Zeeman opts for online learning to accelerate international growth

Zeeman, a staple in the European retail landscape hailing from the Netherlands, prides itself on the sale of affordable clothing and home products. With its hallmark values of uniqueness, thrift, and dedication, Zeeman has been consistently unveiling impressive growth figures across eight countries, solidifying its presence year after year.

The challenge

Year after year, the ambitious retailer Zeeman continues to expand, increasing its presence across more countries and adding to its store count. In pursuit of its aspirations, Zeeman sought a way to uniformly disseminate its unique culture and work processes on an international scale.

To achieve this, Zeeman developed a new and crystal-clear vision for learning: education should be universal, accessible, and should enhance practical performance. Moreover, a safe learning environment is essential, and leadership plays a pivotal role. The traditional model of in-person and local training for its employees did not align with this vision.

Thus, the transition to online learning became inevitable. The objective: to establish a digital learning environment that aligns with Zeeman’s values and culture, ensures operational efficiency across its Service Office, Distribution and Transport as well as in the stores, and enhances employee satisfaction.

The solution

In collaboration with UP learning, Zeeman introduced the Totara learning platform in 2019, internally dubbed Learn@Zeeman. Totara enables Zeeman to fulfil its vision for learning, offering the flexibility to provide various learning solutions to different target groups.

Almost all in-person trainings were converted to online courses on Totara, making learning accessible to all. A prime example is that colleagues are no longer confined to classroom training in their region. Thanks to the online platform, they can now learn from and with each other on a national level, sharing knowledge across the board. This shift not only saves considerable travel time for employees but also cuts down on travel expenses for Zeeman, a benefit that is especially significant in larger countries like Germany, France, and Spain.

Mobile-first
Zeeman opted for a ‘mobile-first’ strategy, initially concentrating on the pre- and onboarding of new store employees. The retailer launched an innovative program that includes an initial introduction through Augmented Reality. The onboarding offerings have since been expanded with a targeted program for new colleagues at the Service Office, in the Distribution Center, and in Transport.

Thanks to the mobile app introduced in 2023, combined with Totara 17, employees now have the option to undertake courses offline as well as online. The app’s personal dashboard provides employees with a clear overview of their course progress.

Employee journey
The platform enables Zeeman to shape the entire ’employee journey’ in terms of learning and development. To this end, Totara has been supplemented in every country where Zeeman operates with various practical online workshops and an extensive catalogue of microlearnings. These microlearnings are integrated within Totara with the course library from GoodHabitz, allowing Zeeman to diversify and personalize learning experiences.

Certified in time
Finally, Zeeman has also significantly improved its certification processes for company emergency response (BHV), Privacy, and GDPR. Within Learn@Zeeman, end-users can now easily see when they need to recertify. This represents a significant advancement over the previous situation, where employees were less aware of their certification status.

The result

The switch from in-person to online learning with the Totara learning platform has had a substantial impact. The results showcase how Zeeman has successfully created a learning environment that is both cost-effective and accessible. Totara significantly contributes to the professional development and satisfaction of employees and also strengthens the company culture. The impressive figures reflect this.

• User numbers increased by 26% between 2019 and 2023.
  
• The number of online workshops increased by 43% between 2021 and 2023.
  
• Participant numbers in specific Sales trajectories grew by 21% between 2022 and 2023.
• The number of completed courses grew by 130% between 2022 and 2023.

Furthermore, Zeeman achieves enormous benefits in these areas:

Safeguarding Zeeman culture
Quirky, frugal, and engaged-these are the hallmarks of Zeeman. Totara helps to embed these values within the organization. The crucial onboarding program has been successfully completed by more than 4,000 employees in 8 countries and in 5 languages. The program ensures quicker operational deployment of new employees, improved customer service, and an increase in revenue.

Uniformity in knowledge and skills
The Totara platform enables Zeeman to standardize course offerings and ensure a consistent knowledge base across all countries and stores. Employees are encouraged to continuously update their knowledge and develop new skills. They are proactively informed by Totara to keep their certifications up to date.

Lower costs, higher satisfaction
The move to the Totara learning platform has saved Zeeman on trainer fees, travel, and venue costs. Also, maintaining teaching materials in 5 languages has become significantly more efficient than before. Printing and distribution of these materials have become redundant, thanks to Learn@Zeeman. The platform has increased the accessibility of training and the ability for Zeeman employees to manage their own learning paths, which has also increased employee satisfaction.