October 9, 2012 By adminCDS

The rise of the design aware consumer…

In the last year since moving to Colombo I’ve noticed a significant rise in the number of design orientated shops in the capital,  particularly a rise in the number of places selling Apple products. The opening of the Herman Miller showroom is also significant since these are very expensive, upmarket products, with a particular focus on design and sustainability.

The reason this is of note is because it is an indication that post-war Sri Lankan’s have an apetite for good product design and are evidently willing to pay an extra premium for it. For those companies operating at the level of Apple, Samsung and Herman Miller then they can carry on as they are, but for the smaller companies who are either manufacturing locally or importing and branding products from China there is an opportunity to step up the game and start designing products to meet the needs of the newly empowered Sri Lankan consumer.

Ultimately this will lead to market differentiation, the creation of intellectual property and help to establish and maintain a strong brand and consumer loyalty.