PRODUCTS | Luxury market
Top tips on how to sell HIGH-END PRODUCTS (in the middle of a pandemic)
• PAUL BAILEY, SENIOR CATEGORY MANAGER, GROHE UK Video content in the form of demonstrations, how-to guides and even virtual tours are great for enabling potential buyers to see the products come to life and visualise how they will help them in their everyday lives.
The Opula range of wall-mounted furniture from Utopia Bathrooms
create a focal point for the rest of the bathroom to be based around in terms of colour or fi nish. Colour has been on the rise in bathrooms, with several companies, including Bette, offering bathtubs in a variety of colours. No longer does sanitaryware have to be just white. Faye Froy, marketing manager for Burlington, has seen customers become braver with colour. She says: “By choosing luxury, traditional bathroom pieces in bright and beautiful hues, consumers are seeking individuality.” The other side of the ‘colour in bathrooms’ debate is opting for sanitaryware in a neutral shade
and having the statement elements
provided by easily changeable items, such as tiles or wallpaper. This means that consumers can change aspects from year to year, but the base of the bathroom can remain the same. Mark Larden, managing director UK and Ireland at Geberit, says: “Achieving a beautiful, bold bathroom doesn’t necessarily mean homeowners need to invest in expensive ‘on-trend’ suites. It is estimated that most homeowners renovate their bathrooms as infrequently as every 10 years, so sanitaryware must not fall out of fashion quickly.” Certain materials, such as marble and gold, have always been associated with decadence. Adding in these fi nishes creates a traditionally elegant design.
James Stevenson, creative director at Imperial Bathrooms, says he has seen a rise in Antique Gold shades and this can be coordinated throughout the bathroom. He has also seen a rise in the number of people wanting to personalise their bathroom space. Luxury doesn’t just mean the decadent
fi nishes that you would expect to fi nd in a fi ve- star suite in Las Vegas. Keely Greenhalgh, national sales manager at Mermaid Panels and Wetwall, explains how she has seen a rise in the use of biophilic design, advanced industrialism and natural wood, showing that many trends still fi t in with the ‘luxury market’. The freestanding bath has always been a feature in a luxury bathroom, although the majority of UK bathrooms don’t have space for them. Jon Walker, marketing manager at Hudson Reed, warns retailers to plan ahead
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and not be stuck with an enormous bathtub that everything else has to fi t around. CP Hart’s head of design Yousef Mansuri says: “The
focal point isn’t necessarily
• MELISSA BLEWITT, RETAIL MARKETING ASSISTANT, CALYPSO If used correctly, technology can be a great asset in this current situation. It can enable retailers to showcase images of previous installations via a web conference or even show renders and 3D CAD models of bathrooms.
a
freestanding bath. You can create a statement in a compact bathroom with essential elements, such as a sculpturally-shaped basin, a strikingly coloured vanity or a bold fi nish for the brassware.” Martin Carroll, managing director of Duravit UK, reminds retailers that technology can make a statement – even if the smart product looks unassuming but has the potential to offer customisation, hygiene benefi ts and a luxury experience.
Size does not matter with a luxury bathroom.
Rak Ceramics sales and marketing director Ben Bryden says: “A small space that is uncluttered and streamlined, with a splash of colour and standout materials and fi nishes can be just as breathtaking as a large room.” To conclude, Margaret Talbot, marketing manager for Vitra bathrooms, says that a luxury bathroom is not just about the look but should include all fi ve senses from smooth touch vanity units to luxurious waterfall showers and even technology like quiet fl ush toilets.
Paired with a freestanding tub, this Showerwall panelling creates a luxury statement
• RON BLOUNT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, FALMEC Ironically, selling high-end products is not all about the price. It’s about the value and the underlying, unknown motives of status and style. Highlight a feature, follow up with “which means...” to explain all the inherent benefi ts and value.
• HELEN HAIDER, HEAD OF MARKETING, FISHER AND PAYKEL As with any sale, get your customers to try the products if possible. If that is diffi cult, then at least fi nd out how they use their kitchen – how and what they cook? Do they like people to cook with them? Is their kitchen a social room in the house where children do homework and a place to have an evening glass of wine? These factors all impact how you design.
• RICKY DAVIES, DIRECTOR, SUB-ZERO AND WOLF UK Offer a cooking demonstration (either in person or via video link) to show off the power, performance, ease of use and superior manufacturing of the products and why this sets them apart.
• MARTIN CANNING, HEAD OF CATEGORY, HÄFELE UK My advice would be to sweat the small stuff. Finishing touches are vital if you wish to create a feeling of real luxury and can give the edge when designing a statement space.
• RICHARD TURNER, NATIONAL SALES MANAGER, PRONORM Luxury purchasers can be demanding, with high expectations for service, design and quality – and that’s fi ne, provided everyone maintains a respect for value.
· December 2020
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