identify the specific needs. It’s a comprehensive package. Because customization is more than just putting your logo on the packaging. It can also involve non-standard sizes and volumes.”
In addition, the company maintains a large inventory. “For most companies, product packaging isn’t part of their core business. It’s often overlooked, and then they have to place last-minute orders. That’s when it helps to have a large inventory in your warehouse.”
Sustainability is also a top priority. “Plastic has negative connotations, so sustainability is important. For years, we’ve been committed to minimizing the amount of film in circulation, for example by focusing on reducing film thickness while using high-quality films. This allows us to achieve the same or better results with less plastic.”.
Personalized E-commerce
B2B e-commerce platforms are increasingly focusing on personalization. Often, however, this is limited to your order history or customized prices, which is a shame. Foylo takes it a step further. “Because we provide a lot of custom work, we have an extensive range of products that are purchased by only one customer. When that customer logs into the platform, only they should be able to see those products. That presented an additional challenge when setting up our digital system,” says Linsay.
As a result, the project did not end after the go-live in September 2020. “The implementation took place in phases and is still ongoing. We draw up our annual plan, and through regular phased deliveries, our digital offering is becoming better and more comprehensive. “For example, Alistar has ensured that call-off orders can also be processed through our e-commerce platform.” Call-off orders are an important part of many customer contracts at Foylo. “Large companies place a group order, and their branches then periodically purchase what they need. The fact that industrial customers or retailers can do this at Foylo via the digital platform is a major step forward in terms of customer service.”
The system-to-system connection also simplifies the process for customers. By connecting their ERP system to Foylo’s e-commerce platform, companies can place orders directly from their own ERP software. They can also create and upload order lists, generate their own item codes, and manage purchasing profiles. Through these profiles, certain employees at client companies can prepare orders or shopping carts but cannot, for example, place orders themselves. “The scanning app, which allows customers to scan items in their own warehouse and place orders immediately, is also proving to be a popular tool,” says Linsay.
Through marketing, we spread our e-commerce message, both broadly and to specific audiences. Email marketing and social media play a key role not only in informing existing and new customers, but also in convincing them of the added value of our digital services.
Linsay Koyen, General Manager
However, the benefits for customers go beyond just ease of use. “Anyone who places an order through our platform—except for call-off orders or pre-prepared quotes—automatically receives an 1% discount. After all, this saves us work. When customers place their orders by email or phone, we spend a lot of time entering them into our systems. So we can reward customers for that.”
E-commerce Ambassadors
It can sometimes be harder to convince professional customers who have been placing their orders by email or phone for years to e-commerce platform to use. “I understand that, as a customer, it’s sometimes not so obvious to make the switch. That’s why we need to become ambassadors for our e-commerce platform ourselves first. Only when we’re convinced of the added value will customers buy into the concept. That’s why we’re training our account managers on the platform so they can inform and guide our customers.”
Marketing also plays a key role in supporting Foylo’s digital project. “Through marketing, we spread our e-commerce message, both broadly and to specific audiences. Email marketing and social media play a key role not only in informing existing and new customers, but also in convincing them of the added value of our digital services.” And to emphasize the role of personalized advice as well.
“The human aspect remains important in Foylo. ”Customers can place orders through our e-commerce site, but they can always turn to our staff for expert advice," Linsay concludes.
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