Consumer Durables

Technology and increased interest in the home - together with wider trends such as the growing importance of individualism, indulgence, environmental concerns and health and nutrition – provide a huge range of opportunities for development in the consumer durables area. Despite this, some categories (in particular white goods) are still viewed by consumers as commodities or as something that’s too technical.  

We believe that success in durables marketing depends on how well marketers understand how their products fit into consumers’ lives. For example, to what extent is an appliance a friend as opposed to a workhorse, or something they like to show off rather than ‘just find a space for’ and which features really make the difference to consumers when making their purchase decisions?   

This is why methodologies such as ethnography have become so much more prominent in our offering. We have also developed new research methodologies such as Hilca, a conjoint approach that allows us to include more product attributes than in traditional conjoint approaches, to provide a fresh way of thinking about researching consumer durables.

Of course, there are big differences between consumers in the way they approach and relate to product categories. Much of our research is grounded in segmentation principles, for example through our Life Matrix segmentation model, supported by our ability to isolate influential consumers. Approaches to idea generation, usage and attitudes research and brand strategy all utilise segmentation principles to provide a comprehensive framework for helping clients to develop efficient strategies for gaining wide appeal.

For more information or to discuss, contact Roger Smith roger.smith@gfk.com +44 (0)20 7890 9443.