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The successful digitalisation of home decor store Rohstof

This Eupen-based shop took advantage of the health crisis to accelerate its already well-underway digitalisation. In addition to its physical premises, it now has a professional sales website and is active on social media. Yseult Creutz, founder, looks back on her journey and the role of her financial partner, BNP Paribas Fortis.

Rohstoff is more than just a classic home decor store. “It's a concept store. We celebrate everyday life and beauty,” explains Yseult Creutz, manager and founder. “We offer design items, gifts, accessories for all occasions in life and for all audiences. I pay a lot of attention to the choice of products I offer. It's essential: I sell my personal favourites. I want to make people's daily lives more beautiful.”

Quality close to home

When the store opened in 2017, Yseult Creutz wanted to enable Eupen residents to find beautiful, high-quality items without having to travel to a big city. She contacted several banks to present her project. She ultimately chose BNP Paribas Fortis for two main reasons: “On the one hand, it was the best offer,” she recalls. “But what really convinced me at the time was the quality of the contact with my advisor, who spontaneously came to me with proposals. This is not so common for a bank. What I'm looking for above all is to establish a long-term relationship of trust. I want stability, and not to have to change advisors all the time.”

Adapting and digitalising

Since 2017, Rohstoff has been evolving at a rapid pace. Although digital was not unknown to Yseult Creutz, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis pushed her to accelerate: “I adapted and invested in digital, first with a simple and not too expensive online store editor.” She also discussed this with Marcus Rausch, her BNP Paribas Fortis relationship manager. He invited her to take a « Digital Maturity Assesment », an online test that allows a company to determine its digitalisation phase and receive personalised advice.

The result has been a resounding triumph. Online sales have taken off, and Yseult Creutz decided to continue developing her online presence, particularly on Google and social media. She hired a professional to develop a new website. A few months later, her new webshop was online.
 

The two Rohstoff stores

“Online sales really are a different business,” she concludes. “In a way, I manage a physical store and a virtual one. They are two different businesses, with different systems, stocks, and encoding. The choice of products is based on different criteria. It's a lot of work. But it works!”
 

More info

Visit the Rohstoff webshop, for yourself or visit the shop in Eupen if you have the chance!