Energy Online

2016

A re-launch in 2015 has rewarded Energy Online with more than 16 per cent growth. The company added more than 14,000 customers during the past year. It is now one of the fastest growing energy brands in New Zealand, with its customer sign-up rate doubling in the past 12 months.

As the name suggests, the Genesis Energy-owned firm aims to be a 100 per cent online business. In the past year the energy retailer has launched a new website, App, and LPG, as well as removing fixed-term contracts, simplifying sign-ups, and making billing easier.

“Brilliantly simple” is an important value to Energy Online, as its Hamilton-based staff strive to make customers’ experiences with the company as effortless as possible. The website and app reflects this, as it is very easy to navigate and is clearly designed with a wide variety of audiences in mind – encouraging consumers to get online.

When the website was upgraded in 2015, the energy retailer saw more sign-ups in 15 days than during the previous 15 years, demonstrating the importance of this tool. LPG customers can now order bottles in 10 seconds on the App, rather than through an 11-minute phone call.

More than a third of Energy Online’s customers have now moved to digital channels. Customers are using the App an average of 12 times per month. Online communication is their way of operating, as these self-service processes are proven to be a lot faster than traditional methods.

Innovative online content has also created real customer engagement. The first of the company’s three viral videos - ‘Anti Door Knocking’ - humorously makes fun of traditional energy companies making door-to-door sales.

This video has been watched more than 10 million times and was, in September, among You Tube’s Global Top Ten most-viewed adverts. 

Consumer engagement on social media is important to Energy Online, which has 39,000 Facebook followers, now number one in New Zealand.

Energy Online doesn’t have fixed-term contracts, as customers have said that they don’t like or trust them. This is part of their brand positioning – being different and “challenging the norm”.

The firm’s terms and conditions fully comply with the Fair Trading Act, but are once again “brilliantly simple”, removing jargon and legalistic language to be better understood by the general public.

Energy Online aims to have the highest digital interaction of any brand, and plan to apply for Consumer Trusted status with Consumer NZ, reinforcing their consumer centric position.

The Consumer NZ Retailer of the Year award category is sponsored by ERANZ