Vitaminstore and Mollie are building the future of omnichannel retail together
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“We quickly discovered that customers who shop across both channels stay with us longer and spend more. That insight became a key pillar of our growth strategy.”
Alain Vermeulen, Vitaminstore
The most valuable customer is the one who shops both online and in-store. To serve this omnichannel consumer in the best possible way, seamless integration and continuous innovation in payments are essential. That is why health and wellness retailer Vitaminstore is taking the next step toward unified commerce with Mollie.
With more than 25 years of e-commerce experience, Vitaminstore co-founder Alain Vermeulen has witnessed the evolution of retail up close. “We were early adopters online. Back in 2003, alongside three physical stores, we already had a website where customers could place orders using a form. Later, we relied heavily on giro payment slips. We quickly discovered that customers who shop across both channels stay with us longer and spend more. That insight became a key pillar of our growth strategy.”
From fragmented payments to greater synergy
That strategy helped Vitaminstore grow into a business with 19 stores, a large online shop, and a product range spanning thousands of items. But behind the scenes, the payments setup had become increasingly fragmented.
“Everything worked, but there was very little synergy,” says Vermeulen. “That created a lot of complexity in reconciliation and reporting. On top of that, we were missing the level of innovation we were looking for from our suppliers.”
The search for more efficiency and innovation ultimately led Vitaminstore to Mollie. What started as an informal connection soon developed into a strategic partnership.
“We always start by looking at the bigger picture,” says Irenke Kaplany, Senior Business Development Manager at Mollie. “What are the customer’s ambitions, where are the pain points, and how can we add value as a partner?”
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Seamless payments across online and offline channels
A major milestone in the collaboration was the integration between Mollie’s payment solutions and the ASPOS point-of-sale system by Valk Solutions.
“As soon as that integration became available, we made the switch,” Vermeulen explains. “It means online and offline transactions now flow directly into Exact Online. We no longer have to manually enter daily reports, because the entire process is automated. That saves a huge amount of time and significantly reduces errors.”
According to Kaplany, this reflects Mollie’s broader approach. “We aim to create as many standard integrations as possible, like the one with Vitaminstore’s POS system, so we can move quickly. At the same time, the custom integration with Vitaminstore’s webshop was also very straightforward and went live within two weeks. During implementation, our integration specialists worked directly with their developers. Those short lines of communication, both technical and strategic, are often what customers value most.”
Extending the shelf with in-store kiosks
The partnership is not just about making payments more efficient. Vitaminstore is also exploring new ways to improve the customer journey, including self-service kiosks in-store.
“We have a long-tail assortment of around 10,000 products, and it is simply not possible to keep all of them in stock in every store,” says Vermeulen. “With a kiosk, customers can browse our full assortment while in-store and choose whether they want items delivered at home or picked up later. That gives us a clear advantage over competitors.”
Mollie supports this vision by ensuring the payment experience remains consistent across every touchpoint.
“We do not provide the hardware ourselves,” Kaplany explains, “but we make sure the payment experience on a kiosk is just as smooth as it is online or at the checkout. Customers can pay in-store using iDEAL, a wallet, or card payments through the Mollie Terminal. It all runs through the same integration, which keeps the customer journey consistent and makes administration much easier for the retailer.”
Built for what comes next
The health and wellness market is evolving rapidly. Consumer expectations are changing, technology is advancing fast, and new players are constantly entering the market. For Vermeulen, it is essential to work with a payment partner that can keep pace.
“AI is going to change the way people shop,” he says. “We expect agent-to-agent purchasing to become more important very quickly. That means your infrastructure needs to be ready for new protocols. We also see major opportunities to increase conversion through automatic customer recognition. Mollie is actively working on those developments, and that gives us confidence.”
Kaplany adds that innovation is a continuous focus for Mollie. “We are constantly launching new features. Vitaminstore, for example, is now implementing Express Wallets and embedded Bancontact payments. But we are also looking further ahead, at the role AI will play in strengthening unified commerce. It is crucial that we provide our customers with the right tools and support to help them achieve their growth ambitions.”
The details that make a difference
What makes this partnership stand out is that it goes far beyond a traditional supplier relationship. Vitaminstore is managed as a key account within Mollie, with a dedicated team and premium support.
And sometimes, Vermeulen says with a smile, the real difference is in the details.
“When we went live with the new payment terminals in our stores, confetti appeared on the screen after every successful payment. That was Mollie’s idea. It is such a small thing, but it creates a fun moment for customers and leaves them walking out of the store with a positive feeling. If you can turn a payment, which is usually seen as a painful moment, into something enjoyable, that is quite special.”
With Mollie, Vitaminstore has not only unified its payment flows, but also built a strong foundation for future innovation. From self-service kiosks to data-driven checkouts and unified commerce, the partnership is helping the retailer prepare for the next phase of omnichannel growth.