CloudSuite, a fast-growing Dutch e-commerce platform for wholesalers, brand manufacturers and large retailers, has gained growth capital from investment company 5Square Tech Fund and existing investors.
HOUTEN – CloudSuite, a fast-growing Dutch e-commerce platform for wholesalers, brand manufacturers and large retailers, has gained growth capital from investment company 5Square Tech Fund and existing investors. The business, founded in 2010, will use the money to fund further development of the platform as well as expansion into Belgium, the UK, France, Germany or the Nordics.
Online shopping has become commonplace in the consumer market. Buyers in B2B – who in their day-to-day lives are consumers too – are expecting a similar user experience. However, very few B2B businesses meet these expectations. CloudSuite enables (international) wholesalers, brand manufacturers and large retailers to future-proof their e-commerce, offering a solution that is Software as a Service yet enables businesses to sell their products on their own channels – be it to buyers, directly to the consumer or via marketplaces.
“It is crucial for big businesses to professionalize their online sales channel,” says Okko Huisman, CEO of CloudSuite. “Not only do customers expect them to do this, but it also protects brand identity and boosts margins. With our solution, retailers and wholesalers can make B2B sexy. Our platform’s back-end is easy to manage, while our front-end draws in and inspires the end-user.”
As well as the usual B2B functionalities, CloudSuite comes with a powerful set of features that provide international retailers with a future-proof platform that will serve them for the long-term. Huisman: “We see too many examples of implementations that go awry when businesses go international or through deficient ERP-integrations. Our platform has been developed in-house and so its functionalities are scalable. The software is ERP-independent and integrates easily with the large payment providers, as well as with the popular email marketing solutions and chat software.”
CloudSuite intends to use its growth financing to further develop the platform and grow market share outside the Netherlands. Product Information Management (PIM) will be even more user-friendly for the product manager; the same goes for the CMS and the online marketeer and order management for operations. The company sees huge potential abroad. “We solve a problem experienced by B2B companies all over the world,” says Huisman. “What’s more, many of our most important customers, such as FonQ and Pacombi Group, are increasingly international.”
CloudSuite is the heart of your commerce strategy. The Dutch company was founded in 2010 by CEO Okko Huisman (formerly director of operations at Markant) and CTO Eric Klaasse (formally CTO at ECI Software Solutions Europe). The business already employs 25 people, 12 of whom are in-house developers. Among its customers are web warehouse FonQ, furniture and interior design shop Goossens Wonen & Slapen, office supplies wholesaler Quantore, the mini-wallet brand Secrid, the childrenswear brand nOeser and Paardekooper packaging (part of PACOMBI Group). In 2016, CloudSuite was awarded a joint first place in the Emerce Top 100 – category Internet Software.