Simply Brands reflects on one year of wiper blades
Reflecting on the first 12 months of selling its own wiper blade range, described as a “year of success”, Simply Brands Business Development Manager, Sam Robinson, answers our questions.
From creating a wiper blade range of it’s own to developing wiper blade ranges for other businesses under its own label arm, Simply Brands is confident it has the product knowledge and experience for building a comprehensive wiper blade range for any business.
Developed and tested in the UK over a nine-month period, the front wiper blade range consists of both multi-fit flat blades and traditional conventional blades. Rear blades are also part of its portfolio.
Every blade comes in environmentally friendly carton packaging that, to assist with fitment, features QR codes on all packaging that will direct users to a wiper blade finder, as well as installation instructions.
Q. With the MOT season approaching, how important is it for factors and workshops to stock a comprehensive wiper blade range, and how can Simply Brands support them during this peak period?
A. It’s vitally important for factors to keep a healthy stock of wiper blades, no matter the season – whether that’s MOT or weather! We live in a country where the weather is unpredictable, yet it’s inevitable it’s going to rain at some point and for that, factors should be up selling blades as often as they can. If they want to use the MOT angle, then they should be educating their customers on wiper blades being a part of the MOT test and what testers will be looking out for. This opens dialogue between the factor and customer, and it provides them with a more positive experience as the factor is sharing their knowledge.
In terms of what blades to stock, we have a competitively priced front wiper blade range that consists of both multi-fit flat blades and traditional conventional blades, covering the vast majority of the car parc.
The multi-fit flat blade offering covers 98% of the car parc and consists of 15 SKUs with eight OE fit adaptors that cover the 10 most popular OE arm types. This includes a retrofit hook adaptor to upgrade older vehicles to the latest flat blade technology.
The flat blade technology delivers perfect wiping pressure across the entire blade length, thanks to two precision cut steel rails, with a symmetrical spoiler reducing wind lift at high speeds. The rubber wiping element is made of a synthetic and naturalrubber compound for an optimum blend of performance and durability.
The conventional blade range has 11 SKUs in lengths 280mm-700mm, and all are a metal vented frame design with a universal pre-attached adaptor to fit all hook wiper arms, as well as legacy side pin and 7mm bayonet wiper arms.
Q. You mention that Simply Brands’ flat blade range covers 98% of the car parc – how has customer feedback been in terms of actual coverage and ease of fitment?
A. We’ve had fantastic feedback from our customers since we introduced this range to the aftermarket last year. Although the range has minimal references, it still covers the majority of the car parc. Customers have found it to be an all-encompassing solution, not only meeting their needs for a premium quality product but also maximising efficiency.
In terms of the fitment, the attachments we include in the packaging are simple to understand, and we also include installation instructions in every pack, as well as a QR code to ensure the correct blade is selected, making the margin for error minuscule.
Q. Rear blades often get overlooked – how has Simply Brands simplified nine-SKU solution for rear blades been received? What kind of results has the company seen in terms of sales or stock efficiency?
A. The beauty of our programme has been allowing people to stock rear blades as an ‘on the shelf’ item again with minimum fuss or inventory commitment. The nine SKUs replace more than 30 traditional ‘direct fit’ type blades, with an additional SKU launching in Q4 that covers over one million vehicles on UK roads and replaces another four direct fit SKUs.
Being able to easily stock this short range, as opposed to ordering in specialist parts, makes rear blade sales quicker and easier. It is a simple add-on recommendation when a customer is purchasing a set of front wipers.
Q. Simply Brands’ own label programme has clearly been a big focus – what are the key advantages for businesses choosing to launch their own branded wiper blades through Simply Brands?
A. We believe the reason businesses secure our services is due to us offering a turnkey solution. We deliver the product, packaging, technical training and all important application data in TecDoc and MAM data formats for Europe and the UK.
We have a huge amount of expertise and knowledge when it comes to effectively managing the product range and keeping it up-to-date and relevant – our customers benefit from all that knowledge at no cost to themselves.
To further assist, we offer low minimum order quantities and a fast turnaround. This was demonstrated recently where we designed, catalogued and delivered a full range of direct fit wiper blades containing over 100 SKUs – taking the project from initial enquiry to shipping product in just three months!
Q. Simply Brands secured the licence for Invisible Glass wiper blades in Europe – how has this partnership influenced market penetration?
A. We launched into the market with a brand new technology fusing ceramic and silicone – this not only gives great wiping performance but applies a silicone and ceramic coating to the windscreen that helps water to bead up and run off the windscreen for improved visibility and longer wiper lifespan. Rather than simply replace existing wiper brands for factors and retailers, it’s opened up an additional sales channel and upsell opportunity.
Carrying Invisible Glass Ceramic Silicone blades, alongside existing ranges, gives them a higher price point and margin opportunity and can be sold to the consumer by listing the various benefits – or demonstrating them, as the water repellence element can be activated and seen as soon as the wipers are installed.
Ultimately, any opportunity for factors and retailers to increase their margins at the same time as delivering customers a better quality product is welcomed, and we’re now starting to see sales snowball and stockists talking to us about how they can prepare their sales team for the upcoming winter season.
Q. Environmental packaging and digital fitment tools, like QR codes, indicate that Simply Brands is thinking about the future – are there any other sustainable or digital initiatives that the company is working on for the wiper category?
A.We’re continuously exploring opportunities to enhance sustainability across all of our product lines, not just wipers. We have some interesting product development going on behind the scenes, looking at how we can reduce plastic connector waste and reduce complexity, as well as potential to increase the use of recycled materials in the production of product and packaging. Some of these are still in their early stages, but we’ll continue working on these and other initiatives that align with our vision for responsible product development.
Q. Looking ahead to winter and beyond, what are the main trends or challenges you foresee in the wiper blade market, and how is Simply Brands preparing to meet them?
A. We’ve seen in recent years that customers are looking for ease more than anything. They want to get a wiper blade that’s easy to fit, easy to stock and still offers that premium quality that will ensure the blade has a long lifespan.
I would say the biggest challenge lies in the ever-changing vehicle parc and the introductions of new connection types and blade lengths at OE level, which quickly become aftermarket requirements. Just sitting on a fixed product range only results in rapid deterioration of vehicle coverage and, ultimately, sales. To give an example, a multi-clip programme designed 10-years-ago could have covered 97% of new vehicles released at that time. Now, that would only cover 85% of new vehicles released in the last five years.
We’re constantly trying to stay ahead of new market trends and, in 2025 so far, we’ve introduced additional blade lengths, as well as tooled two new connector clips to maintain our coverage of even the most recent model vehicles. Again, this is a reason why customers choose us and stick with us – whether it be in their own brand or buying Simply Brands.
