By James Wells
SYDNEY: In an exclusive one-on-one interview, bagless vacuum cleaner pioneer, James Dyson told Current.com.au today that Australian retailers are the best salespeople in the world.
Dyson is visiting Australia for the first time in two years to launch the AirBlade hand dryer which features the company’s digital motor that results in an air stream or ‘blade’ at speeds of 560km/hr.
Although the purpose of the visit was to launch the AirBlade at the Reece Design Centre in Surry Hills, Dyson told Current.com.au that he is still fascinated with his vacuum cleaners, which lead the local market.
“We are continuing to develop new ideas for vacuum cleaners – that’s our main business. I’m having fun with vacuum cleaners,” said Dyson, pointing to his recently released handheld product which has managed to sustain retail pricepoints well in excess of competitors in the category.
As the local subsidiary enters its second decade of operation, Dyson remains extremely complimentary of the retailers which have helped him obtain such a dominant market position.
“Australia is the best sales environment in the world. Nowhere in the world do we get the best in-store selling experience like in Australia – I am constantly amazed at how good it is. No other country in the world conducts so many demonstrations.
“The retailers we have here see the need to be knowledgeable, to inform consumers and to answer questions, demonstrate and prove things to the consumer. It doesn’t exist in such a way anywhere else in the world,” Dyson said.
“I wish we had our retailing system elsewhere in the world. The only country that comes close is Japan. Harvey Norman is trying it and they have set themselves up in Ireland and those stores are fantastic – it is a system that has really worked.
“To me the most important thing is to keep innovating, keep showing how you can do things better.
“We will continue to develop new technology and products that do things better and we will be pushing boundaries and pressing forward and making it available for retailers that are excited and make consumers happy to use them. We are delighted with the active way that retailers in Australia sell our products.
“In our development areas, we have 200 people constantly trying to break products and we have machines that are trying to do the same thing. We can be innovative which means we can bring out ideas, which means when we bring them out they will be 100 per cent reliable and it puts us way ahead of those that stick to the traditional ways or just copy what other people do.”