FOCUS | Strengthening relationships
‘We are dedicated to supporting retailers’ CONSUMER MARKETING MANAGER, GEBERIT
MICHAEL BENNETT, W
e are dedicated to supporting our retail network.
Even before the impact of Covid-19, we have always worked closely with our
partners to nurture a strong working relationship and deliver a wide range of retail support – whether that’s providing a dedicated sales team, hosting training sessions, or running regional campaigns with high- profi le social media infl uencers. Clearly, the biggest impact of lockdown on KBB retailers was the closure of physical showrooms,
forcing many to adapt by going digital in order to reach their customers. That’s why we launched a new series of training modules designed to arm the retail network with the tools they needed to not only weather this challenging storm, but to protect and harness business looking ahead to the fi nal quarter of the year and into 2021.
Themes covered included, navigating the new normal, creating your shop window online, and how to use social media to interact more with the end consumer. This training was promoted as a service our retailers could sign up to and was tailored and delivered according to who took part.
Social media has now overtaken brand websites as the primary source for information among users aged 35 to 55 and we recognise the importance of up-skilling retailers in this area to ensure that their ‘shop front’ online is working as hard as it can be for them.
As lockdown restrictions eased and showrooms were able to reopen, we have continued to support our partners to help encourage customers back through their doors. Arming retailers with the right tools to showcase their business and maximise opportunities is fundamental.
Our dedicated retailer portal provides businesses with access to all the resources they need to get the very best from their showrooms, whether that be POS or promotional templates or photography. Likewise, we have also pushed out a nationwide PR campaign to increase awareness of Geberit stockists in regions across the country, in order to help drive potential customers into stores. Ultimately, we understand that fostering strong relationships with our retailers is equally as important as offering showrooms a wide selection of inspirational ceramic and furniture. It is this combination of bathroom solutions and effective communications that will drive market awareness and increase consumer demand.
‘We need to work together’
DARYL SOUTHWELL, NATIONAL SALES MANAGER, 1810 COMPANY
I
n order to support retailers, fabricators and contract kitchen suppliers during the lock-
down period, while following government guidelines, we remained open and continued to deliver goods throughout, albeit on a slightly reduced service.
The quieter trading time during lockdown was used productively to develop new products and to increase stockholding in preparation for the ensuing upsurge in sales post-Covid.
New products include an integrated soap dispenser that can be purchased as a standalone item or part of a pandemic-inspired ‘Prep & Handwash Sink’ set. This was launched in response to an observed increase in consumer demand for a second kitchen sink.
While most of our sales force was furloughed, 48 · November 2020
video calling proved invaluable to those members of staff covering sales enquiries on behalf of colleagues. While we believe that personal visits are vital in a supplier/customer relationship, video calling allowed us to remain in touch with our dealers during this challenging period.
Virtual tours, together with private visits to the
1810 showroom at the Business Design Centre, Islington, have proved popular since ‘normal’ trading has resumed. We understand the importance of creating, and maintaining, strong relationships with retailers and work tirelessly to ensure we achieve this during. We need to work together.
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