Top three winter wellbeing opportunities for resellers

Elisabete Wells, regional marketing director, UK & Ireland, ACCO Brands EMEA, explains how you can find some selling sunshine in the dreary winter months

With all the cold and gloom that winter brings, it’s no surprise that this time of year is one of the most challenging times for our mental and physical wellbeing. We spend more time indoors, sitting and sedentary, and start our work days mostly in the dark and finish them after sunset. This lack of light and activity have both been linked to lower levels of motivation – which can take a toll on productivity and morale.

However, with so many challenges at this time of year resellers are presented with a major opportunity to introduce their customers to solutions that can help them live healthier, happier lives in winter and beyond. Here are the top three areas of opportunity where dealers should focus their sales propositions this season.

1. Ergonomic solutions

According to the British Heart Foundation, working age adults in England sit for an average of about 9.5 hours per day annually – though it’s safe to assume that this number rises in winter. The work day is a major contributor to our bodies’ sedentary time, with long days spent at a desk – or, for some of those still working from home full or part time – on a sofa or at dining table due to lack of a proper workspace. In most of these situations the body is not properly aligned which can lead to fatigue, discomfort and potential injury over time.

Introduce your customers to ergonomics-based solutions such as those offered by Kensington and Leitz to help combat many of the issues associated with poor posture and other related long term health conditions. For example, laptop risers, adjustable height stands and monitor arms bring screens to a more comfortable height to reduce eye strain and slouching, while back rests help create better alignment of the spine and can be especially supportive to those staff who spend their days working from dining tables. Ergonomic keyboards and mice help reduce wrist strain, and footrests provide another use-anywhere solution that supports a natural stress-relieving posture.

• Maximising colour psychology

During winter three-in-100 people in the UK experience a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which includes symptoms such as low interest levels, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and increased anxiety. The dullness of winter days, and the shortage of sunlight, are major contributors to SAD, and the simple use of colour in one’s working environment can help to offset some of its impacts during the work day. Colour has been proven to signal action, alter mood and even influence physiological reactions; for example, blue has a calming effect, green brings tranquillity by recalling nature, yellow has uplifting properties that promote happiness, and orange can increase energy and motivation. 

Encourage your customers to introduce specific colours to their working environments in order to create a desired mental effect, whether this be calming or energising. Leitz’s WOW and Ergo WOW ranges offer ergonomic-focused solutions and must-haves such as staplers, lever arch files, storage solutions, and other home office accessories in a wide range of vibrant colours to help energise the space.

• Enjoyable working environments

Bright and bold colours might not be everyone’s taste, but that shouldn’t mean sacrificing style in the workspace. There is nowhere we spend more time in than the home, especially at this time of year and now that more staff are working remotely full or part time – that environment should be an enjoyable one. For those who prefer more muted tones, but still want to reap the benefits of a comfortable and well-designed workspace, the Leitz Cosy range offers a perfect happy medium with foam footrests, seat cushions, laptop risers, keyboards and wrist rests with inviting minimalist designs in softer shades such as warm yellow, clam blue and velvet grey.  

When looking to capitalise on these sales opportunities, the key is to communicate these issues well and offer clear solutions to the customer. Highlight the importance of prevention for long term health issues, and showcase simple and effective tools that will prevent these problems  that so frequently impact those customers working in sedentary roles. 

Given the rise of e-commerce, selling this category well online is crucial for success. Organising these products into a dedicated section online for easy searching and browsing helps simplify the shopping journey and makes it easier for your customers to find what they need right away. 

Using positive problem-and-solution-focused messaging, lifestyle imagery, and video content will enable the user to envision how these products will fit into their everyday lives and help drive the purchase. The result – a healthier and happier workforce, and increased margins for the reseller. 

For more information on Kensington and Leitz’s ergonomics solutions, including the WOW and Cosy ranges, please visit https://www.kensington.com/en-gb/ and https://www.leitz.com/en-gb/