FROM THE EDITOR
Making a feature of it
» LAST SUNDAY , I ATE MY EVENING meal , tidied up , locked all the doors and went upstairs . After the evening routine , I settled down to find something decent to watch on television and get into bed . It was 6pm . Since the streets were quiet , the light was fading and there was a distinct chill in the air , I ’ d wrongly assumed it was time for bed , without even checking the time .
This taught me three things . Summer is most definitely over . I need to start doing more with my weekends . And , from a publishing point of view , it ’ s time to start thinking about 2023 . In fact , I should ’ ve cottoned onto this already as we have already had requests for forward features in the last few weeks . As fenestration has evolved over the decades , and the world has changed beyond recognition in the past couple of years ; our industry and business in general has transformed in front of our very eyes – even since I joined Clearview in 2018 ( ish ).
Over this time , we have adapted and added to our features list to try and encompass everything that happens every day . When putting together the 2023 lists however , we decided to start from scratch . It was daunting at first but afterwards we feel satisfied we ’ ve got the perfect mix . What used to be commonplace several years ago may be niche now . Products we used to see as unusual are now very much the mainstream .
From materials and manufacturing to testing and technology ; fenestration adapts to and with people , products and processes . We think that publications in our industry should do the same . It ’ s perhaps also fitting that we are making this announcement – and the new features lists will be available – in October . This month has become ‘ Glazing Summit ’ month and we think nothing has summed up the importance of communication and collaboration in fenestration better in recent years .
Speaking of communication and collaboration . These new features aren ’ t a one-way street . We have redressed them to benefit all our contributors and readers . Keep an eye out on our social media for a sneak peek at the changes . Keep your calendar ( or Clearview wall planner ) close by to mark out the months you ’ re most interested in . And , most importantly , keep that content coming in .
PS . It might seem premature to be thinking about next year already , but we ’ re already halfway through our November issue and FYI the features are Aluminium Extra , Energy Efficiency and Testing & Certification .
See you next time , if not at Edgbaston . Gemma
MASTERING THE ART OF CONSISTENCY
By Wayne Heath , Sales Director , AluK
» THIS COULD BE A tough year ahead for the whole of the windows and doors market . The cost-of-living crisis means lots of consumers are already cutting back on their discretionary spending and there ’ s no sign yet of inflation peaking . It ’ s true that the aluminium market is likely to be better protected than PVC-U , given that buyers generally tend to be more affluent and aspirational , but I think we will see things get even more competitive – and not necessarily just on price .
It ’ s by no means all doom and gloom though . There are still plenty of opportunities out there for companies with the right product offering and with a proposition which represents consistent quality and value . Today ’ s tech savvy consumers research virtually everything online before they make any kind of purchase , and they want certainty that they are spending their money wisely – whether the driver for their investment is better energy efficiency , more natural light , improved security , or aesthetics .
As I ’ ve said before , having an effective website and digital marketing campaign , which increases understanding of your business and builds trust in your brand and the quality of your products and service , is absolutely key to generating enquiries .
When it comes to winning that business though , there was already a shift taking place away from old pricing models based around discounting of inflated list prices towards non-negotiable pricing with discounts based almost exclusively around order size and economies of scale – and that is accelerating .
Love them or hate them , we could probably all learn a lot from the likes of McDonalds and IKEA who have absolutely mastered the art of consistency – with the added attraction of transparent pricing and reliable customer service . In the second-hand car market too , big names such as Cinch and Cazoo have pioneered a transparent pricing model .
For years , I think there ’ s been far too much smoke and mirrors in our industry around pricing – from the systems company all the way to the installer and the homeowner and that just won ’ t be sustainable in the current market . Buyers at every point in the supply chain simply want suppliers to offer their best price based on consistent quality and optimum service efficiency , and there ’ s certainly a competitive advantage available right now to companies who are quick to recognise that .
uk . aluk . com
4 OCTOBER 2022 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM