Data Governance

Data: The Key to Notino's E-commerce Success

Dana Tousova
July 28, 2023 | 9 min read
In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, staying ahead of the competition requires more than just a well-designed website and a vast product catalog. E-commerce companies must leverage data to gain insights, make informed decisions, and optimize their processes for success. Notino, the largest online beauty retailer in Europe, operating in 28 countries and serving 20 million customers, understands the value of data in achieving their ambitious goals.

Notino was founded in 2004 and is still growing, with plans to expand to many more markets. We interviewed Notino's Head of Data Office, Martin Kavrik, during Accurity Data Vibes (watch it here). For those who prefer reading over listening/watching, we are bringing this summary of the episode."

In today's highly competitive market, customer expectations are continually evolving, and e-commerce companies must adapt to stay relevant. Notino recognizes that data is the key to understanding customer behavior, preferences, and needs. Through data analytics, they can uncover valuable customer insights, such as purchase patterns, product preferences, and shopping behaviors. Armed with this information, they can tailor their offerings to match customer demands, enhance the customer experience, and ultimately boost customer loyalty and retention.

Moreover, data-driven insights enable Notino to overcome the unique challenges faced by e-commerce companies. With the absence of brick-and-mortar stores, e-commerce businesses rely heavily on data to optimize inventory management, streamline logistics, and improve supply chain efficiency. By harnessing data, Notino can make well-informed decisions regarding product pricing, inventory levels, and distribution, ensuring that they meet customer demands while minimizing operational costs.

Unlocking the Potential of Data

Notino's journey to success is not a stroke of luck but a result of meticulous planning and strategic data-driven initiatives. At the core of their approach is identifying the most critical processes that impact the company's success. These processes, such as product recommendation algorithms, pricing optimization, and logistic process automation, are carefully selected based on their potential for improvement and impact on the bottom line.

Once the key processes are identified, Notino ensures that dedicated teams are assigned to manage them. This specialization allows the teams to focus on refining and optimizing these processes continually. By dedicating resources to these critical areas, Notino ensures that they are constantly at the forefront of innovation, which translates to a competitive advantage in the e-commerce market.

Cracking the Code of Prioritization

With a multitude of data-driven use cases available, prioritizing them becomes a delicate task. Notino's approach to prioritization is centered around evaluating the potential impact of each initiative and allocating the right talent to manage them effectively.

The process begins by calculating the potential improvement that each initiative can bring. Metrics such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, cost reduction, and process efficiency are carefully analyzed to gauge the potential benefits. Notino then aligns these potential improvements with their strategic business goals, ensuring that every data-driven initiative aligns with the company's overarching vision.

By prioritizing initiatives based on their potential for positive change and aligning them with strategic objectives, Notino can maximize the value of their data-driven efforts and ensure a consistent focus on high-impact projects.

Gaining Trust through Data-Driven Insights

Embracing a data-driven culture is not just about implementing processes; it's about gaining trust from key stakeholders in the organization. Notino understands that to truly harness the power of data, they must build confidence in their data-driven decision-making.

To achieve this, Notino follows a transparent and collaborative approach. They engage in open communication with business owners to clearly define expectations and objectives. By involving business owners in the process from the beginning, they build trust and ensure that data-driven initiatives align with business needs.

Furthermore, they present tangible results and evidence of process improvements. By demonstrating the positive impact of data-driven decisions on various metrics, they gain the trust of the business stakeholders, who become more willing to embrace data-driven strategies.

Facing the Future with Data

As Notino continues to grow, they face new challenges on the horizon. One of the key areas of focus for the upcoming year is optimizing their supply chain through data predictions and automation.

Notino's success hinges on accurately predicting product demand. By using historical data and leveraging various predictive modeling techniques, they can forecast future demand and adjust their inventory management accordingly. This ensures that they always have the right products in stock, minimizing outages and keeping customers satisfied.

Another area of focus is on automating dynamic pricing. Notino leverages data to set optimal prices for their products based on various factors, such as seasonality, competitor prices, and marketing campaign effectiveness. Automating dynamic pricing allows them to react quickly to market changes and remain competitive in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape.

Data Quality: The Keystone of Data-Driven Success

For Notino, data quality is non-negotiable. They understand that accurate and reliable data is the foundation for data-driven success. Ensuring data quality requires a collaborative effort between business owners, IT departments, and data teams.

Business owners play a pivotal role in defining data metrics and ensuring that the data collected is relevant and aligned with business objectives. Meanwhile, IT departments are responsible for data creation and ensuring that the data is accurate and up-to-date.

The data team at Notino plays a crucial role in downloading and visualizing the data, ensuring that it is presented in a manner that is useful and actionable for business stakeholders. By maintaining strong collaboration and communication among these three parties, Notino can maintain a high standard of data quality and drive successful data-driven initiatives.

You can read more about Notino’s data team and how they are utilizing Accurity Business Glossary and Data Catalog in the interview here.

Data-Driven Strategies: Adapting to External Factors

Notino's data-driven approach extends beyond internal processes; it also allows them to respond effectively to external factors that impact the e-commerce landscape. For example, they were able to adapt their strategies during challenging economic periods and the COVID-19 pandemic.

By analyzing data, Notino can adjust their pricing, inventory management, and marketing strategies in response to changing market conditions. This agility allows them to stay resilient and continue to thrive, even in the face of external challenges.

Conclusion

Notino's remarkable journey to becoming a super successful e-commerce company is a testament to the transformative power of data-driven strategies. Through data analytics, prioritization, and a focus on data quality, Notino has achieved impressive growth and maintained a competitive edge in the dynamic e-commerce landscape.

By embracing the lessons from Notino's success, e-commerce professionals can harness the full potential of data to optimize their processes, enhance customer experiences, and navigate the ever-changing e-commerce market with confidence. Remember, the key to unlocking your e-commerce potential lies in the data at your disposal. Embrace data-driven decision-making and embark on your journey to e-commerce greatness.

Watch the recording here, on LinkedIn including the comments, or listen to it as a podcast.

As an additional resource, you can download the How to Boost E-commerce Success with Customer Analytics whitepaper by Simplity.

Dana Tousova
VP Marketing

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