How KoopjesDrogisterij fully automated purchasing and improved margins with external data

KoopjesDrogisterij is a well-known player in the online drugstore space. With a 6,000 m² warehouse and over 100 employees, they process more than 750,000 online orders every year. After a fresh start in 2023 under the umbrella company DrogisterijWeb, it quickly became clear: their custom-built purchasing system was no longer future-proof.

Every system update required manual work. Purchasing data was processed manually. And there was no way to automatically select suppliers based on price, lead time, or availability. To enable scalable growth, KoopjesDrogisterij switched to Optiply in 2024 to fully automate purchasing.

At the Webwinkel Vakdagen conference, Head of Purchasing Martijn Alserda shared their journey toward fully automated replenishment. Read on for his key insights.

Manual purchasing, static data, and missed opportunities

Before using Optiply, KoopjesDrogisterij relied on a rigid, custom B2B system that lacked flexibility. Every software update required manual work, and there was no robust solution for managing purchasing. With prices, availability, and lead times shifting every day, the team simply couldn’t keep pace.

There were no automated data feeds from suppliers, and buyers couldn’t easily switch between suppliers for the best price or fastest delivery. Everything was managed manually, based on outdated min/max models with no room for seasonality, promotions, or stock risk.

Some of the key challenges included:

• A purchasing system that didn’t scale with the business
• External data that had to be entered manually
• No connection between marketing campaigns and inventory planning
• Limited flexibility when managing ±100 active suppliers

With over 40,000 SKUs (20,000 in stock) and 65,000 monthly orders, manual purchasing simply wasn’t sustainable anymore.

Setting up a scalable replenishment process in just 2 weeks

The switch to Optiply was driven by two needs: speed and scalability. Following advice from MontaWMS and support from Optiply’s implementation team, KoopjesDrogisterij was live within 1 to 2 weeks.

A foundation was laid for an optimal replenishment strategy through:

• Setting up a fast integration with Exact Online and EDI
• Activating data feeds to supply the purchasing algorithm with prices and availability
• Aligning the purchasing strategy with inventory value and product availability
• Collaborating toward a shared vision of 100% replenishment automation

With this shift, KoopjesDrogisterij began transforming its purchasing team into a fully data-driven function.

Turning data into a strategic purchasing advantage

Since switching to Optiply, KoopjesDrogisterij has turned their replenishment process from manual and reactive into a fully data-driven operation.

They now work with multiple data streams:

• Shop data: for insights into sales, seasonality, and product turnover.
• Supplier data: for real-time prices, lead times, and availability via EDI and data feeds.
• Marketing data: for linking planned campaigns and seasonal promotions to purchasing.
• External data: for market trends and historical performance.‍
• Pricing data: to enrich purchasing decisions with insights into price positioning, discount structures, and net margins.

Based on this data, Optiply automatically selects the best supplier for every product, while taking into account price, lead time, availability, and the purchasing agenda. During the implementation, the team created a shared business case to balance inventory value and product availability. Martijn: “Building that business case gave us confidence in every decision we made.”

Just six weeks later, KoopjesDrogisterij went fully live with Optiply and MontaWMS. The impact was visible right away:

• 40% fewer backorders
• 32% less inventory
• 94% purchasing automation

Thanks to this shift, the team now works more efficiently and focuses on activities that contribute to profitability: optimizing margins, sourcing new products, and negotiating better deals.

By continuously fine-tuning the assortment based on real-time data, the strategic value of purchasing increases every day. Martijn highlights:

"Three buyers used to spend almost their full days placing orders. Now that 94% of the process is automated, one person can handle it all. Our team has transformed from a purchasing department into a data-driven team."

From managing stock to maximizing margin with dynamic pricing

With daily operations largely automated, KoopjesDrogisterij is now focused on maximizing profit per order. Dynamic pricing plays a key role: instead of only looking at inventory levels, the team now considers the profitability of every purchase.

New columns like cost price, conversion, and net margin have been added at line-item level, giving full visibility into the margin per product and per supplier. Complex pricing structures, including monthly deals and annual agreements, are automatically factored into the purchasing price.

• The lowest-cost supplier
• Real-time availability and lead times
• All active promotions and discounts

The next step is to feed more complex supplier discounts into the algorithm to improve purchasing decisions even further.

The road to 100% purchasing automation

Together we’re optimizing processes to move from 94% to full automation. The next phase? Evolving from advanced automation to fully data-driven, profit-focused purchasing.

This includes:

• Full EDI rollout across all suppliers
• AI support for purchasing from non-EDI suppliers
• Switching from gross to net margin tracking using ABC-XYZ classification
• Integrating marketing promotions into purchasing workflows
• Automating discount structures in the purchasing algorithm

This approach transforms purchasing into a profit-generating engine, automated, scalable, and strategic. The partnership with KoopjesDrogisterij shows how smart data connections, automation, and margin control can come together in one single, streamlined purchasing strategy. 

Want to future-proof your purchasing with full automation and improved margins, just like KoopjesDrogisterij? Book a free demo or calculate your expected savings today.