How IoT Helps You Get Closer to Your Customers
It’s been a long workday. After dinner, you sink into the couch, turn on your favorite show, and keep your popcorn within reach. Chances are, your phone is glued to your other hand. Ping! Through the manufacturer’s app, you get a notification that your solar panels performed outstandingly today. You earned some cash while the sun was shining, and now you’re relaxing on the couch.
This is a great example of how, as a manufacturer, you can stay in direct contact with your end users at any time of the day. This isn’t a vision for the future—it’s a reality enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT), a technology that allows you to get closer to your customers than ever before.
Manufacturers Often Lose Contact with Their End Users
You sell your products through a network of intermediaries—suppliers, wholesalers, retailers. Business is going well, but something crucial is missing. As soon as your product is sold, contact with the end user vanishes into thin air.
By losing this connection, you’re missing out on significant opportunities:
You remain in the dark about how the end user really uses your product.
You miss valuable feedback that could improve your product.
You can’t proactively offer help if there are problems.
Opportunities to help customers get more out of your product slip through your fingers.
You miss the chance to inspire customers with other products or services from your range.
The Game-Changer: A Mobile Touchpoint
Imagine if you could have all this! What if your company had a direct line to end users, allowing you to be a part of their daily lives? This is precisely the value a smart mobile app brings.
An app connected to your product and the internet opens up a world of possibilities. Your product gains a hardware component with an internet connection, and your mobile app links to it. With that mobile app, you make your product virtually portable for end users. They can turn on the heating from the train or check if the dishwasher has finished. Meanwhile, valuable data is generated that you can use.
Data through IoT: A Win-Win Situation
Through IoT, you gain access to usage data from products that occupy a real place in your customers' everyday lives. This data, which would otherwise be lost to your supplier after the sale, provides insights into usage patterns, allows for proactive service, and helps build a more valuable relationship with your end user. This creates a win-win situation for both parties.
A Win for You as the Producer
Let’s take the dishwasher as an example. As a producer, you gain direct insights into usage frequency, chosen programs, and energy consumption. You can analyze this information by region or household type, which might impact warranty terms, product development, or regional marketing strategies. Plus, you can detect when maintenance is needed before the customer even experiences a problem.
A Win for the End User
With a mobile app, you create a direct service connection with your end user. For example, the app can notify users when it’s time to replace the filter, with the option to order a replacement right away. In case of an error code, the user is directed to a video tutorial—no more frustrating calls to customer service. The product becomes smarter and more user-friendly.
Create a Unique Experience
With a mobile app, you can go further by creating a complete experience around your product. A leading paint manufacturer does this by offering training through their app to end users. This way, they’re not only in touch with their direct customers (wholesalers and suppliers) but also build valuable connections with the consumer who ultimately uses their paint.
Harman Kardon also leverages this approach with its smart music system. Their app allows users to experience the difference between various speakers—even while they’re still in the store. This creates a bond with potential customers before they even make a purchase.
Keep Control in Your Hands
From a marketing and sales perspective, having your own app offers even more advantages. With an app you control, you have direct oversight of your sales channel without relying on third parties. You decide which features to offer and which data to collect.
Is IoT Already Smart Enough for Your Business?
Are you fully utilizing your IoT capabilities? Or are you still in the early stages of development? Connecting a mobile app to your product could be the smart move to take your business to the next level. Discover how you can reach the end user and build a valuable customer relationship. We’d be happy to discuss it with you.