March 2019 News Keeping in with the indies


Sitting down at the Panasonic European Convention in Frankfurt last month, Simon Grantham chats to Jack Cheeseman about steering the company through the next era of consumer technology and how retailers can benefi t from these changes


numbers, we have twice the size of market share in independent customers than we do in the multiples. That’s a testament to the support we get from the retailers, but we try to give something back.


Q: You joined Panasonic in May last year… What changes would you like to see at the company going forward? Simon Grantham: Well,


we’re in very competitive


markets, so we want to keep the Panasonic brand relevant and attractive to future consumers. We’re getting that across through great product launches and great marketing behind all of that, particularly with our retail partners, fi lling them with enthusiasm to sell high value technology products. My job is really to motivate our teams to do all that in the best possible way. Panasonic has always been very strong with the independent retailer. Today, in market share


Q: How can independent retailers stand out from the crowd? SG:


Firstly, independent retailers


have an active online presence now, and that works well when you combine local service with your online platform and then deliver and install


fast. Most indie retailers do


this now, and most national retailers won’t be able to do this. We noticed a trend a few years


Q: How do you see technology in this sector developing? SG: If we look ahead, combing things like voice activation with artifi cial intelligence, whereby your appliance wants to interpret the way you’re using it – like analysing your TV watching behaviour or cooking behaviour – then the future looks very interesting indeed. At the last IFA show in September, we saw quite a lot of manufacturers demonstrating their versions of AI and I think it’s just going to gather pace. It’s all about time phases. Of course, we’re launching new products here in Frankfurt and a lot of these are at the premium end of the market – OLED TVs, soundbars and top-end Technics. We need to get across the benefi ts of all this technology, which means executing it in the best possible way in-store and online. Great displays and great demo content is the key, especially if you want to demonstrate Dolby Atmos


ago – the independent was concerned about the power of the internet, saying ‘how do we compete with companies like Amazon and other online players?’, but I don’t hear that anymore. What I hear now is ‘can you give me some social media content to make what I’m doing more relevant to my target customer?’ And we’ve got tonnes of content to provide to help, and it’s local stuff.


or the new GZ2000, for example. We talk quite a lot with retailers about the best ways to do this; we train their staff, we have teams on the road helping and we have promoters in stores getting these points across.


Q: Are consumers more educated these days? SG: Defi nitely. When we talk to our retail partners, they say that consumers are coming in stores with a shortlist in their heads because they’ve done their research online. They want to see the picture and hear the sound, and then make their minds up. But I think it’s great. As a manufacturer, as a brand,


it’s exactly what you want – to inform and educate the consumer on the benefi ts of your products.


9 ertonline.co.uk


Q: So being the local retailer is important? SG: Yes, it’s a very compelling proposition; it’s the basics that you’re in stock, you’re competitive, you’ve got a great product demo and you can deliver and service exactly when the customer needs it.


I’ve seen that very strong regional independents have grown and


invested in their stores as well – they look fabulous, better than many multiples, and with more staff. So why wouldn’t you shop there?


You can get more local marketing tips in our dedicated feature from page 39 in this issue.


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