The ERT Turning Point Live Conference took place last week – on the same day as the prestigious ERT Awards in London.
Hosted by ERT Editor, Jack Cheeseman, the Conference – which was sponsored by Electrical Safety First – featured a number of topical presentations from industry experts – including some familiar faces who returned from previous years’ Conferences – on future prospects for the electrical retail industry, while the retailer panel came together to share their views on the sector and the biggest issues faces their businesses at the moment… including the hot topic of manufacturers selling direct to consumers.
Jack Cheeseman kicked things off with his introductory speech. “In these strange and challenging times, retailers need to make the most of every single person that walks through their shop door, or that lands on their website,” he said.
“Thankfully, manufacturers continue to provide lots of tempting reasons for people to spend as they are always bringing out the latest and greatest home entertainment and home appliance solutions. And this relationship between the brand and the retailer has never been more important.”
This was one of the topics discussed in the retail panel at the end of the Conference.
The first speaker to the stage was Nick Simon from GfK. As has become customary, Nick provided his review of the market performance covering TV, audio, smart tech and home appliances.
This was followed by Adrian Simpson from the British Retail Consortium, who addressed the changing regulations in retail, such as UKCA marking and Right to Repair, and explained what retailers will need to pay particular attention to in 2023.
Next in the line-up was Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First. He told attendees all about this year’s ESF Product Safety Conference – all the topics that will be covered at the event and the speakers set to appear.
At this point in the morning, the topic of sustainability was continued. Jack Cheeseman returned to the stage to introduce video content from AMDEA and Electrolux – they were the two sustainability partners for the day. With their help and support, the ERT Turning Point Conference and ERT Awards 2022 was a Certified Carbon Neutral event!
These videos can be viewed on the ERT Turning Point Conference/Awards website.
Next on the morning was Daniel Todaro, from Gekko Field Marketing; he and Jack Cheeseman sat down to speak about Gekko’s recent research into changing consumer behaviours, and how retailers can still appeal to their customers during tough times ahead.
After this came Emma Louise Smith from Moxie Business Marketing. She highlighted emerging retail trends for the year ahead and how retailers can succeed with more consumer-focused marketing.
Lastly, no Turning Point Conference would be complete without hearing from a panel of electrical retailers.
This year it was Tim Moss from Moss of Bath, Lyn Knight from Abbey Appliances, and Paul Mead from Michael R Peters. They came together to discuss the issues that matter to them and how they are making sure they continue to offer something unique.
Following the Turning Point Live Conference, of course, was the ERT Awards 2022 welcome drinks reception, followed by the ceremony itself!
Click here to find out who took home one of the coveted ERT Awards trophies!
