[FR] Mamzel: how to go from a nice shop to a sustainable package

For many entrepreneurs, the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 marked a time of great change, as the story of Mamzel shows. The Limburg-based company was forced to move from a ‘home party’ concept to a fully-fledged online shop, brimming with products that can be cheerfully described as ‘joy makers’. This move to the digital world required a completely different approach to business. Suddenly, many more packages had to be prepared, some of which had to meet various requirements. In this interview we explain how RAJA Belgium was able to help and what solutions were chosen.

Kim Severy, Mamzel’s manager, delves into the Mamzel story with us (and a good cup of coffee). She explains the challenges she faced and how RAJA was able to contribute to the e-shop’s current formula as a supplier. In 2022, they launched a new e-shop that was even more in line with their DNA and the conveniences that customers are looking for today. This same webshop won the Customer Friendliness Award in 2022. In addition, Kim received the E-commerce Personality of the Year Award (awarded by Safeshops). A great recognition for the amazing journey she and her team have made.

How would you describe Mamzel’s philosophy?

Mamzel is an online shop for “joy makers”. We want to achieve this in every way possible. This starts of course with the products we offer: fashion and home accessories, gift sets, books, care products, etc. Anything that makes our customers happy and joyful.

These joy makers are not only the products, but also the suppliers who make them, the experience on the online shop, the messages on social media and the packaging we use. In everything we do, we want to create added value by focusing on a happy state of mind.

By the way, Mamzel wasn’t always a full-time online shop. In fact, we started with a home party concept. Our ‘mamzelles’ would bring our happy products straight to your living room. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was no longer possible to meet as a group at home. So we quickly decided to focus 100% on our online shop. The changeover to this new model meant that our products had to be handled differently. For example, we now had to handle much larger quantities for shipment via a delivery service – and we still wanted to add a touch of fun. As a packaging specialist, RAJA was the ideal partner.

How does RAJA meet your expectations as a supplier?

When I choose a supplier, I pay a lot of attention to sustainability. Every company has to be able to make a contribution. Does the company offer the right kind of products and are its activities sustainable? For us, RAJA meets these criteria perfectly. Packaging is obviously necessary in the world of e-commerce. It is important for us to use recycled and recyclable materials – preferably ones that we can buy locally.

For us, RAJA is also a responsive and flexible company. When we switched to a 100% online shop, we suddenly had to buy other types of products. We needed a wider range of box sizes, for example, as well as a suitable filling material. RAJA reacted quickly and presented us with solutions that we were not familiar with at all. One example is the Fillpak TT paper padding machine. Since we have been using these paper pads, we have noticed that our products are packed much more securely, which means fewer returns. This saves us a lot of money.

Finally, there is the personal contact, like with Tom and Chris from the RAJA sales team. This is something I personally appreciate. It gives me peace of mind and takes a lot of the work off my shoulders. If I need a new product (e.g. a new case size), I know that my usual contact person at RAJA will be able to sort it out without any problems. This saves me a lot of time.

Which RAJA products does Mamzel use?

For us, it’s an advantage that RAJA is a one-stop shop. We can bundle everything together and order in one go for our entire company. We have been ordering cardboard boxes and other packaging materials from RAJA since the beginning of Mamzel. A few years ago we added paper products such as dunnage, a paper cushioning machine and customised tape.

We can complement this with cardboard trays, office supplies, printing paper and toilet paper. And it’s all delivered quickly (often by the next working day), so we never run out.

Sustainability is inextricably linked to e-commerce. How is Mamzel addressing this?

The feeling of unpacking plays an important role for us, as it is a way to ‘make you happy’. First of all, unpacking is about the product you have bought, people don’t want to receive a damaged box, it never makes you happy. People don’t want to receive a damaged crate, it never makes you happy, so good, solid packaging is essential. In addition, the environmental friendliness of the crate plays a very important role. Mamzel deliberately chooses packaging made of a single material, such as paper.

Until a few years ago, we often used plastic for packaging, such as bubble wrap or adhesive tape. Thanks to Tom, our contact at RAJA, we discovered other materials and deliberately opted for paper. Today, we combine a cardboard box with paper padding and paper tape. Our customer can then sort it all out, which creates less frustration. And that’s why we do it!

What are Mamzel’s future plans?

These days, the online part of our shop is increasingly being put on hold. In our warehouse, we now offer the possibility to come and buy the products directly. In this way, we give our customers the freedom to physically experience our ‘joy makers’, to feel them, listen to them, etc. We find that the customers who visit us really need this and enjoy the physical experience. So our warehouse is not like a traditional warehouse. It’s much warmer and more welcoming. The atmosphere of the online shop is here. People should feel welcome here.

Secondly, we are very interested in what the future holds for e-commerce packaging. The proposal for the new European packaging law (PPWR) talks about the possibility of reusing a box much more often, which will require new types of boxes and a new way of thinking about Belgian logistics. We know that RAJA is working on new projects to meet this demand and we look forward to continuing to work together.