Beter Bed is one of the best known sellers of beds and bedroom accessories in the Netherlands. At Online Dialogue we are therefore very proud and happy to have had the opportunity to work with them for a long time in the field of CRO. We started working together in 2014 and since then we have made great strides together, conducted interesting tests and above all gained great insights about Beter Bed's visitors. In 2022, Beter Bed won the DDMA Dutch CRO Award. According to the jury, in the then-current case, Beter Bed showed well that really solving a customer problem can be difficult and takes time. The operating results were positively influenced by experimenting. That the sleep specialist is open to experimentation is in line with its long-term data-driven vision.

On this subject, we asked Jaap van den Broek (UX/CRO Lead at Beter Bed) a few questions. After all, how has Beter Bed developed in terms of CRO in recent years? What were the obstacles and successes? What does their process look like? And what are the next steps? Read all about CRO at Beter Bed below!

What development has Beter Bed gone through in recent years in terms of CRO?

Jaap: "I myself started at Beter Bed six years ago in a generalist position of webshop optimizer. Back then, the e-commerce team consisted of only five people. Within the team there was a focus on testing, but the range of tasks was too big for that small club to have a structural character in the organization.

Four years ago, it was decided to expand the online department and insource expertise. In this, I was given the role of UX/CRO specialist. Initially, I wore that title primarily, but had to reduce my other duties in order to focus on this new role. Now the department is at full strength and UX/CRO has become a permanent part of the e-commerce team. Over the past few years, we built an increasingly structured and secured testing culture."

What do you want to achieve in the coming years?

Jaap: "Within a retail organsation, the main focus is on achieving commercial objectives. So most tests also focus on this goal. But there is also a lot to gain in improving processes for a better customer journey and efficient way of working within our company. We have grown tremendously in CRO. From ad hoc idea testing, to a data-driven approach where we let numbers determine where our priorities lie."

What are the successes and how do you celebrate them?

Jaap: "Every test is a success! Even a losing test. In fact, we celebrate the result of every test we do. We like to know which ideas add value for the customer as well as the organization. But are also delighted when losing tests show us wrong in corporate blindness. By sharing results internally, we show that even the smallest ideas can lead to great results. From Online Dialogue, we received a beautiful gong that we ring with every winning test. That way no one can miss this joyous news."

What are the pitfalls and challenges of CRO at Beter Bed?

Jaap: "One pitfall is to mirror competitors and start copying them. Often this does not produce the intended result. It is never a waste of time, but if you start from your own strengths you often come up with better ideas. Generating ideas takes time, but it also pays off. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a brainstorming session is sometimes seen as a time-consuming activity. A shame, because it is precisely at times like these that you as a company can make the difference compared to your competition."

What do you dream about in terms of optimization?

Jaap: "Often when you do optimizations you focus on the channel you are testing on. However, it is much more powerful to test your process through the chain. This does often make setting up a test a lot harder. But that doesn't mean you should let that stop you from trying. My dream is for CRO to be done at an even more strategic level, so that we stand out in the increasingly competitive marketplace."

To what extent is the organization aware of CRO? And how do you convince colleagues to work data-driven?

Jaap: "Within the e-commerce team and leadership, CRO and its value have long been recognized. In a traditional organization such as Beter Bed, you sometimes notice that the support for it, or the familiarity with it further down the chain, is hardly there. People do not come into direct contact with it, which makes it difficult to get involved. Understandable, but that is something we have to work on. Data-driven work happens, but it is inevitable that every now and then the wish becomes the father of the thought. Assumptions, self-interest and "messages from the neighbors" still sometimes lead to the "best idea" that "we should do too. The data regularly leads us back to the right path."

What was the reason for partnering with Online Dialogue?

Jaap: "When I joined Beter Bed, we were already working together. We now have a close relationship where we know each other's ins and outs. That helps enormously when coming up with and developing ideas. Online Dialogue is familiar with our dependencies and limitations. The other way around, we also know how to make the best use of Online Dialogue's expertise. The working method has changed a lot over the years, but Online Dialogue's expertise in the field of CRO is and remains very good. They have amply proven their reputation as an authority in the field of CRO."

How is the collaboration with Online Dialogue going?

Jaap: "In the early years of our cooperation, we shared ideas together and Online Dialogue took care of the realization of the tests, from design to final conclusion. In recent years we have started to do more and more ourselves. Increasingly, with Online Dialogue's knowledge, we built up the expertise on our side. Currently, it is a nice mix of hiring of expertise of Online Dialogue where we do most of the executive tasks ourselves."

What would you advise other organizations that also want to take their CRO program to the next level?

Jaap: "Anyway, I think the key for many parties is to start a CRO program. Start testing! See what works for your target audience. And learn! Once underway, the key is to Ensure CRO in your processes and in your corporate culture. Start small, look for and find low-hanging fruit, prove your value, and build the CRO program that way as you go along. CRO is also thinking across the chain. Dare to take on these challenges!"