in3 minutes: La Souris
La Souris Scooters was founded in 2008 by the then 17-year-old young entrepreneur Armando Muis. Muis had a different vision on the scooter market in terms of purchasing and sales and believed in the direct import, and direct sale of scooters through an online webshop, and own store(s). La Souris means “the mouse” in French, which can be traced back to his surname. The young entrepreneur took on big brands like Vespa, Sym and Peugeot by competing with a smart online marketing strategy, and low sales prices.
La Souris distinguishes itself through its own import and sales channels. Because there are no dealers, but the import, sales, and delivery are arranged ourselves, scooters can be offered at affordable prices. This makes it possible for the consumer to drive a quality scooter at a cheap price.
The company offers scooters for all segments, the largest target group is between 16 and 35 years. Many students and commuters use scooters, in addition, they often see the ‘good weather drivers’ among the elderly. It is also clear that from the economic crisis in 2008, and the corona crisis in 2020, people have been using the scooter as an alternative means of transport for the (second) car.
Over the years, La Souris has grown into the largest scooter brand in The Netherlands, and can call itself the market leader in the scooter market from 2021. In addition to its own brand, La Souris also supplies the other major brands for low prices because it works with small margins, and large numbers. With its 14 physical stores and online webshop, the company still has growth plans to grow to 25 stores in The Netherlands, and to make the step to other countries in Europe.
Due to the strong growth, the company experienced growth spurts. There was an explosive demand for scooters, and the demand was therefore greater than the supply. The company has since grown to a company with more than 100 employees, which made automation increasingly important. In addition, there is a growing need for insights into customer behaviour, so that we can serve them better.
La Souris cleverly responded to consumer demand for staggered payment options. However, as a company, it soon became clear that the AFM rules imposed restrictions on the financial lease providers. This came at the expense of the acceptance rate and many more administrative actions were required.
”We have seen that large companies use in3. We also had less good experience with other forms of financial lease. That is why La Souris has been offering in3 since 2020, which turned out to be a great success! About 20% of all online transactions are done via in3. This percentage is even higher for the sale of scooters.” Armando Muis – Owner.
Because, the customer immediately receives results online or in the store, an order can be processed immediately and delivery can be made quickly. The 0% interest rate is also very attractive to consumers. This quickly showed that the purchase values are generally higher than if the consumer opted for an iDEAL transaction.
”A scooter is not a product that everyone can just buy. For that target group it is great that there is an option to pay such an amount in 3 instalments.” Armando Muis – owner.
Mentioning the price per term on the product pages is also very effective. The product page is pre-eminently the place where it is shown what the sales price is and that consumers can pay this amount in 3 instalments.
“Our customers experience in3 as a great payment method, which gives them more room to put together their scooters completely according to the customer’s wishes and we also notice that impulse purchases are made faster due to the deferred payment option.” Armando Muis.
In the future, La Souris will continue to focus on the combination of online and physical stores. We are also working on the realization of a new website in which current and potential customers can be served much better. The features that are built in this will again support the stores. By improving the customer experience, the company foresees a lot of growth.
Why should other companies choose in3?
“In3 ensures faster conversion and higher order amounts. In addition, your customers offer a free extra payment service, which has a positive effect on the customer experience.” – Armando Muis.