A Growth Engine for Europe

International retail data company the Veraart Group has been run by Yke Veraart since 1982. Ever since Yke started using Google AdWords in 2000, international sales have gone through the roof. Sales in the Netherlands used to account for half of his total revenue; now 95% comes from abroad – three-quarters of it from Europe and the rest from outside Europe. At least 60% of the increase in turnover is thanks to AdWords. Prior to 2000, Yke used to spend a lot of his time attending trade fairs, producing mailings and networking, but only a small number of visitors would prove to be useful prospects for him. With AdWords, Yke is no longer dependent on fairs and individual ad campaigns: he's permanently available and can quickly attract the right prospects. What’s more, he now has more free time to pursue his favourite hobby: trekking. Sometimes he literally has his head in the clouds just watching the orders coming in on his iPhone. Yke concludes: “When Google stops, I'll stop.”