'Fair great for building brand image, networking'

REGULAR vendors at the Consumer Fair are capitalising on public walk-ins to further strengthen customer networking, establish brand identity and to increase spending locally.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Angus Niu, the Sales and Marketing manager of PanaCom Sdn Bhd, an authorised distributor of Philips and Samsung, said that the company has a needs-based selling approach in helping customers choose their products.

"Before buying anything we will ask what they want and their allocated budget. It is not much use to offer something they clearly cannot pay for," he said.

Taking into account the reality of the credit crunch, Angus said the company is more focused on introducing brands to catch the public's attention by giving them more product information.

"Most of the time, the public take advantage of our discounts that are exclusive to the fair so they purchase on the spot when they can. However, in the event that they miss out, they will still be able to get their hands on the brand because of our previous consultation which makes them more informed on their purchases," he said.

When asked about competition from overseas, Angus is unfazed at the prospect. Recognising the advent of digital broadcasting and demand surge for High Definition Television (HDTV), he expanded on certain aspects of purchasing locally, such as the built in High Definition (HD) receivers for capturing local HD broadcast and cooperation with banks.

"The built in receiver for local broadcast is only available within the country. Apart from that, you can also make use of partnerships that the company has with banks which entitles waivering of processing fees when using facilities for your purchase," Angus said.

Concepts Computer Marketing Executive expressed the importance of building customer relations during the fair as pivotal to business growth.

"We are not aiming to make quick money during this fair. Once we establish networking with our customers, it only gives them all the more reason to come back to us for their needs, " said Zul Abdul Rahman who further propagated the message of buying locally. "Sure, the price could be cheaper overseas, but what if the product breaks down? Realistically speaking, you would have to spend even more money and precious time by travelling back and forth long distances, all of which you do not face when you purchase locally," he said.

The marketing executive explained in order to get the best bang for the buck, better services and warranty trumps over cheap pricing.

"Price war is actually detrimental to local businesses because it rarely generates income considering the small population of the country. Instead we should focus on improving customer experience and service," he said adding that cheaper is not always better.

The Marketing Executive summarised that persistent participation in the fair will solidify the brand name and have customers showing up at their retail stores even after the fair has concluded.

Both businesses have been participating vendors since the very first Consumer Fair. The Brunei Times