Panasonic Seeks Boost In Awareness for Advanced Cordless Phone Features

Impressive advances in cordless phone features are getting lost at retail, where limited sales help on the retail floor and limited space on advertising tags make it difficult for manufacturers to get the message out. “The box has to be the salesperson,” said Susan Bartolucci, marketing specialist for Panasonic.

So there’s little white space on the box for Panasonic’s new KX-TG7642 ($99.95), which details features including Link to Cell, “adjustable tone equalizer” and “intelligent eco mode” that wouldn’t translate to the fact tags posted beneath phone display models in big-box stores. “There’s no one there to help sell the phones,” Bartolucci said, “and space is limited because there’s not a lot of signage, so we changed the box artwork.” The goal was to make it easier for consumers to be able to distinguish features simply by reading the box, but that only works once they're in the store, she said. “We're trying to get awareness.” The company is beefing up its website to help educate consumers about features including Link to Cell, Bartolucci said. “People look for advice on the Internet when they're researching what phone to buy."

Panasonic adopted the name Link to Cell as a friendlier alternative to Bluetooth, Bartolucci said. Features are a balancing act for cordless phone makers who are challenged to keep pace with cellphone features as more consumers drop landline service and rely on their wireless phones and computers for voice communication. While Bluetooth is a standard and expected feature in the wireless world, Panasonic found through focus group research that the term is confusing and even threatening to cordless phone buyers, Desirae Dolphin, product manager for consumer telephones, told us. By calling it Link to Cell instead, “it tells consumers what it does versus calling it Bluetooth,” she said. Once consumers pair their cordless phone with their cellphone using Bluetooth, the cellphone automatically hands off calls to the cordless phone system when in range. Users can also copy their contact list from the cellphone to the cordless phone using Bluetooth, she said.

Another new feature in some Panasonic phones this year is power backup, Dolphin said. It addresses one of the main objections consumers have to giving up a corded phone in favor of a cordless model. If power goes out, Panasonic phones with power backup will power the base unit and enable users to make and receive calls, she said. Each KX-TG7642 cordless handset (up to five) can power the base unit for two to three hours, she said.

Targeting what it identified as an untapped market, Panasonic also introduced a phone for consumers with hearing loss, reduced vision and arthritis, Dolphin said. Features of the KX-TG6591T cordless phone include talking Caller ID that uses text-to-speech to announce the caller, any-key answer, a rubberized handset designed to be easy to hold, bigger buttons and 1.9-inch display with large text she said. A toggle switch on the side lets users adjust bass, midrange or high-end frequencies to compensate for hearing loss which typically occurs at certain frequencies, she noted. The phone includes features found on all 2011 Panasonic cordless phones including an “intelligent” eco mode that automatically adjusts power levels based on distance from the base unit. Price is $59.95 with one handset and $79.95 with two.

Panasonic has 38 percent market share in cordless phones at retailers including Best Buy and Staples, according to the latest NPD monthly data, Dolphin said. She said those numbers don’t include sales from Walmart, Costco and Sam’s Club. The KX-TG6591T is being sold at Kmart and Sears, she said.