Neckermann Enhances Digital Experience with Contentsquare
Nicolas Vangansbeke is Head of eCommerce at Neckermann. We spoke with him about the difficulties faced by the company and he explained the significant benefits Contentsquare brings to their operations.
With over 25 years of experience in the business, including 22 years in eCommerce, Nicolas Vangansbeke has played a pivotal role in the online content and merchandising strategies at Neckermann.
In his current position, Nicolas’s responsibilities include overseeing search engine advertising (SEA), search engine optimization (SEO), web analytics, and site optimizations.as well as managing the global operations of the company’s websites.
We recently caught up with Nicolas to discuss the key challenges he is taking on in his role. His priorities include achieving growth in a highly fluctuating market heavily influenced by external factors, repositioning the Neckermann brand within the tourism industry in Belgium, and hitting some fairly challenging growth figures while operating with a rather small team.
Nicolas also stressed the need to transition from the old Neckermann way of thinking as the company continues to reposition itself as an omnichannel travel agency rather than a tour operator.
Prior to implementing Contentsquare, the digital teams at Neckermann were struggling to optimize their digital experience. They were dealing with numerous difficulties caused by having to deal with fragmented data and a lack of qualitative insights. “Our optimization efforts relied heavily on a mixture of trial and error and the industry expertise of our most experienced team members.”, said Nicolas. However, the absence of comprehensive data and tools hindered their ability to analyze and optimize their content marketing and merchandising performance.
Contentsquare has given Neckermann the data and tools they previously lacked. Combining quantitative data from tools like Google Analytics with qualitative data, Contentsquare provides the company with a comprehensive understanding of the performance of different elements on their website. This data integration enables teams at Neckermann to access in-depth insights faster, and more efficiently develop optimizations and new features for the company’s website.
“Neckermann’s collaboration with Contentsquare benefits various roles within the organization, including content editors, copywriters, merchandisers, e-commerce managers and digital marketers”, explained Nicolas. The platform seamlessly integrates with the company’s existing tools, enhancing testing, personalization and customer feedback efforts. By identifying friction points and user frustrations within the customer journey, Contentsquare empowers Nicolas’s team to understand effective merchandising methodologies, prioritize website optimization and obtain valuable qualitative data on website performance.
Nicolas even had some examples at hand of how Contentsquare has already proven beneficial for his company. The platform helped Neckermann resolve a recent issue related to the 3DS (3D Secure) feature in the company’s payment flow. Furthermore, Contentsquare’s platform has provided valuable insights into the company’s booking funnel and search-to-book process, and has shed light on the performance of branded search pages and landing pages, enabling the digital team to make data-driven decisions confidently.
“The power of Contentsquare’s platform to elevate the customer experience, unlock valuable insights into effective merchandising methodologies and empower our team members to thrive in their roles is remarkable. With Contentsquare, we are able to gain a deeper understanding of our customers and a competitive edge in delivering exceptional digital experiences and driving growth in our industry.” – Nicolas Vangansbeke, Head of eCommerce at Neckermann.
Neckermann’s partnership with Contentsquare demonstrates their commitment to delivering the booking experiences their customers deserve. With Contentsquare’s comprehensive analytics capabilities to draw on, the company is well-equipped to navigate the challenges of an always dynamic market and drive growth in the highly competitive tourism industry.
“We are thrilled to support Neckermann on their digital analytics journey and help them achieve growth in a highly competitive market. We are dedicated to providing Neckermann with the data, tools, and insights they need to enhance their customer experience, optimize their website performance, and drive success in the tourism industry.” – Abdi Essa, VP Sales EMEA North & Central
About Neckermann
Neckermann Belgium is a leading travel distribution organisation with 40 years of experience providing different types of holidays, with a clear focus on package holidays. They work with various solid tour operators who each excel in their own segment.
Their 40 travel shops across Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia are all situated on top locations, staffed with experienced travel agents who help their customers in finding and organising their perfect holiday. Thanks to this extensive network of holiday shops, the holiday hotline, their website and their social media, they are always easily accessible to our customers.
Neckermann Belgium is a 100% Belgian travel company and over the years has grown into a permanent player on the Belgian travel market.
