EDITOR’S COMMENT Jack Cheeseman


May 2022 ertonline.co.uk


10


starting to warm up (sort of… let’s face it, we’re in Britain) people will begin to spend more time outside, whether that’s out and about or hosting gathering in their gardens. So what better time for electrical retailers to get in on


W


the action! And there’s quite a growing collection of niſty gadgets now to appeal to most people’s style, requirements


and budget. Rugged portable speakers are seasonal favourites, from designer Bluetooth ones to larger ‘party size’ ones with lights and input for a microphone! Ten there’s outdoor viewing. Just when you thought that having a TV in nearly


every room of the house wasn’t enough, brands are now allowing consumers to catch up on Corrie and follow the football out in the garden too! Certain brands lead in this space, no question, but it’ll be interesting to see how this corner of the market expands aſter the boom it saw during lockdown – helped along of course by the unusually tropical weather at the time. Turn to page 20 to read more from Steve May on the subject and feast your eyes


on some of the coolest kit around at the moment. Demonstrated in the right store environment, sales could fly this Summer. Get some background music going and some mood lighting and encourage your customers to envisage a cosy and snug evening in their own gardens; this kind of relaxed in-store environment is the perfect way to push sales and while they are in a good mood there’s the potential to upsell and make more money! Another big topic in this issue is the power of online. From page 34 this month,


industry experts share their views on how the retail industry has moved online in a big way and how independents have – or still need to – follow suit.


elcome to the latest issue of ERT, where this month we have a couple of big features. Firstly, outdoor living. As the weather is


It doesn’t matter if your retail site is old or new, transactional or not… what matters


is what you do with it and how it is aligned to your physical in-store messaging and values. Te phrase ‘omni-channel’ is banded about so oſten these days, but it’s such a crucial term now. Retailers simply cannot focus on just one side of their business, as both the store and the website have to complement each other perfectly. Talking of seasonal sales, if you’re doing something big in store, then be conscious of


replicating your promotional materials online and on social media – your campaigns should be in sync wherever possible and keeping fresh and topical content will make sure you are attracting traffic to your site and driving potential customers to shop with you for any special deals. In all honesty, this is just the beginning. Tere’s plenty more advice in this edition…


which is much more coherent and useful than what I can offer! But I must also acknowledge the fantastic online examples from across our industry.


Tere are some seriously impressive websites and social platforms from independent electrical retailers now – many of which have been recognised at the ERT Awards in recent years. And I look forward to celebrating these forward-thinking businesses at


the


Awards again in London this October. On that note. Attention retailers!


You have only a few days left to put your


entry in! Last-minute


submissions are still being accepted: www.ertawards.co.uk/enter


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


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