KitchenAid, a brand with the most complete collection of premium appliances and kitchenware in the industry, is all set to launch its cutlery line and it’s coffee making products – craft coffee machines and high performance blender to name a few – over the next 10 months in India.
The brand, which is a household name in the West, has forayed into the Indian markets under the ownership of Whirlpool, leading manufacturer of refrigerators and washing machines in India.
KitchenAid prides itself on developing new, and extensive line of designer kitchen accessories, especially geared to meet the high standards of amateur chefs, home cooks and cooking enthusiasts in general, to help them prepare delicious dishes.
The brand aims to bring products that have the capability to churn out restaurant quality food in homes. The idea behind the inception of the company was to provide people with kitchen equipment that not just to accommodates, but optimizes different cooking styles and technologies.
KitchenAid – which is three-years-old in India – is now looking to create brand evangelism by word of mouth.
In an exclusive interview with Indiaretailing, Director India, KitchenAid Small Appliances, Sachin Phartiyal, says, “We have introduced our products to limited trade partners and at limited outlets. We have a policy to reach niche customers. Currently, we are available at 85-90 active outlets and on two e-commerce sites. By the end of this year, we are looking at 125-130 outlets and four or five online players.”
The brand is planning to introduce their entire range in Tier III and Tier IV cities in next four to five years. But as far as Tier I and Tier II cities are concerned, it is experiencing an equal demand.
“Food habits are changing, and expectations from appliances are also changing. Our niche audience is not just looking for any regular kitchen appliance. They demand food of the kind of quality that is offered in professional set ups. That’s the gap we are trying to bridge with our kitchen equipment,” says Phartiyal.
The promotion and marketing strategy of the brand is different from other competitive brands. It concentrates on targeted focused campaigns – masterclass with chefs and associating with various cookery shows on TV rather newspaper advertisements.
Phartiyal says, “We have adopted an Omnichannel approach. For online, we have our own website and we also sell on third party sites like Amazon and Tata Unistore. As far as offline is concerned, we are focusing on HoReCa suppliers for professional products and retail electronic and appliances store. We are also focusing on culinary schools and shop-in-shop. All these channels contribute to our business currently. It is the ecosystem that we target in every city.”
“More than marketing – ATL or BTL activities – our main focus is making sure we give the customers the right product. Advertisments and carpet-bombing is not what we stand for. Word of mouth is more important for us than any other marketing form,” he adds.
“We are expecting online to contribute 15 per cent of our sales that includes our own website and third part seller that we are associated with. Last year, the number was 8-10 per cent. Next year, we are expecting online to contribute 17-18 per cent of our sales,” he says.
“Last year we grew about 85-90 per cent and this year again targeting a growth of 85-90 per cent from our offline channel. Year on year compounded annual growth rate is upwards of 80-82 per cent. By 2018, we are expecting the CAGR in the range of 55-60 per cent as we cover more cities and more channel partners. We are expecting 20 per cent growth to be attributed by new category. We are looking forward to grow the business 60-70 per cent in next three to four years.”
Since the introduction of its legendary stand mixer in 1919, KitchenAid has built on the legacy of these icons to create a complete line of products designed for cooks.
Today, the KitchenAid brand offers virtually every essential for the well-equipped kitchen with a collection that includes everything from countertop appliances to cookware, sturdy bakeware or even innovative kitchen tools. All KitchenAid appliances are synonymous with fine craftsmanship, durability, the finest materials, robustness and painstaking attention to detail.
The manufacturing unit of KitchenAid is at Greenville Ohio in US and it does a lot of strategic sourcing from different countries like from China, Germany, Italy.
Almost three year old brand in India, is creating brand evangalism by word of mouth and making consumers understand about their products because of their unique range of products
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