EDITOR’S COMMENT Jack Cheeseman


June 2024 ertonline.co.uk


Seeing is believing I 14


n this month’s issue of ERT we are looking at the smart home and the latest Internet- enabled, connected products that offer hands-free, remote controlled, voice- activated, generally all-round smart uses. Today’s homes are more connected than ever and smart devices have seamlessly blended in with our everyday lives, revolutionising the way we interact with our living spaces. From dimming the lights with a voice command to keeping tabs on your pets while you’re out the house, there’s a gadget for everything. But if we rewind just a couple of years, for many people voice-activated smart speakers were the entry point into the connected home – acting as a catalyst for homeowners to add additional devices and services. And that still remains the case today. Calling out to Alexa or Google to play your favourite songs was a novelty to begin with; it’s now become the norm but consumers – and retailers – quickly realised the greater opportunities available.


If an electrical gadget or kitchen appliance has got remote control capabilities, whether it’s by voice or via an app, it is usually accessible to a huge customer demographic. And that’s where electrical retailers play an important role in the education of consumers around all the new and exciting ways Wi-Fi connected products can enhance their daily life. Retail stores are the best place for people to get not just independent, specialised advice


but also an in-depth, hands-on experience – a “try before you buy” kind of situation! There are so many features and benefits in the smart tech world that make great demonstration tools and talking points for retailers in their stores. As we say over and over in ERT, seeing is believing and it’s the perfect way for people to engage with products and learn about their functions with experts in front of them to guide them through.


Exclusive: Sony and ERT host TV training sessions


Of course, one thing that is crucial for retail staff is training. They cannot talk in great detail or with any such enthusiasm about a brand’s product without the right kind of training. So manufacturer/supplier support in this instance is absolutely vital. And I’m very pleased to announce that this


month ERT partnered with Sony to help host one of the Training Team’s latest Home Entertainment Training videos!


In this issue we’ve got an exclusive interview with Jason Clark, Head of Training at Sony UK and Ireland. He told me all about how Sony supports its retail partners with different training


platforms, both online and face-to-face, and how he plans to develop the brand’s training


content with potentially a ‘gamification’ element to introduce a bit of fun for attendees. “I am very passionate about continuing to


improve the way we deliver our training materials,” he said, “and I hope that by sharing as much product information as possible with our partners it ultimately helps them to convert more sales!” You can read the full interview on pages 20-21 this month and you can access Sony’s latest BRAVIA TV training content via the ERT website.


Email the editor at jackcheeseman@ertonline.co.uk What do you think ?


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