Network potential

Chamberlain GmbH located in the German town of Saarwellingen, has been active in the European DIY market for more than 20 years. The company is part of the Chamberlain Group with its headquarter in Elmhurst (USA) and is specialised in the development and production of drive systems for garages and external gates as well as shutters. Intelligent control technology, functional design and high performance and energy efficient drives are the core characteristics of the product range. Apart from Germany, the main sales areas include Austria and Switzerland and in particular the Benelux countries and France.
The most important sales mainstays are the DIY and home improvement stores. The products are listed by practically every big supplier, whereby flexible and individual cooperation goes without saying. For example, customers at the Bauhaus chain store currently benefit from an exclusive sales display: immediate assistance is on hand and attractive products laid out by means of digital information using an intuitive touch screen as well as clear product placement. "The integration of the online with the offline world offers new marketing potential for the POS. At Bauhaus the employees in the branches as well as the end consumer benefit from the advantages of digitalisation", explains Nicolas Hollenberg, Sales & Brand Marketing Manager Retail at Chamberlain.

Furthermore, the large e-commerce platforms are a crucial sales channel. "For us, our main focus formerly as well as currently, is reliable information in text and photo format, a recognizable visual imagery and the presentation of the Chamberlain brand. As a result of this online marketplace presence, we can even support our partners in the bricks and mortar trade, instead of prompting a cannibalisation effect", says Hollenberg.
An important topic for Chamberlain is the role of Smart Homes. Nowadays, most garage doors can already be operated and controlled with Gateway and MyQ App anytime and from almost anywhere. Chamberlain sees considerable development potential in this segment even though the domestic markets show noticeable differences. Hollenberg: "We expect a huge boost from a joint project with Apple. We're currently working on the integration of our product range with the HomeKit…