Flinders Design sells designer brands such as Vitra, Pastoe, Gubi, Muuto, Normann Copenhagen and MDF Italia at the lowest prices. Set up five years ago by Geert-Jan Smits, the company has since grown significantly internationally. "Cross Border e-commerce is important because it helps us expand our sales area. How nice it is that we can sell our 15,000 designer furniture, accessories and lighting not only in the Netherlands but also in Belgium, Germany and even China." said Smits.
The success factor of Flinders
Flinders sees several success factors that have contributed to its international expansion. One of these is the large inventory. Geert-Jan Smits: "Our success factor is that we have a large stock available. We have a large warehouse in the Netherlands. From there we can deliver to all the countries where we sell. The stock is large, even by EU standards."
Tips for entrepreneurs abroad
Geert-Jan Smits has no less than three tips for entrepreneurs. "One tip is to hire really native staff. We find that that is very important for your customer service, product management for entering products and the right content. So very important to take people from the country itself."
Want to know the other two tips on cross border selling?
Then check out the entire interview with Geert-Jan Smits of Flinders and all the video interviews with other fast-growing entrepreneurs abroad. In this cross border series, Dexport and DPD Parcel Service let five entrepreneurs talk about their success formulas.
Earlier, Rick Molenaar talked about Helloprint's ambition, Philip Steens of Enveloppenland.nl about the advantages of selling in 10 different countries and Alphacomm Digital Commerce about seizing opportunities in cross border business. Luca Lifestyle shared experiences with the rollout of a local webshop in Germany.
Find other successful companies growing fastest abroad at www.crossborder30.nl.Door sharing success factors and tips these entrepreneurs are contributing to innovation in e-commerce in the Netherlands.
This film was produced by 25 EPS Video Productions on behalf of Dexport and DPD Parcel Service.
