dear digital

With dear digital we want to help e-commerce companies grow in Europe by being the best possible partner for them. We offer both digital marketing and development services.

As a Business Lead I focus achieving the most important milestones in the growth of our agency.

With my start-up funding background I guide our clients in their finance and funding stories.

Co-Founder & CEO

Puzzle in a bag

Scaling our own DTC brand in Europe, we won "Starter of the year 2020" in Belgium.
We try to reinvent the puzzle by making culturally relevant puzzles by young designers.
We sold 3.000 puzzles in our very first month.

Co-Founder

BeerSelect

Lid raad van advies

Birdhouse Services

Founded a funding agency and raised about 20 million EUR for start-ups in 2 years. We also created his our own investor network and organised a 6 day investor academy teaching seed investors how to best invest in young companies.

CEO & Co-founder 

Vlerick Business School

Executive Masterclass Corporate Finance

The Birdhouse

Manager Birdhouse Services

PwC Belgium

Junior Auditor

Aerey

Board Member

Hiring an Odoo Consultant ➤ Helping brands scale their e-commerce channel ➤ Business Lead dear digital ➤ Scaling our own DTC brand Puzzle in a Bag

Hiring Business Analysts, Functional Analysts, Project Managers & Designers , more info here:
https://dear-digital-bv.odoo.com/job

Young entrepreneur who loves new concepts that dare to challenge the status quo and lives for big challenges!

Started his first company in 2018 with which he raised about 20 million EUR for start-ups, created his own investor network and organised a 6 day investor academy teaching seed investors how to best invest in young companies.

Decided mid 2020 that is was time for a change and founded a digital marketing agency with a focus on e-commerce companies. Now he focuses on everything there is to know about e-commerce companies and understanding how to scale them as fast as possible.

Always available for a chat or coffee!

Niels Desot

Sr. Email Marketing Strategist 🚀 | CRM & Marketing Automation | Data 📊 + Marketing Psychology 🧠 | Speaker & Educator

Hey! I’m an email marketing & CRM strategist for 12+ years.

My journey:
1. Working AT some amazing companies → Nestlé, Lidl and Colruyt Group. 
2. Working WITH some amazing companies. → through our email marketing & CRM agency, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹.

We founded The Future Funnel in 2023 to help marketign teams use their martech stack to it's full potentional. 
With a pragmatic 'get-things-done' approach, and a clear focus on valuable and effective communication.

What I love about email and CRM is that it blends everything I enjoy: data and analytics, strategy and design, copywriting and UX, behavioral science and persuasion...

I also speak, teach, and train marketers. Whether it’s at conferences like Martech Festival, Artevelde Hogeschool or in hands-on workshops.

My goal:
→ create valuable emails & experiences for customers
→ help marketing teams use their martech tools to the fullest
→ help brands setup valuable email marketing, marketing automation & CRM 


My Philosophy:
→ Think big, start small. 📅
→ Think analytically, proceed creatively. 📊
→ Think in terms of progress not perfection. ⛰️

This is how you can work with The Future Funnel:

1️⃣ Email & CRM Projects: We offer a range of email and CRM projects that are designed to address specific needs and unlock potential. 

2️⃣ 6-month Program: Want higher revenue from your email campaigns? Do you want to increase customer lifetime value? Let our email & CRM team find & build the opportunities in your customer journey for the wins you want. We work in 6-month cycles designed to deliver fast, tangible results. 


Ready to build your Future Funnel? Reach out today and get in touch.

Jasper Van Laethem

2,5 years ago, we signed our first 3 clients. 

I didn't expect them to be brands like Torfs, Lecot, and Trademart.

And the crazy this is: 2 out of 3 are still with us today. 

From small pilot project to long term collaboration on strategy, campaign management or experimentation tracks.

2 out of 3 after 2.5 years. 
That's the only number I care about.


Thanks to everyone for the collaboration: Ian, Jessica, Anouck, Pieterjan, Jan, Thomas, Helina, Veerle and Hanna. ✌

Sr. Email Marketing & CRM Strategist 🚀 | Marketing Automation & Loyalty | Data 📊 + Marketing Psychology 🧠 | Speaker & Trainer

The Future Funnel first 3 clients

Companies spend MILLIONS on Martech.

Then staff it with 1 junior marketeer…

The last couple of years, budgets flooded into new martech tools: CRMs, MAPs, CDPs…

Impressive slide decks were made. 
Long term contracts were signed.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦? 
- A glorified email tool.
- Same batch-and-blast.
- Same basic segments.
- Same monthly newsletter.

Now those investments need to justify themselves.
Leadership is asking for ROI.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: 
Tools don't create returns.
> People, processes, execution and experimentation do.

Martech tools without
→ testing is just a scheduler.
→ a strategy is just a database.
→ adoption is just an expensive license.

You can't cut your way to results with expensive infrastructure. 
→ Invest in the people who operate it 
→ Build processes that actually use the data 
→ Run experiments to find what moves the needle

The budget was never the problem. 
What you did with it was...

——

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨...
→ We help marketing teams get real value out of their martech tools: 
CDP’s, CRM, email and marketing automations platforms...

𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐌 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 ✌️

𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘃𝘀 𝗦𝗠𝗦 𝘃𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽. 

Which channel wins depends on which generation you're talking to...

Sinch surveyed across 12 countries. 
The differences between generations are real.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬?
→ check the carousel for all the data

1. But email still wins for all generations.
2. Gen Z? They don’t replace email. They ADD channels.
3. And 58% of all consumers want to CHOOSE their preferred channel when they opt in.


𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧?
→ Email is your foundation. Not optional. Not "old."
→ SMS/RCS is rising fast with younger audiences
→ WhatsApp is a real channel now, not a novelty
→ Let people pick. 58% literally ask for it.

Stop debating "email vs SMS." Start building "email AND."

♻️ Repost if someone in your team needs to see this ✌️

Email whatsapp sms

It’s spring. So Marketers, clean your room!

LIST. I mean, clean your email list.

I see it all the time: 
Huge subscriber bases, declining engagement, and everyone blaming the wrong thing.

The answer? A cluttered list.

Here's what most people don't realize:

List hygiene isn't just housekeeping.
It triggers a chain reaction.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: You remove the dead weight 
↳ Unengaged subscribers stop dragging your metrics down.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: Engagement metrics improve 
↳ Only people who actually open and click are left.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: Your sender score goes up 
↳ ISPs read engagement as a trust signal.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: Inbox placement improves 
↳ More emails land where they belong. Not in spam.

2 bonus wins that almost nobody talks about:
→ Accurate reporting: your data finally reflects reality
→ Lower costs: you stop paying for people who'll never buy

A cleaner list = better results for less money and less noise.

Sending the wrong email might be the best thing that happens to your brand this year.
No, seriously...

There's a psychological principle called the Service Recovery Paradox.

When you screw up and handle it well, customers trust you more than if nothing went wrong in the first place.

The mistake isn't the problem.
The silence after it is.

Just like couples who navigate conflict together report higher relationship satisfaction than those who never fight.

Same dynamic. Same wiring.

So when you send the wrong link, wrong date, wrong segment, you have a window.
A small one.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭:
→ Fix the problem. One clear action. 
→ Send it fast. Within the hour if possible. 
→ Sound like a human, not a legal department. 
→ Name exactly what went wrong. Don't be vague. 
→ Maybe a small gesture. Usually not even necessary.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬.

Because honesty is disarming. 
And people remember how you handled it.

Perfection is forgettable. 
Recovery is where loyalty actually gets built.

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 "𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬" 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲? 
The last one? The fake apology? 😅

Oops emails

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞! 𝐈𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫” 

Yeah, sure… But how does it really work?

We've all seen the numbers: 
Personalised emails → +40% open rates, +30% in CTR, 8x ROI

But those are results. Not the reason.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻? 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

2 principles from psychology explain why:

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 Your brain ignores noise, but amplifies anything personally relevant.
Someone says your name at a loud party? Instant attention. No effort.
Personalised messages do the same in a crowded inbox.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 What looks recognizable feels safer and easier to trust. Your name, your city, a product you just browsed. It signals: "This is for you." Recognition → comfort → action.

𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 
Without attention, nothing works. 
→ No clicks. No conversions. No "performance".

Personalisation wins first at the top of the funnel.

Not because it persuades better. 
Because it gets noticed and trusted first.

I really love a few of the examples I attached.

𝐒𝐨 %%𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞%%, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝?

𝟱𝟭% of all web traffic is now non-human! 

I read that and immediately thought about email lists...

Because we've spent years building "engaged audiences."
Segmenting by opens, clicks, behavior.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 
→ Apple MPP fires open events without a human reading your email 
→ Now AI agents click links on behalf of users who never see your content 
→ Bots mimic hyper-engaged users with long session times 

↳ Your "most engaged segment" might be your least reliable data. 

Email lists decay. The average B2C database loses 22% of active contacts every year. 
Most brands don't notice until deliverability starts dropping.

Is your audience alive and well? 
Or are you nurturing ghosts or bots or agents? 
And are you making sure enough new subs enter?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔?


Source: data from the Imperva Bot Report

We built a full theme day content calendar for BE & NL retail, e-commerce and B2C brands.
We use it for clients. Now we're giving it away for free…

Every relevant moment for the rest of 2026, in one clean Notion page (in Eng).

Valentine's, Mothersday, national holidays, Singles' Day, Black Friday... 
The ones everyone knows + the ones you might not know...

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 
→ Campaign ideas 
→ Email angles 
→ Categories & priorities

It's March. 
You still have 10 months of campaigns ahead.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 "Content" below
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 with me.
And I'll send you the link in DM. ✌️

taplio

The Battle

Niels Desot

Jasper Van Laethem

Followers

Posts

Engagements

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Performance ScoreJasper Van Laethem's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Niels Desot

Jasper Van Laethem

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jasper Van Laethem's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJasper Van Laethem's LinkedIn Performance