Scarlett: Cheap, but not angry

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It was only a matter of time before Russian companies entered the home appliance market. However, most of them still prefer to hide behind English names and produce goods in China.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, a flood of foreign household appliances flooded the Russian market. However, not everyone could afford a ticket to the world of convenience and comfort. This has led to the emergence of cheaper equipment on the market under brands that are little known or not at all known to consumers, with an average price 20% lower than the products of major brands.

Most of these offers came from Russian companies that are well acquainted with the realities of their own market. Savings on name, advertising and design, and the location of production in Asia allowed them to successfully compete with renowned Western companies in some cases.

Teapot "Tatiana Larina"

The creators of the Russian trademark Scarlett chose an English name for their brainchild. The reason, as in other similar cases, is simple and obvious. "Buyers" are still greedy for foreign names, and the magic phrases "Made in" and "joint venture" still significantly increase the chances of products finding their consumers.

However, Scarlett has not only a foreign name, but also a homeland – the trademark was registered in 1996 in the UK. Its owner, Arima Holding Corp. (in addition to Scarlett, it owns the rights to the Verloni brand (small household appliances) and Soundmax (audio equipment), and is also registered on the shores of Foggy Albion. According to company representatives, this is due to the fact that Arima Holding Corp. There are both Russian and British investors.

Even the name of the trademark was double at first – Scarlett England. This positioning served the company's first product well, an electric kettle, presented as a product from a country known for its ancient tea drinking traditions.

Perhaps the only thing that stands out from this series is the brand name itself, which unequivocally refers to the ocean. "The brand" was named after the heroine of Margaret Mitchell's novel Scarlett O'Hara ("well–wishers" like to emphasize the last syllable instead of the first – Scarlett), which reflects its focus primarily on the female audience – "economic, but not alien to the classics of literature and romance."

According to Scarlett's owners, 70% of their target audience are women. Therefore, Scarlett technology is positioned as easy to learn and further operate. The focus on the female audience is also reflected in the choice of products. It became small household appliances, for which a woman does not need an expert opinion to purchase.

"China" it happens differently

Scarlett's owners have never hidden that their products are made in China and Southeast Asia. Starting our own production in Russia is still the exception rather than the rule. In addition, the stereotype "Chinese production = poor quality" is gradually losing relevance. As in other countries, the quality of goods produced in Asia directly depends on the way production is organized and controlled.

Large Western companies, as a rule, open their own factories. Smaller ones are forced to place orders on existing ones – Scarlett went this way – and to control the quality of products even more strictly.

Today, Scarlett equipment is manufactured in factories that are among the top five manufacturers in the Southeastern region (in fact, it is where the lion's share of well-known brands place their orders).

Scarlett is particularly proud of its own office in Hong Kong, which employs about 40 people. Employees of the Hong Kong office are engaged in the selection of new models of household appliances, as well as product testing (2% of the equipment is selectively tested at the factory, another 10% – before loading onto the ship).

The chronicle of success

Initially, Scarlett's products were limited to 2-3 models in each of the four groups: household appliances for the kitchen and home, beauty and health care appliances, air conditioning and interior clocks. The main focus was on cheap electric kettles.

The very next year after the brand appeared, sales of Scarlett appliances exceeded the milestone of 1 million units, surpassing even Tefal in certain categories of goods (electric kettles). Despite the crisis, in 1998 the company entered the Ukrainian market, thus initiating exports to the CIS and Baltic countries.

In 2002, according to Gallup MMI, Scarlett was ranked third in the category of "Availability of goods to the public." In 2003, with an increase in sales to 7 million products, the company rose to second place in this ranking. Scarlett's successes were also awarded the "Brand of the Year" award (again next year). According to 2005 data, every fifth Russian used Scarlett household appliances.

This is especially commendable, given that Scarlett is one of the few Russian household appliance brands not affiliated with retail chains, most of which own their own trademarks. Needless to say, they don't really need additional competition?

Despite this, the company became one of the first manufacturers of the lower price segment, consciously focused on large retail chains and avoiding the traditional indoor electronics markets for cheap goods.

This decision is based not only on the desire to get away from unattractive places of sale, but also on an attempt to distance oneself from Scarlett fakes, which periodically appear to this day.

If even the world's largest brands with their own design studios suffer from clones, at least from the outside repeating their devices, then what about standard models, whose customers significantly save on design. Access to well-known retail chains allowed Scarlett to significantly reduce losses from the production of counterfeit products.

Another problem of the "nameless China" – the lack of service centers – was also successfully solved. On the one hand, the product is so cheap that the chain of broken, discarded, and bought a new one suggests itself. On the other hand, the lion's share of buyers who choose cheap household appliances is limited in funds, so the availability of service centers in this case is very important. In this sense, Scarlett can give odds to other manufacturers – the company has more than 100 authorized service centers.

Today, the company's product range includes more than 350 models. The company supplies more than 850.000 units of goods per month, which are sold in 30 countries around the world (more than 70% of sales are in Russia).

Over time, Scarlett begins to deal with more and more complex household appliances. Thus, 2010 was the year of juicers for the company, which won more than a third of the corresponding market in Ukraine and about 15% in Russia.

Meanwhile, the desire to make products more complex imposes new obligations on the company. If it's easy enough to buy a kettle for a thousand rubles, then not everyone is ready to take risks with more complex (and expensive) devices. If Scarlett continues to develop in this direction, then she will have to face this problem.

Scarlett O'Hara used to put things off until tomorrow in a similar situation. The Scarlett trademark may not have such an opportunity – the competition among Russian brands of household appliances is becoming more acute. When evaluating online gambling platforms, it helps to compare game variety, payment methods, and responsible play tools to see what fits your preferences. For a straightforward overview, you can start with uspin casino and note how its limits and support options align with your own risk management.