Testing New Marketing Models for Improved Cookstoves - Uganda

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of different sales offers and different marketing messages to increase the uptake of energy efficient cookstoves.

This research will address the following major barriers to the acquisition and correct use of improved cookstoves into four main categories:

* Inappropriate product or marketing for intended users
* Lack of consumer trust in new products
* Failure to address consumers' financial constraints
* Failure to achieve behavioral change

To do so this research includes 3 Randomized Controlled Trials including:RCT 1- Testing the Effectiveness of Marketing Messages in Increasing Willingness to Pay; RCT 2- Testing the Effectiveness of the Novel Sales Offer and its ability to Increase Uptake of Purchasing Energy Efficient Cookstoves; and RCT 3-Measure the Effects of Fuel Efficient Cookstoves on Health, Fuel Use and Time Spent Collecting Fuel.

RCT 1 studies the price women are willing to pay for the improved stove. It will also test the effects of the two most effective marketing messages identified during the Phase 1 Feasibility stage (e.g., improved health, saves time, and has high status) on increasing willingness to pay. RCT 1 will run second price auctions in 36 parishes with an average of 60 participants per meeting.

From RCT 1, RCT 2 tests the effect of a Novel Sales Offer- which includes a free trial, and time payments- on purchasing decisions of participants versus those that receive the Traditional Offer- a cash and carry offer. Based on a pilot in urban Kampala conducted by Dr. David I. Levine (co-P.I. on this project) results show a 44% uptake for households offered the novel offer vs. a 4% uptake for those offered the traditional offer. The hypothesis is a novel offer will significantly increase uptake of fuel efficient cookstoves in rural Uganda when compared to a traditional offer.

RCT 3 measures the impacts of fuel efficient cookstoves on health, fuel usage, and time spent collecting fuel. For RCT 3 we will randomize those who accept the Novel Offer into early and late groups. To measure the impacts of improved stoves on health, fuel use, time spent collecting fuel, etc., there will be a baseline and follow-up survey and associated quantitative measures on our full sample and a small endline on select quantitative measures for a sub-sample.

Conditions

• Air Pollution, Indoor
• Behavior

Interventions

OTHER

RCT 1- Testing the Effectiveness of Marketing Messages in Increasing Willingness to Pay

We are testing whether any marketing messages effect participants willingness to pay for the fuel efficient cookstoves. All marketing messages are true.

OTHER

RCT 3-Measure the Effects of Fuel Efficient Cookstoves on Health, Fuel Use and Time Spent Collecting Fuel

Of those who accept the Novel Sales Offer, half the group will be randomly selected to start their free trial early while the other half will receive their free trial late. Those who receive their free trial late will serve as a control group for fuel consumption and Particulate Matter exposure in kitchens.

OTHER

RCT 2- Testing the Effectiveness of the Novel Sales Offer and its ability to Increase Uptake of Purchasing Energy Efficient Cookstoves

We are testing whether households who receive the Novel Sales Offer have higher uptake than those households who receive the Traditional Sales Offer.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

  collaborator FED

• Impact Carbon, 501c3

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centre for Integrated Research and Community Development Uganda (CIRCODU)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of California, Berkeley

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Theresa Beltramo, PhD · University of California, Berkeley

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-02-29

Primary Completion

2015-11-30

Completion

2015-11-30

Countries

• United States
• Uganda

Study Locations