Accessories make the difference

The equipment of built-in appliances is increasingly enriched with accessories often inspired by the professional world. They are pluses to be explained and highlighted to consumers to transmit the added value of the product

Built-in appliances are increasingly proposed with new accessories and the presence of equipment (standard or optional) should be highlighted by the companies, because the accessories contribute to define the added value of the product. Think for example of the oven: among the most innovative accessories there is the thermometric probe for cooking meat and fish, measuring the core temperature of food. It should be emphasized to the customer that it is a simple tool to use and that it will allow not to make mistakes in the cooking degree, avoiding, for example, to have overcooked or raw roasts.
Another food for which accessories makes the difference is pizza. Combining the refractory stone with the specific function of the oven allows to obtain results like those of a pizzeria: this tool in fact retains the humidity of the dough and distributes the heat evenly. Considering the renewed consumers’ passion for cooking (also as a consequence of the effects of the pandemic), valuing the possibility of preparing crispy pizzas at home is a plus on which the sales person can leverage.
For those who love to prepare desserts, instead, another accessory that worth to be mentioned is the aluminum tray, inspired by the one used by pastry chefs and ideal for baking cookies and pastries.
Again in the field of ovens, one of the latest innovations is represented by the models equipped with a removable separator that allows to divide the cavity of the appliance into two compartments that can work simultaneously and at different temperatures, thus cooking two different dishes without mixing smells and flavors.

Finally, there are equipment for the oven that allow you to move around with comfort and safety. Several models feature telescopic guides, thanks to which trays and dripping pans slide safely, making it easier to control food during cooking. And, speaking of dripping pans, further information that could be useful to consumers who are passionate about cooking is that there are ovens equipped with two types of dripping pans: a standard and a maxi one.

To describe benefits and not just features To fully enhance products that are increasingly rich in innovative functions, features and accessories, it is important to illustrate to the consumer the benefits that precisely those functions, accessories and features can offer to his everyday life. It cannot be a simple list of technical characteristics which, without an adequate explanation, does not communicate the real advantages of the product to consumers. Putting yourself in the shoes of the end user can be useful to reflect on how to communicate with the potential buyer. To do so, we turned to a somewhat "special" consumer: Antonio Besana, Management Consultant. Today he tells us his point of view as a consumer in the light of his shopping experience. «This time - Besana explains -, after many years spent talking as a market researcher, I speak as a consumer, even if I realize that my point of view is certainly influenced by the years spent looking for the reasons behind the data. White Goods sector, particularly over the last few years, has created innovation, but this seems to have happened almost soundlessly. In recent months I had to replace both my refrigerator and dishwasher, and in the search for the right brand and model I found myself confused, both because the characteristics of the models had profoundly changed since the last purchase (noise, energy consumption, etc.), and because I have not been able to find satisfactory explanations. I had the feeling that communication was still linked to a “product oriented” past, a heritage of this sector that favors the description of features rather than benefits. As with most non mass-consumption products (a household appliance, a car, a television), I believe that what influences the purchase, in addition to the rational aspect and the perceived quality, are the emotions, or rather the promise of the emotions that the product will give us, in some way the foretaste how our life will change thanks to that purchase. Let us not forget that we are not talking of a penetration market, but largely about substitution purchases: that is, you buy a new product because the previous one has broken. Very often the device to be replaced was purchased several years earlier and then, at least initially, is not given a lot of attention to all the technical characteristics, simply because the previous model, which perhaps dated back to more than ten years erlier, had not them. For this reason new features such as the temperature probe for meat, the refractory stone for cooking pizza, the third basket for the dishwasher or the refrigerators with compartments dedicated to meat should be better explained, first of all in the advertising communication and on the manufacturers’ websites, not only through a list of technical characteristics. It is rarely explained why that feature will make us happy. We forget that what makes us dream of a product is the explanation of how some, even if small, parts of our life will be changed, hopefully for the better, by the presence of that particular innovation.»

Experiencing new cooking techniques and methods
Some accessories have been designed to make it possible, even at home, to try cooking techniques that were previously used above all in the professional field. In particular, steam cooking, which is arousing interest among those consumers careful to a healthy diet. Today, not only we can offer ovens equipped with a pan for steam cooking to the end user, but we can also offer built- in microwaves that have a steamer with which to prepare steamed fish or vegetables or boil pasta, rice and cereals. And again in the context of built-in microwave ovens, another useful accessory is the crusty plate that allows to obtain crunchy dishes.

Equipment for storing and tidying up
To suggest to the consumer how to better store and preserve delicate food in the refrigerator, it is possible to highlight the products that have a special drawer for meat, fish and dairy products: this compartment maintains the ideal temperature and humidity to preserve these ingredients, helping to avoid food waste. To put order, there are also models with systems that allow to customize the inner door, hooking clips and containers in different combinations. Maximum flexibility also for dishwashers, where one of the latest innovations in terms of equipment is the third basket for cutlery and cups: the dishes dry better and the space can be used more efficiently.