eKiosk, one of the leading European newsstand manufacturers, has become a digitalisation specialist: With individually configured devices, the company helps its customers to maximise the efficiency of their business processes. We spoke to eKiosk CEO Thomas Sepp about how Visable has helped them to meet the lead generation challenges caused by the pandemic.
Thomas Sepp, CEO from eKiosk GmbH
What does eKiosk GmbH specialise in?
We stand for customised interactive newsstands and self-service solutions, but also for applications for digital information and advertising display or digital wayfinding systems. We have customers in industry, retail, real estate, finance & insurance, aviation and more.
What is it exactly you produce?
We supply hardware and software for self-service applications and newsstand systems from a single source. We equip them individually, e.g. with receipt and waiting stamp printers, QR and barcode, EC or health card readers. We work closely with software partners, but in 2020 we also launched our own software for digital visitor management.
Where is your industry currently headed?
We ourselves have become more and more digital in the last three years. And certainly more companies, but also the public sector and the health sector, will invest in digitalisation projects in the future. The pandemic has greatly accelerated this development.
Do you feel the impact from the pandemic in your work?
Yes, the global shortage of raw materials for electronic components and the associated supply bottlenecks are very challenging for us! However, this is currently affecting almost the entire manufacturing industry.
Are you investing more in online marketing – and therefore also in Visable – because of the pandemic?
Certainly, we had to expand the online business more because of the lack of trade fairs. But our growing product and solution portfolio has also led us to focus more on push marketing. We want visibility in the market! To achieve this, we have to be even more findable in online searches and, above all, we have to direct targeted leads to our websites. Without online measures such as GoogleAds or B2B platforms such as wlw, this is simply not possible.
Why did you choose Visable and wlw?
We had a free account and now wanted to use the premium package to further expand our company presentation and generate more search queries.
How long did it take until you received the first enquiries?
The first wlw Connect enquiry came in mid-July, and in August the first contact enquiry came via our website, which was created by linking to wlw. Directly on wlw, the customer contacts have multiplied: In January and February 2021, only 28 potential customers had found us, whereas in March we already had 91.
Do you use other Visable products in addition to your wlw service package?
Yes, Visable manages our Google Ads campaigns and retargeting. Since then, we've been receiving significantly more pre-qualified leads, e.g. for the landing page of our visitor management software "redpengoo".
Are you satisfied with Visable's performance?
Yes, very much! The cooperation is close and trusting, and time and again. The Visable experts always proactively offer valuable advice. A fresh outside perspective helps tremendously to tailor our campaigns precisely to the target groups. Visable is a modern, young-at-heart company like eKiosk – the chemistry is just right.
Your customer story appears in the wlw magazine "Inside Business"...
... with great, professional photos that your team took on site with us! Of course, we are very happy about you taking an interest – which ultimately helps us in our external perception.
Do you have optimisation suggestions for wlw?
The automated processing of contacts that are displayed in the visitor list! There is still one step missing here to be able to stay on this potential lead – a better possibility to get into personal contact via the search query.
What marketing activities are you currently involved with?
We work a lot on different online marketing measures, including advertorials and the use of LinkedIn to network and increase visibility. Print ads have become less important for us, but they remain a useful addition to the marketing mix. We now also send printed flyers, brochures and product information digitally.
How important is the topic of sustainability in your company?
Sustainability is a big issue for us: we rely on regional suppliers and transport distances of no more than 200 kilometres. We pay attention to the conscious use of our resources – plastic use is less than 5%. Our appliances are durable, energy-saving and repairable and are shipped in our own reusable transport packaging. We strictly comply with EU directives: RoHS for the restriction of hazardous substances as well as WEEE for the avoidance, reduction and environmentally conscious disposal of electronic waste.
Mr. Sepp, we thank you very much and wish you continued success.
