Making value visible: How E.ON Next found growth beyond the price race

Consumers consistently say price matters when choosing an energy supplier. But in a market where price claims are easy to copy, E.ON Next wanted to understand whether competing on price alone could drive sustainable growth.

Can price ever be a sustainable growth strategy?

The challenge was to identify where meaningful differentiation could come from. Working with SKIM, E.ON Next combined behavioral analysis and brand research to uncover a more complete picture of what drives choice and how those drivers create opportunities for growth.

Key takeaways

• Meaningful differentiation comes from finding the overlap between what customers value, where the brand is strong, and where competitors are weaker.

• What people say and what they do are not always the same. To understand what drives choice, you need to look at both.

• Price matters, but understanding what drives value beyond price can reveal new opportunities for growth.

E.ON Next needed a reason to be chosen beyond the cheapest tariff

Energy is one of the most price-driven categories in the market. Consumers can compare offers within minutes, and suppliers often respond by competing on increasingly aggressive tariff claims. The challenge with that approach is that it is difficult to sustain. Only one supplier can be the cheapest at any given moment, and that position can change quickly. Over time, competitors become increasingly interchangeable, making it harder to build preference, strengthen brand perceptions, or create lasting value.

The challenge for E.ON Next was simple: if every supplier talks about price, how do you stand out?

The challenge was not only external. Teams across pricing, propositions, commercial, and marketing held different views on what creates value for customers. The research helped establish a shared understanding of value and aligned teams around a common strategic direction.

In a volatile market shaped by intense price competition, E.ON Next recognized the need to redefine value beyond the price tag and create a clearer, shared view of how both existing and future propositions deliver value to customers.

As Stavros Gkavalias, Insight Manager at E.ON Next, explains:

“Partnering with SKIM to understand what value means to consumers was an amazing experience. The team helped us at E.ON Next unlock new ways to serve our customers and shape our strategy.”

What customers say is not always what drives choice

At first glance, the answer seemed obvious. When consumers were asked what mattered when choosing an energy supplier, price consistently appeared near the top of the list. The challenge is that what people say is not always what drives their decisions. To understand what truly mattered, SKIM combined stated preference research with behavioral analysis. The result revealed a different picture.

While consumers frequently pointed to the lowest price, the behavioral analysis showed that lowest price and value for money are not the same thing. Had E.ON Next relied solely on stated responses, this distinction would have remained hidden.

Instead, the analysis revealed that value for money was a more important driver of choice than simply being the cheapest provider. Trust also played a larger role than consumers explicitly articulated.

The implication was significant. Rather than competing for a position that competitors could easily copy, E.ON Next had identified a more sustainable source of differentiation.

Understanding value was only the start

Discovering that value for money mattered more than the lowest price was only part of the answer. The next question was why. Looking deeper into the research, one theme stood out: flexibility.

Customers who felt more in control of their energy costs were significantly more likely to perceive E.ON Next as offering strong value for money. That insight provided a clearer strategic direction. Instead of focusing on price alone, E.ON Next could focus on helping customers feel more in control.

As Ravi Sohanpal, Creative Director at E.ON Next, explains:

“The research helped us identify that for our audience, value isn’t just about the pounds saved; it’s about the sense of agency they feel when managing their energy, particularly against a volatile market backdrop. Aligning on this emotional value allowed our teams to build a narrative that truly resonated with the consumer mindset and addressed their need for tailored solutions.”

Turning insight into action

The research showed that customers were looking for more than the lowest price. They wanted greater control over their energy costs and more confidence in their ability to manage them over time. That insight became the foundation for Savings Seekers, a platform built around a clear customer tension:

“I want control over my bills, but constant price wars make it difficult to secure lasting value.”

Rather than competing on the promise of being the cheapest, E.ON Next could focus on helping customers unlock better long-term value through greater flexibility, control, and smarter energy solutions.

Results

The campaign increased awareness, website traffic, and brand perceptions.

• 155% growth in upper-funnel impressions quarter over quarter

• 53% growth in direct site traffic year over year

• 12-point improvement in NPS across targeted regions

The objective was not simply to increase awareness. E.ON Next wanted to give customers a compelling reason to consider the brand beyond price. The increase in direct traffic suggests the campaign succeeded in generating greater consideration and engagement.

More importantly, the work created a common understanding of what customers value and provided a strategic foundation for future proposition, marketing, and commercial decisions.

The impact of the program was recognized externally through the Individual Impact Client-Side Award at The AURAs 2026 and a finalist nomination for Best Use of Market Research, Analytics and Insight at the Marketing Week Awards 2026.

The lesson: differentiation is rarely hidden in the obvious answer

Many categories appear to be dominated by a single decision driver. In energy, that driver is often assumed to be price.

E.ON Next’s experience demonstrates why it pays to look beyond the obvious answer. While consumers said price mattered, the research revealed a bigger opportunity. Value for money mattered more than being the cheapest, and flexibility played a critical role in shaping that perception.

That insight gave E.ON Next a different way to compete.

The lesson is not that customers do not care about price. The lesson is that looking beyond the obvious answer often reveals more sustainable paths to growth.