brand comment


A whole new world for SDAs


Comment by Laura Favretti, global category director for small kitchen appliances at Morphy Richards


T


he world has been irrevocably changed in the past 16 months and


attitudes to work-life balance, hygiene and the environment have altered as a result.


While the small domestic and small kitchen appliance market has shown strong growth in the last year, there are several factors that need to be addressed by manufacturers and retailers of these products. In many ways the environment benefited in 2020 from less travel, both domestic and international, but equally online shopping highlighted the issue of excess packaging. These impacts have influenced consumers and trends research by Euromonitor International showed that 69% of those surveyed expect consumers to be more concerned about sustainability than they were before COVID-19. Consumers are now seeking out brands that help make the world cleaner, healthier and more sustainable – so a keener focus on the reduction of food waste, using less single-use plastics and more environmentally friendly packaging, as well as reviewing full use of recyclable plastics to support a more circular economy, is something we are looking at from a Morphy Richards perspective. As a brand Morphy Richards has been


innovating for 85 years, designing products that support the consumer - and the pandemic has highlighted the need for that to continue. Our research has shown us that consumers want sustainable products that are reliable and


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are built to last, but that also deliver results and make their lives easier and save time. After a year of many people working from


home, evidence suggests that a total return to five days a week in the office is unlikely. Families that have started to enjoy healthier food styles and the process of preparing food from scratch will want that to continue so products that make cooking healthily and easier – such as slow cookers, and soup makers – will continue to be in demand. Innovation in these areas will continue at Morphy Richards as we introduce appliances that are designed to enhance our new ways of living and working. Maintaining the family time that many have


enjoyed in the past year is also important – cooking and baking have created many moments of joy and products such as our Mixstar stand mixer allow consumers to take a moment out and create those memories – whether it’s fairy cakes with the kids or a showstopping birthday cake.


And with less people commuting and working in traditional office spaces, grabbing a coffee or lunch, or socialising after work will also be impacted, so consumers are looking to replicate those dining and leisure experiences in the home, with products such as the Espresso coffee maker, which delivers barista-style coffee. Of course, with physical retail closed for large swathes of time in the last year, retailers have had to adapt, and independents with less established digital operations perhaps faced the biggest challenge. Consumers are craving the return of


convenience and in-store experiences and the term ‘phygital reality’ describes how consumer lifestyles will straddle the physical and digital worlds in the future. In the electrical retail sector, we are likely to


see more people gathering in-depth information online before living the shopping experience in a physical place. The dedicated service offered by independent


retailers will make the difference here as they have the capability to differentiate themselves from the mass market – offering premium and unique products, and one-to-one knowledgeable service. It is interesting to note that research has


shown that more mature people in particular want to shop physically and deal with a real person when making an important purchase while younger people tend not to differentiate between shopping physically or virtually. So again, this presents an opportunity for independent electrical retailers to tailor their services to a more mature, affluent consumer that knows their own mind and needs. While the boom in home and lifestyle


improvement projects we saw in may dip, the future for SDA and SKA is bright, with consumers continuing to value the home they have spent so much time in over the last 18 months. Our mission as a brand is to continue to celebrate and support that by designing unique, relevant and smart products and working with retailers to engage with the consumer.


May & June 2021


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