Webshop Parthen takes off

It is an indispensable trend: online ordering. Clothing, shoes, electronics, you name it. With a few mouse clicks you can order anything you want and it is often delivered the next day. This also applies to conference articles these days. "More and more people are ordering online," says Ivo Lammers, director of Parthen Meeting Essentials. "A few years ago we started looking into how this could affect the meeting industry. We wondered if we could translate this trend into our field of expertise. We soon realised that our products are ideally suited to offer online. Conference bags, lanyards, name badges, badge clips, ribbons, badge cases: all these types of conference equipment can of course easily be ordered via the internet. "Five years ago we started our webshop", adds Jaap Bakker. Jaap is Managing Partner of the Parthen Group: "We had a slow start, but gradually more and more people managed to find the webshop, especially in the last three years. Our customers really like the fact that they can now order online".

Warehouse

"In the beginning we did the logistics ourselves", Lammers says. “Every day we had to check the orders, put the packages together and ship them. That was fine, but if we received an order after half past three, for example, we could not guarantee that the customer would have it the next day. And we did want to offer that service. If there’s anything that’s important for webshops, it’s fast delivery times. "The next logical step was to work with a warehouse company specialising in online orders. In practice, this means that our warehouse is open almost 24 hours a day. The last order leaves the warehouse at 23.00 hours, also on Sundays. So if you order before 22.00 hours and you paid online, your purchases are guaranteed to be shipped immediately. Bakker: "To make things even easier for customers, they can choose from several transport companies. We find it very important that our customers get the same quality and service they are used to from us. That’s why we are constantly improving our webshop and processes. [caption id="attachment_79047" align="alignnone" width="750"] Jaap Bakker and Ivo Lammers: ‘You can tick all the possibilities in lanyard-country via a simple step-by-step plan’. | Photo: Thomas Fasting[/caption]

Design your own

In this context, it is now also possible to order custom-made and printed products via the webshop. "Take the lanyards for example", Lammers explains. "Customers can now make all kinds of choices: the colour, one carabiner or two, whether or not there is a safety break away... In short, you can tick all the possibilities in lanyard-country via a simple step-by-step plan. But the most important thing is of course the possibility to print text or logos on it. The customer can also do this himself". "Just like personalising sports shoes, you can now design lanyards with us. The same goes for bags: you choose the bag, you choose the colour and then you can add a logo or text to it as you wish on the printing area provided. It works super easy" Bakker: "The process is of course slightly different from the standard products. When the design is ready, we will double-check the result.” "We check the design for feasibility and appearance. If the design is then approved by both the customer and us, the order confirmation follows. The personalized conference bags or lanyards are then taken into production. Obviously, the customized products take a little more delivery time than standard products.

Permanent suppliers

Parthen works with permanent suppliers in every area. The butterfly badges are their own product, printed in the Netherlands. With regard to bags and lanyards, Parthen works with several suppliers in Europe and China. "We work with a local partner in China who not only maintains contacts with our suppliers and manufacturers, but also checks whether the work is carried out in accordance with European directives. In the future Parthen wants to expand its online services even further. "Ultimately, we want to ensure that every product or service can be ordered online. Can be ordered, because of course you don't have to. Some customers still want to be taken by the hand and others prefer to do it themselves.” "We also have a chat function, where you can ask your questions live during your visit to the webshop. Of course we will answer them immediately. For us, this feels no different than picking up the phone. We like to help our customers in any way we can.