We find out how appliance brand ambassador Jack Williams aims to transform high-end kitchen retail after-sales care, with an at-home cooking experience through his business Maven London.

When working with high-end kitchen retailers, trained home economist and cooking ambassador for luxury appliance brands, Jack Williams identified there was a need for an at-home cooking service for their customers.

“Over the last 10 years, I noticed showrooms offer great product and design, but the one key ingredient they’re missing is the product experience.

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“A bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers just doesn’t cut it as after-sales service, if a consumer is spending £50,000-£60,000 on a kitchen.

“I was constantly being asked by kitchen showrooms ‘would you go to this customer’s home to show them how to work their appliances?’

I thought this could be a niche business, offering bespoke home cooking experiences”, explains Williams.

Using his vast culinary, experience which also includes working for Australian MasterChef and home shopping channel Ideal Home, he founded his own cooking experience business Maven London, which means an expert or connoisseur.

Wiliams is now working with luxury kitchen showrooms to offer this personalised service.

Differentiating businesses

Based in London, Williams clients currently include kitchen retailers and property developers, but he is looking to expand into luxury real estate.

Working alongside another home economist, he explains “I’ve probably got about 30 kitchen showrooms on board right now”..

Williams explains his service allows kitchen retailers, property developers and now estate agents to differentiate their offer in a challenging market: “Currently there’s nobody offering in home cooking product experiences quite like I do. I guess the Maven London mission is to extend the limits of aftercare and connect with the customer on a deeper level”.

Following automotive industry

Recognising customers often only use limited function on the ovens, but with premium appliances offering many more including AI, Jack William believes his services take the weight of a connected appliance demonstration off retailers in the showroom, as he can do it in a customers’ home.

“Customers want to really understand how to utilise the applications and functionalities and get the most out of their appliances.

“We represent the showroom in the customers home and help retailers differentiate themselves from other kitchen showrooms and offer added value”, he says.

Williams explains the cooking experience following a kitchen purchase is similar to when an automotive manufacturer offers a track day, following a new car purchase.

He says: “If you look at the car industry –  like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover – they’ve transformed the kitchen the car buying journey with off road and track day experiences.

“So once you purchase a car you often then get the track day, which shows how you can use your car. It’s about the experience and telling family and friends.”

Cooking experience

But don’t all cooking brands offer their own cooking experiences? Williams says some brands don’t and he points out using his service, retail showrooms can set the conditions of when they offer a personal cooking experience.

“The beauty is with customers spending £50,000+ on a kitchen, you can very easily hide my service fee.

“I think most customers, if they were given this experience, would find this adds value on to the overall sale.

“I guess we’re tapping into the emotions that drive the decision-making to help businesses stand out a competitive marketplace.”

What would stop a kitchen retailer offering their own at-home cooking experience? “Well, nothing’, says Williams, although he adds: “They won’t have my 20-year professional cooking experience.”

Cooking at home

So how does it work and what does the customer receive?

Williams talks through a typical three-hour visit, where he will cook up to three recipes: “We call it ‘experience the difference’ and cook recipes that fit the lifestyle of the consumer.

“We cherry pick recipes tailored to their dietary requirements, including allergies, and we give individual advice and cooking experience, with lots of tips, tricks and techniques of how to use their specific appliances during the visit.

“It opens up a world of opportunity of what they can cook and achieve.”

Recognising the importance of referrals for kitchen retailers, he also encourages the customer to invite a friend to the at-home experience.

However he adds, numbers are limited because “we don’t want to offer a dinner party because this is tailored to the customer and getting them used to their appliances. We want to make it fun and interactive and we really want them to get them get involved in the experience”, he explains, adding: “I’d like to get up to 2000 home visits a year.”

Cooking video content

Maven London has added to its at-home cooking experiences with another arm to the business of creating professional cooking videos for social media.

He believes, together, they are a solution to attracting and closing kitchen project sales.

“How can kitchen retailers do better to survive and attract new customers? Well there’s two things…customer service and start creating better social media content”, says Williams.

He exclaims his disappointment with ‘souless’ showroom videos and says to attract customers, kitchen retailers must feature cooking content.

“I’m so fed up with going online and looking at a kitchen showroom which tries to add social media impact with a camera pan of cabinetry. That doesn’t engage with the audience.

“What engages with the audience is food, and cooking in a kitchen, so now we create cooking video content which is also appliance-led.”

In a challenging environment, Williams encourages retailers to take another look at how they present their business and the services on offer.

He concludes. “Research from American Express found 70% of American consumers are willing to spend, on average 13% more with the company, if they deliver excellent customer service. I’m a big believer of service equals sales.”