WAGO analyzes community feedback: New products thanks to ideas on social media
Which terminal blocks are currently well received and which WAGO product does the Internet community want from the connection technology specialist from Minden? In the it’s OWL project ‘Data-based product management (product.intelligence)’, WAGO is investigating precisely these questions. The company is collecting data from the community in order to use feedback on YouTube or deal platforms to draw conclusions for adjustments to the product portfolio. The different data sources are a particular challenge for the company.
Due to the quality of its products, the WAGO brand enjoys a high level of recognition in the electrical industry, especially among electricians and electrical installers. However, WAGO products are also very popular with users in the do-it-yourself sector, especially the installation clamps with and without levers. There is a community that mainly exchanges information online via various channels. “Individual tech influencers sometimes have a large reach and corresponding influence here,” says Dr. Jannik Reinhold, Product Manager at WAGO. The challenge for WAGO is to better understand the community with its current pain points and needs as well as influential individual players, influenced segments and corresponding topics and to be able to react to them.
There are various data sources from which the most relevant must be identified. These include, for example, specialist forums, social media platforms such as YouTube and LinkedIn, but also deal platforms such as mydealz.de. Dr. Jannik Reinhold, Product Manager at WAGO
“There are various data sources from which the most relevant must be identified. These include, for example, specialist forums, social media platforms such as YouTube and LinkedIn, but also deal platforms such as mydealz.de,” says Reinhold. Within the relevant channels, segments, influences and influencers need to be identified, explains Reinhold. ‘Hot topics’ that are discussed in the community are particularly relevant. To find these, WAGO uses clustering and segmentation in the it’s OWL project to analyze posts and videos, for example, as well as their distribution, comments and reactions.
How WAGO turns community feedback into product innovation
“An appropriate cost-benefit ratio must be taken into account, especially at the beginning of the use case implementation. The first and essential step is to set up a clean data pipeline in collaboration with the research institutions,” says Reinhold, describing the project approach. The aim for WAGO is to use the community feedback to improve its own product portfolio and product planning. “The use case enables us to draw conclusions from the community’s feedback for adjustments to the product portfolio or for strategic product planning. It also enables our communications department to respond quickly to any misunderstandings about our products in the community.”