Running with the single-brand revolution
Few markets are more exciting than that of today’s high-end business IT solutions. With sectors ranging across education, retail, government, public sector and hospitality, technology is increasingly considered standard in today’s complex and sophisticated digital world. Every year, more products enter the market, all with their functionality and interoperability expanding fast.
The broadcast industry’s switch to digital and HD, together with increased demand for interoperability between related communication and entertainment devices, all overlaid with new energy regulations and even eco considerations – all of these imperatives will impact on the business world – and its budgets – long before they become consumer considerations. As a large, international corporation, LG has long watched these trends as they impact upon various parts of the globe and we believe the UK market is now ripe for development.
The B2B market is not exactly new to LG; our business solutions offerings are well established in other parts of the world, with the business division clocking up worldwide sales of some US$4.3bn in 2008 alone. What is new – and different – is how we plan to operate in the UK market. As a large, global company, LG focuses on the long-term and this is behind the timing of our strategic push into the UK market.
Rather than leap into the B2B fray with everyone else, LG quietly waited for the market to mature. During this time, we fostered key relationships with a small group of resellers and carried out extensive research and developed business solutions that give resellers and the B2B electronics channel what they’ve told us they want.
One key strategic decision – and competitive differentiator – in the launch of this programme is to maintain our indirect sales model; we will be the only manufacturer in the UK market to sell indirectly, through the reseller channel.
