Welcome to Influencers, our series that speaks with the heads of retailers, suppliers and industry bodies to find out what is happening in appliances and electronics and how different companies are shaping its future.
Today we visit with Brad Hales, the national marketing communications manager at Uniden Australia. He says Uniden will continue to market products in profitable categories to meet the desire for instantaneous gratification.
How has the first half of 2014 been for your business?
The first half of 2014 has been a challenging start. However, as a company, we are pleased with how we have traded. Despite the changing retail landscape, we have launched a couple of different product ranges in the market that have proven to be popular.
What are your predictions for the second half of the year?
We are looking at bringing additional experts on board as the company continues to focus on digital surveillance, baby monitors, crash cams and UHF CB radios as areas with projected growth.
Uniden is committed to offering products that cater to the needs of today’s consumers while remaining a profitable company. We will continue to deliver a more intuitive, seamless experience for customers by integrating built-in remote access or wireless technology — specifically mobile or smartphone app capabilities — to address these consumer trends.
With the increasing number of people seeking the instant gratification of capturing and sharing experiences via social media, we anticipate our in-car ‘crash camera’ products will continue to grow and expand in more channels.
What opportunities do you see for the electrical retailing industry?
From Uniden’s perspective, it’s positive to see retailers generating excitement on the emerging product categories as well as engaging more with customers on social media. Social media has helped drive our crash camera segment significantly.
We are also seeing a high volume of user generated content — captured while on the road — uploaded and shared amongst other road users and even a few retailers. This has helped create awareness for a product category that was unknown a little more than 12 months ago, to an established part of the market today.
What threats are currently present in the industry?
(Brad Hales chose not to answer this question.)
What is your favourite product of 2014 so far?
My favourite product of the year is our newest crash cam model, the iGO Cam 750. It’s a handy device that can capture all the on-road action and also reminds you when to slow down when driving.
