Success Story

Reinventing the product portfolio to stay ahead

Harman uses GfK’s customized intelligence to respond to constantly changing customer needs

Success Story

Reinventing the product portfolio to stay ahead

Harman uses GfK’s customized intelligence to respond to constantly changing customer needs


Sector: Consumer Electronics

Facts & Figures

HQ: Stamford, USA

Global employees: 30,000

Sales: 8.8 bn Euro

Solutions Used

gfknewron

 


About Harman

Harman is a global leader in connected car technology, lifestyle audio innovations, professional audio and lighting solutions, and digital transformation. The player is dominant in Bluetooth speakers and a strong contender in headphones. The Samsung-owned business has numerous brands in the consumer electronics sector.

“To maintain and grow our market position, we need to constantly reinvent our product portfolio to meet emerging customer needs. We know what is important to our audience and the fast changes in our markets, so we work with GfK to have access to the very latest intelligence to steer our business. The team is responsive to our needs, customizing reports to our category definitions. In this way, we have grown together into a formidable partnership. We trust GfK’s insight and rely on their expertise as much today as we did when we first began working together many years ago.”

Jurjen Amsterdam, Director Product Marketing EMEA

Deepening market understanding

Harman operates in the fast-moving marketplace of consumer electronics. The team aimed to enhance its understanding by not only identifying which products were selling and where, but also by discovering who was buying these products and why. This was the challenge for the two teams – to develop a reporting approach that delivered enhanced insights to help the brand react faster to rapidly emerging trends and behaviors.

“GfK listened to our specific needs and responded by refining and adapting their existing category definitions to ours. This intelligence is integrated into our reporting, enabling a step change in our business planning. It has delivered a positive result in every product group in every country. GfK is a true partner to Harman, and we look forward to continuing our valued relationship.”

Jurjen Amsterdam, Director Product Marketing EMEA

Tailoring reporting to support smarter decisions

To gain a richer understanding of consumers, Harman expanded its intelligence portfolio, adding gfknewron consumer and gfknewron market to its monthly and quarterly sales reporting. This powerful combination was a game-changer. Key to the success was GfK’s ability to align its category definitions with those used by Harman. This allowed the brand to enjoy a complete view of its performance and sales trends, competitor successes and failures, and rapidly evolving consumer needs. In fast-moving markets, having access to current, reliable and relevant intelligence is the foundation for success. 

Maximizing market momentum

The insight for the refreshed and reprioritized categories and definitions is integrated into business reporting and decision-making. This comprehensive market view means Harman can respond faster and compete more effectively. With a deeper understanding of customers, competitors, and the market, Harman has been able to maintain and grow its market position.

A long-term partnership

Harman and GfK have a close working relationship that spans decades. GfK data and insight are incorporated in Harman’s business, 
and numerous teams rely on the data to inform their strategic and tactical planning. Discussing the impact of changes – they have that in GfK. 

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Download the Harman NL Case Study