Executive summary
Plein uses Omnia’s products to automate its pricing and optimize various pricing strategies linked to their own website or to the corresponding marketplace they sell on. To obtain their strategic goals and increase their online presence, Plein sells a large part of their assortment through several marketplaces such as Bol.com and Amazon. As each marketplace has their own specific rules, Plein easily adjusts its strategies to each marketplace’s regulations by using different automated dynamic pricing strategies within Omnia. In this way multiple strategies can be used in parallel with distinct price advice given by Omnia.
The company & challenge
As with many of the modern e-commerce players, Plein.nl started in 2003 in someone’s attic. It began its life as an informative dentistry site named Tandartsenplein.nl (‘dentist square’). Website visitors were able to find all sorts of specialistic oral care. Three years later, in 2006, the platform developed into a webshop with its own office and warehouse. From 2013 until today, the categories have been expanded from exclusively oral care to a range of beauty & drugs, household, pet and baby. Plein.nl now has their head office in Utrecht with a team of 35 employees that ensure clients get a great shopping experience with next-day-delivery. Following on from their first radio commercials in 2016, they have been able to create more brand awareness in the Netherlands. In 2020 all of the brands under their umbrella are bundled together into one single brand name Plein.nl. Their mission is to become the nr. 1 in personal care in the Netherlands.
Plein’s assortment consists largely of A-brand fast moving consumer goods like baby, pet and household products, personal, oral and healthcare and presents like perfumes or toys, with a small number of niche brands. Traditionally these smaller brands tend to be bought in the sales. Plein’s intention is to be perceived as the cheapest player in the Netherlands. Their sharp pricing combined with their even lower price perception from their advised price to their sale price is one of the key drivers behind their success.
Plein adopted Omnia’s automated Dynamic Pricing module on top of the pricing data, to receive deeper insights into the market with a more concrete foundation to their pricing strategy.
How is Plein using Omnia for their business?
Plein uses Omnia’s products to receive market insights, automate its pricing and to automatically calculate and change prices on Plein.nl, as well as on marketplaces like Bol and Amazon. To obtain their strategic goals and increase their online presence, Plein sells a large part of their assortment through several marketplaces such as Bol and Amazon. As each marketplace has their own specific rules, Plein easily adjusts its strategies to each marketplace’s regulations by using different automated dynamic pricing strategies within Omnia. In this way multiple strategies can be used in parallel with distinct price advice given by Omnia.
The results
Next to providing insights into the pricing data of their competitors, Omnia has also helped to provide insights into the tradeoff between margins and sales volumes. In 2019, Plein was voted the cheapest online shop for personal care in the Netherlands by the Consumer Association. Omnia helps Plein in providing pricing data insights, automating their desired pricing strategies and creating the ability to adjust prices flexibly to the dynamics of the market. With several dynamics to take into account, Omnia was able to realize:
- Saving time by pricing automation and no more manual work.
- Enabling Plein.nl to grow in their assortment and market visibility.
- Support and insights to achieve the intended price perception in the market.
