CONTRIBUTION
Quantitative & Qualitative Research
Design Strategy
Interdeparmental Communication
TIME
Jul 2022 - Aug 2022
2 month
proposed targeted business strategies for Acer to attract customers with varying levels of eco-consciousness based on first-hand research into Generation Z's sustainable product preferences.
The company believed that generation Z (gen Z) was concerned about environmental protection and hoped to use the eco-friendly laptop series Vero as the main product to break into the gen Z market.
Unexpectedly, gen Z's response to the first-generation product was not ideal, which indicated that the Vero series faced the challenge of connecting with young consumers.
To understand user behavior, I conduct:
Target Respondent
18~25 years old consumers
① General consumption experience and habits
investigating the priority of factors that gen Z consider when purchasing products
② Eco-friendly consumption behaviors
knowing gen Z's habits of engaging in eco-friendly activities in daily lives
③ Mindset of being eco-friendly
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understanding gen Z's willingness to show eco-friendly behavior for contributing to personal images
With sample testing, I tried to understand gen Z’s purchase preferences and considerations for the appearance of the electronic products.
Most respondents mentioned that their incentive to engage in eco-friendly behaviors was either getting discounts or convenience.
It was related to Acer's brand image in gen Z's mind: for a long time, Acer's products have always focused on practicality and price, and rarely conveyed brand value to consumers. As the result, most of Acer's customers consist of careful spenders who rarely care about environmental protection. No wonder when Vero tried to communicate to customers with sustainable concepts, they didn't find them attractive at all!
Gen Z believes that the most important part of a product is practicability, while sustainability is a bonus item. According to the characteristics mentioned above,
I divide gen Z into the following categories based on their mindset on environmental protection and their personality:
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Acer can gradually add eco-friendly materials to existing product series or improve maintainability and durability. Therefore, they could create a bonus in these products and distinguish them from other brands' products.
Acer can cooperate with green organizations and influencers to increase the popularity and credibility of Vero. It can also directly enter the life of eco-lovers and add sales channels in eco-friendly stores or vegetarian restaurants they often visit, increasing the chances of reaching them.
Impact─
They will emphasize more on products' recyclability and maintainability in future series.
For example, Acer's Laptops were hard to recycle because parts of different materials were mixed. Instead of only presenting sustainability in appearance design, the designers will improve the manufacturing process and increase the recyclability of components, which is a more convincible way to communicate brand value with gen Z.
They changed the sales channels of accessories from electronic stores to eco-friendly stores and exhibitions to develop Vero's brand image and reach more potential customers.
