Relaunched Maplin focuses on enthusiasts, Raspberry Pi and Arduino

Marshall explains that “In the latter days, the company tried to focus more on mainstream products,” where it simply wasn’t able to compete on price and convenience. In its online incarnation however, Maplin is targeting a more specific customer, somewhere between the average consumer and professional engineer.

“We’re still very aligned with being the electronics supplier,” Marshall says, assuring that customers will still be able to purchase cables and adapters and general purpose power supplies from the online retailer.

Where he believes the company now distinguishes itself from more mainstream competition however, is in its maker, STEM and hobbyist offerings. The continued, growing popularity of products like Arduino, Raspberry Pi and BBC micro:bit has created a niche where Maplin hopes to re-establish itself as a key player.

The site now offers single board computers, microcontrollers, projects and kits, catering to this tinkerer market and supporting the increasing role of electronics in STEM classrooms.

When asked if Maplin would consider moving even further in this direction, to compete with traditional component distributors, Marshall was hesitant to totally rebuff the idea, “Never say never!”

He says for the time being however, the firm will continue to focus on the market between general purpose retailers and electronics distributors.

One way the retailer plans to cultivate this liminal market is through informative content. “We really want to address knowledge and education,” Marshall says, with plans for tutorials and projects to be hosted on the site in future.

This content would, again, straddle the line between general consumer information and more technical forums like RS Components’ DesignSparks. “That’s kind of the angle I’m going after,” he explains “But I think we can make it a bit more mainstream.”

Marshall says the aim is to recreate the experience of being able to go into a shop and have a conversation with an expert about a project or problem, without the need for a physical location. This is where he hopes to differentiate Maplins from larger, more price-led online retailers.

Will the franchise bring back physical shops in the future? “It’s hard to say right now, retail is in a very tricky position,” Marshall says. It’s difficult to justify the costs of running a brick-and-mortar location simply to replicate what can be achieved online with greater efficiency.

For now, the retailer is back online, and plans to stay there this time.