European brand Beko eyes bigger share of Thai home appliances market
Beko, a leading European home appliance brand, is planning aggressive moves in 2022-23, with the goal of increasing brand awareness and achieving sales of 2 billion baht by next year.
Beko Thai's commercial director, Pornchai Trakultechadej, said in an interview the decision was made after the company discovered that less than one in 10 Thai people can still pronounce the proper name of Beko, despite the brand being in the country for seven years.
Some people recognised the brand, but not enough to switch to Beko, he noted.
He revealed that the company plans to double its marketing investment in the Thai market next year, with 85% of the budget, or approximately 200 million baht, going towards digital campaigns focusing on home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, and air-conditioners.
Meanwhile, Beko is targeting 200% growth in online channels with major domestic appliances to contribute around 13% of total market next year, excluding omnichannel.
"We expect our overall sales to reach 1.6 billion baht this year and more than 2 billion baht next year. We still view the overall market positively, as the country's economy is gradually recovering with the revival of the tourism and services industry," Pornchai said.
He believes that domestic consumption in the home appliances market has already begun to increase, and that the recovery of the tourism and service industries will provide some liquidity to Thai households, allowing them to replace some of their home appliances, particularly air-conditioners and refrigerators.
Besides, he noted that the increase in the electricity bill next year would push Thai consumers to look for energy-saving models of home appliances to replace old ones.
"Consumer trends today have shifted to emphasise healthy and sanitary living, which aligns with Beko's goal of promoting healthy living and sustainability through home appliances. As a result, we must raise brand awareness among our target group," said Pornchai.
Nattinee Techarungnirun, Beko Thai's marketing and product management director for Asia-Pacific, stated that Beko's business goal for 2023 is to build strong trust in power and growth while positioning itself as one of Thailand's top home appliance brands.
"Beko aims to increase brand exposure, brand preference, and drive sales conversion in Thailand, particularly with the help of the right influencers," Nattinee explained.
Recently, the company revealed its first official Thailand presenter, Bebe Thanchanok Ritnaka, who is highly regarded not only as a healthy lifestyle icon but also as a role model for the modern generation, successful in both work and health.
"We will achieve our goal thanks to our collaboration with Bebe and our advanced but affordable technology," Nattinee said.
She added that Beko's premium products segment is driving growth, focusing on pushing large capacity, front-load washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and coffee machines.
Beko is the international home appliances brand of Arçelik, a multinational household appliance manufacturer with 12 brands and 45,000 employees worldwide. It is now one of Europe's top three home-appliance brands, focusing on designing and manufacturing energy-efficient products for healthy living.
