Product Owner of Advice & Appointments

For international player Hans Anders Retail Group, digital innovation is a high priority. So much so that the company has even built a full lab devoted to it. That will be the home base for the Product Owner to take the lead in developing the most essential parts of the customer journey: advice and appointments.

About Hans Anders Retail Group

At Hans Anders, it’s not just the price that’s different. Opticians see the entire optical market through a different lens. In 1982, after coming across an affordable, high-quality Japanese eyewear collection, the three founders discovered that Dutch opticians were earning decent margins. And so Hans Anders was born. “Hans”, because two of the founders were named Hans, and “Anders” because they wanted to do things completely differently. The mission was clear: to make proper vision – and since 1999, proper hearing – accessible to everyone.

In 2021, their successful formula was bought by investment company 3i and has become one of Europe’s fastest growing eye and hearing care groups: Hans Anders Retail Group. The retail platform operates currently under retail brands Hans Anders, eyes + more, and Direkt Optik, with around 620 stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Sweden. 

Digital Innovation Lab in Rotterdam
Rapid growth and expansion are key words for the Hans Anders Retail Group. In addition to their goal of opening more brick-and-mortar stores, the company has a strong focus on digital innovation. Their omnichannel position has been significantly strengthened, and a dedicated Digital Innovation Lab is being built in the heart of Rotterdam. It’s a creative space where the Hans Anders Retail Group can continue to develop, optimize, and internationally deploy its future digital strategy and technology solutions. 

Vacancy: Product Owner Advice & Appointments

The Product Owner Advice & Appointments will be responsible for two of the most important components in the digital customer journey and will continue to develop them. First and foremost, in “providing advice”, a crucial element in the purchase of high-involvement products like glasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids. This advice ranges from providing information about frames through virtual try-ons and from AI-based recommendations to conducting online eye tests. The Hans Anders Retail Group model is also moving more and more from a walk-in to an appointment model, making appointment scheduling the second key element. 

From optimizing occupancy rates to requesting information to speed up the process in brick-and-mortar stores, the Product Owner Advice & Appointments will handle it. They will draft the roadmap, manage progress, and prioritize the backlog. They will also be responsible for managing internal integration and UX teams. Furthermore, they will handle application maintenance and further development in collaboration with external developers. In addition to being content-driven, the Product Owner Advice & Appointments should also have a solid grasp of stakeholder management and be able to manage the whole process smoothly through the chain.

“We can really please our customers with the advice and appointments components, so they’re key focal points for innovation in the various countries.” – Hidde van der Louw, Group Marketing & Digital Director

The ideal Product Owner Advice & Appointments will constantly be scanning the market for the latest developments, will know exactly which partners to work with, and can easily build internal support around new ideas. They should also be skilled at defining needs and making them a reality. What’s going on? What’s relevant? How are we going to approach it? The Product Owner Advice & Appointments has the answers. They’re not only able to improve, but also have the vision to create and optimize. 

The Product Owner Advice & Appointments will join the Director of Product’s team along with three other Product Owners – Online Marketing Automation, Salesforce, and Website – and a UX Lead. This team will work out of the newly built Digital Innovation Lab in Rotterdam, but a hybrid set-up is also negotiable.

Interested? 

Hans Anders is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Lidewij Kosters at lidewij.kosters@topofminds.com.