INTERVIEW
Building a community Although established over ten years ago, British camera brand Serage has recently benefitted from increased market awareness and new distribution deals to create a stir in the sector. We find out how the brand fits into the busy CCTV market…
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s a security systems installer you’ll be well aware of the many options available to you when it comes to specifying technology for your next contract. Brand loyalty and established working relationships play a major role in your selection process, so when a new name crops up, how do you approach it? Currently distributed in the UK via G-Tec and Smart Merchants and in Ireland by AES, Serage is a brand with a different approach to CCTV. With over 40 products in the range the business is keen to ensure that the right technology goes into every application and all of those involved get the service, support and eventual success they warrant. PSI spoke to company CEO Sam Cherri to find out more about how he wants to develop the business and his goals for the brand: How tricky is it working in an already busy market? Like with anything new, people are always a bit hesitant to try it, but we know that when it comes to technology, people need to see it working in order to make a decision. So, when we’ve enabled that to happen, we’ve had real success with roadshows, visiting distributor’s outlets and bringing people to our Academy. Once they try the systems and they see what it can do, they’re more inclined to get on board. I know it’s not easy to change people’s buying habits, because they’ve already built relationships with BDMs, distributors etc and if the brand was working for them, then why would they look to change? If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! So, we’ve had to work around a way to break that cycle where we can get people interested and we’ve done that by showing them that we’re different. We basically have to give installers something better than what they’ve already got. We can do this because, on a like-for-like basis, we think our cameras offer more features than others do.
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Another reason why installers like us is that the products are not available on the internet – they are only available through distributors. Of course, it is a busy market and it’s not been an easy ride, but the signs are great and we’re getting a lot of interest from installers and distributors. What are the features of the cameras that installers like? It’s not just the features, but how we deliver them that is appealing. The most popular AI features, such as ANPR or face recognition are usually add-ons that people pay extra for, however with Serage, the software is already embedded so you don’t have to pay extra for it. This mean that ANPR is in every camera that we sell and it works really well too, unlike some asstandard services that are essentially unusable. Installers need to know that the embedded software is fit-for-purpose and that they can rely on it to work. Our CMS software is also well received because it performs, it is easy to use and there’s no licence fee.
Sam Cherri, CEO of Serage
“It is a busy market and it’s not been an easy ride, but the signs are great and we’re getting a lot of interest from installers and distributors”
AI is the big buzzword in CCTV, but are you finding that anyone is using it? There is a lot of advertising of AI today, but it may not be being adopted as much as you expect from all the coverage. I think that installers themselves tend to not try to promote something that the end user didn’t ask for and maybe only promote the service if it will get them the work. The areas where it is being used are for ANPR and vehicle/human detection
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27/10/2023 17:51:00