Victorinox packaging and marketing

[Dunc]

I just wrote a huge post about how Victorinox treats the U.S differently to Europe . Wnen I pressed the 'post' button I lost the lot  I just havnt got time to re-write it now so I'll give it to you in a nutshell .

In the U.S you get different boxes  or clam packs ( Vic clams are very rare in the UK ), different userguides and different sheaths .You even get a different website http://www.swissarmy.com/Pages/Home.aspx  . The OHT is almost exclusive to the U.S and the only one hander that apears on the Vic website ( thats the original site and not the U.S aimed one ) is the rescue tool . How do you guys feel about being treated differently to Victorinoxs home continent . I know I'd rather have a tool that was destined for Europe rather then the U.S mainly because thats how it would be if you bought it in Switzerland .

Heres a few pics of Swisstools

U.S









Europe







Dunc

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Very interesting Dunc, I've got a few theory's about the why's and wherefors, but it'd be good if Vic themselves could tell us why there so different

[Dunc]

Very interesting Dunc, I've got a few theory's about the why's and wherefors, but it'd be good if Vic themselves could tell us why there so different

I think its because the American Market is different and far more competitive , plus vic is tapping into their one handed tactical tendencies.


Dunc

[ultimaonliner]

In America, shoppers will open up boxes in the stores and steal small items or parts.  Plus, American consumers want everything new and perfect in "sealed" containers.  Clamshells I think offer that feeling of opening up an "untouched by anybody else" type feeling.

Personally, I find boxes to be kind of old school and cool.  But every time I walk into a store, I noticed that most boxed items have been opened up and handled by other shoppers unless they're been shrink-wrapped in plastic.  Even then, I think some stores re-shrinkwrap opened boxes.

[ultimaonliner]

I prefer boxes that are sealed with some kind of manufacturer seal or shrink wrapped by the manufacturer.

BTW, I know of American shoppers who actually tamper with boxes that have the manufacturer seal on the lid.  What they do is that they open the bottom of the box, depending on how it's been folded.  Usually items from electronics manufacturers, like Sony, have the bottom of the box folded in a way so that the flaps can be opened up through a center opening. In this way, they open the box, examine the item or even try out the item, and if they don't like it, they put the item back through the bottom of the box. They return it to the store "as new" so as to be able to return without penalty, I guess.

[Spoonrobot]

The marketing doesn't really affect me. I get most of my information from forums and retail sites and rarely visit the manufacturer's page unless I need stats like size and weight.

Packaging is the same way. Clampacks, boxes, wrapped in old newspaper; doesn't really make a difference if the product is the same. That said, I prefer boxes, they are easier to store and don't get as mangled upon opening as clampacks.

The problem I have is the sheath differences. The US SwissTool sheath is a poor variant. It's floppy on the belt, feels cheaply made and the snap enclosure spins around. Just by seeing the pictures it's obvious the Euro models are superior but create an added expense for me if I want to upgrade to something that is standard for a different market.

I'm not sure if theft is a reason for the packaging differences. I've never seen any small item with a high cost packaged in a box just sitting on the shelf. All the boxed multis that are in the mid/upper price points in US retail shops are behind the counter or under glass and only available for examination under the eye of a salesperson.

Maybe if I order over the phone in a cockney accent they'll throw in the Euro sheath for free?

 

[Dunc]

I found the videos on this site very interesting .It shows some of the new stuff being released in the U.S and also a good bit abot new one handers
http://www.guntalk.tv/gtv/library.php?category=47


Dunc

[Benner]

In America, shoppers will open up boxes in the stores and steal small items or parts. 

Not just in America I'm afraid.    This means that in the very few shops over here that stock MT's keep them under the counter, well away from any thieving scumbags.

[Dunc]

In America, shoppers will open up boxes in the stores and steal small items or parts. 

Not just in America I'm afraid.    This means that in the very few shops over here that stock MT's keep them under the counter, well away from any thieving scumbags.

Yes its always been like that. High end multitools and Knives kept behind Glass. I like it like that , you stand there looking then you ask the salesman and they go off to find the key and your just dying to get your hands on the latest Multi  I can remember doing this with a LM Wave ( old model ) and was soooo disapointed  with the amount of play and wobble .The best time was when I bought my Swisstool  I'd seen it in the window of a shop a couple of months earlier and one day I saw it in a revolving glass cabinet in a local shop , I had the money on me , asked to have a look and bought it there and then . Cant believe I payed £70 for it 

Dunc

[Roadie]

Cant believe I payed £70 for it 

Dunc

I know how you feel! I bought mine for that too, still worth every penny though

[Dunc]

Cant believe I payed £70 for it 

Dunc

I know how you feel! I bought mine for that too, still worth every penny though

Of course that was before I found the internet 

Dunc

[Benner]

Mine was worth every penny too. 

[Roadie]

I did get mine from amazon.co.uk, but ebay wasnt as big back then and i didn't even think to look on it!

[Dunc]

Mine was worth every penny too. 

Just like my Wenger SI 

Dunc

[crls1]

It seems that here, we receive the European versions of the tools (boxes and sheats are the same), and it's funny considering how close we are from the USA.

Carlos

[NeitherExtreme]

I'm wondering if items are kept more "behind the counter" in Europe as opposed to the US? It seems like the clam shell packs make all the sense for hanging out in the main area of the store, while boxes make sense for behind the counter.

[Dunc]

I'm wondering if items are kept more "behind the counter" in Europe as opposed to the US? It seems like the clam shell packs make all the sense for hanging out in the main area of the store, while boxes make sense for behind the counter.

Or under/behind glass . I agree , clam packs would allow you to put more out on a hook .

Dunc

[Roadie]

Never seen a clam pack of a "premium" brand multitool in the UK, they are usually displayed in glass display cabinets and if you want one you have to ask some one to get one for you, whether that be from behind the counter or in a storeroom. So you're probably right with your assumptions

[Dunc]

Also the product number is not the same in America

SwissTool Spirit -3.0227.L  Europe
SwissTool Spirit -Style Number: 53800 U.S


Dunc

[prime77]

Really interesting stuff Dunc. Nice pictures too. I like the Europe sheaths better than the ones we get over here. A question for you. Every SAK I have ever got here in the US comes in a grey looking box like the SwissTool one. A couple of years after I got out of high school I went to Europe for a month and while in Switzerland I got two SAKs and they came in these boxes.

What do the SAK boxes look like now over there for you?

[NutSAK]

The older US boxes looked like that, with the burgundy color.  I have several of them.

[prime77]

The older US boxes looked like that, with the burgundy color.  I have several of them.

Thanks NutSAK. I was just wondering.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Really interesting stuff Dunc. Nice pictures too. I like the Europe sheaths better than the ones we get over here. A question for you. Every SAK I have ever got here in the US comes in a grey looking box like the SwissTool one. A couple of years after I got out of high school I went to Europe for a month and while in Switzerland I got two SAKs and they came in these boxes.
(Image removed from quote.)
What do the SAK boxes look like now over there for you?

Just silver one's like your good self's

[NeitherExtreme]

Really interesting stuff Dunc. Nice pictures too. I like the Europe sheaths better than the ones we get over here. A question for you. Every SAK I have ever got here in the US comes in a grey looking box like the SwissTool one. A couple of years after I got out of high school I went to Europe for a month and while in Switzerland I got two SAKs and they came in these boxes.
(Image removed from quote.)
What do the SAK boxes look like now over there for you?

For what it's worth, I bought a couple of SAKs in Kyrgyzstan, and they came in boxes like these.

[Dunc]

My first SAK some 18 years ago came in a box like that  Now its the Silver boxes but are user guides are different to the States .

Dunc

[NutSAK]

My first SAK some 18 years ago came in a box like that  Now its the Silver boxes but are user guides are different to the States .

Dunc

How are your user guides different, Dunc?

Do they have to spell everything out a bit more for you limeys so you'll understand? 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

My first SAK some 18 years ago came in a box like that  Now its the Silver boxes but are user guides are different to the States .

Dunc

How are your user guides different, Dunc?

Do they have to spell everything out a bit more for you limeys so you'll understand? 

I think it's probably the other way round mate , and not just to avoid litegation

[Dunc]

My first SAK some 18 years ago came in a box like that  Now its the Silver boxes but are user guides are different to the States .

Dunc

How are your user guides different, Dunc?

Do they have to spell everything out a bit more for you limeys so you'll understand? 

No not at all but your American version is written in Mall Ninja 

Dunc

[NutSAK]

Well, what do you expect?  Half of the American knife-carrying population wouldn't understand it otherwise.