⛑️ How CoolSafety helps B2B customers make smart and safe choices with Aiden

A “one-stop shop” for safety products

What started as a hobby and the classic 'garage story' has now grown into CoolSafety, a one-stop-shop for safety products. And with that growth comes its own set of challenges. We sat down with founder Joost Rust and Online Marketing Manager Frederik to learn more.

Joost reflects on how it all began: "Seventeen years ago, my business partner and I started selling hearing protection to private individuals. It quickly became a success, with our entire living room filled with earplugs. Slowly, we expanded both our product range and internationally."

"This led to the idea of creating a one-stop-shop for workplace safety. Logistics wasn’t our strong suit, so we partnered with Wiltec, a wholesaler in workwear and other safety products. Frederik joined later on, having built a successful web store as the founder of ehbo-koffer.nl."

Today, both CoolSafety and ehbo-koffer.nl are established names in the world of safety products. To stay ahead of the competition, Joost and Frederik are focusing more and more on enhancing the customer journey.

Even in B2B, customers don't always know exactly what they need

Even in B2B, customers don’t always know exactly what they need. The customer journey starts with understanding both your customers and your products. CoolSafety serves a wide audience: from freelancers and semi-professional hobbyists to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as museums and schools. And that’s not as simple as it seems, Joost explains.

"We have a large number of product categories: from work gloves, clothing, and shoes to head protection, eye protection, first aid supplies, and much more. It’s all over the place. Selling all these safety products is extremely complicated, especially when you consider that Safety Science is a full degree program. We can’t be experts in everything."

In the safety sector, specialized knowledge and certifications are required. That’s why it’s even more important to guide customers in making the right safety choices.

Joost emphasizes: "It’s risky to guarantee, especially online, that safety products are truly suitable. This is even more of a challenge in e-commerce. On top of that, we want to promote preferred products and push in-stock items to optimize both margins and the customer experience."

Frederik, CoolSafety’s expert in this area, explains that there’s a big difference among the customers who visit the webshop. "The DIY enthusiast often doesn’t know exactly what’s needed, just like a subcontractor with a new job who needs respiratory protection. We want to offer the best experience for every type of shopper and provide guidance at every stage of the funnel."

And that’s exactly where CoolSafety wants to stand out—offering expert advice across the webshop and providing what the visitor needs at that moment. Because even in B2B, it turns out not everyone knows exactly what they need.

Advice as a differentiator against low-cost competitors

Providing expert advice on safety is no easy task, especially since not all employees have specialized knowledge in-house. Joost reflects on the recent developments, challenges, and short-term ambitions.

“We’re really looking for ways to differentiate ourselves from webshops that just throw everything online at the lowest price. A big part of that is offering advice, and that’s where Aiden helps us tremendously.”

Before Joost and Frederik started working with Aiden, they tried to offer advice in other ways. You know the drill—using lots of text on category pages, expensive videos, or filter options that are complicated to maintain.

Joost explains: “With filters, you get 70 results because there are so many products in that category. But in another category, you might only get three. When Frederik joined and took a critical look, his biggest critique was aimed at how the filters were set up: confusing, unreadable, and inconsistent.”

Selling safety products online is quite a challenge. It takes a lot of time to provide the right information—something that can be done more interactively and easily with product finders. The result of using product finders is that customers get real advice, narrowing it down to a maximum of three products that best match their needs based on the answers they provide.

Frederik adds: “Aiden’s value lies in advising our customers. We want to make our recommendations as good as possible. Once that’s done, we want as many people as possible to use the product finders for scalable product advice. Our product data can always be improved, and better data will make the product finders even more effective.”

Good product data is essential—not only for helping customers with product finders but also for improving the webshop overall.

Product data is the foundation of good customer advice

Without quality product data, there can’t be valuable product finders, and without product finders, there’s less insight into data. If you want to stand out, your data has to be accurate.

Joost points out that product finders add extra value when it comes to product data: “They force us to think about how our product data is structured and where we get the information from. But also: What does the user find truly valuable? And how do we display that in the product finders and on the website?”

Frederik adds: “Product finders also help us identify gaps in our assortment. If we notice that a certain product is frequently chosen, it’s a signal for us to start a conversation with the supplier. Aiden’s analysis clearly shows what percentage of responses each product receives, and we can use that data to optimize further.”

Ultimately, the goal is to launch as many product finders as possible, so that with the right questions and outcomes, every customer gets the best advice. A smart way to help people work smart and stay safe at home.

12 Product finders in development and a conversion rate of 20-26%

Currently, there are 9 product finders live on the website, with another 12 in development for various product categories such as safety glasses, work shoes, respiratory protection, and first aid kits.

However, the most impact with product finders comes from reaching as many people as possible. That’s why Joost and Frederik regularly evaluate how to best position the product finders. Frederik explains: “We’ve started promoting the product finders in more places, like through banners and on the filter pages. But there’s still room for improvement, like using a pop-up.”

Joost agrees with Frederik and aims to get even more people using the product finders: “You’re optimizing for margins, stock, and customer satisfaction. And when the product finder works well, customers end up making a smart choice too. That’s important.”

Frederik and Joost evaluate the results every month using the Aiden Impact dashboard, as well as Google Analytics. Joost shares: “When we first started using product finders, they were converting at about 11%. Now, we’re regularly hitting conversion rates of 20 to 26%.”

The CoolSafety team’s goal is to offer a product finder for every product category and on every page. Right now, it’s mainly about figuring out how many questions are needed to provide the best advice. But Joost is confident, as the internal team is continually improving in creating and setting up the product finders.

Making a difference in a market dominated by mass production and marketplaces

Successfully applying product finders requires a vision. For Joost and Frederik, this is clear. Guided selling is a crucial part of their strategy, especially because the market is dominated by mass production and marketplaces play a major role.

Joost: “I don’t believe that marketplaces will ever develop product finders at this level. Maybe they’ll do something with AI, but when it comes to safety and expert advice, we truly can and want to make a difference. With the features of our product finders, we’re leaving the marketplaces behind.”

Frederik adds that product finders also help convey authority and ensure that customers feel heard: “Sometimes we include questions that don’t directly impact the result, but they give the customer the sense that we understand them, and that builds trust.”

Joost acknowledges that there’s still work to be done in terms of integrating the product finders seamlessly into the online store. Their ambition is to fully guide customers through the process without them even realizing it’s done via a product finder. He also sees further opportunities to improve how they are presented on the website.

But, he's confident, thanks to the support and vision of the Aiden team. “The approach has felt very personal from the start, and it’s great to see the guided selling advice reflected in the software, like showing a maximum of three product recommendations. We never had any doubts, even though I tend to be quite critical.”

With product finders, you guide your customers step by step. And it’s a huge compliment when our own customers experience it that way too. Want to boost your differentiation and ensure visitors aren’t left to figure things out on their own? Book a free demo now. In just 30 minutes, we’ll show you how product finders can transform your e-commerce strategy.