Gervi brings wellness home safely

Since we have had to stay at home a lot over the past year, a pleasant living environment has become more important than ever. For some, this was the perfect time to bring a little wellness into their lives and homes. But you can’t sell high-end jacuzzi and sauna solutions from a distance just like that. Nevertheless, by means of video calls and the smart use of distance selling, Gervi was able to meet the rising demand.

Wellness pioneer

Gervi has been a pioneer in wellness solutions for both home and professional projects for twenty years now. Over the past few years, this family business has gradually extended its range to include fitness appliances, infrared cabins, swim spas, garden furniture and barbecues. With seven exclusive showrooms, Gervi is firmly established in every province in Flanders.

“Our showrooms are an important channel for sales and advice”, says Marjolein Nijs, co-manager of Gervi. “Customers can try out all our solutions here for themselves and experience the bliss of a jacuzzi, swim spa or sauna.” However, due to coronavirus, as a non-essential store Gervi had to close its showrooms.

Staycation with bubbles

The closure was a setback, but it created opportunities too. “2020 was the year of the staycation. Many people's travel plans were cancelled. So they looked for ways of making their home even nicer and getting the most out of their garden, for example with a barbecue or their own swim spa or a whirlpool bath. From early May onwards, we saw demand really start to increase.”

Virtual tour

Gervi did not just sit back and do nothing. Instead they quickly changed tack in order to meet demand. “After the first closure, we straight away started giving individual virtual tours in our showroom via smartphone or tablet and selling from a distance. It was the right move. Although it was quite surprising, because a jacuzzi or a sauna is a major investment. But our digital advice was greatly appreciated,” Marjolein Nijs says.

Mobile payment solution

Distance selling proved a success and the installation, which was mainly outdoors, could be done in total safety. All that was missing was a mobile solution to enable smooth, secure payment. Marjolein Nijs: “Usually we settle the contract and the payment in our showrooms. Of course, we could no longer do that, so we quickly switched to mobile terminals so that customers could pay straight away, when their purchase was delivered and installed.”

Never change a winning team

The decision to go with BNP Paribas Fortis as their partner for their mobile payment solution was soon made. “We have an excellent relationship with our banker, so naturally, we got in touch with them. Everything was soon settled. Our relationship manager knows our company very well and understands exactly what solutions we need.  This time was no different. Of course, we hope that everything will return to normal in the future, but it’s good to know that we can continue to serve our customers in this way perfectly well,” Marjolein Nijs concludes.

Making life easier for our customers by being really familiar with their business activity - for us, that too is positive banking.

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