By Adejoke Adekunle
The average consumer can estimate the capacity of the generator required for their energy demand based on its size. A lot of this information comes from suppliers, friends, family and the media which has overtime helped the consumer build a library of information about generators. But how much inference can the average consumer draw about capacity by looking at a solar panel?
Decisions are guided by available information.
That consumers can easily recall useful information about the generator makes it a more appealing option compared to solar where consumers are required to dig through scarce resources to find anything remotely useful to make a decision.
Any solar company will tell you they play their part in educating consumers on how solar works but the information consumers need goes beyond specific products. What is perhaps more helpful for the consumer is to gain a good grasp of the technicalities surrounding energy use. The more the average consumer understands about energy, its different forms and how to measure what, the more appreciative they’ll be of viable alternatives like solar.
Although not mutually exclusive, the challenge this poses for companies is figuring out how to balance short term goals like revenue and customer acquisition with investing in long-term beneficial activities like energy literacy while mitigating the possible risk of opening up the market for bigger competitors once more consumers start appreciating the value of solar.
So what is a possible idea to do it all? i.e. build consumer knowledge and your brand while chasing revenue
Make it easy to be remembered and understood.
This has little to do with advertising instead, involves largely exploring ways to build visual cues with your product (not just solar panels) e.g. using tools like video and image-led case studies on completed connections with details on product spec, building type, appliances powered, expected power generation capacity and storage duration, expected lifespan, maintenance etc. If done right, each case-study will read like a story with relatable elements to make for easy retrieval of information about solar and your brand whenever the need arises.
For example, Arnergy’s calculator, allows consumers to identify products best suited to them based on the appliances they intend to power. It is an example of how brands can build visual cues with their product and quickly improve the consumers’ knowledge of solar solutions.
Introduce a Minimum Viable Offer
An indirect education opportunity can happen if you introduce a Minimum Viable Offer (MVO). Exempting SHS brands, the argument for customising solar is that every house, business or user has a different energy need. YES. But customization is the opposite of scale. And for a sector with an already high barrier to adoption, what solar brands should strive for is getting a foot in the door with just enough information to encourage bold steps. Not offering a base product and price reference upfront signals luxury which negatively influences consumer perception of solar.
This might prove tricky as providing a standard solution to consumers with low energy literacy could yield a far worse experience for them as they will likely plug-in appliance and overload the system, significantly reducing the product’s performance and lifespan. However, an upgradeable solution with minimal additional setup requirements and a default starting offer reduces the need for additional thinking on the consumers’ part, provides a frame of reference for the consumer to make a decision, weeds out unready prospects and builds on the aspirational value of a brand as the market recognizes the need for the product.
With the current COVID-19 pandemic, the recent increase in electricity tariffs and the elimination of fuel subsidy, there is no better time for solar companies to help consumers embrace the use of clean, renewable energy. To make this happen, solar energy providers must explore thoughtful ways to improve energy literacy, to address perception and optimize user interactions.
Adejoke is the managing partner at VVM, a marketing consultancy focused on helping clean energy and Agriculture companies in SSA create more impact with modern and traditional marketing solutions.