Preliminary Findings and Limitations: Procter & Gamble’s Smart Air Freshener

Before we get into the details, I want to share why this project has me excited. I’ve always been drawn to smart home tech and the way it simplifies life (who wouldn’t want their house to practically run itself, right?). So, the concept of a Smart Air Freshener instantly caught my eye. It blends the ease of automation with something as basic, yet impactful, as air quality, which just makes sense. And as a marketer, the chance to ride the wave of the wellness trend while staying ahead in tech is a win I couldn’t ignore.Now that you know why I’m so invested in this product, let’s dive into the research and findings that back P&G’s move to launch this innovation.

In today’s busy world, people are constantly searching for products that simplify life and add a personal touch to their home environment. Procter & Gamble (P&G) is looking to tap into this with their proposed Smart Air Freshener. By blending smart home technology with a focus on well-being, P&G has the opportunity to further its reputation as a leader in both innovation and consumer satisfaction. In this post, I’ll explore how market research has driven the product’s development, point out some industry trends, and address a few challenges and limitations that have surfaced along the way.

Market Research Aligning with Business Goals

To launch a successful product, you’ve got to tie your market research to your company’s core objectives. For P&G, innovation, convenience, and wellness are guiding principles, and these have been the backbone of their product development for years. The research I’ve come across highlights that consumers are eager for personalized home products that integrate with existing smart home systems (Balta-Ozkan, Davidson, Bicket, & Whitmarsh, 2013).

Moreover, the wellness market is booming. Consumers are increasingly drawn to products that not only serve a practical function but also improve their mental and emotional health. Research has shown that certain scents can enhance mood and cognitive function, adding weight to the idea of a customizable air freshener designed to improve well-being (Choi et al., 2022). By aligning these features with its mission, P&G can meet consumers’ needs while furthering its broader goal of improving daily life through smart innovations.

Key Industry Trends and Future Outlook

Two major trends are driving the market for smart air fresheners: the rise of smart home devices and the growing focus on wellness. Smart home tech is booming, with more people looking for ways to control, automate, and customize their home environments (Lucà, 2019). This fits perfectly with P&G’s Smart Air Freshener, which integrates seamlessly with other smart devices and allows users to control the scent in their home using an app.

Wellness is the other major trend that can’t be ignored. Products that promise to improve well-being, whether by boosting air quality or mood, are seeing huge demand (Choi et al., 2022). With its ability to provide personalized scent experiences, P&G’s air freshener taps into this trend, offering more than just a fresh-smelling home—it’s positioned as a tool to enhance overall quality of life. Looking ahead, integrating AI and adding even more customization options could keep P&G ahead in both the tech and wellness markets (Verhoef, Kannan, & Inman, 2015).

Ensuring Legal, Ethical, and Industry Compliance

As P&G moves forward with this product, it’s crucial to stay aligned with legal and ethical standards, particularly concerning data privacy. The Smart Air Freshener is a Wi-Fi-enabled device that collects user data, meaning P&G must ensure that all data is protected and complies with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, & Hansen, 2012). If they don’t get this right, they could face legal consequences and risk losing consumer trust.

Also, the wellness benefits of the product need to be communicated clearly. While there’s evidence that certain scents can improve mood, P&G has to avoid making exaggerated claims about the product’s impact. Transparent and ethical advertising will be key to ensuring the product is marketed truthfully and complies with industry regulations (Hoskins & Griffin, 2019).

Challenges and Research Limitations

While building this marketing strategy, some hurdles have emerged. One major challenge has been gathering solid data on how willing consumers are to adopt a subscription-based model for air fresheners. While secondary research offers insights into the popularity of subscription services in general, there’s still a gap in understanding how willing people are to pay regularly for scent refills (Babin & Zikmund, 2019). More primary research, such as surveys or focus groups, could help bridge this gap.

Another challenge is predicting how quickly consumers will adopt this product in a market dominated by tech giants like Google and Amazon (Jain, Chou, Fan, & Santoso, 2021). Competing with these established players is tough, and more research is needed to figure out how P&G can stand out in such a competitive space.

Conclusion

P&G’s Smart Air Freshener has real potential in a market shaped by the growth of smart home technology and wellness trends. But for a successful launch, they’ll need to rely on solid market research, smart pricing strategies, and careful attention to ethical and legal standards. While some challenges remain, particularly around subscription models and competing with tech giants, these issues can be resolved with further research. With continued innovation, the Smart Air Freshener could become a flagship product in P&G’s smart home lineup, delivering convenience and well-being to consumers around the world.

References

Babin, B. J., & Zikmund, W. G. (2019). Essentials of marketing research. Cengage Learning.

Balta-Ozkan, N., Davidson, R., Bicket, M., & Whitmarsh, L. (2013). The development of smart homes market: Consumer preferences and policy perspectives. Energy Policy, 63, 362-374.

Choi, N., Yamanaka, T., Takemura, A., Kobayashi, T., Eto, A., & Hirano, M. (2022). Impact of indoor aroma on students’ mood and learning performance. Building and Environment, 223, 109490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109490

Hoskins, J. D., & Griffin, A. (2019). New product performance advantages for extending large established fast-moving consumer goods brands. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 28(4), 453-465. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-07-2018-1932

Jain, P., Chou, M. C., Fan, F., & Santoso, M. P. (2021). Embedding sustainability in the consumer goods innovation cycle and enabling tools to measure progress and capabilities. Sustainability, 13(12), 6662. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126662

Lucà, F. (2019). Successful sustainability strategy: Procter & Gamble case. Award-Winning Case Studies. Retrieved from https://dev.bsl-lausanne.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Luca-F-Procter-Gamble-Case-Study.pdf

Schaltegger, S., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Hansen, E. G. (2012). Business cases for sustainability: The role of business model innovation for corporate sustainability. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 6(2), 95-119.

Verhoef, P. C., Kannan, P. K., & Inman, J. J. (2015). From multi-channel retailing to omni-channel retailing: Introduction to the special issue on multi-channel retailing. Journal of Retailing, 91(2), 174-181.