TIE Kinetix helped Dutch online webshop Hi.nl to shorten the lines of communication and the decision-making process

1. Text Cees Steijger ~ Photography Marcel R. Bakker
eCOMMERCE
Society
quickly. And the MamboFive Commerce experience. Up-to-date content is a must
Dutch online webshop Hi.nl Suite product is without equal. It’s exactly in this respect, as too is interaction with
focuses on young adults what we need.” the customer. “Our Hi Bewaarbox (Storage
Peter explains that experience has Box) is a result of our dialogue with the
with its mobile telephones shown that you have to take a critical look target group. It’s a unique storage service for
and high-level service. at functionality when building a webshop. text messages. This dialogue also resulted
Naturally, everything should work well but in Hi WaarZitWie (WhereAreWho) that
everything surrounding this functional- enables you to locate friends in real time
M
ore than a decade ago, KPN ity is even more important. How quickly on your mobile phone.” And recently
launched a brand aimed at young can you change something? How flexible Hi launched its ‘Pokkie Foetsie’ – the Hi
people, called Hi. From its incep- do you remain once the website has been Telephone Book. With this, you don’t
tion, the new company has focused on implemented? “Experience shows that you immediately lose all of the
young adults (18-24), and everyone who
feels young at heart, with a series of excep-
can’t predict what your website will look
like after 18 months. Developments are
“The numbers of all of your social
contacts if you happen to
tional campaigns. With its new Hi Society
concept, KPN’s youth brand is searching for
too fast for this. And if you want to stay
ahead of the competition, you’ll have to
people lose your phone.
interaction with its customers. Hi wants
to acquire the loyalty of its target group by
continue to react to these developments.
The people behind MamboFive Suite have behind REACT QUICKLY And so
Hi is continuing to develop
means of a constant dialogue, interactive
gadgets and an old-fashioned club feeling.
the speed and drive to innovate – qualities
that are more important in our business Mambo- as a strong, energetic brand
for young people where
The website www.hi.nl has become the
online platform for this. The website runs
than the structure of a large IT company.”
“We are a premium brand in a very com- Five suite they feel at home and to
which they feel loyalty. It’s
on the MamboFive Commerce Suite, the
TIE Kinetix eCommerce Platform.
petitive market. We aren’t a prize-fighter
and yet we manage to achieve rising sales. have the both handy and innovative.
“We’re not bringing about
TEAM In KPN’s huge office building in
We can do that only by improving our web-
site permanently, furthering its accessibility speed and a revolution but evolv-
ing, in dialogue with our
The Hague, we spoke to Peter van der
Schaar, Hi.nl’s channel manager. Peter is
and focusing on service and interaction.
Our association with other websites is also drive to customers. Thanks to the
MamboFive Commerce
part of a small team of only four people – re-
markably few for one of the biggest mobile
constantly increasing.” MSN and Hyves are
good examples of websites that Hi.nl works innovate.” Suite, we can continue to
react quickly to changes,
brands in the Netherlands with a webshop with in order to promote interaction. Hi tailor campaigns effectively
that attracts a million unique visitors a accesses content and products from third parties, aggre- to new trends and stay
month. “There are big advantages to the fact gates it and re-transfers the complete proposition to other constantly on the move.
that the organisation is small,” says Peter. websites. This allows Hi to ensure that the best experience After all, we have to make
“It makes lines of communication and the is provided without overheads becoming too high. With it easy for the customer,
decision-making process pleasantly short.” Hi Society, Hi is also adding emotion to the brand, thereby without complicated is-
Is that also the reason why Hi opted for promoting customer loyalty. It’s all about retention, sues. We have to keep it
TIE Kinetix? “Absolutely! We can connect explains Van der Schaar. About retaining customers. You simple,” concludes Peter
with the people behind MamboFive very do that by providing the customer with a constantly richer van der Schaar.
P10 ~ 1/2009 ~ TIE

2. Hi Society
Characteristics - “Hi” is a mobile Characteristics - "Hi" is a mo-
telephone network in the Netherlands bile telephone network in the
Netherlands
specifically aimed at young adults, offer-
ing mobile speech, data, and messaging,
which is very much geared to its target specifically aimed at young
group by the way it communicates. adults, offering mobile speech,
Target group - Young people in the age
data, and
messaging, which is very
of 18-24, and anyone who “is older but
feels younger”.
Forecast - Offering services and ap- much geared to its target group
plications that strengthen social contacts by the way it
between young people.
TIE ~ 1/2009 ~ P11