Influencing consumer behaviour

Influencing consumer behaviour. Improving customer loyalty.

Governments worldwide are planning smart meter roll-outs for a number of reasons, including replacing ageing infrastructure and enabling new renewable energy sources to be used effectively, but amid the enormous costs of the programmes it has not yet been made clear whether customers themselves directly benefit.

However, various utility-customer engagement initiatives have demonstrated both reduction in overall energy use and a shift away from using energy at peak times. If the same approach was adopted in smart meter roll-outs, in the long term these changes in consumption will help to ease the ever-increasing pressure of managing supply and demand. Moreover, influencing behaviour change can also go hand-in-hand with improved customer loyalty, which offers immediate value to utilities.

A new report by smart data specialists Onzo presented at the Utility Show 2012 discussed the role of data insight in effectively influencing consumer behaviour and encouraging customer loyalty. In a deployment to 80,000 energy users, Onzo demonstrated that providing customers with actionable and compelling data significantly reduced the chances of those customers choosing to switch supplier.

“An integrated in-home display and web service is a compelling proposition for customers that they find user-friendly and effective. Ultimately, it’s a service they do not want to lose,” explained Onzo’s Chief Technical Officer Nick Hunn. “Approached in this way, smart programmes have real potential to dramatically improve the relationship between customers and utilities.”

“Onzo’s success has been founded on its ability to bridge the gap between customers and utilities, using data and advanced analytics to make energy relevant to customers, and providing insight to allow utilities to make informed decisions to increase their business efficiency.”

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