Rainbowsol goes into the country [+ Podcast].

'Direct communication with consumers is becoming more normal'

"The lightning-fast digital technological developments of the last few years have been and remain an interesting voyage of discovery, and fair is fair, at Rainbowsol we are still learning new things in that area every day." Speaking is Robert Bosch, responsible for sales of the Rainbow Collection in the Netherlands. "Whereas until a few years ago I only spoke to the specialist trade, there has now been a shift due to technological developments and we now also communicate directly with the consumer, the end user." 

Robert hastens to say right away that Rainbowsol has absolutely no ambition to deliver directly to consumers. "We are not set up for that at all and, moreover, it is the dealers who, for example, make the measuring appointments and can give the best advice on site. That is something we as a manufacturer should not want to do at all. What we do do, and what will also increase, is direct communication with the consumer." 

Consumer site

Robert refers to Rainbow Collection's consumer site that was launched three years ago. "At one point it was really no longer a discussion, that site just had to be there, because consumers were looking for us with their questions. So we also wanted to become more visible in the digital search engines. We also saw it as our task to support our dealers in making their companies more visible, so that together we could serve those inquiring and curious consumers. We invested a lot in that and it is now paying off. Consumers orient themselves on our site, can even request a quotation, after which it is up to the local specialist dealer. For the third year in a row, these requests show an upward trend. As far as we are concerned, it is excellent to communicate with the consumer in this way." 

Monthly Price

Robert, usually accompanied by one of his colleagues, regularly visits consumers in their homes. "No way, I don't just ring someone's doorbell to sell a blinds!" he laughs. "That awning from the Rainbow Collection has long since been sold by a local dealer. But, once a month I award a consumer the monthly prize from our photo promotion. Consumers can upload photos of their purchase of an articulated or drop screen or roller shutter on our website. We can then use that visual material for our marketing and communication purposes. The nice thing is that we can then also spend an hour in conversation with the consumer. It's not just a happy moment because of the bol.com coupons we then hand over, which the consumer is obviously very excited about. It is also an opportunity to let the consumer himself tell the story of what the considerations were for making the purchase. Every time again this provides me with new inspiration. And - not unimportantly - consumers themselves also really enjoy receiving 'the manufacturer' in person at home. They sometimes even see it as an honor!"

So as far as Robert is concerned, a sun protection manufacturer can no longer hide in today's fast-paced digital age. "As far as we are concerned, anno 2023, communication from the manufacturer to the end user has become the standard."