BuyYourWine facts

Established - Cyber-entrepreneur Hans Voorn launched BuyYourWine in February 2006. Market share - With a range of 2000 different wines BuyYourWine is among the largest wine websites in the Netherlands. Forecast - The range will ultimately cover 5000 different wines making BuyYourWine the largest wine website of Europe.

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Text Cees Steijger ~ Photography Gerritjan Huinink

eCOMMERCE

What makes BuyYourWine so unique?

Old wine new business

We give the customer personal attention. We can do that because the back office of BuyYourWine is perfectly organised. ICT meets wine.

e are talking to Majo Diepman and Monique Greven who have been the proud owners of the successful wine webshop BuyYourWine.nl since last September. The two entrepreneurs recently took over the company from cyber-entrepreneur Hans Voorn. Standing out on Majos CV is a solid record of service at IBM where she held various managerial posts. Monique carried out computerisation projects for leading companies, including ABN AMRO, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Vodafone before working in the property business. So both online entrepreneurs knew the pressures involved in positioning and building a successful company. And they had no lack of ambition. Although three years ago entrepreneur, online marketing expert and wine connoisseur Hans Voom proudly announced that the range would consist of 1,000 wines, Majo and Monique are raising the bar a bit higher. LEADING We are going much further, says Majo in her trendy office in the woods of Soest, just south of Amsterdam, where she is expanding BuyYourWine with her partner Monique. We now have 2,000 wines in our range but were aiming at a range of 5,000 different wines in order to strengthen our leading position in the Netherlands and finally to become the biggest online wine shop in Europe, says Majo determinedly. With us you must be able to shop easily and also get detailed information about the wines, like the colour, bouquet and taste, the region, the chateau,

Speed makes the difference between winning and losing

the grape variety, the local soil, the vinification, etc. says Monique Greven. BuyYourWine, which is based from TIE MamboFive Commerce Suite, has been very well received by the market and the range of wines is growing steadily, as well as the number of customers. With such a wide range of different wines, logistics poses a major challenge, of course. Thats our greatest concern, says Monique. The shop has to run problemfree so that we can devote all our attention to logistics, marketing, sales and traceability. And if the back office works perfectly, as in our case, we have the time to devote personal attention to the customer, adds Majo. Thats what makes us unique. That and, of course, the exceptional wines that can be ordered from BuyYourWine because although wines are available from all of the popular winegrowing areas, the customer can also purchase lesser known wines and wines from less wellknown areas through BuyYourWine. UP TO DATE In order to ensure that the product offering is not just broad but always

up-to-date, BuyYourWine works closely with just about all of the major importers. Out-of-date information is the kiss of death for the business, says Monique. Speed and being able to take quick advantage of trends make the difference between winning and losing. From now on well be using XML to access information from importers where possible. And the great thing about TIE Mambo Fives Commerce Suite is that its childs play to add to and change the range, the prices or special offers. CALIFORNIAN WINE Its clear that both of these passionate entrepreneurs are having a lot of fun with BuyYourWine. The business has been set up thoroughly, both from a technical and an oenological point of view. So the only question that remains is what wine they recommend. Bernardus! shout Majo and Monique practically in chorus. Its a fine choice. This great Chardonnay comes from the sunny hills behind Carmel Valley Village in California where the Bernardus Winery of famous Dutchman Ben Pon has been located since 1989. Here the successful Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen importer, racing driver and inventor of the legendary flower-power VW minibus has been producing wines that rival the best of Bordeaux. And they can be delivered within a week, says Marjo proudly. Im looking forward to it already.
TIE ~ 1/2009 ~ P15