iMAD Research Inc. (https://imad.com), a global market intelligence firm, recently concluded a multi-country study aimed at understanding adoption challenges for smart meter technology in semi-urban and urban business environments. The research revealed critical behavioural insights related to consumer hesitancy, billing trust gaps, and digital readiness among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Founded in 2017 by Kartik Khanna and Abhishek Soni, iMAD Research Inc. operates across the United States, United Kingdom, and India, with over 2.5 million verified respondents globally. The firm delivers insights for B2B, healthcare, and consumer brands through a combination of qualitative depth and quantitative scale.
“We always knew there was a need—but iMAD’s hybrid approach helped us articulate, size, and solve it. The clarity changed our go-to-market strategy,” said the Managing Partner at a utility service client.
Objective and study design
The study sought to assess:
- Consumer attitudes toward smart meter installations
- Barriers to opt-in: data privacy, billing accuracy, and installation concerns
- Preferences for digital vs human-based support
To address this, iMAD Research Inc. deployed:
- 1,500 online surveys with SME owners, finance heads, and office managers
- 30 CATI interviews with field-level users in low-connectivity areas
- 6 virtual focus groups with existing utility customers
The research was conducted across India, USA, Mexico, Philippines, and South Africa — with a focus on Tier 2/3 cities, shared office utilities, and mobile-first environments.
Approach and tools
The firm employed a hybrid methodology, blending:
- CATI for low-digital-access users
- Mobile-optimized online surveys with embedded video explainers
- Preference ranking modules
- Multilingual moderation and real-time data dashboards
The approach allowed for segment-specific messaging insights, tracking of trust variables, and adoption drivers across geographies.
Key findings
- Strong demand for smart dashboards and mobile alerts in urban setups
- 64% of SMEs open to switching providers if bundled services (billing + forecasts) were introduced
- Tier 2 SMEs showed trust bias toward human helplines, highlighting phased digital migration needs
- Effective communication redesign significantly improved opt-in rates in first deployment phase
Conclusion
iMAD Research Inc. helped the client realign their strategy using data-backed segmentation, upgraded messaging, and bundle simplification. The result: a more inclusive rollout of smart utility solutions in previously hesitant markets.
For more information, visit https://imad.com
