Purchase Decisions Most important and considered universally considered first may factor into decision, may be ntiate between options Functionality Size / fit / capacity Reliability / durability Longevity Very important and considered second Reviews and recommendations Brand Warranty Water / power usage Aesthetics (depending on how much it’s on display) How often it’s going to be used Logistics Important and considered third Delivery options Availability of parts Service from retailer Service / maintenance Availability / in stock
Criteria For Success Simple to Quick to interpret Stars most commonly used to compare two appliances – must be clear and stand out Horizontal arrangement of stars more familiar and easy to interpret for the majority Other information (e.g. size of appliance, property and decibels) needs to be consistently positioned for ease of comparison – so that consumers know where to look Information needs to be able to be deciphered quickly Lack of clutter on labels is critical for ease of interpretation – there is a fine line between interesting, educational information and information that is dismissed quickly as too hard to interpret to be an explanation of why multiple regions are shown on labels – consumers in particular aren’t reaching that level of interpretation on their own “You have to be able to get it in a glance, to quickly see which stars I need to be looking at and what it all means.” (Consumer, Sydney) “I don’t understand how tropical Australia is relevant to me. It just makes it harder to find the stars I need to look at.” (Consumer, Auckland) “I would just tell my customers to concentrate on the middle row and maybe even colour in the others black so they don’t get confused.” (Industry Member, Sydney) “It’s easier when the writing is horizontal and you don’t have to turn your head to understand it.” (Consumer, Auckland) Easily identifiable pertinent Presentation of information that allows consumers to situate themselves and find the information that is relevant to them quickly… Maps with enough contrast to highlight regions clearly Cities written horizontally rather than vertically For any new label to be successful in terms of impact and appeal,
Yellow Background: Executions Most successful of this group Clever way of showing heating and cooling together, without the clutter of multiple rows of stars Easy to interpret Stars can be reminiscent of the American flag for some Preferred by… consumers in Sydney, industry members (kWh prominence) Clear and simple visual (especially compared to others of this type) Decibels measure difficult to interpret – know what 55 decibels sounds like (only meaningful as a comparison) Stars stand out, however, regions not always differentiated enough Preferred by… No particular skews Confusing for most – looking at two separate columns to understand efficiency is off putting QR code is prominent (links to comparison and more product information most preferred) Preferred by… Few NZ consumers, who would mainly use an air conditioner for heating only For some, easier to see how appliances compare across region when stars shown vertically – however, industry members particularly concerned that customers might not understand there is little point comparing regional information Smaller maps preferred in New Zealand but some find them harder to see Preferred by… Some male consumers Key characteristics… Familiar colours Generally easy to interpret number of stars Considerations… Less differentiated from existing labels can mean additional information on these labels could be missed or misinterpreted Heating and cooling scores need to be shown together (i.e. by region rather than purpose) QR code should have its own space to ensure if feels purposeful Recommend 1st label continue into next round of testing (with amendment) Grey Background - Mix of Label Type A and Label Type B
Grey Background: Overview Visually appealing Red and white of the stars stands out against the grey background Explanation of stars is clear KWh information prominent Feels boring (low impact colours) City names written vertically (harder to read) Large map holds less appeal in NZ Contrast on the map does not make the regions clear enough (at first glance) INSIGHT IMPLICATION Muted colour scheme can polarise… Some prefer the look of these labels (and would be more likely to be happy to display them) However, for others, they lack impact Need to consider the trade off between visual appeal and impact – can be high impact but care should be taken to ensure they are not off putting so that information is absorbed Showing aggregated heating and cooling information lacks meaning… Does not offer insight into how the appliance will perform in actuality Particularly when appliances are used predominately for one purpose Show heating and cooling information separately to ensure the information provided on the is as useful as possible Energy consumption figures prominent… Easy to see KWh information Offers new information to consumers New/less frequently used information should be prominent to encourage consumers to engage Consider offering further information to increase clarity
Label Type C: Executions A and spacious feel Red and confuse, however other information is clear Some lack of strong differentiation by region is tempered by clarity of place names Size of house description on this label preferred Preferred by… Australian consumers and industry members Smaller maps have better contrast and are certainly preferred in New Zealand Metres squared lacks meaning for many consumers (unless they are going through the building process) Preferred by… New Zealand consumers and industry members Key characteristics… Most information and easy to interpret Clean look and feel Visually appealing (beyond the bars) Red and green confusing Considerations… Revise red and green bars Consider smaller maps (especially for New Zealand consumers and industry members) Recommend 1st label continue into next round of testing (with amendment) Similar to Existing - Label Type D
What the Labels Should Be Easy to interpret Consumers need to be able to interpret the information provided on the label quickly as they are unlikely to want to read and interpret a lot of information – labels must be clear, succinct and easily digestible Easy to compare • Labels are only useful as a comparator for the majority – the differences between two products must be easy to identify from the labels As they are unlikely to seek out information on energy ratings, consumers need to have the labels explained to them in the first instance, e.g. by the sales assistant, flyers or obvious links to websites (e.g. via QR code) • The information as well as why it is important to consider when purchasing appliances needs to be clearly communicated Honest • Labels must be impartial and honest – to foster trust (e.g. not from manufacturers or retailers but an independent government body) Where possible materials should be tailored to the individuals situation, circumstances, e.g. size of home, clarity on region, a guide to how much an appliance is supposed to have used during the calculation of the ratings Resonant Information should ideally be tangible. Consumers want to know in $ figures what they will save over a period of time. Stars are accepted but an indication of what this means in terms of $ figures could offer greater motivation