A Touch More Success
Marco AndresenUK Country Manager
"Today we have the best product range, quality and value in the industry at all price points."
Acer successfully completed a turnaround, moving from a hardware vendor to an ITC (Information, Technology, Communication) company, offering hardware, services and solutions. An integral part of this turnaround was the re-adjustment of its strategy: Acer's operations have been optimised to streamline priorities and better understand the needs of today's business.
"We live in times where new technologies and design factors improve and simplify people's lives. Acer strives to break the barriers between people and technology. We aim to make great products available and affordable for everyone," says Marco Andresen, UK Country Manager. We have moved quickly from fixing to tuning, from turnaround to pursuing excellence. Operations have been optimised to streamline priorities to understand what we needed to do as a business and how we could best set up to accomplish the results. An important step was value creation for us and for our partners, by creating products and services that provide the best value for customers at any price point, and making it easy for our partners to sell our products.
Striking products for everyone
New flagships in the Acer range are the tablets Iconia Tab 8 and 10. A full HD display and high performance processor make these two devices ideal for entertainment at home or on the go. For those who also need to work from anywhere at any time, Acer offers the Iconia Tab 8 W that comes with a one-year Windows Office 365 subscription. All three tablets share a slim design, using aluminum alloy or Corning® Gorilla® Glass, which makes them extra robust. Acer is also adapting to new consumer needs with its wide portfolio of multi-mode devices, starting with the award-winning 2-in-1 Aspire Switch series, which allows up to four different usage modes by an easy to use snap hinge, to the new Aspire R series with up to six modes. Another hero is Acer's Aspire V Nitro, a powerful entertainment machine with a sleek and elegant design, which is the ideal companion for ‘modern explorers'. Acer's new commercial notebook series Extensa is just the right partner for SMBs or companies.
Attention to the max
These flagship products are featured in Acer's current ‘A Touch More' marketing campaign that is targeting ‘modern explorers' and style-savvy consumers. The global multichannel campaign is live since the end of 2013, with version 2.0 being launched at IFA 2014 to rekindle the excitement among consumers and partners. The marketing campaign is highlighting innovation in touchscreen technology and design, particularly focusing on the eye-catching and easy-to-use design of Acer's touch enabled notebooks, tablets, 2-in-1s and convertibles.
To ensure a consistent and premium brand experience at the point of sale, Acer launched an extensive Retail Experience Program as part of a global ‘go-to-market' strategy. The modular program will allow retailers to choose assets that fit their individual needs. For examples, e-tailers and retailers can choose from a diverse set of tailor-made assets that convey the Acer Brand. The program also includes a new, modular and customizable retail shop-in-shop concept as well as tailored promotional opportunities, promoter training and materials. "With our refocused strategy, new products and promotion efforts, we are making it easier than ever for our retail partners to sell our products - not only in the upcoming Christmas season," says Andresen.
The channel partners come first
100% of Acer's commercial sales are channel driven and this is key to the company's long-term growth strategy. Thus Acer has introduced a huge value driven channel program to reward their trustful partners. The so-called Synergy Partner Program includes the support by Acer's Account Managers and telesales teams as well as comprehensive product trainings for all channel partners. "We know that it is not only our winning product portfolio that makes Acer stronger than ever, it's the people who are selling them, our channel partners," says Andresen. "With our winning product portfolio, extended business support and marketing program we are the first choice for a touch more success together with our partners."