{"id":1824,"date":"2016-10-16T17:04:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-16T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/?p=1824"},"modified":"2024-08-01T17:51:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T15:51:49","slug":"understanding-the-uk-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/en\/understanding-the-uk-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the UK market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"538\" height=\"218\" src=\"https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/London-city-538x218-1.jpg\" alt=\"City London\" class=\"wp-image-1830\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/London-city-538x218-1.jpg 538w, https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/London-city-538x218-1-300x122.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 538px) 100vw, 538px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As I was preparing my trip to the&nbsp;<strong>Language Show London<\/strong>, I decided to focus my social media coverage on the United Kingdom for a few days and to&nbsp;<strong>provide some perspective to entrepreneurs willing to do business with\/expand to the UK<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I preferred to choose a different approach than&nbsp;simply collecting data on the internet, and to provide you with an insider\u2019s view by interviewing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/clairejohnston1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Claire Johnston<\/a>,&nbsp;<strong>British marketing specialist<\/strong>&nbsp;with an extensive international experience, and&nbsp;<strong>Director<\/strong>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bonboncommunications.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BonBon Communications &amp; Events<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire and I met at Procter &amp; Gamble in Geneva, Switzerland in 2008, while she was working as a Marketing and Communications Functional Expert. She&nbsp;has a strong international experience (UK, France, Switzerland and Australia) and has worked across various sectors (FMCG, Not for profit, government and SME), which gives her a good understanding of operating cross culturally and, most importantly,&nbsp;to share some useful information and advice about the&nbsp;<strong>UK market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few facts about the British market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>London is the most important financial marketplace in Europe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 2015, the UK was the second exporter\/<strong>fifth importer in terms of commercial services<\/strong>\u00a0and the tenth exporter\/<strong>fifth importer in terms of goods<\/strong>\u00a0(worldwide)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The UK is one of the European leaders for\u00a0<strong>e-commerce<\/strong>\u00a0(including online sales done via mobile devices): +11% in 2015 and +11% also expected in 2016 (<em>source: IMRG<\/em>).\u00a0<strong>Average annual spend per e-shopper is \u20ac3,625<\/strong>\u00a0(<em>source Asendia<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sectors with a strong potential: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), biotechnology, aeronautics, defense and renewables energies (<em>source: MOCI<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite the Brexit vote, the economic activity\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business-36956418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seems to have remained quite stable so far<\/a>. The GDP growth forecast is +1.8% for 2016 and +1% for 2017\u00a0<em>(source: BBC)<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"339\" src=\"https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/E-commerce-UK-2015.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/E-commerce-UK-2015.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sjscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/E-commerce-UK-2015-300x170.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perspectives on the UK market by Claire Johnston<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hello Claire. Can you introduce BonBon Communications &amp; Events to our readers?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>BonBon Communications &amp; Events<\/strong>\u00a0is a specialist marketing communications &amp; events management consultancy that I established, following many years being based overseas with the aim of\u00a0<strong>supporting businesses to identify and engage with their customers, locally, nationally and internationally<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 we offer 4 core areas of support, covering: marketing communications\/brand &amp; PR, social media strategy, events &amp; exhibition management and internal communications\/employee engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We have worked with clients of varying sizes from start-ups,\u00a0<strong>helping them to build a brand profile<\/strong>, mid-large organisation\u2019s that cover international markets and a global workforce and also those based overseas,\u00a0<strong>helping to introduce new brands into the UK market<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How would you say Brits perceive French and Swiss entrepreneurs and products?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Brits love all things French<\/strong>\u00a0and depending on industry\/product type I would say that\u00a0<strong>style, passion and good taste, would be the assumed perception<\/strong>\u00a0over reliability and trust.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Swiss however are known for high quality and reliability, therefore trust.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In either case,\u00a0<strong>I would pay a higher price point<\/strong>\u00a0for a product based on these perceptions and believe many consumers across the UK would too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can you share some basics about the British business etiquette?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes of course, Brits are by nature, quite reserved, over polite, apologize frequently (\u201cI\u2019m sorry but would you mind closing the window\u201d) and over explain themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However generally in business,\u00a0<strong>Brits are honest, to the point and can be trusted to have high levels of integrity<\/strong>, with a \u2018<strong>have a go\u2019 attitude to get things done<\/strong>, even if it means skipping lunch, existing on copious amounts of milky black tea (which is lost on the French).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the must-know in terms of communication in the UK?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>British communication style is a mix of direct\/indirect<\/strong>\u00a0which can be confusing x-culturally,\u00a0<strong>the best thing to remember is KISS<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Keep It Simple Stupid. i.e. keep written work and presentation material\u00a0<strong>short<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>concise<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>to the point<\/strong>, particularly when presenting data but also to avoid the key messages getting lost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t be afraid to inject a little humor<\/strong>, as this is often appreciated by the British, however be careful to ensure that you understand the meaning of any attempt, to avoid embarrasment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Would you say that good written communication is important to do business in the UK? Why?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes, absolutely,\u00a0<strong>it\u2019s vitally important that any companies that are looking to start doing business in the UK, thoroughly research their market\/target audience to ensure that their marketing messages don\u2019t get lost in translation<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 what\u2019s relevant in one market, might not be in another.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Therefore\u00a0<strong>it may be necessary to adapt<\/strong>\u00a0and take a different approach to ensure success.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Has any success story been inspiring you?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I am constantly amazed at how many entrepreneurs are out there, every day developing their ideas into a business or new brand and quite often not getting the publicity they deserve.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One story that really inspires me, is\u00a0<strong>the growth of Micro-scooter\u2019s in the UK<\/strong>. 10 years ago, anyone that had spent time in Switzerland would know this brand as most children, even tiny kids could be seen on the sturdy 3 wheeled frame, my own daughter had one aged 3 and I constantly used to go on about how innovative and unique these products were, in comparison to those seen in the UK. As it was, around the same time, a mum in Clapham, London, happened to have the same feeling and decided that the UK should have these products, so her and a friend contacted the head office in Switzerland and became UK distributors (with very little experience) 10 years on,\u00a0<strong>with the company using a mum ambassador strategy<\/strong>, which clearly works,\u00a0<strong>these scooters can be seen virtually everywhere and the company is a super success story with over 1 million sold in the UK to date<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Would you have some advice for entrepreneurs willing to expand to\/reach the UK market?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The most important thing is to\u00a0<strong>thoroughly research your market<\/strong>\u00a0and the competition, why would your product work, is there a gap?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then research your target demographic,<strong>\u00a0spend time on the ground<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>consider using a local partner who understands the UK market<\/strong>\u00a0to act as an advocate for the brand and develop the messaging you need on a local level.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exhibitions are a fantastic way to meet buyers F2F and also key trade publications, so\u00a0<strong>consider attending relevant shows<\/strong>, both as a form of research, but also as an exhibitor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who should foreign businesses turn to when first approaching the UK market?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The UK government has a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/department-for-international-trade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UK Trade &amp; Investment department\u00a0<\/a>that can help support businesses that are looking to start doing business in the UK<\/strong>. I worked for this department when based in Australia, it does come with a cost, but could be a great way to research the opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>My own business has also been established to help support new businesses on a local level<\/strong>\u00a0and I have recently been working with some overseas companies not yet seen in the UK, developing brand strategy and distribution opportunities here in the UK.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bonboncommunications.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.bonboncommunications.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Doing business in the UK: Additional useful websites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>World Bank Group \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.doingbusiness.org\/data\/exploreeconomies\/united-kingdom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Doing Business UK<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Hufftington Post \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/lisa-mirza-grotts\/doing-business-in-the-uni_b_4881472.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cross-cultural Business Etiquette<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brian Cave \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bryancave.com\/images\/content\/1\/8\/v2\/1819\/DoingBusiness-UK2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Doing Business UK Report<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I was preparing my trip to the&nbsp;Language Show London, I decided to focus my social media coverage on the United Kingdom for a few days and to&nbsp;provide some perspective 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