How Astrid Lindgren got a top-tier e-commerce operation

Behind the success of Astrid Lindgren's new e-commerce operation lies a multi-year collaboration between the company and Commerce Mind, who have helped with everything from planning and direction to procurement and implementation of the new platform. Linnea Westerlund, CEO of Astrid Lindgren Butiken AB, describes the collaboration as decisive. "We absolutely would not have been where we are today without them," she says. 

It was when more and more visitors got in touch and wanted to order souvenirs afterwards that Astrid Lindgrens Värld decided to start doing e-commerce. The year was 2012 and the e-commerce, which thus arose entirely organically, kept rolling and generated a stable revenue in the years that followed.   

But for a company with the rights to world-famous and beloved characters like Pippi Longstocking and Emil, it was clear early on that the e-commerce potential was significantly greater than that, and in 2021 the Astrid Lindgren group stood at a crossroads. Was it time to really invest in the sales window that e-commerce brought? And if so, how should they go about it?  

The answer was to start a collaboration in 2021 with Commerce Mind, who helped develop a business plan to map out the possibilities. After a series of meetings, workshops and discussions, the Astrid Lindgren group landed on breaking out the e-commerce operation into the newly formed company Astrid Lindgren Butiken AB, which was established in 2023 and today lives side by side with Astrid Lindgrens Vimmerby AB, which among other things runs the theme park Astrid Lindgrens Värld, and Astrid Lindgren AB, which manages the group's rights.   

"It can be hard to know who to trust"  

When Commerce Mind came into the picture, there were not sufficient resources within the group to work dedicatedly with e-commerce at a strategic level, says Linnea Westerlund, CEO of the new company Astrid Lindgren Butiken AB.  

Bringing in help is probably our absolute best decision. Otherwise it is easy to think you have to be cost-efficient, but we understood very early that we would need guidance in this. 

Linnea Westerlund goes on to say that Commerce Mind was a great help from day one. They contributed with everything from planning help in the form of cost and revenue calculations to advice on domain strategy and marketing, which resulted in a decision paper for the owners: Astrid Lindgren's grandchildren. 

When the decision to put the e-commerce operation in a separate company with its own budget had been made, the next step was taken. Commerce Mind then went into the role of technical project manager and worked side by side with the Astrid Lindgren team through the whole journey from procurement to implementation.  

Of course there was a cost, and it is always something you have to consider, but I honestly do not know how it would have gone otherwise. It really was a very good decision. If we had tried to do the same work ourselves, it would have taken time to be in contact with vendors and compare their offers and prices. But Commerce Mind could get in fairly quickly, get good prices and also make sure the prices were reasonable, so we did not risk being taken advantage of just because we were so green.   

My picture is that it can be hard to know who to trust. Everyone who represents a system or an agency of course speaks well of that particular company. Then it is hard to weigh different offers against each other and know what actually suits our business the best.

Independent in relation to other vendors  

That is why it is enormously valuable that Commerce Mind is independent in relation to, for example, e-commerce platforms, Linnea Westerlund feels.   

For us it was very important. You know that many other agencies get a kickback on what they recommend, so it is hard to know what is genuine. And that has perhaps been the absolute hardest part. When it comes to many other things you can look up the facts if you are uncertain, but in this kind of question, trust is very important. Now we could have very good discussions with Commerce Mind, who by then were also very familiar with our business and could raise aspects we had not thought of.  

If we had not had them, we would have had to turn to our contacts and ask which systems they had chosen, but honestly we would probably already there have had trouble knowing which parameters were important for us.  

While most online stores are primarily focused on selling products, the Astrid Lindgren store has another purpose that the company sees as at least as important, namely to contribute knowledge about Astrid Lindgren and the characters in her books. Linnea Westerlund says that the company's e-commerce is not infrequently visited by children who are collecting information for school assignments.  

Part of the company's e-commerce journey has therefore been to find the right commercial balance, work that Commerce Mind has also contributed to.   

They have really understood our business. We cannot afford to make any missteps because it would sabotage so much of the built-up love that practically everyone in Sweden, and also many in other countries, have for Astrid Lindgren's characters. Commerce Mind has been very understanding about that. And at the same time they have challenged us to think in new ways, which has really helped us move forward. 

"The whole has been extremely important" 

Altogether the team at Commerce Mind worked with Linnea Westerlund and her colleagues over several years. The collaboration started with the investigative phase, when it was about finding out whether it was worth investing in e-commerce and, if so, how it should be done. That was followed by a requirements phase, which was about concretising the plan ahead and procuring and implementing. In the next step Commerce Mind was involved in the role of technical project manager, and in the last and most current stage, further development has been in focus. Commerce Mind has among other things been helpful in a recruitment and in acting as a sounding board when various questions come up.  

The whole has been extremely important. And I still use them when there are decisions I am uncertain about, or if I need help navigating difficult challenges. Because we are such a slim and small organisation when it comes to e-commerce, it is very valuable to feel you have that support.  

What has the collaboration with Commerce Mind meant to you? 

A lot. That we have been able to be as fast as we have been, and above all that we have been able to make the decisions that have led to us being where we are. We would have fallen into many traps and taken many more missteps if it were not for Commerce Mind helping us clear the way and find a good direction. So in that way it has saved us both time and money. Of course you can always look back and say you would have done certain things differently, but we absolutely would not have been where we are today without them. 

Right up until we no longer had daily contact, it was as if they were our colleagues, that is the feeling we have had. And when we have talked, it has been as if we are one and the same team, not two different ones. So it has meant a lot.  

What has been the most important thing of all?

It has really been reassuring to have someone to guide us in the decisions that have to be made, both on small and big matters. So really guidance in decision-making and that we have had a relationship where you have not had to be on your guard, but where we have felt all the time that they do everything and a bit more to make it good because they genuinely want the best for us.  

Already in the first months, Astrid Lindgren's updated e-commerce sold for million-krona amounts, and the sights are set on strong growth in the coming years. When it is time for the next part of the e-commerce journey, Linnea Westerlund will definitely book a new meeting with Commerce Mind, she says.   

It is so nice to have someone to have that trust with, and where you feel the advice you get is genuine and without any ulterior motive. I am super grateful they have been along the whole way. Even now when we do not have meetings particularly often anymore, it is as if we are still colleagues. That relationship I think and hope we will have for a very long time going forward.