Interview Patrick Kasingsing
Introduction Danielle Austria
Images LIXIL (American Standard)
“Before recommending a product, we always need to understand the customer’s needs. The more information we have, the better our proposal will be,” shares Villy Lee, Leader, Retail, Digital Platform & Customer Service, LIXIL Asia. Based in Singapore, Lee oversees retail strategies and customer experience programs across the region, guiding how LIXIL brands, like American Standard, connect with consumers from store design to digital engagement.
At the heart of his work is a simple idea: the best retail experiences begin with empathy. Speaking with Kanto during the American Standard at 150 trade event at The Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan, Lee discussed how American Standard and LIXIL are reimagining the way Filipino consumers discover and experience bathroom design, both online and in-store. For him, it comes down to giving customers clarity and confidence at every step.
Hi, Villy! Welcome to Kanto! If you had to recommend just one American Standard product as the perfect introduction for a first-time homeowner, what would it be and why?
Villy Lee, Leader, Retail, Digital Platform & Customer Service, LIXIL Asia: Before recommending a product, we always need to understand the customer’s needs. The more information we have, the better our proposal will be.
So, if we imagine a young couple—newly married, living in Manila, buying their first small home, and planning to start a family—we would recommend the Loven collection. For a few reasons: first, they live in the city, so they need something modern and compact to fit an urban lifestyle. Space is constrained, so they need a compact design to optimize their bathroom space. Loven is compact and modern.
Second, the couple wants to have a baby, so health and hygiene become very important. Loven is equipped with high-end technology, like an anti-stain toilet bowl that makes it easy to clean.
Finding the right fit can be tricky. How is American Standard rethinking the retail experience to make that process easier for Filipino shoppers?
Villy Lee: We do see a lot of challenges, not only for Filipino consumers but also for consumers in other countries, when it comes to selecting bathroom products. There are so many brands, and even within the same brand, so many products.
How American Standard addresses this kind of pain point from the consumer is based on three areas. The first is all around the showroom and store design. We need to make sure the store design can really maximize the customer showroom experience from end to end, and that the floor flow allows the consumer journey inside to help them select the right product.
Second is the people. In each store and showroom, we have our brand specialists. These brand specialists not only have the best product knowledge but also have the capability to understand consumer needs. They can offer the best solution to the consumers.
Finally, we have a very strong service team. This service team helps the customer conquer all the challenges they face during the whole consumer journey. For example, how to install the toilet, what are the technical concerns or issues—all those kinds of things. I strongly believe through these areas, we continue to improve and provide the best retail experience to Filipino consumers.
Many buyers here likely weigh multiple factors—cost, quality, name—before making a purchase. What makes them turn to American Standard over competing brands?
Villy Lee: Filipino consumers look for a balance between product quality and aspiration. When we develop products, we really consider these two important factors.
First, we innovate beyond the basic functions. One good example is the flushing system. Every toilet has a flushing function, right? But in LIXIL, we have one technology we call “power flushing” that gives the toilet a more powerful flush, which helps reduce the risk of clogs. This is an example of how we make products that fulfill both functionality and the customer’s needs.
The second part is aspiration. We see that customers are now more focused on well-being and wellness. They treat the bathroom as a place for inspiration. For this, we have different collections and designs that can transform the bathroom into a wellness space. These collections also help customers optimize their bathroom area, allowing them to have more usable space.
What shifts are you noticing in how Filipinos approach bathroom design? Are they becoming more design-led, more eco-conscious, or more tech-driven?
Villy Lee: All of the above. How we are addressing these needs—some we already talked about on design—so here I want to focus more on eco-friendly, eco-conscious products. We have energy-saving and water-saving products. For example, we have one called ClickMove, which can save about 40 percent of water consumption through better control of water flow. We also have the EcoStart technology. With this one, when you open the faucet, it starts with cold water without triggering the water heater, which avoids unnecessary energy use.
For tech-driven products, if you look back 150 years ago, the products were totally different because we continue to evolve. One good example is our integrated shower toilet, which is equipped with a technology called Dual Nozzle. You know how a shower toilet has a nozzle to wash the body? With Dual Nozzle, we have a separate nozzle for the husband and another for the wife, because some people may prefer not to share the same nozzle.
Innovation clearly plays a significant role in how those trends are taking shape. Beyond design, digital transformation is also key to succeeding in this competitive landscape. What tools or platforms are you introducing that make product discovery and after-sales support more intuitive for online buyers?
Villy Lee: We live in a digital world, and we really invest a lot in digital transformation. Our goal is to elevate the customer experience, and we focus on three areas.
The first is accessibility. We want customers to reach us anytime, anywhere, whenever they need us. We have an online platform that they can use for product specifications and proposals—available anytime and anywhere.
The second is the visual experience. We want customers to see our products in detail. For example, they can view each product in 360-degree 3D with all the dimensions. Even if they don’t visit the showroom, they can still explore it online. We also have a tool to customize space, where customers can select products and see them in a 360-degree bathroom panorama. This helps them better understand how each product looks and fits in an actual bathroom setting. It’s a really amazing experience.
Last but not least is the service experience, which covers the entire customer journey from beginning to end. We have a very powerful CRM system that helps us engage the customer at every step and provide fantastic service.
The American Standard 150 raffle with Wilcon will undoubtedly create buzz, but how does it also reinforce long-term trust and connection with customers?
Wilcon is our trusted partner, and it’s also a well-known retail name in the Philippine market. Partnering with Wilcon definitely helps us reach more consumers across the country.
Through the American Standard 150 campaign, consumers can visit Wilcon stores to experience our products and solutions firsthand. I strongly believe that this partnership helps us connect with customers better and continue to deliver our value.
Looking ahead, how do you see retail partners in the Philippines evolving with American Standard to deliver even more value to customers?
Retail partners are very important for the American Standard brand. They play a key role in the whole consumer journey. We will continue to work closely with them to deliver a fantastic store and showroom experience and provide the best solutions to Filipino consumers. •
To join the American Standard 150 raffle with Wilcon Depot, follow this link.
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