Testing new smart home product concepts

What is shaping electronics

Consumer electronics and appliance buyers research online, compare prices across channels and judge brands on after-sales service as much as on features.

• Purchase journeys blend online research and in-store demos
• E-commerce and modern retail compete on price and delivery
• After-sales service drives repeat purchase

A consumer electronics start-up in East Asia, working in Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei & Hong Kong. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

A consumer electronics start-up in East Asia

Sector

Electronics

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Consumer panel, Quantitative research, Qualitative research

The start-up had several smart home product ideas, from security cameras to energy monitors, but limited funds to develop only one or two. Founders disagreed about which concept had the strongest potential.

• Deliver on the brief: testing new smart home product concepts.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of online respondents.
• Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 weeks.

The work focused on 1,200 online respondents.

• online respondents1,200

Audiences we typically reach in electronics

Appliance and device buyersOwners and usersRetailers and sales staffE-commerce shoppersService technicians

Coverage: Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei & Hong Kong. Markets: Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

• Japan
• Taiwan
• Hong Kong

A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Online concept test
3. 3In-home interviews
4. 4Insight

Each respondent saw one concept with a realistic description and price, rating appeal, uniqueness, believability and purchase intent. In-home interviews explored where devices would fit in daily routines and what concerns people had about privacy and installation.

Consumer panelQuantitative researchQualitative research

online respondents

1,200

• Respondents were selected across Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei & Hong Kong using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
• Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

in-home interviews

20

• Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
• The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.

• Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
• Time and location checks on field interviews
• Supervisor accompaniment in the field
• Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
• Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
• Review of open-ended answers
• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
• Significance testing on the differences that mattered
• Comparison of concepts, messages or products against each other
• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping

• An affordable smart energy monitor tested strongest, especially among families worried about electricity bills, while security cameras faced strong competition and privacy concerns.
• Follow-up interviews with early prototype users later confirmed that simple setup was the feature people valued most.

Testing concepts monadically gave each idea a fair hearing and settled an internal debate with evidence.

• Build on the core insight: testing concepts monadically gave each idea a fair hearing and settled an internal debate with evidence.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: an affordable smart energy monitor tested strongest, especially among families worried about electricity bills, while security cameras faced strong competition and privacy concerns.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The start-up focused development on the energy monitor and simplified installation.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables
• Interview summaries and key verbatims

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: how do buyers build their shortlist?