In the Shopify Support department we naturally encounter great stores and retailers every day. But even in this abundance of fantastic companies, we occasionally meet retailers who stand out because of their enthusiasm, unique stores, and the impressive results they are able to achieve with the Shopify platform.

Menno and Simone, from 2TToys, are such retailers who, with their entrepreneurship and enthusiasm, have managed to get the very best out of our platform, and have achieved remarkable growth with Shopify in a short time. We started a conversation with Menno and Simone about their experiences with Shopify.

Can you give me a brief overview of 2TToys?

2TTOYS was founded in 2002. Some toy sets were ordered abroad and sold via Marktplaats and Speurders. The company started from the kitchen table at home, but 2TTOYS soon became an established name in the LEGO world. In 2023, it is one of the largest buyers of LEGO in the Netherlands, with several web shops and a “real” store in Den Bosch. 2TTOYS is active in Europe and has partners all over the world.

How did you decide to sell your toys through Shopify, and (how) has that decision influenced your work?

The 2TTOYS webshop started out simply, pages were created in Word, which were saved as HTML and uploaded with an FTP program. But the range soon became so large that it was decided in 2004 to purchase a software program. The first years after the start of using that software, the results were good, but there was no major growth. Our son started a business in Shopify as a school project and pointed out the benefits of a MYSQL-based webshop . After several conversations with the then software supplier, we decided in an angry mood to switch to a new webshop in Shopify. A completely empty and blank shop, because it turned out not to be easy to transfer the data from the old website to the new site. We hired a company to help us with the transition. Obviously we initially saw a drop in sales because not all products were on the new site from day one, but we soon added all the items and since then we have seen a huge growth in the number of visitors. Not only in the Netherlands, but throughout the world.

If only we had made the switch sooner. Shopify makes our work easier, the apps are great and it saves us time and mistakes. The speed at which changes can be implemented - using the phone as a barcode scanner - is fantastic. With the app on the phone it is possible to change prices in real time, post messages on Social Media and scan and adjust stock.

During the switch, we set a goal in terms of visitor numbers, conversion ratio, retention, number of orders per day and average turnover per day. There was some skepticism in our team about this ambitious goal, but we did not achieve the financial goal. We attribute this to the economic uncertainty during that period; , the order size almost halved in the second part of 2022. If the average order size had remained the same, we would also have achieved our financial target.

We did achieve the other KPIs, and we even exceeded our expectations for the number of visitors to the site by 20%. This is because the way the site is built up by Shopify (URLs, sitemaps), the links with Google, Facebook, Instagram and other social media. With SE Ranking, Analytics and Search Console we can quickly and easily adjust the site in a targeted manner, resulting in a huge increase in SEO ranking for all relevant search terms.

Where does the name of your store come from?

The owners of 2TTOYS, Simone and Menno, have two sons, named Thygo and Thymen. So the company was named after them in 2002. At that time, the name - unknowingly - had the advantage that we quickly rose to the top of the search engines, because Google had a search algorithm that was easier to influence at the time. In addition to 2TTOYS, there is also 2TTOYS4KIDS, ROLJO, Lion&Steel and Happytoys. We have a sister site, 2TTOYS.INFO which targets Dubai and the rest of the UAE. This site is integrated into 2TTOYS.NL via Shopify Markets and an App that helps us with differentiated pages, offers and prices based on Geolocation. It's ideal that Shopify Markets is a great tool for this.

How does Shopify help your team or company achieve its goals?

Our largest supplier has a discount structure that is made up of variables. If you meet the requirements, you will accrue the discount. If we had not switched to Shopify, we would not have been able to meet all the requirements for usability, reporting and insight into how our site is used.

In addition, Shopify makes it possible to set goals for visitor numbers and turnover. We can make better reports and have made a link with our other, external sales channels / markets. This gives us real-time insight into our sales and stock. The tools that are standard in Shopify make it easy for us to meet the conditions we set for our growing company as well as the accounting reports.

What is your advice to others who might be considering Shopify?

DOING! Shopify's platform is extremely user-friendly. You don't have to be an HTML expert to build a beautiful webshop. The app integration is great. It's so easy to install and use useful apps. The links with Google, Facebook and other Social Media channels also work flawlessly. I have never been able to catch Shopify making an error, everything runs fine and fast.

Do you think the investment in our product was worth it? Why?

We should have made the investment in Shopify earlier. Because the pages, products and blogs are SEO friendly, we have seen a tenfold increase in visitors compared to the previous site. The amount that Shopify asks is low, the Return On Investment is very good. Of course you have to keep working on the site to keep it attractive. Now that we've been working with Shopify for almost two years, we actually wish we had made the switch sooner. The growth that our online section has achieved is purely due to the functionalities that Shopify offers us.

What is the most popular type of item for 2TToys?

We have been offering new LEGO sets via Pre-Order for a year now. We sell these sets via Pre-Order a month before the sets are available in stores. All newly released sets are selling well, especially the more expensive sets from Icons, Creator Expert, Technic and StarWars.

The regular sets do not sell much via the site, even though we still have a standard price that is 15% below the LEGO price. Another strong point of our offering is being able to offer older sets. We are highly specialized in LEGO sets that have long been out of regular stores. We have installed an App that allows customers to indicate that they are interested in a particular LEGO set that we have on the site, but can no longer order because we no longer have them in stock. If we come across a party with those specific sets, interested parties will automatically receive an email from which they can order directly.

We have also recently started renting out sets. Customers can book their rental period themselves via an online reservation system. We also buy used LEGO sets that we then sell after inspection.

The Playmobil sets run less quickly. We also carry the brands COBI and Funko Pop! The latter is more of an impulse good, people come to our store for it. But the website is for Funko Pop! as an online showcase for our physical store.

What item(s) were you most excited about adding to your business, and why?

Since we started renting out LEGO sets, the demand for them has grown nicely. During a holiday, people like to rent an expensive LEGO set and build it in a week. This way you have the construction experience without having to buy the set immediately. It also makes people enthusiastic and they often buy a LEGO set from our stock after a rental period.

Do you have a specific type of person in mind - an imaginary customer - that you think about when you purchase new products? If so, what do they look like?

We define different types of customers: children (with parents), and adults (Adult Fans Of LEGO). We adapt our marketing policy accordingly. For example, we post content on social media in the morning for children and in the evening for adults. We also adapt our landing pages to the target group, based on content that LEGO makes available to us. We also adapt our communication to customer orders using Shopify Mail. Someone who ordered Technic will receive a DM about Technic and related sets such as Ideas, StarWars and Icons. We also have a loyalty program, which allows customers to save for a discount at our store. We are going to do even more there. Finally, we have different distribution channels: the physical store, the web shops and the platforms. Our site is also a virtual showroom for the store. In our store we sell impulse products, small gifts from LEGO and Funko Pop!'s.

What have been some of the most exciting or exciting moments in 2TToys' life?

When we started, our house was full of LEGO sets. Ultimately, we took the step to a small external warehouse. The costs were relatively high at the time for a space of 2 meters by 2 meters. When we left the building we had almost the entire first floor in use. Through an intermediate step in the form of our own warehouse building, we made the switch to a shop building on a busy, main road in Den Bosch 10 years ago. We profile ourselves as a Specialist and not just a store. So we chose a location that is easily accessible by car, free parking in front of the door and a spacious layout. We work with a warehouse at the store, but we manage the largest stock externally at two locations. That step, from online-only to multi-distribution with a store, has helped us grow into the company we are today.

What are your plans or goals for the future of 2TToys?

The two biggest goals are integrating the POS cash register with Shopify and customizing the webshop with special content for various geographical areas, so that you see relevant information no matter which country you visit. Only products in stock at that location at the prices and shipping methods applicable to that area.