Client
A large Japan-based consumer products company.
Issue
With a global shift towards technology in every aspect, the client was interested in understanding the willingness of consumers and other stakeholders, especially in B2B, to adopt IoT in the home with smart home offering. YCP was tasked to identify opportunities in segments of residential and retail as well identify consumer interests and attitude towards IoT / Smart Home products and offering.
Approach
YCP resourced each geography with up to two resources to speak to stakeholders such as developers, interior designers, architects and specifiers to understand the current trends for technological innovations and perception of consumer attitudes. The first 8 weeks we dealt with identifying the right set of stakeholders within leading developer groups, and understanding from perspective opportunities for smart appliance manufacturers. Since consumer attitudes were also part of the study, ethnographic one-on-one interviews were conducted in each of the cities in scope. One of the cities was suggested to be dropped for ethnographic study since it was similar to one of the other cities in Australia, and its insights might not have revealed anything different. Criteria were determined based on inputs from B2B study to identify the right set of consumers for which a recruitment firm was employed. The ethnographic interviews then formulated a survey which was conducted across all six cities.
Engagement ROI
The client was presented with a clear go to market recommendation and strategy on which products should be priority and the approach towards each of the markets. In addition, they wanted to understand attitudes of consumers towards smart home technology, which was provided through the extensive B2C survey. The comparison of both B2B and B2C has helped client to prioritise markets which it should target. The client additionally wanted to understand any specific USPs which can be focused on, for which clear insight was provided.
