Success Story: Medisana
How Medisana achieved fourfold revenue growth with third-party logistics through faster delivery
In this interview, you can read
How Medisana transitioned from long delivery times and a fragmented approach to a hybrid model with central stock management and next-day delivery via 3PL partner QLS. The results speak for themselves:
- a quadrupling of turnover
- higher customer satisfaction
- increased trust – especially important for health items where speed matters
Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Martijn Paas, and I have been working at Medisana for 5 years now. I started at our Benelux office in Kerkrade and have been working from our headquarters in Neuss, Germany, for over 2 years.
What kind of company do you have, and what exactly do you sell?
Medisana is one of the leading specialists in the home healthcare market. For almost 40 years, we have been committed to people's health under the motto: Your health in good hands. We develop and produce health items that enable people to monitor their health, treat themselves safely, and actively improve their well-being. Our product range consists of approximately 250 items in various categories.
Which platforms do you sell via? And what role does bol play in that?
We currently sell via 30 platforms in Europe, especially in the DACH, Iberia, and Benelux regions. Within the Benelux, bol is by far the most important platform for us.
What were the biggest challenges when you started selling via bol?
The biggest challenge was logistics. In the beginning, we shipped from a fulfilment center in Germany, with delivery times of 3 to 5 days. This negatively impacted our conversion. Additionally, Medisana worked with a 1P model for a long time, while several 3P partners already offered our items via bol.
How did you tackle those challenges?
We developed a hybrid model where our 1P offer remains in the buy box, while our own 3P seller account complements the product range. This way, we offer the full product range directly to consumers. We coordinate promotions internally. We critically reviewed 3P partners who no longer offered added value after the launch of our own 3P account.
What role did bol play in that process?
We quickly noticed that long delivery times reduced our conversion. After contacting Max from bol, we started with Logistics via bol. That went smoothly and gave our sales a strong boost.
When we expanded to multiple platforms in the Benelux, we looked for a single logistics solution with central stock management. This led us to QLS. QLS proved to be the right 3PL partner: flexible, scalable, and experienced in e-commerce fulfilment for international partners. Thanks to their support, we now offer fast delivery throughout the Benelux, with clear revenue growth via bol. Their multi-carrier approach gives customers additional delivery options. In combination with bol's strong regional position, our logistics is now a competitive advantage.
What were your delivery times before 3PL?
We delivered within 3 to 5 business days. During peak periods like Black Friday, this increased to 4 to 8 days.
What are your delivery times now?
We now offer next-day delivery in the Netherlands and Belgium for orders placed before 23:00.
How have you set this up operationally?
QLS enables next-day delivery in the Benelux. For surrounding countries like Germany and France, we deliver within 2 to 3 days. The entire stock is located in one central place. This is linked in real-time to our ERP system, automatically synchronizing stock with all platforms.
What benefits has the shorter delivery time brought you?
Since we started delivering faster, conversion and revenue have increased significantly. After the transition, we saw a quadrupling of revenue. This growth continues every year.
Customer reviews confirm the importance of fast delivery. Especially for certified medical items, such as thermometers, speed is often crucial. We also see better ratings for non-medical items that are directly related to faster delivery.
What is your advice to other international partners who sell via bol?
The transition to a 3PL partner may seem like a big project and investment at first. However, it is absolutely worth it. Those who wait miss out on opportunities. Customers expect fast delivery. Delivery speed is one of the 3 most important success factors, alongside price and item.
Do you have any tips to make bol even more appealing?
For international partners, the amount of information can sometimes be overwhelming, especially if they do not speak Dutch. bol is making great strides with multilingual support in English and French. Adding German is a logical next step.
Many German companies want to sell via bol, but experience barriers. Lowering these, for example, by offering a conversation with a bol specialist in their own language, can greatly improve the onboarding process.