A problem solver

"The challenge was to take account of the changes in the paint market and the statutory regulations," says Roland Skibbe, managing director of Ciret GmbH, "and develop concepts that meet both the demands of consumers and the expectations of DIY store operators in respect of product offering and range management."
Studies conducted by Ciret revealed consumers who were often overwhelmed when shopping for painting tools in DIY stores. Confusion arose over the choice of product, due in particular to the technical pro­duct descriptions for plush fabrics on paint rollers, the wide variety of brushes available for paints and varnishes and the minimal project reference in the presentation of painting tools at the POS.
The new concept had to be applicable on the one hand to all DIY operator formats, whether branches, franchisees or cooperatives, and on the other it had to reconcile the requirements specified by retailers and consumers. Working with paint manufacturers played a key role here, as a perfect result depends on an accurate match between paint-lacquer-varnish and painting tool. Sustainability was also to be taken into account.
Ciret's internal objective was to revitalise the painting tool range, make it appear significantly more consumer-oriented and offer products with which even novice DIYers could achieve results similar to the professionals. A holistic POS concept was to be developed that could be adapted flexibly to the individual requirements of respective retail customers and took account of factors such as shelving design, product range focus, addressing specific target groups (e.g. tradespeople) and adaptation in the case of private labels.
An internal and external inventory was first taken and on this basis the new position "There's a pro inside everyone" was identified and established. Extensive consumer surveys yielded important findings regarding buying habits and application preferences. Valuable insights from professional users were transferred to products for the DIY enthusiast by a transfer of know-how from the trade business of sister company Storch to the Ciret Color Expert business unit at assortment workshops covering various business units.

Work was carried out with external product designers to adapt the new products from the…