In an industry where price transparency is rare and traditional showrooms still dominate, Tegeldepot decided to do things differently. What started as a small tile business in Zeewolde grew under entrepreneurs Eelco Kalsbeek and Chahid Charrak into a leading player in the sanitary market within ten years. Today, Tegeldepot is one of the largest sanitary specialists in the Netherlands and Belgium, with an annual turnover exceeding 21 million euros (Twinkle100), a strong online presence, and two physical stores.
What sets them apart? A combination of transparent pricing, a surprising assortment that aligns with the latest bathroom trends, and an uncompromising focus on data-driven marketing. Tegeldepot rejects traditional sales pitches and opts for honesty, inspiration, and smart technology. This approach breaks established patterns and makes a traditional market future proof. The result is a customer experience that is not only more pleasant but also structurally more profitable.
After several years of explosive growth, Tegeldepot reached a crossroads in 2016. The switch to Magento unexpectedly caused a 40 percent drop in conversion rates, and the existing approach, heavily reliant on SEO and SEA, began to show its limits. Although the growth was impressive, it was not sustainable. Channels came under pressure, performance deteriorated, and visibility on returns was lacking. At the same time, there was growing awareness that much more could be gained from the platform and brand.
Tegeldepot approached Yellowgrape with a clear yet complex request: help us transition from a successful growth spurt to a mature and scalable e-commerce strategy. One that not only restores conversions but also lays the foundation for a future where marketing is smart, personal, and data driven. Where growth is no longer a matter of chance but the result of a clear direction. In other words, time to go from running to leading.
We started with a strategic traffic plan as the backbone. This mapped the visitor flows needed per channel to meet revenue targets. What is the desired conversion rate, order value, and ROI per channel? From search engines to showroom visits everything was calculated. We restructured Google Ads and Bing campaigns added new publishers and price comparison sites to the affiliate network and implemented a data-driven attribution model. The result was more traffic better channel distribution and control over returns.
The real magic happened with personalization. We went all in with personalized recommendations smart notifications pop-ups and triggered emails. Not as separate elements but as a cohesive conversion orchestration. Through continuous data collection we learned who the visitor was and where they were in the purchase process. These insights allowed us to tailor the offer message and communication timing seamlessly. The result was a frictionless funnel and a significant increase in conversions especially on private label products.
The biggest leap forward was the shift to private product lines. Well-known A-brands are beloved and trusted but often face fierce competition low margins and little differentiation. Especially online these products quickly get lost in a sea of similar offers. Tegeldepot noticed diminishing returns on these products while sales in physical showrooms succeeded particularly when advisors personally explained the benefits.
Online the dynamic is different. Where advisors can explain private label advantages in store the direct interaction is missing online. Therefore we developed a targeted content and campaign engine around Tegeldepot’s private label assortment. Think matte black faucets copper-colored taps dusty pink toilets each item presented with Pinterest-worthy visuals inspiring landing pages and a strong Google Shopping strategy.
By making the assortment visually appealing and focusing the message on style quality and price private labels gained their own recognizable position in customers’ minds. Thanks to higher margins we could invest much more aggressively in generic search terms without losing returns. The result was more visibility higher conversions and a future-proof strategy. Building a brand that becomes less dependent on A-brands and resistant to price pressure is true future proofing.
Bathroom orientation rarely begins with a price list and often with an image. That is why we started with inspiring content on social media. Through Instagram Facebook and Pinterest we built a strong visual brand story with striking product lines as highlights. Visitors who clicked or engaged were captured with personalized retargeting and dynamic banners. We linked this strategy to local inventory ads to also stimulate showroom visits. This made social media a full-fledged funnel starter and bridge to offline conversion.
The migration to Magento 2 provided room for a fundamental redesign of the UX. Information architecture navigation filtering and checkout flow were redesigned based on data and A/B tests. We introduced interactive configurators that let visitors intuitively compose combinations. Content was optimized for different funnel stages from inspiration for browsers to buying triggers for shoppers. Dynamic location-based notifications encouraged showroom visits at the right moment. Everything worked together in a seamless experience for both customers and results.
The restructuring of the digital strategy paid off handsomely. Over four years Tegeldepot grew by an astonishing 500 percent. More importantly this growth did not come at the expense of profitability but went hand in hand with it. The sharp decline in conversions after the switch to Magento was fully repaired and surpassed. Thanks to the new approach private labels took on their own profitable role within the total assortment and their share of overall sales grew structurally.
At the same time the team gained calm and clarity. Where much was previously done on intuition marketing and e-commerce now operate based on hard data and clear forecasts. Every stage of the funnel from search to showroom visit is thoughtfully and measurably managed. Personalization and smart targeting increase engagement reduce waste and strengthen customer relationships. What this case clearly shows is that when marketing is structured based on insight vision and tooling a foundation emerges on which truly sustainable growth can be built.
Tegeldepot is future proof and ready for the next phase of growth.
