Electrolux
Enhancing customer experience by mapping the partner retail journey for Electrolux.
- BUSINESS GOAL -
Electrolux is a leading appliance manufacturer operating in over 120 markets worldwide with a range of brands, of which Zanussi and AEG make up the core in the UK.
Having developed a detailed customer journey map, we had a comprehensive understanding of the typical path to purchase, and how consumers are inspired, informed and ultimately driven to buy Electrolux’s products.
However, the team wanted greater oversight into how retail partners influence the customer journey, both online and in store. These retail partners took various forms, and included electrical suppliers like John Lewis and Curry’s, kitchen retailers like Wickes and Howdens, as well as kitchen showrooms and D2C channels like the AEG website.
The aim of the project was to explore how these partners shape consumer perceptions of Electrolux’s brands and their likelihood to purchase. Ultimately, the team were looking for tactical recommendations on how they could better support their retail partners, and better plan and tailor their own marketing efforts through AEG’s channels.
Any findings needed to be sharable with other internal teams to ensure effective communication and understanding of our recommendations across marketing and sales.
- THE SOLUTION -
In order to achieve these aims, we needed: 1. An in-depth understanding of in-store retailer experiences, including what consumers expected to see, and what their needs were in terms of demonstrations or staff support, 2. An understanding of the online journey, to track what information and media was needed at what point and, 3. To test the efficacy of different types of messaging across different channels i.e. what was most effective in terms of what is being said and who is saying it (retail partner comms vs direct from AEG).
We chose to use a blended approach of qualitative and quantitative methods. Firstly, we conducted 12 hours of in-depth interviews with consumers who had recently made, or were on the cusp of making, key category purchases. We then went into stores to conduct real-time observations and intercepts across six major retailers (a mixture of electrical and kitchen retailers including John Lewis, Wickes, and Howdens).
Finally, we conducted a 500-sample quant survey using max-diff and other statistical analysis to compare a series of promotional mechanics to uncover which was the most powerful at influencing buying behaviours. This stage was critical in helping us understand nuances between consumer groups, purchase missions and retailer types. Allowing us to size consumer needs, motivations and barriers to validate our qualitative insights.
- THE OUTCOME -
We were able to put forward a clear business case to AEG as to what messages and assets worked best in partnership with which retailers to better promote Electrolux products and improve the overall customer experience. By identifying three core consumer needs that were true of both in-store and online journeys, we gave a clear set of metrics by which to measure the success of future messaging.
We then provided the team with tactical channel and retailer specific recommendations on improving consumer experiences – from widening the available in store range, to stripping back PoS messaging to avoid overwhelm.