I know a couple that committed a cardinal sin the other day.
Well, a cardinal sin in my book, anyway. They bought a £25k kitchen from Wren.
The couple in question know me well enough to know better. Over the past year, I’ve made it clear to them the benefits they’ll get by going to a great independent retailer, of which I know a few.
As you might expect, I attempted to give them a bit of a hard time about this decision, but quickly it became clear that the fault didn’t lie with them.
Despite having been ‘in the market’ for nearly a year, they haven’t received a single bit of kitchen marketing from ANY independent retailer in their area.
No flyer through the door. No Facebook or Instagram ads. No editorial in the local glossy. Nothing.
I asked them to name at least one local independent kitchen retailer, and they simply didn’t have a clue.
That should be pretty sobering for any independent and should make you question whether you’re doing enough to get your brand out there locally – that’s point one.
But here’s a wider point: are you aware of how many kitchens you’re losing to the big brands?
Plenty of independents struggle to get their positioning right. I’ve had numerous conversations with kitchen businesses struggling to articulate how they’re different from their competitors.
Most of those businesses are asking the wrong question.
The big chains sell 85% of kitchens in the UK – and they’re selling more of your valued kitchens than you may care to think about.
Rather than trying and failing to position yourself to stand out against other independents in your area, why not position your business against the big sheds?
It’s easier to articulate and communicate, and quite frankly, that’s where a load of the business that should be yours is going.