When It Comes to Grills, Weber Plays It Smart
With summer in full swing, backyard grilling is a perfect time to sell gas grills. For some backyard grilling veterans, the name Weber might come to mind when thinking about that next backyard BBQ. So let’s take a look at Weber’s newest grill, the Genesis® II S-435 Gas Grill and consider the company’s new product development and take a closer look at how the company may have used other principles of marketing to reach their intended consumer target.
Weber is not a new company, in fact, they have been in business since 1952, according to their website, Weber.com. One of their main selling points today is a trust in the brand, because what backyard enthusiast has not heard of Weber? Not many!
George A. Stephen first introduced the Weber grill as an improvement to the grills at the time. He saw the need for improvement to an age-old practice by altering the design and adding a few custom touches to the grill, simply for the purpose of improving the method of cooking meat outside. Thus the product life cycle began. There are four stages to the product life cycle, the first one being the market introduction.
Since the first Weber grill came to market, new models have been introduced as upgrades and improvements to the previous models. The newest model/product that Weber has introduced has been the Genesis® II S-435 Gas Grill. The market introduction for this particular grill is not completely necessary due to the company’s brand and reputation for building superior grills; however, if Weber wants to establish a demand for this grill, they would have to market it as a new, more innovative product.
The Genesis® II S-435 Gas Grill is unique in that it is essentially a “smart” grill. Its capabilities include a wireless connection to your phone that sends updates and real-time information about the temperature and doneness of the meat, specific hot zones for searing meat, a sauté rack, and more sensitive temperature controls. These amenities are what separates a grill from a smart grill and is therefore what Weber has decided to market to the public, with the hope that the average griller will consider this grill as superior, causing sales to increase.
The next stage is market growth. Weber has an abundance of competition, so selling this new grill comes as a challenge since the consumer will have many opportunities to compare Weber grills to competitors. Therefore, the best strategy for Weber to sell the Genesis® II, would be to market the product before summer, perhaps early spring to get the consumer to start thinking about the summer and make plans to replace old grills or consider buying this more innovative grill. Market growth of this grill will most likely peak during late spring to early summer, giving way to the next cycle in the product life cycle, market maturity.
When late summer and fall come around, grills are in less demand, and sales are leveling out. The market maturity for this grill will be reached. According to an article on DealNews.com, they report, “Historically, we’ve recommended shopping in September and October to get the best grill deals”. Therefore, Weber will most likely start lowering the prices and begin to make a last push to get their grill to sell before the end of the year. This is a strategic approach to get more sales to occur before they encounter a sales decline.
By the time winter comes, the Genesis® II will replace an older model Weber. The company will most likely decide that the time has come to take an older model off the market in order to save costs in inventory. It’s also at this time when Weber will either consider pushing this model again for the coming year, or decide to produce a newer model with slight deviations. Since the release of this grill, other companies will have taken notice and may decide to replicate or alter their own grilling models to accommodate to the market trends for such an innovative design. Thus, the cycle may start all over in the coming year.
For large companies like Weber, it’s important to enter product life cycles repeatedly. With technology expanding so rapidly, the best option for Weber is to push forward and continue innovating, keeping with the founder, George A. Stephen, ideals to continually improve and develop better ways of grilling.
Sources:
Lussow, J. (2021, February 26). George’s Legacy Lives On. Behind the Grill | Weber Grills. https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/behind-the-grill/georges-legacy-lives-on/weber-30171.html.
Ramhold, J. (2020, May 8). When Do Grills Go on Sale? dealnews. https://www.dealnews.com/features/When-is-the-Best-Time-to-Buy-a-Grill/1351456.html.