Energy-saving kit programs remain an integral part of residential portfolios based on their effectiveness in introducing customers to products that can quickly make an impact in a home. Whether it’s through enhancing building performance through improved weatherization, mitigating the energy required to heat water, or eliminating wasted energy from electronic devices, bundled offerings are the hands-on, interactive delivery mechanism programs can use to get their customer invested and engaged in improving whole home efficiency.

For decades this has been no secret to us. We witnessed a powerful response time and again when customers realized they could lower their energy bills and improve home comfort through small, incremental actions. These interactions came face-to-face through pop-up retail, where bundled offerings were our biggest draw. As our business evolved, we applied the same approach to the kit, bundles, and packs programs we have administered in 12 states and counting.

An excellent example of what’s attainable is our work in support of the FOCUS ON ENERGY® program in Wisconsin. The Energy-Saving Packs program offers customers of participating electric and gas utilities the opportunity to order a free pack once every year. Customers have the option of three (3) packs and can place their order online or via phone. Highlights of program delivery include:  

• TechniArt has administered the kits program since the fall of 2019, fulfilling nearly 500,000 orders. In 2022 alone, we fulfilled 135,000 orders that reached customers’ doorsteps within five days.
• Our development team recently upgraded the dedicated Energy-Saving Packs program site, which converts at 44% while extracting extensive customer data for program participation.
• Our marketing team utilizes seasonality in their creative and messaging approach, providing utilities and cooperative partners engaging content to market the program offering directly.
• The Energy-Savings Packs program has a 9.5 customer satisfaction rating and continues to serve as an entry point for customers to become involved in other programs with Focus on Energy.

While decarbonization, electric vehicle, and demand response initiatives attract much of the spotlight from program planning and design, it’s kit programs that continue as the workhorse for residential portfolios, crucial in capturing customers’ attention vital for programs to thrive.

Let our team put together a comprehensive kit program delivery plan for your market and learn how we can help you improve customer engagement. 

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The future of energy is here. Beneficial electrification. Utilities and energy providers need to educate their customers about this disruptive shift with an omnichannel marketing and awareness approach. The challenge of explaining a multifaceted concept like beneficial electrification to a customer becomes a much easier proposition when they can experience firsthand what new technologies can do for their home. That is where we come in with the “Benefication Lab.” Our mobile, hands-on beneficial electrification experiential pop-up exhibit helps customers grasp and understand the core tenets of electrifying their home while giving them a direct pathway to get started.

The Benefication Lab can help orchestrate cross-portfolio collaboration for energy efficiency, demand response, and electrical vehicle initiatives, serving as the unifying, omnichannel experiential strategy that harnesses the power of all an organization’s initiatives to their customers’ benefit.

What can it do? You mean, what CAN’T it do!

• Deliver quantifiable energy savings for a residential portfolio by distributing energy-efficient kits and smart thermostats.
• Connect customers with digital engagement initiatives, specifically through Marketplace or other targeted e-commerce initiatives.
• Target key customer segments to ensure equity in energy efficiency program delivery.
• Conduct intake for interested customers and funnel leads to participating installers and contractors for efficient equipment upgrades, e.g., heat pump water heaters and air-source heat pumps.
• Train interested contractors and installers on installing efficient equipment, such as heat pump water heaters or battery storage.
• Sign up customers for Home Energy Assessments.
• Educate customers on new, emerging electrification technologies with hands-on displays for Level 2 vehicle chargers, induction cooking, heat pump water heaters, and air-source heating.
• Explain federal, state, and local incentive programs, such as the Inflation Reduction Act provisions, to customers and tell them how they can take advantage.

Draw customers and traffic to stand-alone program initiatives like municipal recycling, light bulb swaps, and other civic initiatives.
The Benefication Lab can pop-up anywhere and everywhere people congregate, i.e., county fairs, home shows, HVAC contractor training events, fall festivals, PTO meetings, blood drives, food truck festivals, farmers markets, craft fairs, professional sporting events, art festivals, block parties, businesses and anywhere you can imagine.

The task of driving customer awareness and action to adopt these emerging beneficial electrification technologies is monumental, requiring an unparalleled focus on each customer’s situation and expectation. There is no better catalyst than the Benefication Lab for this level of engagement.

Interested in learning more about the Benefication Lab or want one for your market? Drop us a line at sales@techniart.com.

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“I’ll be back.”  

The Governator was on to something when he said that. Who knew this pithy three-word phrase laid the foundation for successful e-commerce strategy adopted by companies ranging from Target to TechniArt? 

We’re talking about being omnipresent in your customers’ minds through frequent promotions and offers. We refer to these things as limited-time offers and flash sales in our organization. Here’s a rundown on why they are the bees’ knees when selling stuff on the Internet, especially the products and equipment supported by utility program incentives. 

• People don’t know what they need until you tell them. 
• People want to buy, not shop.  
• Utilities and energy programs always have the most compelling offers.  

Let’s unpack all this.  

Yes, it’s very Steve Jobs for us to make a statement saying that people don’t know what they want until you tell them, but this is a thing in the world of energy-efficient products and technology. People rarely hear about advanced power strips, heat pump water heaters, or thermostatic shut-off valves from someone who isn’t their utility.  And if they do, they have no idea how to use them. Once you can get them to focus on evaluating a product vetted and discounted by their utility (the folks responsible for powering homes safely), you have their attention. Isolating the offer through a dedicated e-commerce storefront does just that.  

People are inundated with so many marketing messages that Google developed a “promotions” tab in Gmail almost ten years ago. About half of the U.S. population who uses email has a Gmail account, meaning a large majority of customers have been preconditioned to react to promotional offers for a decade. If you want your customers to participate in your programs, you need to have your offers in their inbox on par with the companies they support at least once a month. It’s how people buy what they need. They rarely go shopping; they go “buying” based on offers served to them primarily through email from the brands and organizations that matter most to them.    

The greatest strength of utility programs is that they can always offer their customers the best deal in town when they apply their incentives instantly at the point of purchase. Resellers must abide by the minimum advertised pricing set by manufacturers (even Amazon), so when you can apply a $75 instant rebate on the Nest Smart Thermostat combined with a $30 manufacturer discount, customers now have a $24.99 offer available only through a utility-sanctioned experience. There are no greater marketing hooks than “lowest price possible” or “act now – offer expires soon” to grab customers’ attention. Winning on price matters, especially online. Utilities can dominate e-commerce because of this paradigm.  

We are all for selling things online in any way possible; we always gravitate to limited-time offers and flash sales because it’s the best experience for all involved – the utility program team, customers, and yours truly. When you combine the lowest price possible with a curated product recommendation, you have a reason to be back in your customer’s inbox each month with a new offer.        

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View TechniArt Bulb Swap Case Study

Want to start swapping bulbs in your market? Drop us a line at sales@techniart.com.

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We’re only 24 days into a new decade; however, we never officially closed the door on the last one. Take a walk on the wild side as we review the good, bad, and ugly of the 2010’s.

As you start your new year and get working on your resolutions, remember if one of them is to get a jump start on your savings goals, you know who to call (hint: it ain’t Ghostbusters).

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We’re not going to be one of those articles that keeps you in suspense. Here’s our brain dump:

1. Amazon and Google won the smart home race.
2. There’s plenty of room for smart LED category growth.
3. Bundling installation matters for everything.

Let’s unpack all this.

Why Amazon and Google won.

One word: presence.

Google was EVERYWHERE at CES. They had one of the biggest footprints (and even branded the monorail cars). Where they grabbed our attention though was their staff presence. Any other smart home manufacturer booth you visited had Google staff on site to discuss integration with Google Assistant. This sent a clear message that Google, and the smart home, are inseparable.

Amazon had less of an “in your face” presence, maintaining an elaborate booth in the Venetian where you could walk through your day-to-day routine with Alexa connected devices (just like Google). Across the floor Echo’s and Dot’s were just as visible as the Google Mini for controlling products on demand.

The greatest presence both manufacturers shared was prominent space on product packaging. Gone from the smart device ecosystem were mentions of the other platforms. If you were a homeowner or a techie trying to follow the trends, it was clear that Amazon and Google are no longer the favorites; they won the race. We’re excited to see what greater clarity, and enhanced security, can do for smart home in 2020, and look forward to helping customers adopt either

Smart LEDs are more than just bulbs.

Smart bulbs have captured everyone’s imagination; however, the new stars of the smart LED movement are ready for prime time (and maybe programs, too?).

Connected LED strip lighting was omnipresent. Capable of being set up in minutes with adhesive backing and several battery-powered options, people’s undercabinet lights are in for a change. As efficiency programs transition their lighting programs, having a look under the cabinet could breathe new options into rapidly changing programs. Philips, Wiz Lighting, GE and other brands had product.

Speaking of Current by GE, we were excited to check out their wireless dimmers and switches. They have a low profile and adhere to the wall with adhesive backing (we sense a theme going on here). What made us most excited was how these products could fill a void in the renter market, or with homeowners not quite ready to cut the power and wire a dimmer.

We ran into connected table lamps, ceiling tiles, and other configurable smart LED tech, which only showed us that there’s a lot of room for the Smart LED category to grow, and us with it.

Installation for everything.

We ran across Home Advisor and Handy, two companies that connect consumers with pros based on their service and installation needs.

What struck us before our conversations were that installation support was only for more complex, complicated products, like heat pump water heaters, and not lighting bundles. We were wrong; apparently, support for simple installations, changing a showerhead, installing LEDs, and helping to configure smart home set-ups are quite popular.

Accessibility and equity were two topics weaved throughout the conference (we got to see Joe Montana interview with AARP on both). As technology becomes more transferrable in supporting all customer types based on price and availability, having a qualified network to facilitate installation is becoming more important and something we’re committed to.

2020 could be a big year for the smart home and connected lighting, and helping customers get it all installed just right. We’re glad we kicked off the new year some valuable market intelligence. Now we’re ready to dive in to help you better meet your sales and program goals.

Contact Mark or Casey if you want to learn more about our CES experience (or just how much Casey lost at the casinos).

The post 3 things CES taught us and why they matter in 2020 appeared first on Techniart.

Yes, we heard that this year. And, if you asked the guys and gals known for selling light bulbs if they’d ever sell something like that early 2019, we would have said the same thing.

What made us do it? We had an opportunity with a progressive supplier, great partner, and innovative utility to try this out. Add in the right timing, good pricing, and a strong marketing campaign, and we found a unique recipe for success. Learn all about our story:

View TechniArt HPWH Case Study

Interested in moving your heat pump water heater promotion online? Let’s talk! Drop us a line at marketing@techniart.com.

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Have you ever received an unexpected gift from someone? How did it make you feel? Appreciated? Grateful? Happy? We were going to start this blog off with “people like free stuff” but that didn’t sit right when you’re talking about kit programs. They are more than just giving away free stuff; it’s all about making customers feel appreciated and valued, which has positive implications for your brand.

The TechniArt crew has had a busy year running several kit programs throughout the country where we’ve had the opportunity to engage customers in-person, over the phone, and via email. Whether they are from Iowa, Montana, or New Mexico, they all exhibit the same response when they get a kit – gratitude and appreciation for the program that made it possible. We can measure this often in terms of smiles and thank you’s, but also email opt-ins and leads generated for other programs; you know, quantifiable KPIs for increasing brand affinity.

So how do you actually build customer loyalty with a kit program?

Like all programs, it centers around customer participation, and that all starts with getting the word out to the right people at the right time. Just because you have a kit program, doesn’t mean customers will participate in it.

From our work on behalf of FOCUS ON ENERGY® and Efficiency Vermont, we learned that while direct mail, email marketing, and social media rule the marketing roost, word of mouth is really where it’s at.

• In Vermont, customers sought us out at the fairs and festivals we attended to get their free kit. Word travels fast; that and having a flashy box with a cool sticker on it does something to capture your attention.
• In Wisconsin, strategic public relations campaigns and partnership marketing with key stakeholders generated a major lift in kit program awareness and participation.

Through word of mouth, customers learn from the people they trust, which in turn increases credibility in the program and its other offerings that provide opportunities for deeper engagement. And deeper engagement is one of the main reasons you do a kit program – give your customer a greater experience with something they can trial in their home and then move them along their energy-efficiency journey into additional programs.

You want loyalty? Start with kits, make your customers happy, and they’ll be sure to tell their friends.

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Four. Years. Straight. That’s commitment. And that’s what TechniArt and Mass Save have collaborated to do for a great charity, Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, for since 2016. Together, we have managed to raise over $110,000 for Mass Fallen Heroes, which benefits Gold Star Families and returning Veterans who participate in their programs.

This fundraising program works where the Sponsors of Mass Save® (which includes Cape Light Compact, Eversource, National Grid, and Until) support an annual kit promotion that TechniArt implements through select pop-up retail events as well as a limited-time offer.  Half of all the proceeds from kit sales will be donated back to support Mass Fallen Hero programs. The centerpiece of this year’s promotion is a 14-piece kit for only $10 that includes LED bulbs, a desk lamp, and an advanced power strip.

This is one example of TechniArt’s community fundraising initiatives. Supporting local initiatives and giving back the communities we are helping to become more efficient is a big part of who we are as an organization. We’re proud to have helped contribute to Mass Fallen Heroes on behalf of the Mass Save program and hope to support other worthy initiatives in partnership with our clients across the country.

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Chances are you bought something online recently. The site you purchased from sent a you a few “trust signals” ahead of time and while you were browsing that made you feel comfortable knowing they were a legitimate business. These specific signals aren’t apparent to many because they are e-commerce best practices, things you take for granted when you go to any website with the intent to buy. You only notice them when they are not there.

As more utilities and energy-efficiency programs develop marketplaces and move further into using e-commerce to engage their customers, they need to ensure they send the right trust signals to their customers or else they can potentially turn them away for good.

So, what are some of these signals? Glad you asked.

Missing Site Objective

There should be a clear intention stated on the site as to why it exists for the customer to understand why they were directed to it in the first place. Marketplaces that lack clear objectives can confuse customers; they don’t know who operates the site, and sometimes, why they were brought there and what they are expected to do. Utilities have an added challenge with marketplaces. Customers don’t associate their utilities as a being in retail (except for them selling their customers electric or gas to power their home). Without a clear and concise objective, even if it’s as mundane as “welcome to our store – buy energy efficient stuff for your home,” you run the risk of alienating your customers.

Unsightly, Unkept, and Error-Filled

Nothing like visiting a site where there’s poor grammar and spelling errors, odd layout and formatting, low resolution images, visible code snippets, and 404 error messages. These occurrences are cringeworthy. If you come across them when you are shopping, you typically tend to close the browser and do another search for the product you are looking for. It doesn’t give you confidence the retailer cares enough about their business to ensure its error free and appealing to their customers. This is the equivalent of visiting a dirty, unclean store and having a rude conversation with a salesperson. There’s really no excuse for this experience online. Its sloppy implementation.  

Payment Processing

The most critical part of the online purchase experience is checkout. If you’re a customer and you don’t see the Mastercard, Visa, Discovery, American Express, PayPal, Amazon Pay, or Apple Pay icons and buttons available on the page, you become a little suspicious as to who you’re buying from. In addition, what if there are no security certificates? Nothing having a payment processor identified with their credentials visible sends a message that you may not be a secure site to purchase from

These are just a few quick examples of trust signals you need to send through your marketplace. If you have a marketplace and have low bounce or conversion rates, come talk to us. We’re happy to help you build a site that exudes trust and credibility to your customers.

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