staff will be able to explain premium features and benefi ts that can be more challenging to explain online. “In the coming years we see retail becoming


more experiential as we know the customer also wants something additional to what an online experience can provide.” Looking at challenges, Mr Hartley said that one of the biggest issues for kitchen studios and independent electrical retailers is footfall. “We’ve seen over the last two years that a lot of people have researched online, they known understand product features and technology,” he said. “We were very quick to notice that trend and


moved quickly to inform a lot of our retailers the ability to get assets, rich media content so that they could actually stream and make sure that their customers were engaged.” Conversely, for kitchen showrooms, Mr


Hartley said that it’s now about actually engaging customers and pulling them in so that they can have proper conversations. “For electrical retailers, people are moving


from distress to desire and, equally, people are looking for standout and callout products, and I think that’s where Samsung sits at the moment. We’ve also made sure that we keep the training going with the retailers. “I think we’ve seen a lot of kitchen retail


showrooms improve their websites, so that the customer engagement and the journey of buyers that are going into the showroom has become better.”


“It makes it easy from a manufacturing point


of view, but it also makes it easier from an actual stock, SKU and distribution point of view.” Mr Hartley said that during the pandemic, Samsung experienced a big shift from in-store to online. He said: “Since restrictions have eased,


we’ve seen increased footfall and customers wanting to see, touch and feel products and have product demonstrations; we believe independents will benefi t from this change as


Don’t forget the demo In-store demonstrations are always the best method to bring a product to life in front of customers. Mr Hartely said: “Our research reveals shoppers are willing to pay more for a product where the brand has invested in an in-store demonstration. That’s why we have an award-winning training team to pass on the knowledge to sales staff on the shop fl oor.


“In-store demonstrations give customers a chance to see features like sous vide fi rst hand. That’s why we work closely with retailers and have customer experience days with our mobile kitchen so we can physically showcase the sous vide in use.” For kitchen retailers, Mr Hartley says that


order books are strong. “Yes, there was a problem getting installers, back in Covid, but installers are now free,” he said. “From a pipeline point of view, these people are seeing things now going up until the end of May, maybe into June. “That’s where we’ve got to capitalise on


it by ensuring that our products are quoted within those kitchens; that’s the next part of the journey.”


The launch of One Samsung Mr Hartley said that, strategically, the Korean manufacturer is positioning itself as One Samsung.


“One Samsung shows how we operate


together with all the diff erent channels in the business,” he said, “which consists of built-in home appliances, and then we move across into our B2B division, which is our contract development sector, and then to our heating, ventilation and air conditioning team. “What we’re doing is working collaboratively so that if somebody is engaging with a client, we can all then start to be engaging with that client and have this One Samsung approach. “We’ve recognised that there is a strength there. Strategically, it’s a very good thing for us and Samsung is probably one of the few businesses that can actually do that because we have many diff erent assets that we manufacture as well – and that’s what diff erentiates us.” Mr Hartley said his favourite product is the black glass and full touch model. “In terms of functions, we’re launching sous vide and we also have air fry, so we’re really on trend with healthy cooking and healthy living.”


March/April 2022 www.ierdaily.co.uk | 17


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