5 minute read
DEMAND & SUPPLY: leveraging high-demand items
At a difficult time such as this, it’s important to understand exactly what your customers need, as those needs have undoubtedly changed. Here, we explore what those changes are likely to be
Every cloud has a silver lining’, they say, meaning that even during bad times, there are positive opportunities. This is certainly true of the situation in which we find ourselves currently; all of our lives have been turned upside-down, that’s a fact – but it’s not all doom and gloom for dealers who are adaptable and can quickly shift their focus towards what businesses need, right now.
Although the main consideration at the moment is those working from home, and what they need to get them through the next few weeks of lockdown, there are other aspects to think about - such as the businesses that are still operating as usual – like supermarkets, other shops, healthcare organisations and the finance sector. These organisations are working overtime to ensure the country continues to run during this difficult time, and they need the support of dealers. Dealers are uniquely positioned to provide this support because they have in-depth knowledge of their products, they’re used to having to move with the times, and they have solid, mutually trusting, relationships with their customers.
We talk a lot about the importance of asking the customer exactly what they want, based on the requirements they need filling, rather than simply providing the specific products and services they think they need – and there is no better time than now to do this. Contacting your customers to ask what their current requirements are, and creating a bespoke service to match that need, is paramount at a time when many of them could still be struggling to adapt to the widespread home working currently happening.
THE MOVING CATEGORIES
• Floor tape. This has shot up in popularity due to supermarkets, smaller shops, hospitals and GP surgeries using it to ensure customers and patients remain two metres apart.
• A4 paper. That’s right, paper is on the rise thanks to those working from home needing it to function in their jobs, parents needing it to print out work for children learning from home, and shops making their own signage to remind people of social distancing rules.
• Distance signage. All types of businesses are using signage to remind people of the social distancing rules and to point out hand-washing stations and other key facts.
• Consumables. This includes peripheral products for machines, such as ink cartridges and paper for printers, as well as catering products like coffee and sugar.
• Laptops. There are many additional products that can be upsold here, such as cable tidies, mice, keyboards, additional screens, carry cases and covers.
• Storage. Think external hard drives, memory sticks and cards, power cables and battery packs.
• Bluetooth head sets. To enable people sharing their home workspaces with others to conduct business calls in peace.
: Security software. To ensure that staff are able to remain legally compliant when working from home.
: Multi-function devices. These are helpful for home workers who don’t necessarily have the space for multiple pieces of hardware.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
“We used a sales analysis tool to see what the end-user is searching for across 250 dealer sites,” Steve Bilton, MD of FusionPlus Data, told us; he estimates that the number of individual businesses searching these sites amount to around 100,000. “These are the websites of dealers of every size, from £1m turnover to £100m turnover and what we discovered confirmed all of our expectations.” So, now, it’s up to dealers to respond. Here are some of the top searches.
Facilities management/janitorial • Gloves • Hand sanitiser • Dettol/antibacterial spray • Toilet roll • Masks • Soap • Bin bags • Hand wash
Traditional office products • Chairs • A4 paper • Desks • Printers • Labels • Staples • Drinks • Sugar
These are the products that are highly in-demand, right now, so it’s up to the dealer to keep ears to the ground regarding where they can source them if they need to. While there has been a general drop in turnover, for many, it hasn’t been as dramatic as some might have expected, thanks to the items that are in demand right now being dealers’ bread and butter. Some businesses are doing very well, and some are even adopting different sales models, such as launching B2C websites.
WHAT THE WHOLESALERS ARE DOING
The BOSS Federation spoke with some of the industry’s key suppliers about the changes they’ve made to support dealers during this difficult time. Exertis reported that it has seen significant variation in the number and types of orders it has received, and has advised that its next-day delivery service may be disrupted – but that it expects to conduct business as usual, and that dealers can help by placing orders early in the day.
Spicers reported that maintaining distribution is key, right now, so that the most crucial supplies – namely PPE, hygiene products and consumables – get to where they are needed. It is focusing on keeping the UK productive and remaining as agile as possible.
VOW Wholesale also aims to continue supporting its dealer network, reporting that it has the infrastructure in place to continue operating as normally as possible – and, while some items are in high demand, and selling out, the wholesaler is in close contact with its own suppliers to ensure it’s able to source what it needs.
It’s important to mention that all three of these businesses are also paying close attention to the rules around social distancing and home working for their staff.
The industry is adapting, behind-the-scenes, to make sure these products are available – talk to your own wholesaler, to manufacturers and to dealer peers to find out what you need to know to see your businesses through this trying time by acquiring what the customer needs most.
