Shopware winner in April - Guido Huber from skapetze® in an interview

How long has the store been around and how did you come up with the idea? Can you tell us something about the founding story?

skapetze® already exists for more than 40 years. We are a family business with a long tradition where light is still regarded as a genuine craft. Over the years, the company has developed from a stationary lighting expert in the region, to online sales on third-party portals, to a genuine omni-channel provider both online and offline, with our own online store with our own brand s.luce are among the main pillars. Other pillars include our login for B2B customers as well as the area of lighting design and on-site sales.

You are using Shopware 6. Did you consciously choose the software or was it a recommendation from your agency?

The decision to Shopware 6 was made in consultation with our agency Onedot. Our aim with the relaunch was to rely on a future-oriented system that meets our needs. We hope to be able to continue to introduce strong unique selling points and a lot of personality in the coming years. Customers should feel comfortable in our store and receive confirmation that they really are with the lighting experts. We provide support via chat, telephone or email. We would like Shopware to provide even more intensive contact and a fixed contact person.

You have incredibly good photos in the store. How did the shoot come about, who took such good photos? How important is the photo when buying lighting?

Light stands for emotion. An effective s.luce beam up & Down wall light on a white background or as a cut-out cannot be properly depicted. We therefore rely on our own photos, which are available in our in-house photo studio studio by our employees, as well as on the great references of our customers. We don't just sell the product, but above all the attitude to life behind each luminaire.

Buying on demand or simply inspiring people?

Instead of just lux and lumen we focus on vivid colors and a perfect coordination of light in the interior. There are hardly any lighting scenarios that we cannot reproduce for our customers. Ideally, wishes and requirements can be perfectly combined. With s.luce we don't reinvent the wheel, but focus on current trends, which we then pick up on and design into stylish shapes. The brand catalog s.luce can be ordered free of charge from our website.

You have an impressive lighting studio... is that important in the customer journey? What concerns do customers have when buying new lighting?

skapetze® is Bavaria's largest lighting studio for customers within a radius of around 120 kilometers. We are located in the Munich, Passau and Salzburg triangle and have long established ourselves as the leading contact for lighting. In most cases, customers gather information online and then take advantage of the opportunity to receive professional support in the form of a professional lighting design. Being able to touch luminaires, test functions and thus develop a feel for the look and feel is something that many customers are happy to accept.

With online lighting design, you offer maximum advice - the new luminaire now fits perfectly. How does online lighting planning actually work?

Ideally, it should make no difference to our customers whether they are physically in our showroom or face-to-face digitally with our lighting experts. We discuss the plan previously sent by email live on the phone or via an online program, make direct suggestions and even guide the customer through the exhibition via gimbal if desired. This is followed by a prompt quotation based precisely on the customer's wishes.

How unusual is the German taste in lighting?

Lighting is constantly evolving. In addition to timeless classics, we offer our customers own brand s.luce an affordable trend brand for every living area. The range is complemented by a large selection of manufacturers that are designed to make the difference. The trend is towards smart controllable lighting, for which we at Skapetze naturally provide all the necessary components.

What channels do you use to inspire your customers?

We are represented on numerous forums to provide sufficient inspiration for every age group. Social media channels such as Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook are a must. In addition, we specifically follow blogs that focus on interior design and construction projects from planning to the final move-in. In our eyes, it's not just the quantity of posts that matters here, but rather the quality and added value for the customer.

One final question: everyone is talking about sustainability these days. To what extent do you incorporate this aspect into your products in the store?

Environmental protection is skapetze® is a matter close to our hearts. This starts with reducing paper consumption in the office, where we implement as many processes as possible digitally. We also want to act in the interests of the environment when it comes to transportation routes and do everything we can to avoid partial deliveries for orders. In the case of customer purchases in which several individual items are obviously ordered for walls or ceilings, for example, we also actively call customers and ask how we can help with the selection. This saves unnecessary returns.