Barthelmess VM-Magazine asks 5 questions to Luis Hinojar

1.Having a look at your company´s values and its philosophy one can often find the term of “innovation”. In your opinion, what are the characteristics of an innovative company in general and what does innovation particularly mean for your company Ecler and for the cooperation with your clients?

Innovation means to serve customers and to get customer satisfaction in a different way than existing patterns. It means to create new concepts to improve customer experience. Sometimes these concepts can be disruptive (breaking rules) and sometimes just minor changes. Everything is about fulfilling existing customer needs and in some cases is related to detect future needs that customer is not aware of. 

Ecler produces technology (professional audio) but technology is just a tool… you need to think how to create a clear value to your customer. And to bring value means most of the times to be innovative.

2.Ecler has more than 50 years of experience in the sector of audio solutions. But of course experience is not the only reason why renowned retail brands like Nike, Benneton, H&M, etc. choose Ecler as a partner for their store concepts. What other reasons could you imagine?

Well, first of all Ecler brings a premium sound quality and brands want their customers to enjoy back-ground music and to understand audio messages (perfect intelligibility). Secondly Ecler cares about design, we can offer a unique range of loudspeaker formats to convince the brand interior designers: in-ceiling, in-wall, surface mounted, corner, pendant, light-rail… Sometimes interior designers wish to give personality to the shop by using certain speakers, i.e. our AUDEO series designed by well-known Italian company GIUGIARO (ITALDESIGN); but other times the decorator prefers to mimic or hide the loudspeakers and this is one of the reasons why last year we launched our TRAIL103, a loudspeaker with the shape of a spotlight that it is installed in the light rail…

Another point is that we bring solutions that are energy efficient and we use ecological packaging and non contaminant components. Therefore retail brands can use these green facts into their social responsibility communication campaigns.    

3.What role does sensory marketing play in modern retail stores today?

Technological advances speed innovation. Just one clear example: on-line shopping was not a key issue 15 years ago. Nowadays it is very important and this affects to the retail store concept. Brands need to think how to attract people to the shop and make them live a great experience. And logically sensory marketing plays a key role on this because at the end of the day a positive experience is related to positive emotions … and music helps to create this atmosphere

4.Most people surely think that visual, haptic, or even olfactory perception are the most important elements when it comes to sensory marketing in the retail sector. But what role does auditory perception play for a successful store concept?

It has been tested that people has a 65% chance of a positive mood change when exposed to “positive” sounds. Music affects the consumer’s behaviour. The genre, loudness and tempo of music played have an effect on the consumer’s length of stay, the value of their purchases, and the brands they choose in the establishment.

5.Let´s have a look into the (near) future. What do you think does retail look like in 2030? What kind of new ideas/new products can we expect in the sector of audio solutions for the retail market?

I can see the merge of on-line and off-line in the retail store concept (i.e. spaces for parcel collection).

Sensory marketing will continue to be essential in the stores. Stores will be “the showroom” of the brand and this means bigger spaces (flagships) with different areas and shows to attract people. We will have augmented reality, smart mirrors, immersive experiences…

Shoppers will be treated individually by virtual assistants and will get suggestions based on past purchase or customer profile. Smart phones will be the link between the store and the shopper (data flow). There will be an increase number of apps and brands will use them to attract and retain customers at the shop (shoppers will get benefits). Stores will be able to measure and analyze all customer purchase behavior (what, when, how…) 

Green facts will be increasingly important because society is more and more sensible to planet preservation. To offer sustainable solutions will be rewarded by customers.