Design increasing in importance
Presentation of new European survey on “Power tools and design” commissioned by Metabo / Representative of views in five countries / Some surprises / People will pay more for exclusive design / Excellent product differentiation opportunity / Germans (still) lag behind
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. On average about 70% of Europeans are essentially receptive to the idea of power tools with unusual design. Germany is at the bottom of the league table in this area and, in comparison with Great Britain and Spain for example, also has considerable ground to make up in the area of “design orientation” in general. These core results are part of the (surprising) findings of an international survey conducted and coordinated by the Forsa Institute in mid July 2006 on behalf of Metabo. One of the aims pursued by the independent brand manufacturer in taking this initiative was to determine and empirically prove which factors, apart from price and function, are relevant when people are buying power tools. The question of whether design can be an effective distinguishing feature for premium suppliers was also to be addressed, it was announced at a press forum at the end of September.
In his presentation and analysis of the survey, Dr. Johannes Haupt also emphasised that this market research project was breaking new ground. The head of Metabo stressed the importance of taking into account the increasing globalisation of the power tool business. That is why it was decided to gather information about the European region by targeting five specially selected countries. The survey was conducted by simultaneously putting the same questions to around 1,000 people in each of the following countries: Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain and the Czech Republic. It was designed so as to be representative of people in the population of each country aged 18 and over.
British and Spaniards lead the field
Dr. Haupt stated that, apart from the detailed results, some general findings were established by the survey, comprising the following:
- The British have an above-average awareness of design and innovation as regards consumer durables in general and power tools in particular. Broadly speaking, the same applies to the Spanish, though to a somewhat lesser degree. The Czechs, on the other hand, were a special case in some respects. Whereas design is of far below average importance to them when it comes to buying a drill, for example, they have a far greater readiness to spend more money on innovative and exclusive power tools.
- On average, women are rather more design-oriented than men. That applies broadly to all the countries surveyed and to the responses to all six individual questions on the subject. Only when they are buying a drill do men pay a little more attention to design.
- Younger people (18-29 years) tend to be more design-oriented than older people. Once again the Czech Republic provided the most important exception to the rule, with older sections of the population having a design awareness at least on a par with the younger generation.
- In all the countries surveyed “good design” is associated more with the brand or the manufacturer’s name than with the designer’s name.
- There is practically no difference in any of the countries surveyed in people’s readiness, irrespective of income group, to pay more for exclusive, brand name power tools. There was no indication that this readiness was restricted to or clustered in what are termed the “high earners”.
Joint favourites
The first thing the market researchers wanted to find out was what criteria people normally apply in evaluating “good design”. They found that in all countries the “interplay of form and function” has a high priority, with the purely visual criterion “attractive shape” and an ergonomically designed product also playing an important role. All in all, according to Dr. Haupt, this shows that the Europeans have an extensive understanding of design.
What Dr. Haupt also considered worthy of note was that in all the countries surveyed, the brand or manufacturer’s name is more important in assessing “good design” than the designer’s name. This distinction can be seen most clearly in the Czech Republic, where the relevance of the brand or manufacturer even came second in the order of priority, whereas the smallest difference was found in Germany. The Germans gave top marks to unity of form and function (73%), followed by “attractive shape” (65%), “innovative appearance” (53%) and “ergonomic shape” (50%).
Asked about the general importance of design when buying consumer durables such as televisions, kitchen appliances or sanitary fittings, at least half of those surveyed chose “crucial” or “relatively important” each time. The survey shows that this figure was actually far higher in Spain (69% overall) and the Czech Republic (64%). The lowest rating was in Germany at 48%.
The survey also showed, said Dr. Haupt, that women are slightly more design-oriented than men overall . However, nearly 50% of men in all the countries surveyed rated design as having a “crucial” or “relatively important” role as a buying criterion. A similar tendency was also shown by the Germans. In addition, the Germans also matched the European trend in the age group comparison, i.e. younger people (18 – 29 years) were the most design-orientated, by a greater or lesser margin.
Substantial differences
Moreover, the survey explicitly addressed the importance of design when buying power tools or, more specifically, a new drill. The fact that, at present, the “decisive” and “relatively important” ratings generally lag well behind the corresponding ratings for consumer durables, was “not at all surprising” in the opinion of Metabo’s CEO. After all, this issue has hitherto scarcely been communicated by the industry actively. Nevertheless, 30% of the population in both Great Britain and Spain consider the design of a drill to be relevant. However, there is “much to be done” to address the low ratings, primarily in the Czech Republic (11%) and Germany (10%).
Substantial differences were also revealed across Europe on the question of whether a power tool’s design is an indicator of its quality. Once again Great Britain (14% “definitely” and 33% “probably”) and Spain (10% and 29% respectively) headed the table of those supporting this proposition.
Whereas in the Czech Republic and France about one person in four overall considered that there is a connection between design and quality, the corresponding figure in Germany was only one person in five. It is direct comparisons like this in particular which show the divergence in opinions on this subject between Germans and British. In nearly all countries, men rather than women consider that there is a connection between design and quality.
A boom in “unusual designs”
Europeans are, however, relatively unanimous in their attitude to power tools whose design is markedly different from conventional models. The vast majority, with Great Britain and the Czech Republic leading the field at 73%, expressed “great interest” in power tools of unusual design or would not be averse to buying such tools, provided they had detailed information beforehand. Although Germans bring up the rear here as well, at almost 60% they still demonstrate that they too are very receptive to the “unusual”.
One in five Germans expressed the fear that “unusualness of design” might possibly compromise product quality. Similar concerns were raised to a considerably lesser degree in the other countries. On this issue too, detailed analysis shows that it is mainly the young who differentiate on the basis of design.
Lastly, the market researchers sought and found answers to the question: “Would you pay more for an exclusive power tool made by a well-known brand manufacturer with a famous designer label?” The answer was that nearly fifty percent of Europeans would, in principle, be prepared to do so. This is based on aggregating the percentages for the criteria “Definitely”, “For special occasions” and “If the price difference was not too great”. The resultant percentages range from 35% for France to 65% for the Czech Republic, added Dr. Haupt. Furthermore, the willingness to spend more was not just restricted to people from higher income brackets. Whilst Germany, with an aggregate 42%, trailed far behind the leader – the Czech Republic, it was certainly on a par with Spain (43%) and Great Britain (44%). Speaking from a German perspective, the head of Metabo spoke of a “more pleasing finale to the survey”.
Conclusion in seven parts
Metabo’s CEO summed up the survey on behalf of the Nürtingen-based power tool manufacturer in the form of a number of specific results and conclusions, the key points of which are set out in the following overview:
- Result: Throughout Europe, design is a relevant factor when making a decision to buy consumable durables.
Conclusion: Although Metabo too, it would appear, has hitherto underestimated the importance of design as a means of differentiation and communication, the company can justifiably claim to be one of the pioneers in the industry in promoting the importance of design. This has been confirmed not least by the commissioning of the international Forsa Survey and the recent collaboration with the Porsche Design Group, which was also presented at the Essen press forum.
- Result: Surprisingly enough, in some areas Germany has a considerable amount of ground to make up when it comes to fully appreciating the “importance of design”. Whilst we are not indifferent to design, it is not something we automatically take into account when making a purchase decision.
Conclusion: Metabo must place greater emphasis on the benefits of “design” in its promotional material for the domestic market than it does for other European countries.
- Result: The population in the five countries surveyed consistently attached great importance to the design criterion “interplay of form and function”. In their eyes, good design means far more than just “attractive appearance”, and therefore also has a great deal to do with quality and improved functionality, at least in the broader sense.
Conclusion: In promoting its products it is vital for Metabo not only to take into account both criteria but also to communicate them effectively as one integrated unit.
- Result: The connection between good design and high product quality was understood in all countries surveyed, albeit to varying degrees.
Conclusion: As a premium supplier, Metabo must, in addition to its strict quality policy, pay even greater attention in future to the aspect of design. The latest innovation “Porsche Design Multihammer P´7911” is powerful proof that the challenge has already been taken up and is being tackled successfully.
- Result: In each country, consumers associate “good design” more closely with the brand or manufacturer’s name than with the designer’s name. In some cases there is a significant gap between these two criteria, although they both appear in all the rankings.
Conclusion: An expertly packaged combination of both elements of “good design” is vital in order to achieve the greatest positive impact on (potential) purchasers of power tools.
- Result: One particularly pleasant surprise in all the countries surveyed was the high degree of receptivity of the population to unusually or exclusively designed power tools.
Conclusion: Any manufacturer courageous enough to create such products stands a good chance of being rewarded by the market. One good reason why Metabo is convinced that it is on the right track.
- Result: On average in all the countries surveyed, nearly fifty percent of people are prepared to pay more for innovative and exclusive power tools, jointly produced by well-known brand manufacturers and prestigious designers. The scale of this willingness is also one of the completely unexpected results of the survey.
Conclusion: It is perfectly possible to transform power tools from a “mid interest product” into a “high interest product”, provided that both emotional and objective “value drivers” are taken into account.
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Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Perspectives: A representative Forsa survey on behalf of Metabo revealed substantial differences on the issue of whether the design of a power tool is an indicator of its quality. Of the five European countries surveyed, Great Britain and Spain head the league table of those who think that it does. Whereas in the Czech Republic and France about one in four people agree that such a connection exists, the figure in Germany is only one in five. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Willingness to purchase: Nearly fifty percent of Europeans would, in principle, be prepared to pay more for an exclusive branded power tool that also carries a famous designer label. This was the surprising result of an international representative survey carried out by the Forsa Institute on behalf of Metabo in mid July 2006. If the percentages of those choosing the positive criteria “Definitely”, “For special occasions” and “If the price difference is not too great” are aggregated, the percentages range from 35% for France to 65% for the Czech Republic. A further unexpected result was that the willingness to spend more was not just confined to people from higher income brackets. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Unanimity: According to a representative survey by the Forsa Institute, Europeans have broadly similar attitudes to power tools whose design is markedly different from conventional models. The vast majority, with Great Britain and the Czech Republic leading the field at 73%, expressed “great interest” in power tools of unusual design or would not be averse to buying such tools, provided they had detailed information beforehand. Although Germans bring up the rear here (as well), at almost 60% they still demonstrate that they too are very receptive to the “unusual”. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Fundamental differences: A direct comparison between the front runner “Great Britain” and “Germany”, which came in last, on the question of the connection between design and quality in power tools left no room for doubt. Metabo’s response: the best way to dispel Germans’ scepticism is to produce first-rate products that demonstrate the importance of design to quality. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Divergences: Market researchers have established that the British, and to a certain extent the Spanish as well, have an above-average awareness of design and innovation when it comes to consumer durables in general and power tools in particular. This is confirmed by answers to a specific question on the importance of design when buying a drill, and is shown in a current Forsa survey. There is much ground to be made up in this area – primarily in Germany and the Czech Republic – and in the view of Metabo, who commissioned the survey, a “great deal therefore needs to be done”. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Priority: Europeans judge good design to a great extent by the harmonious interplay of form and function. This was the conclusion reached by a representative survey conducted by Forsa on behalf of Metabo in mid July 2006, which showed that, apart from “attractive shape”, ergonomic qualities also play an important role in assessing design. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Order of preference: Unity of form and function was the top choice with the Germans from a list of seven design criteria. Furthermore, as has now been shown by an international Forsa survey commissioned by Metabo, the Germans too associated “good design” more with the brand or manufacturer’s name than with the designer’s name. Chart: Metabo
Nürtingen/Essen, 29 September 2006. Division of roles: According to a new Forsa survey, women are on average rather more design-oriented than men, at least when it comes to making buying decisions about consumer durables. However, in all the European countries surveyed nearly 50% of men also subscribed to the view that design is “crucial” or “relatively important”. Chart: Metabo
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 Contact Person Metabo presents the new Porsche Design Multihammer P’7911
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