Jotun has been operating in Thailand for 55 years now. The company initially focused on industrial coatings solutions before introducing decorative paints years later. With the local market evolving rapidly, becoming the country’s leader in the latter means the brand must understand the role the home plays and what consumers require.
“These days, Thai consumers are looking for premium paint products. There is a higher awareness and understanding of the role a home plays in our daily lives. It’s not just a roof over our heads or a place to sleep. People really want their homes to be beautiful and represent who they are. Very often paint is the starting point,” Ms Kristine Anvik Leach, Managing Director at Jotun Thailand, says.
That desire of wanting a beautiful home is universal but how it is accomplished across regions is different. For example, in Norway, most people paint themselves. In Asia, many homeowners prefer to hire a painter. Jotun is witnessing an increase in consumers purchasing paint and then hiring someone else to do the painting.
Decorative paints at Jotun are the most regionalised and localised part of the company’s business. There are different factors that go into one’s decision in selecting paint so a singular approach simply wouldn’t work. The journey often begins with colours, an area of constant development and change
“The Jotun decorative paints colour bar contained 960 colours through the 1980s and 1990s. This was right at the time as we wanted to showcase all the colours in the world. Consumer insight told us people found it difficult to choose colours for their homes. To offer the best tool in the market, we wanted to simplify the journey, ensuring they found the colours they wanted,” Ms Anvik Leach recalls. “Now, our interior colour bar contains 128 colours, all of which have been carefully tested to be great wall colours and curated for this region. We have done the research and testing to find out what are the most popular colours and works best here.”
An inspiring shopping experience
Jotun is revamping the retail journey for customers. By understanding its role as a colour expert, the company began searching for ways it could offer the best and most inspiring shopping experience in the industry.
“Paint shops in Thailand and most of Asia are not as inspiring as we want them to be. Traditionally, a person who wants to buy paint is handed a can of it. We have learned the journey for a homeowner starts with colours and inspiration. This meant we had to change how a person finds paint,” Ms Anvik Leach states. “We want them to spend time in a Jotun shop, be inspired to create the home of their dreams and be offered a high-quality paint to match their needs.”
According to Ms Anvik Leach, even though a customer may not be the one doing the painting, they still want to go on the colour journey. Finding this inspiration is a crucial part of creating their dream home.
“Shopping for paint should be an experience. To that end, we also want to showcase Jotun’s premium product qualities. Colour accuracy is paramount for us. A person needs to be 100 percent certain what they view in one setting is the colour their home will be. Seeing is believing,” Ms Anvik Leach notes.
While the digitalisation of paint shopping may be pervasive in the industry, Jotun believes these efforts must be done carefully. There is a specific physical element of the colour experience screens cannot replicate. The goal is to support customers on their journey without cutting corners or removing key steps.
“We are developing consulting-focused online services. We can provide colour advice or information that helps a person on their way. But we prefer people to view Jotun paints for themselves,” Ms Anvik Leach says. “We want them to see what the paint will look like out of the can. Screens or printed paper cannot replace a real-life visual experience.”
For Jotun, once a homeowner has found the ideal colour, the next step is to locate the correct product. This is the best way to ensure a shopper gets precisely what they are looking for.
“After a colour has been selected, the focus shifts to the quality and benefits. Our products provide both. A person finds the perfect colour and then can choose the paint matching their unique needs,” Ms Anvik Leach points out. “One thing we are noticing in Thailand is that consumers and homeowners are more willing to spend on premium paint products. What we must do is take them on a journey to find the right one.”
Behind the beauty
Jotun has long been known for its innovation in the decorative paint space. And while an emphasis has been placed on colour, it hasn’t come at the expense of quality. Far from it, in fact. The company recently launched two new products that provide an unrivalled standard.
First, there is Majestic Sense, a paint providing luxurious finishing and a healthy indoor living environment through its notable technological advancements. These include Jotun’s Clean Air Technology which neutralises more than 90 percent of indoor formaldehyde to provide healthier and cleaner indoor air.
“Majestic Sense is a combination of beauty and health. No one wants a healthy paint that’s ugly and no one wants a beautiful paint that is flawed. This is the perfect solution to the challenge,” Ms Anvik Leach explains. “We believe you won’t find an equivalent product in the market. Nothing can match the blend of beauty and health that Majestic Sense offers. We are proud that homeowners no longer have to choose one or the other when selecting a paint.”
Ms Anvik Leach added that Majestic Sense has been popular in Thailand since launching. Another one of the paint’s features, the ability to cover hairline cracks, has resonated well with the local market.
“Hairline cracks are a common issue for homes in Asia. Majestic Sense can cover these without any issues,” Ms Anvik Leach says. “Not only does the paint make a wall look good by covering the unsightly crack but it also prevents bacteria from going into the crack which is a health and structural concern.”
As for exteriors, Jotashield Ultra Clean is a product to have recently hit the market. This self-cleaning paint can protect against extreme rain, sun and pollution that causes dirty and unsightly dirt streaking marks on exterior walls in buildings throughout Southeast Asia.
“Jotashield Ultra Clean makes a visible difference, especially for home exteriors. Its AntiDirt Technology was exclusively developed by Jotun’s regional laboratory. It is dirt streak resistant and features our low dirt pickup technology,” Ms Anvik Leach reports. “There is a noticeable difference between using Jotashield Ultra Clean and other paints. It allows the exterior walls to stay clean and beautiful.”
Jotun adopts a differentiated product development approach as it seeks to meet regional and local market needs. With this, the company remains committed to delivering the best quality paint of the same level globally.
“In Thailand, our paints meet international standards. At Jotun, we have a one global chemical policy because we believe that anything deemed unhealthy or unsuitable in Europe shouldn’t be in any paints we offer across the world,” Ms Anvik Leach notes.
The inspiring colour journey and launch of new innovations are the latest in a long line of advancements from Jotun. Improvement is a never-ending process, although this challenge is one the company embraces.
“There is constant change when it comes to paint. Finding these innovations and delivering the best to homeowners is what motivates us. The next step for us in Thailand is to elevate our network of shops and distributors to be more than a paint store. We want them to be able to guide customers on their paint journey and to inspire homeowners and professionals in selecting the colours which best represent them with the best paint,” Ms Anvik Leach concludes.
Fact Box
- Jotun has been operating in Thailand for 55 years
- In Asia, lower labour costs mean consumers prefer to hire a painter for home projects as opposed to painting themselves
- The company is revamping its retail journey for customers to focus on finding inspiration and selecting the right colour
- Jotun’s Majestic Sense Paint can neutralise more than 90 percent of indoor formaldehyde and cover hairline cracks
- The Jotun decorative paints colour bar contains 128 colours with each one tested for this region
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