From Photo Store to E-Commerce: Art & Craft and Hybrid Building Sustainable Growth

Background

Art & Craft was founded in 1994 as a photo store and grew over thirty years into a full-fledged e-commerce player, specializing in high-end consumer electronics. Today, the webshop is the central channel, generating a large part of revenue in Belgium and the Netherlands, with expansions via marketplaces into France and Germany.

The sector is hyper-competitive. “We fight against competitors every day,” says Sara Grootaert. During the COVID period, the webshop experienced a strong boost, but sustaining growth afterward became more difficult. Certain product categories, like televisions, are highly sensitive to economic fluctuations, adding to the challenge.

The challenge

Art & Craft’s marketing team is small and close-knit, but could not cover all specialties internally. “There are so many aspects of digital marketing. To do it really well, you need multiple profiles. With our limited team, we couldn’t achieve that alone.”

Previous agencies focused mainly on SEA, but over time, the added value disappeared, creating the need for a different approach: more integrated, with fresh ideas and closer collaboration with the internal team.

Why Hybrid Agency?

Art & Craft consciously chose Hybrid because of the combination of strategic depth and operational impact.

Sara: “What immediately convinced us was Hybrid’s approach: T-shaped marketers with broad knowledge, supported by a team of specialists. No longer ten different points of contact, but one person overseeing the whole picture. That was new—and refreshing.”

Additionally, the Team-as-a-Service model provided a concrete answer to their needs: not hourly billing, but a flexible team tailored to objectives and budgets. The physical presence of their dedicated marketer, Manou, in the office every two weeks also made the collaboration tangible and personal.

The collaboration

Hybrid started with a comprehensive audit, mapping both quick wins and structural improvement points. Manou was then integrated as an extension of the Art & Craft team. She is supported by a team of colleagues, ensuring continuity even during absences.

The collaboration focuses on short lines and practical impact:

• Biweekly meetings in the office
• Rapid follow-up on priorities
• Close alignment with internal stakeholders

“Manou really feels like part of our team,” says Sara. “Communication is brief, personal, and always to the point.”

Results and impact

In the short term, several foundational issues were addressed:

• Tracking and dashboarding organized
• Feeds optimized
• Google Ads structure completely overhauled

SEO was also tackled structurally, including link building—a discipline new to Art & Craft. Although SEO takes time, visible improvements in organic rankings and traffic are already evident.

On the advertising front, Sara also sees progress: new campaigns on Google and Meta are set up and tested faster, positively impacting conversions.

The difference from previous collaborations is tangible: “We don’t feel that Hybrid is an external agency. The approach doesn’t feel like ‘us-versus-them,’ but like one integrated team.”

The future

For Art & Craft, SEO remains a key focus alongside ongoing optimization of SEA and social media campaigns. Further refinement of data and tracking is also a strategic priority.

Sara looks ahead with confidence: “The market changes incredibly fast. Without a partner like Hybrid, we’d feel like we’re lagging behind. Thanks to their support, we can not only keep up with these developments but also take advantage of them.”

Conclusion

The collaboration between Art & Craft and Hybrid demonstrates the power of the hybrid model. By combining expertise and involvement, Art & Craft can focus on growth in a challenging market.

Hybrid is more than an agency: it’s an extension of the team. Their integrated approach delivers both quick wins and structural growth, today and in the future.