🤸 At Toppy, guided selling is an integral part of the content strategy

How do you stand out from all the other online shops? That question keeps content manager Nena Soors of garden and outdoor specialist Toppy constantly busy. "I very much feel that urge. If we don't do anything then you will eventually disappear as a webshop."

"So many online shops are constantly popping up," Nena explains. "Anyone can start one, it's not that difficult. And there are always shops that can do it cheaper; I call them the box pushers. But we really are the true experts and it's quite a challenge to show that online." 

In 2019, seven separate web shops, including the original Pooltopper, were brought together under one name and website: Toppy. It turned out to be a successful choice; the company grew quickly, also because COVID-19 meant that many more people stayed at home during the summer. But, says Nena, with everything under one roof it has become even more important to show that you're still the expert in various fields.   

With Aiden's guided selling software, Toppy brings their expertise back to the forefront. "I definitely wanted a tool that mimics the conversation in a specialty store," says Nena. "Our tagline is 'doing fun things' and this fits with that. It's just a little different than using a filter, it's spontaneous and approachable. A product finder is a true advisor and that's why it yields different results than a filter."

Toppy's playful and recognizable content (the "Toppy copy") is also easy to use in their product finders, Nena notes with satisfaction: "You should also see it as branding, the company gets a voice. I think it's good that we can give it that feel and think you can distinguish yourself with that."

At first, a product finder was only available in a few product categories, as a test. Now guided selling will become part of the fixed strategy, says Nena. "If a product group has real potential, produces feelings of choice overload or is in a mature phase, then it also needs a product finder."

Moreover, the data from the product finders can be cleverly used to offer personalized content. Nena: "You might be able to entice a swimming pool customer to buy a lawnmower, since swimming pool owners will also have a garden. But someone with a lawnmower obviously doesn't necessarily have a pool. Hence it's quite important that we can place people in a certain segment." 

"So we're happy that an integration with Squeezely has recently been made available, so we can start testing that as well," Nena says. By capturing a customer's answers into the customer data platform, the customer journey becomes even more personal, also beyond the product finder.

In addition to enriching the content strategy, Nena sees the product finders contributing in two other important areas: relieving customer service and reducing returns. Customers often call with questions about heat pumps, and spa filters in particular are frequently returned due to buying the wrong connectors. Nena: "With illustrations in the product finders, we can show very clearly what kind of spa filter it is and prevent customers from ordering the wrong one."

A product finder may now be available for many products, but Nena isn't the type to sit back and relax. She remains critical and wants to stay involved in the development of the guided selling software to stay ahead of the competition. "I think Aiden keeps their customers well informed, and I think it's very important to always look at ways to improve. I really enjoy thinking about this together," she concludes. 

About Toppy

Toppy can call itself the best garden web store in the Netherlands and was the fastest growing e-commerce company in 2020. They achieve all of this with their distinctive Toppy approach - under the slogan "doing fun things" - from Veghel in Brabant.