Oetinger’s path to 192% online sales growth

Spoiler: Our numbers beat the statistics

The publishing industry is undergoing change. Since 2019, sales in the retail book trade have fallen by 5.5 per cent, while online book sales have risen by an impressive 29.5 per cent. This data comes from the German Publishers and Booksellers Association in 2024.

Our customer, the Oetinger publishing group, impresses with a range of books that touch the heart. Whether it’s the courageous Pippi Longstocking, the mischievous Sams or the magical world of Inkheart — Oetinger enriches the world of young readers. But there is more than just books. Audio plays, e-books and playful learning material also offer varied and exciting content. Oetinger stands for quality and entertainment that touches, delights and inspires.

Why we care so much about children’s books

Children’s books are like magic doors that lead young readers into a world full of fun, inspiration and knowledge. They awaken the imagination, open up new paths and build a love of reading that lasts a lifetime.

When Oetinger came to us with an existing e-commerce platform, we quickly recognised the untapped potential of their online presence. The existing solution was unsatisfactory: the website appeared slow and sluggish, organic traffic was below expectations and online sales were far below potential. Oetinger wanted to create an improved customer experience that would increase sales.

After discussions with five agencies, we convinced Oetinger in October 2023. What followed?

Analysis of the target group and buyer personas
Technical audit: this identified high technical debt
Step-by-step improvements: We implemented accessibility (A11y), search engine optimisation (SEO) and performance optimisations — all with very limited development time.

Thanks to these actions, the platform not only became more powerful, but also scalable — with impressive success. Fantastic campaigns were realised, such as the 7,200 signed editions by Malte Zierden and Amia von Arenberg, which sold out in just one day.

Google Lighthouse report

The results of the Google Lighthouse review provide valuable insights into the performance and quality of websites. This Google Chrome-based analysis covers several key aspects that are crucial to how users perceive and use your platform. Particularly noteworthy are page speed, accessibility, best practices for web development and search engine optimisation (SEO).

	Before (2023)	After (2024)
Accessibility	88	94
Best practices	91	94
SEO	82	92

Optimisation of the information architecture

We have reworked the navigation structure:

Intuitive labelling

For example, we now say ‘our creatives’ rather than just ‘creatives’. This clear approach has significantly reduced the high bounce rate, as visitors immediately recognise that it’s about the authors. Many visitors used to leave the site after just 22 seconds.

Prioritising the most important user groups

Our analysis showed that teachers are very important for Oetinger. We have therefore given them a direct access in the main menu. This allows them to find what they need quickly.

Reduce subtopics

We have tidied up: now there are fewer, but the important ones are more clearly emphasised. This makes it easier for users to find exactly what they are looking for.

We saw the potential and promised Oetinger…

+ 40% increase in digital presence by number of visits
+ 50% improvement in customer experience by average time spent per session
+ 100% increase in e-commerce sales

If we did not achieve the +100% in e-commerce sales, we offered a 20% discount on our services — a bold offer resulting from our enthusiasm for Oetinger. We truly believed that together we could achieve great things!