Mark Pearson: ‘Clients are able to do a lot more research now’
As part of kbbreview's 40th anniversary celebrations, we ask Mark Pearson, former KBB retailer, and Taylist Media's own events and operations director, about how he's seen the industry evolve from his unique vantage point in the KBB sector
Q: How did you come to enter the industry, and what was your role?
A: When I started, I was just a Saturday boy working in the showrooms for the Mitchell Brothers who ran a wallpaper empire, but then we went into furniture, then tiles, then bathrooms in 1984. After that, I went to work for Porcelanosa, and in 2007, I moved to the media and publishing side of the KBB industry. That gave me a unique perspective because suddenly the brands that I used to view as suppliers suddenly became my own clients.
Q: Speaking of which, how have supplier relationships changed since the 1980s?
A: Back then, the industry was very insular, and your world centred around the brands and their sales reps that would come into your showrooms and you’d become friends with. It wasn’t like it was now – the universe you knew was really only centred around the brands that you actually worked with, but now there’s a lot more going on that you have to know about.
Q: How was product diversity back then? Was it easier when there was less choice in the market?
A: I don’t think the principles of building relationships with your suppliers, selling more of their products, and carving out a better deal on that basis has probably fundamentally changed. You’re always going to be governed by the space you have available in the showroom. Obviously you want to show the products well, particularly when you’re trying to display in room layouts. But I don’t think the diversity of choice is more of a challenge in that respect, because at end of the day, all those products need to be functional, and they all still have the same purpose now that they did back then.
Q: Across your career, did you notice a change in how customers shop?
A: Before consumers even hit the showroom, they’ve probably done a lot more research than they were really able or had the time to do back then. So I think any customer walking through the door nowadays is going to be more of an expert than they were then. They’ve probably even carved out in their mind what brands they want to associate their new room with. Back in the day, the most popular question I’d get asked is recall is what’s the most popular colour? And I seem to I seem to recall it was almost always Pergamon.
You can listen to the full interview with Mark, as well as other retailers, on an upcoming episode of the kbbreview podcast.