Value messaging for home security.
Articulating the core value of home security monitoring and competitor differentiation.
Introduction
As part of my internship at a leading global consultancy in 2024, our client was a major national security provider for residential security. Our case revolved around e-commerce optimization and conversion. Among other projects, I was project owner of “Prioritized issues around Value Messaging”.
Process
The team utilized qualitative and quantitative user research to synthesize and visualize high impact issues and strategic reconsiderations, e.g., contract, pricing, and value articulation.
Outcome
After consolidating insights into actionable strategic recommendations, the team and I presented our findings in a design review to the client. Together, the client and team agreed on concrete changes and legal considerations.
Qualitative research
The team differentiated between “potential leads” and “recent purchasers” while recruiting home security users via Respondent. I led in-depth interviews focused on users’ understanding of monitoring details and pricing, synthesized observations and insights, and presented these to the broader internal consulting team.
Quantitative research
Using Microsoft Clarity, an insightful tool for conversion rates and heatmaps, I analysed the percentage of traffic on each product page and realized crucial dead and error clicks signaling that users require more information to make a purchase.
Insights and recommendations
Main insights included the articulation of the company’s core monitoring value in order to guarantee a product differentiation from their competition. Bringing the value messaging back to a simple level, their story required straightforward answers and a “humanized approach” to core questions:
Is the police called for me? What happens if I do not respond? What happens after a false alarm? Who controls the system? Can security see me 24/7?
Similarly, the contract details were unclear and perceived as hidden costs. Since the majority of users expected an open-end subscription, the shift to a duration contract had to be clarified and cancellation options explained proactively. After co-designing with the client, we achieved clearly articulated monitoring tiers, core brand value, and contract details.