NetherlandsMedia and entertainment2024 – ongoing

DEPT (for bol)

Sinterklaas toy-book app with an AI custom voice

DEPT's AI Sinterklaas app for retailer bol reaches 300,000 users and 233% higher engagement

WorkingVendor's case studyVendor ↗

Problem

Retailer bol wanted to stand out in the crowded holiday season around its annual children's toy catalog, The Big Toy Book.

Approach

DEPT turned the printed catalog into an app where children scan toys and see them in 3D. It trained a synthetic Sinterklaas voice with Azure Custom Neural Voice from about 500 recorded lines by the existing actor, and added word blocklists and parental consent. The app took six weeks to build.

Results

233%Improvement in engagement over the previous year's holiday campaignVendor's case study[1]

300,000Total app usersVendor's case study[1]

Takeaway

The app drew 300,000 users and more than 3 million Sinterklaas engagements. Engagement was 233% above the previous year's holiday campaign.

Sources

DEPT brings Sinterklaas to life for holiday retailer using Azure AI Foundry
Microsoft29 May 2025Vendor publication

Source summaries

[1]Microsoft29 May 2025

Describes a holiday app for a Dutch retailer with a synthetic voice of its Sinterklaas actor. Gives user and engagement figures.

Full details are in the original sources.

Added 25 Oct 2026 · Updated 25 Oct 2026