Crafting Digital Flagship Stores with Build in Amsterdam

“We still believe that buying decisions are driven by emotion,” says Tim Weers, explaining why he and Daan Klaver co-founded the design agency Build in Amsterdam, “That’s something that is currently missing in the market, which is why we’re still here.”

The duo have been creating websites since they started in the industry, watching the process change from simply clicking a button, to now creating a “very technical looking e-commerce environment.” As the change occurred, Daan says, “Design companies would say they didn’t have the technical background, and development companies didn’t have the design marketing background. That’s where we saw the big gap.”

Tim continues, “The physical brand and store experience, we couldn’t find that online. That’s why we founded the company, to recreate these digital flagship stores, where emotion goes hand in hand with conversion because we still believe that buying decisions are driven by emotion.”

Over the last decade, as the online space has changed and exponentially grown in importance for brands, Tim and Daan have seen the evolution of habits but also, the stagnation of websites. “Almost every brand site looks exactly the same,” says Daan. “That’s the thing we’re still fighting against, to really have a flagship store experience. We saw a big shift from brands thinking they didn’t need an e-commerce website to it becoming necessary.” 

“We’ve seen a lot of platforms coming from new technologies and then suddenly disappearing,” says Tim. “That’s the nature of the industry, as it’s constantly fed by innovation and technology, but it’s important to know which [technology] to pick.” He delves deeper into monolithic e-commerce as an example of a current trend inciting conversations, as well as mentioning how all the new developments “keep things exciting” for him.

One of the platforms of late, which came into and left the zeitgeist pretty quickly is the metaverse. Tim says, “These innovations and new technologies need to mature,” as he goes on to explain, “Five years ago, the omnichannel approach was the main topic to bridge the gap between online and offline, and we’ve seen that develop.”

“If you want to see trends, look into the gaming industry,” adds Daan. “The industry has always been really really forward thinking.”

He continues, “A few years ago, everyone was talking about personalised shopping experiences online, and the design agencies came up with all kinds of solutions. But actually, from gathering data, it wasn’t really doable. It doesn’t mean there’s no room for that, it just means it will take time, it will take the right type of data.”

An example of the agency’s approach is the ‘Gift Finder’ for the Vitra brand, where Build in Amsterdam implemented a multi-purpose design. Tim explains, “We always like to have campaigns or seasonal activations built in a way where components can be reused and have long term equity. It’s not a one-trick pony but something which contributes over a long period of time.”

This sentiment has carried across the agency as it opened a second office in 2023. “Our culture is actually the thing we’re most proud of,” says Daan, “It’s also something we value very highly.” The agency has always preferred to work within the office rather than remotely, aiming to avoid information overload and create a homely space for everyone to work within. “We worked with an architect who mostly creates yoga studios, as we wanted a very serene, calming effect.” 

With a company football club and in-house chef, as well as a focus on reducing stress levels, Tim explains, “We want to support people not only with physical challenges but mental challenges through long-term goals with a vitality coach.”

Daan says, “Every year depression rates increase by 1%. That’s really big. We see more stress and mental health challenges than before, so we want to support that.” He also explains how the team shares lunches together, put together by chefs and allowing everyone to get to know each other better. 

“We do have a work hard-play hard mentality,” Tim explains. “It’s important to find the right balance between relaxation, leisure, and performance. That’s why we strive to create an atmosphere and culture where both can thrive, with the yin-yang to let things flow.”

Valuing qualities such as entrepreneurship - and in the Dutch spirit, candid feedback - Tim and Daan say that while everyone at the agency is different, they’re like-minded when it comes to work. “Everyone is so different but the thing I’m most proud of is that we celebrate individuality, while still being a cohesive group,” says Daan. With the mix of 22 cultures in their office, this also extends to the clients they work with, both based in the Netherlands and internationally. 

When asked about the pitfalls that some brands fall into when it comes to the digital side of things, both Tim and Daan explain that if you think launching the website is when you’re done, you should think again. Daan further explains, “You often don’t realise how much work it is to get people to the .com website. You have to keep testing, keep improving and keep learning to tweak the website.”

Over the years, Tim’s biggest lesson is to focus - to keep long term goals in mind and work towards them. 

Daan explains how people told the duo to avoid e-commerce - that it’s a “boring” venture - to which he replied, “No, we’re going to make it sexy.” Working to find a design signature set Build in Amsterdam apart, so that the agency could then focus on long term partnerships with brands, nurturing that aspect of the process instead. 

Of course, Build in Amsterdam is also implementing the use of AI into its workflow as part of its development efforts. Not only is it easier to ideate potential images which should be on websites, but also examples of copy and ways to cut down the workload on their end. 

“I think it will also play a big part in how we guide people towards the right product,” Tim says as Daan explains, “It also supports with doing quick code, which we then review.” While there are things the software isn’t able to support just yet, the possibilities of the future are exciting. 

“It’s a tool to use to accelerate, make things go faster. Sometimes agencies are scared about whether there's still room for us as designers, but I think we will always be design curators,” says Daan. 

“Can’t wait till we are replaced, so I can go surf all day,” Tim jokes.

Daan leaves us with this, “When life and technology go faster and faster, I think we get the urge more and more to slow down.”