Over the years, we've been kept up to date with the latest in networking and smart home kit thanks to TP-Link. To get an idea of how the companies, and their plans for the future, we chat to the company's UK Retail Sales Director, Lino Notaro.
Hello. Who are
you?
Hi, I’m Lino Notaro
the Retail Sales Director for TP-Link.
And what do you
do?
Part of my job involves
working with high street retailers to recommend the right TP-Link
products for their stores, to suit their customer demographic and
ensure that customers have the best range of Networking & Smart
Home solutions to choose from. The choices would vary between
features and functionality, through to price, all offering great
value for money and reliable performance.
I also work closely
with the retailer marketing teams to develop seasonal promotions that
will be attractive & relevant to customers. Additionally I’m
responsible for a small team of account managers who look after the
remainder of our major Retail customers.
Tell us how you
got started in that.
Oh goodness. My career
managing UK retailers within the tech industry started in 1991,
working for a Computer Games distributor in Northampton.
Those were the days of
the Sega Megadrive & Sonic the Hedgehog, along with the Commodore
Amiga with floppy disks !!…how things have changed.
What is an
average day like for you?
A typical day may begin
with ‘prepping’ a new range presentation for a forthcoming
customer meeting. Always keen to keep up with the latest sales data,
I would review the latest sales performance at Retail to keep on top
of our best performing lines.
Also, a detailed catch
up with my Retail team as to their latest plans and objectives for
the coming quarter to identify the next business development
opportunities, and finishing off the day with some retail store
visits to ensure we maintain our product presence on shelf.
Where do you see
Smart Home industry going in the near future, and how might you have
to adapt?
The real value of the
smart home comes from interoperability and the wider ecosystem of
associated products. A great example is the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers. As they stand, they are really good products,
offering customers superb usability. However, when you add other
Smart products and skills, the user experience becomes a whole lot
better.
For example, all of
TP-Link’s range of Smart bulbs and Smart plugs work with the Echo
and Google Home. This means when you get home with arms laden full of
Christmas shopping, you can simply say ‘Alexa – lounge lights on’
and as if by magic your lights come on. I find this one particularly
useful for the Christmas tree lights, the plug socket is always
behind the tree, so I always use a smart plug so I can either use the
Kasa app or Alexa to turn the lights on and off, so I don’t have to
disturb the presents under the tree.
As we have seen there
is no end to the smart home possibilities. We also need to be mindful
that these Wi-Fi connected devices do not come with any kind of
malware or anti-virus protection, leaving our homes potentially
vulnerable to malicious attack. Products like the TP-Link Deco M5
that includes HomeCare, a security solution built into the router
means that all the devices connecting to your network are protected
rather than having to secure each device individually. Think of it
like Captain America’s shield protecting your home devices to keep
personal data, identity, precious photos and music files safe and
sound.
What advice would
you offer to someone keen to follow in your footsteps?
Always listen to your
customers, try to understand your market, and pay attention to
detail, as getting the commercial proposition right for the end
consumer is key to success at Retail.
Apart from your
own products, what kind of gadget would you like to see being
reviewed on The Test Pit?
The growth of AI is
going to be huge over the next five years. I was recently watching a
documentary about how robots are used in Japan, and how you can get
emotionally attached to them…which blew my mind! I would therefore
love to see The Test Pit review the latest walking robot who can be
‘my buddy’….when no-one is home.
Cheers Lino - we'll get cracking on that.