SMEG: DANIEL HADLEY THE ERT INTERVIEW
I am lucky that I have a marketing team that creatively evolve our campaigns, as well as a training team which delivers a catalogue of incredibly engaging content, both digitally and face-to-face, where the customer experience is paramount.
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Q: You recently opened a new pop-up shop in the South East (at Bluewater Shopping Centre). What was the decision behind this? DH: Two things drove this decision. Firstly, product awareness is integral to our success, so, like most brands, reaching out to areas of dense footfall to allow our products to take centre stage is crucial. Secondly, the engagement in our products drives our short-term momentum as well as our long-term growth. Ultimately, we want more households in the UK to enjoy the experience of owning Smeg appliances. Pop-up touch points allow us to be expressive, to bring the products to life through demonstration, and to create consumer experiences to inform their consideration and purchase choices.
Q: Why this location? Were any other pop-ups opened elsewhere? DH: We know from data and insights that we have a strong loyalty in areas of the country not limited to where we have already landed experiences. We’ll go to the consumer and offer them personalised fully immersive experiences, and this is what consumers should demand of us.
Q: How do you think independent electrical/appliance retailers would react to you opening your own D2C pop-up store? DH: I think retailers recognise the trend of D2C business, but what we are doing is supporting our long-term growth rather than just favouring the D2C channel. We are accelerating multiple consumer touchpoints in a sustainable way to support our consumers’ purchasing journey. I do think that D2C done correctly can support the overall ecosystem of category growth in the industry. I am motivated by embedded partnerships that deliver long-term growth and impact, and I have no plan to accelerate the direct share of business at the expense of retailers’ category growth. Both channels can co-exist. Independent retailers play a vital part in the future of our company, as they curate the immersive experiences that Smeg thrives from, and the trade shows and retail experiences in the independent channel are forefront to our plans going forward.
Q: What are your plans to drive Smeg UK forward in your new role? DH: My 2024 objectives were centred on building momentum, setting a purpose and vision for our business that my team can buy in to. This period has allowed us to see wins as well as to learn quickly. So then 2025 will see us put this vision for sustainable long-term growth into practice and I’m excited to see the brand continue to grow next year.
Q: What can we look forward to seeing from Smeg in 2025? DH: We have plenty of excitement coming in 2025 with new products as well as a continuing drive for campaigns that are engaging through the shopper journey. We will build on our product design principles whilst allowing for colour and collaborations to deliver a more playful personality in the market; this allows us to deliver on the trend of personalisation.
Bringing to life Smeg’s extensive cooking ranges
November 2024
ertonline.co.uk
I do think that D2C done correctly can support overall category growth in the industry
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