Putting Quality First
The global off-grid appliance market, despite recent growth, remains nascent in most of the world. Good-quality, energy-efficient off-grid appliances (“high performing appliances”) are more durable than their low-quality counterparts and enable consumers to maximize the value of their system by powering more devices. However, most consumers remain unaware of their benefits. High-performing appliances are often more expensive than traditional appliances. As a result, many consumers only consider the upfront purchase price of the appliance when making a decision or see it as a high-risk investment.

Consumer experience has a significant impact on off-grid appliance sales in Bangladesh. A positive personal recommendation is one of the most effective drivers of sales. If early adopters like Tarek are satisfied with energy-efficient appliances, their positive feedback would motivate more conservative buyers and stimulate market growth.

Since purchasing his appliance, Tarek has proved to be a strong referrer for his Rahimafrooz TV. “The picture quality is better than my previous TVs and I’ve recommended this TV to my customers,” he says with an inviting smile. Tarek’s positive experience with this TV is likely to be passed by word-of-mouth and directly lead to more purchases and thereby strengthen the process of market creation.

Tarek and his family with members of the Global LEAP Awards team.

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About the Global LEAP Awards Customer Spotlight Series

The Global LEAP Awards is an international competition to identify and promote the world’s best off-grid appliances, accelerating market development and innovation. This unique program has evolved into a trusted global brand that serves as the de facto source of accurate, actionable information about the quality and energy performance of off-grid appliances, with support from Power Africa, UK aid, Energising Development, Powering Agriculture, and USAID, and in partnership with the Efficiency for Access Coalition.

This series tells stories collected through interviews with off-grid appliances customers who purchased their product through a Global LEAP Awards results-based financing (RBF) mechanism. Through its RBF, CLASP supported the delivery and enhancement of energy access for over one million beneficiaries across Bangladesh and East Africa. In Bangladesh alone, the RBF mechanism supported sales of about 194,000 energy-efficient off-grid fans and 7,000 best-in-class solar TVs. The series sheds new light on the impact, and thereby the real socio-economic value, of off-grid fans and TVs to appliance consumers in critical appliance markets like Bangladesh.
['Global Leap Awards']
['Energy Access', 'Off Grid Solar Systems', 'Renewable Energy', 'Technology', 'Bangladesh']