floorcare
range in-store,” he says. “Witt UK & Ireland is looking to grow and is making fast progress signing up new retailers – and there is no sign that sales of iRobot are slowing down.” He adds: “For me, the key words are ‘innovation’
The iRobot Roomba 880 is set to enjoy a good 2015, with ‘no sign sales are slowing down’ for the company
these needs. They told us that one of the big frustrations with using cylinder vacuums is cleaning stairs. The new AirRevolve elegantly solves this problem, as its revolutionary design delivers flexible cleaning in all directions, including stairs.” A versatile product can offer consumers additional choice. Sebo’s D2 Storm Eco includes a 12m power cable which gives a cleaning range of 15.5m, designed so it can cover a flight of stairs without pulling the plug, a large six-litre bag, made from micro-fibre fleece which keeps pet hair and dust contained which Sebo says is ideal for allergy sufferers. Justin continues: “A stair and upholstery
turbo brush is available along with a floor turbo brush, and a selection of tools allows consumers to get into those hard-to-reach areas; an upholstery nozzle makes light work of sofas and armchairs, a crevice tool picks up from the smallest of spaces and a dusting brush gives a gentler contact for items such as computer keyboards. What’s more, all tools are stored on board. Even the hose clips neatly in when not in use, so it’s easy to store and quick to start using, too.”
Robotic revolution? Robotic cleaners have seen growing consumer interest, demonstrated by an 82% value growth year on year. Bo explains the iRobot offering: “With more than a decade of cleaning homes around the world, iRobot understands consumer needs in Europe and the wide range of challenges associated with robotic floor care. 2015 will be the year where the robotic market really starts to take hold –
consumers and retailers are seeing the many advantages that robotic cleaners offer.” Bo continues: “It is a choice you make to run a vacuum cleaner around your home, but iRobot takes that hassle away for consumers, many of whom are money rich, but time poor. iRobot does the hard work, so you don’t have to.” iRobot Roomba 880 is the top-of-the-
range robot vacuum cleaner. Featuring the ‘AeroForce Performance Cleaning System’ and ‘AeroForce Extractors’, Bo says that it’s proven to remove up to 50% more dirt, dust, hair and debris from all floor types with less maintenance hassle. It also features a programmable interface in order to go off at set times. The iRobot Scooba 450 is a floor scrubbing
robot that features a three-cycle cleaning process. The first cycle sweeps up dirt and puts down a thin sheen of water to soak into any stuck-on mess; the second cycle sees the scrubbing brush spinning at 600rpm to remove stuck-on mess while the squeegee vacuum suctions dirty water off the floor. The third cycle ends with a final squeegee-finish which leaves a clean floor and washes away 99.3% of bacteria, Bo says. He adds: “Unlike a mop, Scooba
uses fresh solution from start to finish, never putting dirty water back down on floors. The Scooba three-cycle cleaning process with pre-soak technology has been redesigned from the ground up to clean hard floors three times better than ever before with even less work. Just fill the robot and press ‘Clean’; the proof is in the dirty water tank.” Bo is confident about the continued
growth of the sector. “I would encourage independent electrical retailers to look at the iRobot line-up – there are a number of display options available to best show the
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www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk
The Classic C1 Junior PowerLine vacuum from Miele is one of the company’s products that has earned a Best Buy from consumer choice magazine Which?
March 2015
and ‘demonstration’. By demonstrating iRobot’s innovative features, electrical retailers have the ability to convince the consumer to purchase better suited products. The key is to create ‘theatre’ in-store, which will help your sales. I’ve always been a great believer in the independent retail sector and I want to work with retailers that are interested in selling, and demonstrating, products that are truly innovative, well designed and that offer good, attractive margins.” Jamie agrees that demonstrations can be a compelling route to purchase. “Successful demonstration is an all-powerful sales tool, as is the way that the product is displayed,” he comments. “A range of products targeting differing market segments is very important as consumers all have very different needs. Miele has a complete family of cleaners that can offer a tailor made solution for every lifestyle requirement. It is therefore essential for a retailer to ask the customer how they will be using their cleaner and what sort of home they have. For example, they need to know what floor type they have and whether there are pets/ children at home or allergy sufferers. “A retailer can also
support a brand by showing the consumer how well it has performed
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