Did You Know…? NPD Group’s most recent report on SDAs states that while older Americans buy the most small appliances, millennials accounted for 26 per cent of the market in 2014, up from just 5 per cent in 2013. Popular small kitchen appliances include 3 Squares’ Tim3 Machin3 Multi Cooker, Smeg’s ‘50s Retro Style Aesthetic Blender, Illy’s Y5 Milk Espresso and Coffee System, T-fal’s 10-in-1 Multi-Cooker, and KitchenAid’s Pour Over Coffeemaker. whose marketing strategy for its recently-launched Attivo blender focuses on the benefits of the increasingly popular Raw food diet. Other companies are taking a different approach. Aiming to inspire consumers, they are delivering recipe booklets, tips or suggestions, arming retailers with ammunition to sell more effectively. This is especially true for those brands delivering multifunctional appliances and highperformance blenders. Thomas Kastl at Ambiente believes the provision of “how-to guides and inspiration, such as recipes and health tips, is key”, with consumers responding well to such impulses. A world leader in professionalgrade blending equipment, Vitamix has undertaken retailer and consumer research with regards to blender use among customers and found that “many UK consumers are still not experimenting with their high-performance blenders, or realising their full potential”. So following the launch of the popular Healthy Eating spring recipe book, Vitamix launched Summer Inspiration, a 125-page book aimed at “encouraging consumers to experiment with
their blender and create some stunning lunch-on-the-go, BBQ and recipes for special occasions”, says Martin. “Part of the thinking behind the creation of this book”, he adds, “has been to demonstrate the versatility of our blenders and to encourage customers to experiment with some new blends.” The UK launch came with a full retail promotional package, including branded cookery book holders, summer-themed banners, window stickers and free recipesuggestion cards. British appliance brand Gourmet Gadgetry’s stylish electrical kitchen gadgets, like pizza ovens and ice cream makers, come with recipes and serving suggestions, while Perfect Blend from US company Perfect Company has taken inspiration to even greater heights, delivering an interactive recipe app that offers nutrition plans, weekly meal plans, and even automatically creates a shopping list, as well as tracking calories and nutrition.
What consumers really want This isn’t the only way companies are vying for space in this increasingly saturated segment,
however: product development is key and newer products are delivering technical advances to ensure they deliver evermore convenience, nutrition, and multifunctionality, all key consumer demands today. “Real product innovation in this sector is a key market driver,” says Dominik Pytel, marketing director of Groupe SEB UK, which owns a number of SDA brands, including Tefal, Krups and Moulinex. With less and less space at home and more cooking processes in demand, high-performance blenders are true all-rounders and combine the functionality of ten kitchen appliances in just one machine, including blending, pureeing, grinding, whipping, crushing, kneading, chopping and emulsifying. For many manufacturers and retailers, it is such versatility that really holds the key to growth in this category with companies like Vitamix leading the way. Vitamix gadgets do all the above, while the recently launched 3 Squares Soup3RB Blender can blend, pulverise, puree, liquefy, and also cook soup, sauté veggies and brown meat, and the just-launched Bamix handheld food processor
Retail Speak
Cook Shop, Greece
We talk to Kostas Sarafidis, manager of Cook Shop, a chain of multi-brand kitchenware stores with 55 outlets throughout Greece. www.cookshop.gr
“People are seeking a healthier way of life and many dieticians include juices and smoothies in people’s diets, this is helping the sales of juicers and blenders. It’s a relatively new trend and sub category, which we believe still has room to grow. “We tend to see greater demand for juicers/blenders during spring/ summer periods but increasingly consumers are looking for appliances that can fulfil many purposes – so apart from juicing, can make sauces, soups, cocktails and even homemade ice cream. “We carry four brands in this category – Magimix, Severin, Korona and Petra – and all are performing well in their different target consumer groups. Severin,
Korona and Petra are more competitive in price, suitable for those looking for their first product, while Magimix is a semi-professional machine with abundant accessories for more advanced and demanding users and for multi-usage. “We have trained our staff very well on these appliances so they can explain quickly and persuasively to customers why they need this product at home. “We receive promotional material from suppliers to help us promote the products, including recipe cards, A4 shelf cards that explain the advantages of using the product in a clear and easy way, and lifestyle posters for window decoration.”
Talking SDAs As head of dining at Ambiente for the past 23 years, Thomas Kastl knows a thing or two about the health and growth of the kitchen and dining categories. We ask him about SDAs Are you seeing growth in the SDA category? On a global scale the SDA market produces robust results, with the past few seasons performing fairly strongly in revenue. For example, in Germany, the category impressed with exponential growth two years in a row – that’s 44 per cent in 2014 and 22 per cent in 2015. I predict there will be a continuous trend for private households to make a growing number of SDAs part of their daily routine, especially cooking devices, juicers and blenders. What do you think is driving such growth? Key influencers are the desire by consumers to live a healthier lifestyle, along with raised awareness of the environmental impacts of our lifestyles, as well as busier lives. Take smoothie makers, for example. The combination of fresh, healthy ingredients and all on the go proves irresistible to many consumers. Demand is also fuelled due to the wide variety of formats on offer – previously, consumers would simply purchase a model once it needs replacing, like with a fridge or microwave. Now they don’t. In this saturated space, what can companies offer to stand out? Performance is a key asset. My personal feeling is that companies have already started pushing the boundaries and that quality is improving – consumers desire a long-lasting reliable device. At the same time, I believe it is key to provide not just the appliance but also the relevant ‘how-to guide’ and inspiration. Consumers respond to appliances where there is a steady influx of new impulses, such as recipes or health tips – these can be easily distributed by manufacturers and retailers via corporate websites, blogs and magazines. KITCHENWARE INTERNATIONAL 27