More international expansion is on the cards at logistics and ecommerce firm, wnDirect, with the appointment of a new head of EU sales, Ruben Meulenhoff.
According to data from Forrester, ecommerce sales in Europe are expected to grow to €233.9 billion by 2018, if its predictions of a compound annual rate of 12% between 2013 and 2018 are accurate.
Three key markets within Europe, as identified by wnDirect, are Germany, France and Denmark. Germany is second only to the UK in European ecommerce terms, with annual orders in the region of €63.4bn.
A former Dutch paratrooper, with around 14 years experience in the logistics industry, Meulenhoff said: “Regardless of where retailers target, one thing is vital; the recognition that ‘global’ doesn’t equal a single market. In fact, Europe, doesn’t even represent a single group of consumers but a collection of individual countries that must be treated as such. Therefore personalisation is key. This is how wnDirect has really been able to differentiate ourselves as we become the experts of a destination.
Ruben Meulenhoff, wnDirect
“For example, key to success in Denmark is the knowledge that high levels of customer service is vital. And Danish people expect to be treated as such – they are not Nordic, they are Danish.”
In 2013 online sales across Northern Europe grew by 13.7% with a value of around €8.3bn in Denmark, which has internet penetration rates of around 95% and a high average spend per shopper.
In October 2014, wnDirect announced the appointment of Hendrik Kummeling as International Director, and has said it is eyeing Australia and the Asia Pacific region as its next key growth area.
