Using the product or service
The consumer journey does not end with the purchase of the product or service—after sales experience is as important as the information seeking and decision making journey. Participants in the cocreation workshops placed high value on customer support, product service support, product longevity and the potential for trade in and product upgrades as technology advances. Consumers and industry representatives also felt that excellent customer service after product purchase would lead to repeat sales, particularly where a person may require further eALT as their level of need changes or increases.
With regard to after sales, younger older participants wanted to be able to return to the person or company who sold them the eALT to have consistency of service. The accountability of having one person or company to return to was important. No quibble returns services, courtesy follow-ups, and the ability to resource instructions if lost were also important. Figures 4 and 5 demonstrate the requirements younger older people have regarding customer service and after sales care.
Overall, younger older participants and industry representatives discussed a number of solutions to the perceived barriers to the development of an eALT consumer market. It was argued that a reduction in ability would be a key trigger to begin the consumer journey to purchasing eALT as a solution. However, it was also acknowledged that a number of people would find it difficult to accept that they had such a need, and this was currently compounded by the perceived stigmatisation of current eALT designs. A variety of stakeholders important throughout the eALT consumer journey were identified, including consumers, carers, family, friends, professionals and salespeople. Different stakeholders had different levels of importance throughout the process, for example, family and friends may be more visible at the point of identifying a need and perhaps purchase, but it will be the end user themselves who ultimately makes the decision to use the product or service. However, this may not be the case where the main user has dementia. In this consumer journey, friends, family, and health and social care professionals may have a much greater influence on the eALT is purchased.
Younger older participants felt that all of the factors which contribute to a good customer service experience for any purchase would also apply to the purchase of eALT. However, it was stressed that when purchasing eALT in particular, there would be greater need for information that provides a clear link between need and how the product would help, and is also representative of older people whilst feeling aspirational and positive about lifestyle, rather than focussing on disability and ill health.
The use of cocreation allowed the researchers to engage with those who are the ‘experts of their experience’ and cocreate the ideal eALT customer journey with the very people who would be ultimately benefiting—younger older people (Sanders and Stappers, 2012, p. 24). Although there are limitations to the use of cocreation as a methodology (in the case of this project, relatively low participant numbers), the project has put forward a starting point for the ideal customer eALT journey, which eALT businesses can begin to use a starting point to cocreate with their own customers and stakeholders (Ramaswamy and Gouillart, 2010).
The findings from this study will be of use to eALT companies new and established, to help them understand the barriers they may face moving from block contracts with statutory health and social care providers towards a consumer market. The solutions cocreated are based on the ideas generated by younger older people aged 50–70 years old and industry representatives with many of these solutions focused on the particular needs, aspirations and desires of the younger older consumer that are not currently being met in this market. Included in this, is their desire to remain independent at home for as long as possible with a focus on wellness and active lifestyle rather than illness and disability. Few companies in this space are taking this approach. Previously there has been reliance on statutory health and social care services to provide support to live at home. However, with pressure on health and social care budgets, responsibility for health and social care needs will increasingly lie with the person themselves. One potential solution is to develop the eALT consumer market to allow people to independently purchase products and services to help support themselves in maintaining their independence and lifestyle. Currently, despite the drivers towards a consumer eALT market, the market remains underdeveloped due to the barriers described herein. To help the industry develop the consumer market to its full potential, the COMODAL project utilised the insights from the cocreation workshops in the development of a range of exemplar consumer