Strategic Advice for the Energy Game: Designing the business model for an energy market product through Business Modelling

Strategic Advice for the Energy Game: Designing the business model for an energy market product through Business Modelling

Oudkerk, F.L.

Simonse, L.W.L. (mentor)
Van der Meer, J.D. (mentor)
Lamens, M. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Product Innovation Management

2014-03-06

Current approaches that deliver energy insight to customers are rather poor, data centric and incomprehensible. Driven by the vision to differently support customers in the transition towards new energy behavior, the Energy Game was developed. This service aims to guide customers in their journey towards a situation in which customers manage their own energy consumption and production. By applying the theory of Gamification, customers use their energy differently. This is a unique approach in the Energy Market, which is currently dominated by Energy Suppliers who supply their customers with incomprehensible and unusable products. Designing brings along the advantage of visually solving the complexity of a system. In case of a business model, this includes 4 characteristics: Stakeholders, a Value Network, the Profit Formula and the Value Proposition. These variables are found by the analysis of the Macro and Micro Market and the Macro and Micro Industry. The main insights are values which must be transferred between stakeholders in the business model, in order to match their needs. Furthermore it was found that relying on revenue solely generated by the end user is risky, and other income must be realized. After setting up the requirements through a context mapping session, the business model was created by performing 2 iterations of brainstorming with 3 co-designers. The results (24 variations) were clustered into 3 paying stakeholders: the Energy Supplier, a 3rd party in Marketing, and the Customer. These mains structures were used as an input for a last iteration. This resulted in 2 extra designs: the Platform model and the Virtual Store model. The three clusters and the 2 additional models were rated in a selection process. The result is a singular business model in which the Energy Game is presented to the user via a platform. The platform functions as a medium for both users and company to communicate through, and by which important values can be exchanged between stakeholders. Both B2C, as well as B2B revenue is generated. The business model best represents the transaction of the necessary values and is explained by means of corresponding product implications. Finally, the model is validated by means of a monetization and an implementation strategy on a tactical and organizational level. Tasks are determined and setup in a planning. Greeniant has to hire 4 developers for the development and testing of the game and 2 managers who arrange B2B deals and keep an overview over the tasks, planning and teams; a communications manager who sets up the communication with the customers and does the acquisition of new customers. The development team will develop the product iteratively using the Scrum methodology. Through thorough communication, both teams will develop the product and arrange revenue, and will create the product through validated learning. If successful, a new strategy can be setup for national and international launch. With these implications, it is assumed that this service in development can generate a yearly revenue of at least 360.000 per year from April 2014 and onwards. Further recommendations are given.

gamification
Business model
Design
Strategy
SPD
modelling

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:69240eff-4ec8-45ff-9dbb-5c39fa7b6e70

2016-03-06

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2014 Oudkerk, F.L.