Choosing what value to build into a future kitchen appliance

The question

Category leadership had two priorities at once: which kinds of value to build into future versions of the appliance, and how to raise its standing with buyers meanwhile.

Both depended on understanding why people buy one, how they choose it, and what would make the next one worth more to them.

Our approach

We went online to the people who make the decision, in three markets: those who had recently renovated their kitchen and chosen whether to have the appliance.

We heard from owners and from people who had decided against having one. The people who said no mattered as much as the owners, because their reasons were part of what the appliance’s value had to overcome.

Then we put both sides together. Online conflict groups had owners and non-owners argue for and against buying one, so each side’s reasons were tested in the same conversation.

The territories started from the kitchen people were trying to create, and only then turned to the appliance itself.

What the team came away with

Category leadership had innovation territories for the appliance, with a map of where its value could grow.

They were built for setting priorities for future products, and for planning how to raise the appliance’s standing with buyers along the way.