“Having the right strategy in place to ensure a 360-degree experience for the consumer at every touchpoint is crucial for long-term success”
Meet Henrik Hermansen, experienced Head of E-commerce at NN.07.
Gain insights into his perspectives on strategic e-commerce marketing, martech priorities entering 2024, and what drives his continuous focus on building and growing of NN.07.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your background and way into e-commerce?
- Since 2015, NN.07 has been my professional home. At that time, I was the sole member managing e-commerce within the company, overseeing everything from merchandising and online marketing to customer service.
- Today, we operate as a team of five, working alongside an external paid marketing agency. From the beginning, there was no doubt in my mind that NN.07 was the brand I'd love to work for.
- My initial meeting with the founders left a lasting impression, given their unwavering drive and passion for creating a forward-thinking menswear brand that was truly second to none.
Q: How long have you been working with e-commerce businesses?
- I started in 2012 as an SEO/Copywriter at Zalando in Berlin, just six months before the company launched in the Danish market. It was an exciting time to be part of the team, witnessing the expansion of the business. After that, I worked for a couple of years in Malta as an online manager within the betting/casino industry.
This experience had many similarities in terms of working dynamics, but I always knew that I wanted to return to the retail sector.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
- I have a one-year-old boy, so much of my spare time is spent playground hopping around Nørrebro. Apart from family time, I love to keep myself active. In fact, I recently completed my first marathon, which was a challenging yet incredibly rewarding experience.
Q: Could you provide a brief overview of your setup?
- At NN.07 we are using Centra as a headless platform with WordPress CMS on top. Adyen for payments, Rule Mailer for email flow, Trigger Bee for pop-ups, and Ingrid for shipping integrations.
Q: What's the rationale behind your prioritization?
- Most important is a future-proof platform like Centra built for the fashion industry, together with great integrations for smooth day-to-day operations.
- For a company our size, with no in-house development department, it is crucial that we can rely on a proven, scalable platform. And we are getting that from the Martechstack.
Q: What's the rationale behind your prioritization?
- Our prioritization is based on two key factors. Firstly, we aim to have a tech stack for e-commerce that is relatively simple to scale, and that's what we have in place today. Secondly, time-to-market is of utmost importance for us. The speed from idea conception to execution or implementation is critical in our market. The quicker we can put our ideas into action, whether it's optimizing conversions, enhancing user experience, creating content, adjusting pricing, or other strategies, the more likely we are to succeed. Given the rapid and often unexpected changes in the world, markets, and customer behaviors, the ability to adapt swiftly is a key aspect of our approach, and we believe we're keeping up with the pace.
Challenges and Success Factors of data-driven E-commerce
Q: What's the most significant challenge you've encountered regarding data and tracking setup for e-commerce businesses?
- The main challenge currently is the collection and segmentation of 1st party data, and it's worth noting that this challenge applies to all industries out there.
Q: What, in your opinion, are the key success factors when working with data-driven e-commerce marketing?
- Without the right CRM tool and effective segmentation, you'll be left behind by your competitors. The right CRM is the backbone of your ability to track, segment, and service your consumers effectively. However, this doesn't go alone; you need to have knowledgeable individuals involved who can analyze and act on the data collected.
Q: Could you share your approach to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) at NN07 across different channels?
- We conduct as many A/B tests as possible. However, with a website that is constantly changing, we have limited time for extensive testing. Instead, we heavily rely on industry best practices and input from our external developers, who provide yearly reviews on ways to enhance on-page performance.
- As a fashion brand, our primary focus is ensuring that everything aligns with our brand identity. Therefore, our creative department is often involved and plays a significant role in the process, ensuring that CRO and design work hand in hand.
Trends, Future and AI
Q: In preparation for 2024, what trends and AI-related developments are you anticipating?
- The e-commerce landscape is constantly evolving, making it essential to stay attuned to changing behavioral patterns and adapt operations accordingly. Behavioral trends can shift over time, and what worked in the past may no longer be effective. This necessitates trying out new campaigns, offers, and CRO activities. Additionally, exploring new ways of using tools and AI remains a focus, with continuous testing. Technological disruptions also play a role, impacting CRM systems and relationships with consumers.
Q: How do you envision Artificial Intelligence making the most significant impact on e-commerce marketing in the future within your industry, and what's your current use of AI?
- We currently use AI for various purposes, including idea generation, copy and content creation. Looking forward, we see AI playing a more significant role in customer service and chatbots, as well as providing insights about the market. The ability to leverage AI for improving customer service and gaining valuable market insights is expected to be a major focus in our future.