“Very few WMS systems are truly suitable for an e-commerce company.”

About Ledlichtdiscounter

Ledlichtdiscounter was founded by childhood friends Michael and Anthony. Ledlichtdiscounter is a full-service provider of LED lighting. In just over four years, they have grown into a company with 50 employees, multiple successful webshops, a 2,500 m² warehouse, and their first physical stores have opened.

A webshop and a store

We visited Almere, where Michael welcomed us into the store. “We moved here last year, and we immediately wanted to open a store so that customers could better experience the products. It’s always useful to see how a lamp shines, how it looks when dimmed, or at full power. We see that this works very well. It makes selling easier. We can properly assist customers, and that’s important to us.”

Moving the warehouse

Recently, Ledlichtdiscounter moved warehouses. Michael explains why they made this choice: “The reason was that we wanted to grow. We were running out of space. In our previous warehouse, we had around 1,200 products. We wanted to become a full-service provider for our customers. Within a year, we have already grown to 4,000 products, and we can deliver up to 10,000 products within 48 hours. Whatever the customer wants, we have it—whether it's a lamp for a truck, a car, or retail lighting, we can deliver it in a very short time.”

Origins and rapid growth

Their journey has been incredibly fast. Naturally, I was curious about how it all started. “My childhood friend Anthony asked if I wanted to start a webshop with him. At first, I thought it would be a fun side project alongside my job, but it grew so fast that within five months, I had to quit my job. Now, four years later, we have 50 employees and are still highly driven to keep growing.”

Michael shared that even family members helped pack orders in the early days. “Yes, because things were moving so fast, and we didn’t have staff yet, we had to figure out how to pack orders. So, I recruited my family. Many hands make light work. It was really helpful in the beginning.”

Using Picqer

Since the move, they have been using Picqer. Michael explains the transition. “Previously, we did everything manually. We placed orders through WhatsApp groups. We picked orders based on product knowledge. But we realized that things had to change. Our goal in the new warehouse was to make everything more scalable, so we needed a WMS. Very few WMS systems are truly suitable for an e-commerce company, considering all the processes we have here. Eventually, we found Picqer, and it was a perfect match for us. It’s an accessible system that we could easily implement without extra programming.”

Processes have also changed since then. “Before, we picked based on a packing slip; now, we pick using a pick list. This has improved our efficiency. Previously, we matched a shipping label with a packing slip and didn’t scan anything. Our stock levels were always theoretically high. But that was also highly error-prone. If we sell our products in Denmark, for example, it’s very costly to correct mistakes. Ensuring quality is crucial.”

Warehouse challenges

Warehouse processes are always being optimized. Michael talks about what they still want to improve. “For example, we currently have a standard batch of 10 orders. We want to explore how to increase batches to 20, 30, or 40 orders, making the picking process more efficient. We have many non-standard sizes. A light bulb is a standard size, but we also have products that are 1.80 meters or even 3 meters long. That requires a different picking process. Right now, we print a paper pick list. From next year, we want to move everything to scanners—a step towards sustainability.”

Future plans

They also have ambitious growth plans. “Our future plan is to open more stores in the Netherlands. We aim to open 10 to 15 stores within the next three years. We want to expand further in Europe and grow our product range. Recently, we launched Thuisinlampen, which focuses solely on decorative lamps. Ultimately, we want to become the go-to provider for all lighting needs.”