HAUGESUND, Norway – In an increasingly competitive e-commerce landscape, Norwegian online clothing retailer the Basic Shop is charting a course to profitability thru strategic marketing and a focus on customer service. Based in Haugesund, the company, founded by Stein and Mathias Lande, is navigating the challenges of attracting online shoppers and building a sustainable business model-a strategy detailed in a recent profile of the firm. The article explores how the Landes are leveraging digital marketing and personalized interactions to establish a foothold in a market dominated by larger players.
HAUGESUND: The challenges of attracting foot traffic to a brick-and-mortar store are well understood by retailers. For online businesses, however, the equation is reversed: driving customers *to* a website requires a different set of strategies, according to Stein Lande, co-founder of The Basic Shop, an online clothing retailer.
“For a store on Amanda [a local shopping street], rent is the cost of access to as many customers as possible,” Lande explained, alongside his son and business partner, Mathias Lande. “For us, digital marketing is the rent – it’s what we pay to be visible to as many people in our target demographic as possible.”
Within the “about us” section of their website, the Landes playfully identify themselves as “founder junior” and “founder senior.”
“The better your location in a shopping center, the higher the rent. The same applies to e-commerce,” Stein Lande added.
It was just past 9:00 a.m. on a gray Tuesday in November when father and son had already been working for several hours. The aroma of coffee mingled with the scent of new clothes, while the family dog, Frøya, curiously sniffed at the visiting journalist. Their office seamlessly integrates a showroom and warehouse, adorned with artwork from Pushwagner and Sandra Chevrier. Light streamed in from Niels Skorpens gate, one of the city’s shortest streets.
Throughout the night, sales notifications continued to populate Mathias Lande’s smartphone.
FAR OG SØNN: Stein Lande and Mathias Lande focus on a defined niche and personalized service to differentiate their business.
Photo: Alexander Urrang Hauge
E-Commerce is Always On
Table of Contents
Data from the Norwegian Employers’ Organization Virke shows a continuing shift towards online shopping. A full 82% of the population reports shopping online at least once a month. Compared to the same period last year, online retail has increased by 13.9%. Online clothing sales have risen by 4.6%. While precise figures for Norwegian online clothing retail in 2025 are not yet available, the total import value of clothing in 2020 was approximately 23 billion Norwegian kroner.
Major players like Zalando, H&M, Boozt, Nelly, and Amazon dominate the market, but Norwegian companies such as GetInspired demonstrate that gaining significant market share is possible.
A Market That Never Sleeps
“Something remarkable about our industry is that people shop around the clock. We get sales on Christmas Eve, we get sales at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Shopping happens everywhere, all the time,” the Landes said.
The story of The Basic Shop begins in 2019, when Stein Lande’s extensive experience in the clothing industry culminated in bankruptcy proceedings in May of that year. A significant customer in Germany filed for insolvency, triggering a cascade of financial difficulties for Conceptor, Lande’s company. Following a public listing and substantial losses, the situation became untenable.
However, from this disruption emerged opportunity. Stein and Mathias Lande identified a niche, a potential for something different than what they had done before.
In October of the same year, Stein and Mathias Lande launched The Basic Shop. Little did they, or the world, know that a much larger event was on the horizon. The COVID-19 pandemic arrived a few months later, in March 2020, and its impact on the business landscape was profound.
They formulated a clear strategy and concept.
“It’s in the name, ‘basic’ – fundamental and simple. It’s about the 20/80 rule. You wear 20% of the clothes in your closet 80% of the time,” Lande explained.
PACKING ORDERS: Mathias Lande quickly processes orders from the company’s Haugesund location.
Photo: Alexander Urrang Hauge
Keeping it Simple
The company’s core offering centers around essential clothing items – basic trousers, shirts, and sweaters, according to the Landes.
“We don’t carry the floral shirt in a vibrant color that you might like, but only wear once,” they joked.
“These items are always in stock with our suppliers. They’re what we call NOOS – never out of stock.”
“We were pretty new to this. Not new to clothing, but new to e-commerce. In the beginning, we just waited for the first customers to buy something. But we quickly realized we needed to actively attract customers,” Stein Lande said.
Stein and Mathias quickly understood that e-commerce is about numbers: how many people you reach, how many click through to the website, add items to their cart, and ultimately make a purchase.
“You have to spend money to make money, to build a base of customers. And that’s where digital marketing comes in – it’s what we pay for visibility within our target demographic,” Lande explained.
IN STOCK: New merchandise arrives at The Basic Shop daily. The company benefits from low property prices in Haugesund, making it advantageous to be located there.
Photo: Alexander Urrang Hauge
Profitability in Sight
Over the past few years, The Basic Shop has generated approximately 10 million Norwegian kroner in revenue. Roughly 20% of revenue is allocated to marketing.
“We view this as an investment, and we also see that these levels of spending are necessary, based on our own experience and what other startups are doing,” the company said.
The online retailer distributes its budget across Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.
“The allocation varies depending on which channels are currently trending and which deliver the best results. It’s constantly changing, but we see Meta as the largest, followed by Google, while Snapchat and TikTok are wildcards. In addition, our email newsletter is an important channel for us,” Mathias Lande said.
The Landes estimate they spend between 1.8 and 2 million Norwegian kroner annually. This means that two out of every ten kroner of revenue are allocated to marketing.
“We feel we are building the foundation we’re talking about – a growing portfolio of customers who use us again and again. Once you have a base, it’s about nurturing it, helping it grow. We simply need to acquire new customers every day.”
As a result, they’ve made some adjustments in recent months.
“Since the summer, we’ve maintained the same revenue, but we’ve reduced our marketing budget to around 10%. We’re seeing that many of our customers are returning,” they noted.
IN THE WAREHOUSE: “We know where everything is,” Stein Lande says.
Photo: Alexander Urrang Hauge
A Mother’s Touch
Stein and Mathias Lande delve into the fascinating facets of e-commerce, one after another. Understanding customer behavior, what drives a customer to make a purchase, and why some return while others don’t are key questions.
“We could talk endlessly about these things,” Stein Lande said.
Locals associate the store, and the father-son duo, with their physical location – discreetly situated on the second floor, overlooking the pedestrian street and traditional retail shops.
“We see that nine out of ten people who come in the door shop here. We’ve also received feedback that people appreciate the informal atmosphere and that it’s always us who serve them. We’ve grown very fond of the store,” they said.
Occasionally, men of almost all ages sneak in, sometimes accompanied by a reluctant teenager shopping for a wardrobe update.
“We also see this in our online sales, which account for 90% of our revenue, that many women are clearly buying clothes for their sons or partners.”
They also point to the benefits associated with the physical store.
“We’re constantly increasing sales, and every week people discover us for the first time. Plus, we avoid shipping, returns, and shipping costs,” Mathias Lande said.
Surprised When We Call
After nearly six years of operation, The Basic Shop remains staffed by just the father-son team, plus one part-time employee.
“We’re just two people, but we spend a lot of time on customer service. We want to provide a high level of service, and that’s the only way we can compete with the big players. We notice that when we respond to an email within 12 hours, most people say ‘thank you for the quick response,’ even if it took a little longer. You don’t get that standard response or a chatbot that can’t answer your question elsewhere,” they said.
If there’s a complaint, they reach out directly.
“In many cases, we call customers if they have a complaint. They’re usually quite shocked. But of course, that’s something we can’t maintain indefinitely as we continue to grow.”
“I think personalized service on an online store is something we score well on.”
Mathias Lande added.
“We see that about 50% of all our customers shop with us again.”
The clothing retailers discuss small margins, constant negotiations for favorable shipping rates, and an awareness that customers must pay for shipping.
Profitability on the Horizon
However, how will the Landes’ online store manage to make money in a fiercely competitive market, especially given their decision to compete in a segment where clothing is relatively inexpensive? The basic garments they sell don’t cost a fortune.
“We haven’t made a profit yet. But that’s been a conscious decision. This is about the high costs of marketing, which is an investment to build a large customer base. We could have chosen to spend half a million and break even, but that would have made growth much slower. We’ve decided to build the foundation, and we’re seeing the results of that work now. We’ve halved our marketing costs and are getting the same results. That’s when we can start to reap the benefits,” Stein Lande said.
In retrospect, they could have done things differently and spent even more, getting to where they are today faster.
“We could have chosen to lose even more by spending more on marketing. But we’ve chosen this approach.”
“Where do you see yourselves ending up this year, in terms of profitability and operations?”
“We’re getting close to break-even. But in 2026, we will be profitable,” Stein Lande said, adding:
“We’re not losing sleep because we haven’t made a profit yet. This is a consequence of a chosen strategy.”
