Discover the Consumer
Discover the Consumer Lifestyle World! Daily, starting at 10 a.m., trade visitors will be able to obtain background information on industry trends and product debuts relating to key topics at IFA 2009. Morning daily tours for trade visitors will begin at 10 a.m. at the Trade Visitor Reception in Hall 1.1 / 2.1 at the South Entrance. Afternoon tours will begin daily at 1.30 p.m. in Hall 24. Eight theme tours are scheduled, with visits to 3 to 4 leading brand manufacturers respectively. TOpIcS OF ThE mORnIng TOURS FOR TRADE VISITORS home cinema (TV and audio) Home Cinema represents a genuine home movie experience and conjures a desire for higher quality sets for listening and viewing. IpTV / web TV With IPTV, viewers are able to receive TV programmes via an internet connection. As well as allowing telephone and internet access a telephone connection also makes it possible to watch television. Web TV enables broadband transmission of television programmes and movies over the internet. The only difference is in the quality of the transmissions. 3D TV 3D television is a hot topic at IFA. 3D television captures numerous different viewing angles and employs a 3D screen to realistically reproduce TV programmes in three dimensions. Large home appliances – ecology The manufacturers of domestic appliances have long been aiming to employ modern concepts to improve energy efficiency and increase resource savings. Thus from 1997 to 2007, a 30 per cent increase in energy savings was achieved for washing machines, 40 per cent for dishwashers, and even around 45 per cent for refrigerators. TRADE VISITORS’ TOUR TOpIcS OF ThE AFTERnOOn TOURS FOR TRADE VISITORS Wireless hDTV The first wireless television sets in full high-definition quality are one of the highlights at IFA. All connections are wired into an external media box which transmits wireless audio and video signals to the television set with no loss in quality. Entertainment centres / media servers Media centres represent a collection of numerous multimedia programmes on a common graphical user interface (media servers). They combine devices which store mp3 or mpeg files and play them back over a television set or hifi system. IFA 2009 Digital imaging (photos / videos) Digital imaging describes all stages of electronic image processing. Source materials are digital images and videos produced by digital cameras, but also slides and negatives digitalised using scanners. Digital imaging consists of processing, editing, archiving and presenting these media using computers, as well as printing and duplicating photos. Small home appliances – lifestyle The latest domestic appliances not only make life better and easier, but are also pioneering lifestyle trends with easy-to-use, stylish control panels, intelligent technology, outstanding design and efficient energy usage. Please note: the guided tours are all in German, there are no English ones.
trade news sUPersIZe strateGIes LarGe format It/Ce stores roLL oUt aCross eUroPe By Emmanuel Poidevin The trend towards largeformat IT/CE stores in Europe is gathering momentum. Here, Levin Consulting's European Director, Denis Floch, talks exclusively to IFA International. The European IT and Consumer Electronics (CE) worlds not only collided at last year's IFA, but they also bumped up against into each other at retail-store level. The new trend is towards superstores focused on selling PC products, brown goods and white goods. Among the major retailers setting the pace by opening large stores of 5,000 sq m or more are Dixons' Curry XXL, Media Markt - which has even opened several stores above 10,000 sq m - and Best Buy. With consumers now used to the ease of purchasing products online, the new IT/CE superstores are competing by offering onestop shops with the widest possible range and variety of products. The superstore format also enables retailers to merchandise their wares more effectively, thanks to Levin Consulting's Denis Floch larger POS (point of sale), dedicated category sections and more space in which to educate the consumer on product benefits. Space allows also the retailers to compete more effectively with their online rivals by carrying full category ranges. But there are also challenges to be tackled - not least footprint and real-estate availability. A store's regional performance and success are highly dependant on the available spending in its catchment area. Such statistics as population density, income levels, gender and demographic spread are all key when it comes to selecting locations. Another challenge is that affluent areas with high spending power are already over-crowded. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable locations to accommodate large format stores. However, the new superstores encapsulate the retailers' ambitions - to update their operations, reinforce their market presence and get as much product on as many shelves in front of as many consumers as possible. But the supersizing trend also heralds a change in the workplace, as store employees spend less time in the back room and behind counters and more on the shop floor helping consumers. So what type of store can we expect? As usual, the future isn't black and white, but numerous shades of grey. Among the factors influencing superstore development are urban planners, who are increasingly worried about emptying city centres, as consumers forsake the highstreet shops for out-of-town retail parks. An opposing trend sees brands and manufacturers - Apple is a typical example - opening their own stores and in-shop concepts. These outlets tend to have a more limited range of products, but they offer the consumer a closer relationship and a higher level of service. In view of this, it seems unlikely that the new IT/CE superstores spell the end of the smaller, specialist IT/CE stores. But having started their pan-European roll-out, the major retailers look set to continue to realise their supersize ambitions. BUYER’S VOICE “Ifa Is the maIn and onLy trade show In eUroPe where we Can meet oUr ChInese sUPPLIers.” In this section, every day we field the thoughts and opinions of buyers at IFA. Today, we are very happy to welcome Jean-Paul Seror, Chief Executive of JPS Marketing France What are your main reasons for coming to IFA? To meet with our current partners and look for new trends but also meet with new suppliers… Are your company's supply strategies changing at the moment? We haven’t changed our strategy so far as we address “niche markets” (such as accessories for iPod ) that haven’t been affected yet. How have issues of sustainable development been affecting your purchasing decisions? Those aspects affect mainly the manufacturers, not us as distributors. How important is IFA for you as a forum for learning more and "networking" and why? It is very important! It’s the only trade show in Europe where we can meet our Chinese suppliers. IFA International • Tuesday, 8 th September 2009 www.ifa-international.org 33
