Each Friday, Furniture News puts five questions to a selected industry professional to explore their background and approach to business. Today, it's the turn of David A Evans, marketing manager at Barlow Tyrie…
How did you get into the trade?
I originally trained as a graphic designer and have worked in both the UK and my native Canada. It was while working for a small provincial advertising agency that I handled the Barlow Tyrie account and after a few years was approached to join the company as the marketing manager. That was 24 years ago – years that have seen a vast change in the development of outdoor leisure furniture and the expansion of the outdoor market as a whole.
What was the turning point in your career?
I think the most fundamental turning point was during my final years at school, with a chance remark to my art teacher which led me to abandon my decision to join the army – something I had wanted to do since I was a small boy – and, of all things, go to art school. Parents did not approve!
How can retailers increase sales and profitability?
I should imagine most, if not all, retailers will tell you that they are doing all they can as it is. The old adage ‘the right product at the right price’ is still relevant, and selecting the right products is very much dependant on what the retailer identifies as being their prime market.
It’s also worthwhile remembering that value means different things to different people and is not always associated entirely with price – quality at a given price point comes into it also, particularly at the mid- to upper-end of the market. With such a wide choice available to buyers, it’s vital that they know their audience and also look to exploit emerging opportunities, as the demographics of an area and the high street change.
What can retailers do to improve their marketing strategy?
Define their core market and select accordingly, and provide a good spread of products and varying price ranges and present them to potential customers in an inviting and appealing way – dressed well with cushions, parasols, table settings etc, so that people can picture them in-situ at home.
Encourage the customer to desire that furniture set in their outdoor room, to sit there with a glass of their favourite tipple in hand. Give people a picture of how it could be. Another vital ingredient is to have well-trained staff who know the products and can answer customer questions with assurance. Followed up by a good after-sales service.
What brings a smile to your face in this industry?
Not so much a smile as a look of complete astonishment when attending my first SPOGA exhibition in Cologne in the late Eighties. It seemed to me to be hall after hall packed with nothing but a vast sea of white resin outdoor furniture, most of which I could not differentiate between. A thought kept going through my slightly bewildered brain – 'who buys all this stuff?’ But a more pertinent question is ‘where is it all now?’
This is an extract from an article published previously in Furniture News magazine. For more stories like this, you can subscribe to receive a regular physical copy of the magazine, or to have a free digital issue delivered to your inbox each month.
