Here’s the second key finding from Accenture’s recent global survey, “Revealing the Values of the New Energy Consumer”:
The opportunity to reduce the electricity bill remains the most important fact that would encourage consumers to adopt an electricity management program.
But while pivotal, price alone is not enough to drive adoption. In order to be fully satisfied, consumers require programs to have other elements as well.
Here’s how those extra offerings rank, in terms of how much they impact a decision to participate.
Loyalty Rewards, 47%: A system that would allow consumers to collect redeemable points. Rebates trump the list of potential rewards, but more than half of consumers were interested in free installation, rewards that could be spent in a store, and electronics or computers.
Service, 30%: The ability to choose between self-setup and service, as opposed to having a technician set up and service a device
Information Display, 10%: The ability to monitor and adjust electricity usage through a device. Devices may be stand-alone, or incorporated into appliances that consumers already own, such as computers or refrigerators.
The relative importance of these add-ons varied between countries. That underscores the need for utilities to understand their customers’ preferences, and to tailor their programs to reflect local and regional consumer priorities.