AEP Ohio is the first utility in the world to deploy the Enervee Checkout application that enables customers shopping on the AEP Ohio Marketplace to take advantage of instant and dynamic discounts for energy-saving products, in partnership with online retailer lightbulbs.com.
Customers can now take advantage of instant discounts while shopping online, reducing the up-front cost to purchase the product and speeding up the process of traditional, after-purchase rebates. For AEP Ohio, Checkout enables real-time verification of users, increased flexibility in terms of customer verification method (e.g. by zip-code, API call or flat file), as well as the ability to set – and change – underlying rules for incentive eligibility (e.g. by product, quantity or timing).
Checkout also enables AEP Ohio to create and deliver targeted incentives – based either on user responses during the Checkout process (via fully customizable qualifying questions), or via data provided by the utility. For example, special incentives on the most efficient products could be offered to income-qualified customers, addressing the up-front purchase price barrier.
The AEP Ohio Marketplace launched in 2018, offering the company’s 1.2 million residential customers the most energy efficient products to meet their needs. The AEP Ohio Marketplace offers features not available through other channels, including an Enervee Score® showing how energy efficient a model is compared to other products in the same category. The Enervee Score is based on a 0-100 scale; estimated energy bill savings over the life of the product, compared to typical, similar products; and product price comparisons pulled from e-commerce sites around the country.
In contrast to other instant online incentive solutions, Checkout allows AEP Ohio to partner with retailers, rather than compete. Tech-savvy lightbulbs.com proved to be an ideal partner for Enervee to bring Checkout to the utility sector.
