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November 2019 ertonline.co.uk


REVIEW: TURNING POINT LIVE! 2019


guidance to both consumers and retailers, which is all freely available. One of its main messages to con sumers is to always buy from a reputable retailer, especially online, and use product instructions.


“Truly shambolic” As part of the organisation’s indirect activity, which consumers are sometimes unaware of, Electrical Safety First does a lot of lobbying and it has recently been putting pressure on the Government to do something about the inadequacy of product recalls. Mr Allen reported that typically only around 10-20 per cent of products are recalled when necessary, meaning 80-90 per cent of recalled items remain in


consumers’ homes. “These fi gures are truly shambolic,” he continued, using the recent Whirlpool tumble dryer product recall as an example. “There was so much damage in the process and the fi rm simply doesn’t know where these dangerous products are. Using product registration data is absolutely vital. “We push the boundaries on standards where we plan to make sure consumers are represented in all areas.”


“Retailers should be leading, not following, the evolution of smart home”


it starts with the purchase of a TV but from there you can move into other rooms or expand into automation-based projects. If customers show interest in a conversation about smart home, or even connected devices, us as retailers need to educate them.


L-R: Alaric Wood, Adam Williams and Jack Cheeseman


G


fK reported that the UK is the fastest- growing and second largest market for sales of smart devices for the home. Consumers already own so many gadgets – the job for electrical retailers is to keep them coming back and continually investing in new technology. The second panel discussion at this year’s Turning


Point Live! was all about retailers taking the next steps to make their businesses smarter, with: Ashley Shorey- Mills, General Manager, Hughes Smart, Adam Williams, Chief Revenue Offi cer, Lightwave and Director, Smart Homes & Buildings Association, Alaric Wood, Technical Director, Avensys, Stuart Tickle, Managing Director, AWE Europe, and ERT Editor, Jack Cheeseman.


Q: What do you do in-store to display and demo smart products? Alaric Wood: It’s about showing customers things that are nice to have and turning it into something really useful and benefi cial for them. Although we started off in the world of AV, our


Q: What additional smart home services are consumers after now? Adam Williams: More than 50 per cent of interactions that our customers have are voice controlled, so the idea of a smart speaker as a consumer gadget is defi nitely a major drive. People are gradually stopping using a light switch as an actual switch – instead they are asking the smart speaker to turn the lights on. If you’re selling smart speakers in your business today,


there are some customers that will think it is a gimmick and the task is convincing them to make that leap. Smart speakers are a gateway to the items they sell. A lot of products that are so-called ‘smart’ may or may not make you a lot of margin, so the question here is leveraging these gateways and adding value.


larger smart home drivers are always in the area of safety and security. For example, a connected smoke alarm and a smart double socket will detect when the load is too great, and then the technology will turn off sockets in order to minimise potential risk and damage. We look to understand what the use cases are and make them personal to the customer buying them. It’s really simple to add on extra services, such as installation of a TV, security camera and a smart speaker. Ashley Shorey-Mills: We’ve also expanded into different markets where the concept is the same –


Q: How are manufacturers developing products in these areas? A Williams: Lighting is the top smart sales area after smart speakers, we saw from GfK data. It’s the area that people understand the benefi ts of most, so we’ve got a compelling use case that we really focused on. We have to acknowledge there are thousands of devices with hundreds of apps through which the customer expects to control their products. Success can be found in making this simpler for the consumer. Focus on two or three use cases where the technology all works together; I passionately believe retailers should be leading, not following, the evolution of smart home.


Q: How can retailers ensure customers are satisfi ed and continue to return to store? A Wood: Store staff need to ensure the customer knows everything they’re getting into, and customers need ongoing support and hand-holding for when things don’t work. Also, the key is having controls on your sales people’s phones so with a couple of clicks they can show the customer exactly how simple things are. ASM: Most stores have already got the skillsets


required as an AV installer – it doesn’t take too much more to install something like CCTV. Full home automation takes a bit more time but for most of your staff, a little bit of extra training can add so much value.


23


Ashley Shorey-Mills (left) and Stuart Tickle


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