Group 4 Helps DIYers Choose the Right Genie Door Opener

Effective use of drop shadows make words, icons, and the product shots rise off the Genie boxes.

Most consumers probably do not realize the many options available in the automatic garage door opener category. That is one reason why even the most prepared do-it-yourself door opener shopper may be forced leave the home improvement store empty-handed after his or her first visit to buy a door opener.

In preparation for home center retailer line reviews, Overhead Door Corporation, a subsidiary of Sanwa Shutter Corporation of Japan, asked Group 4 to restage its Genie line from top to bottom. This full restage included a new in-store marketing strategy built to resolve consumers' confusion and frustrations, new product aesthetics, and fully refreshed packaging and merchandising communications.

Before designing a single package, Group 4 undertook a focused research effort to understand consumer frustrations and communication shortcomings endemic to the category. As a means to devise innovative approaches to connect with consumers, Genie and Group 4 performed extensive consumer research in stores.

The Genie Company asked the Group 4 design firm to help customers find the right Genie door opener for them, and to employ strategies that encourage consumers to "trade up."

Building decision trees

Group 4, led by principal and CEO Phil Federspiel, devised a packaging strategy with the primary goal of helping the consumer make the right decision within the Genie line. Genie already had a great reputation as a category leader, so the packaging could be directed at helping the consumer make a decision within the brand. If the packaging sold the product features well and imparted confidence to the consumer, it would also be selling Genie as a trusted brand.

The research techniques were a combination of closely monitored "shadow shopping" and 15-minute questionnaires. This research effort was devised to develop a hierarchy of garage door opener features, benefits, and selling points.

Though the research did define the key selling features as hoped, it also found that reaching a purchasing decision was a personal matter because of the number of factors affecting the decision and the different consumer expectations coming into the store. "You can get to a decision a lot of different ways," says Federspiel.

There are, in fact, many variables in play in garage door openers, including the type of drive system, the horsepower of the motor, the types and number of accessories, the size of the door itself, etc. Add to that the factors that the consumer brings to the decision-making process, such as budget, lifestyle, type of home, garage size, need for quiet operation, security, safety, etc.

According to Federspiel, the package design strategy was to take all the different comparatives and "build a language" around these factors. Bolstered and simplified by icons, these key deciding factors would gently guide consumers, "to let them use their own decision-making tree to come to the best possible decision for them," says Federspiel.

The restaged Genie packaging now clearly communicates product benefits and decision points to consumers to help them find the right product for them. The in-store displays build on the benefits noted on the boxes, which are always stored and stacked end-out at retail. To make the most of that reality and have continuity of design, the information on the end panel is the same as on the longer side panels, only abbreviated or "consolidated."

Shadowing adds a 3D impression to the new Genie logo (bottom), which also appears as a nameplate on the products and accessories themselves.

Finding the one that fits

The research questionnaires determined what information consumers typically had coming into the store, what the deciding factors were, and what they didn't know about the product line. "There's some questions you need to know the answers for to make a decision," emphasizes Federspiel.

Research showed that often a second trip was necessary to get the purchasing decision right and that women and men placed different values on different features. Women were very interested in security and safety for kids, and men were often interested in the horsepower of the drive mechanism.

In the event that the new packaging still does not close the sale in the aisle, takeaway sheets are now provided in the merchandising display. Because the consumer might have come without all the facts needed to pick the right garage door opener, these takeaway sheets serve as checklists so they can make a confident decision on their next visit.

There are eight Genie door opener SKUs that have a variety of feature combinations, so one should suit every possible customer. While the packaging serves to optimize the decision process to provide a clear, confident selection that will meet consumers' needs, it also encourages consumers to "trade up" and consider a more premium opener or one with more features.

Higher end products usually mean a higher profit margin, so packaging cues should promote trading up. Deeper "jewel tones" and aspirational imagery of upscale housing and cars adorn the packaging of higher end products to help align a consumers' needs and desires with the most appropriate product in the line.