European Enterprise Awards 2021

EU BUSINESS NEWS / European Enterprise Awards 2021 27 , What skills or qualities do you look for when recruiting new talent? SA: We are very selective in hiring new talent. Because to create outstanding work, you need highly motivated people. And finding motivated people is not easy, which is why we only work with skilled experts and provide the necessary internal training to keep up with the latest developments and industry trends. We believe that only highly motivated team members can deliver great results for our clients. Someone without a passion for e-commerce would certainly not make it in our company. EU:What does the future have in store for your firm? Do you have any future plans or projects you would like to share with us? SA: At the moment, we are working on several new features that will go far beyond what our competition can offer. And while we can't reveal much about this today, we are excited about 2022 and can’t wait to help make the best e-commerce brands and merchants even better. Contact: Selo Axapli Company: DigiFist (BV) Web Address: www.digifist.be Nov21622 Best Full-Service eTail Marketing & Development Agency - Flanders The Belgian company DigiFist (BV) erupted onto the e-commerce development scene, changing the face of the industry. Leading the trend towards the use of Shopify, the company subverted the limits of the European platforms, and instead delved into the North American markets. We spoke with DigiFist’s Selo Axapli to find out more. EU: To start: please give us a brief overview of your company, your clients and the services you offer. What are your main goals/overall mission? What are your core values? Have these changed at all since your establishment? Selo Axapli: DigiFist is a full-service e-commerce development and performance marketing agency. Our clients are mainly D2C (direct-to-consumer) brands in the e-commerce space. When we realized years ago that Shopify was set to become the leading e-commerce platform out there, we decided to focus exclusively on Shopify and Shopify Plus. Besides store design and development, we also offer strategic digital marketing services, including online advertising, email marketing, marketing automation and analytics. This allowed us to become a trusted one-stop shop with a dedicated single point of contact for all of our clients. EU: Tell me about DigiFist’s unique selling point – how do you aim to distinguish yourself from any competitors (do you have any competitors?) SA: By combining our knowledge of digital marketing with skills in design and development, we build powerful data-driven and user-friendly e-commerce experiences that increase conversion rates that results in more returning customers. By offering a complete e-commerce strategy, we have developed an edge over our competitors. EU: Please tell me about the trends you are seeing in your industry currently. Are there any key developments in Europe or impacting your country specifically? SA: The trends for e-commerce in the West are more restrained when compared to, say, China. In much of Asia, the e-commerce industry is really booming. For example, the rise of TikTok during the ongoing pandemic saw the emergence of live shopping experiences offered by influencers across Asia. Recently, one influencer’s live stream sold $2 billion worth of goods in just one day. When you compare that to the West, even the bigger e-commerce players don't have such powerful marketing channels. I think we can still learn a lot from Asia; and we also see shopping experiences in the West trending in that direction in the coming years. EU:What are the main benefits to being based in Europe, in your opinion? Are there any benefits specific to your country in particular? SA: The fact that we are based in Belgium does not specifically add value to our company and our activities. When we started selling Shopify solutions, many merchants still had no idea what it was, while in America it was already one of the most popular e-commerce platforms. In Europe, most agencies and companies still focus on platforms like WooCommerce. That's why we were one of the first agencies in Belgium to focus heavily on the Shopify platform. Today, we are seen as trusted experts and as a respected voice in our industry – which is especially crucial as more and more merchants are starting to see the value in building their online store on Shopify. EU:What is the internal culture in your firm?