The kitchen sink is often undervalued, despite its centrality in the home. Traditionally seen as a purely functional component, it has not yet fully capitalized on emerging trends in smart home technology, sustainability, and modern design aesthetics. The challenge is to understand the needs of B2B customers (e.g., kitchen retailers, developers) as well as final consumers (homeowners, renovators) and explore how evolving trends can reshape the role of the kitchen sink. This project will examine how the kitchen sink can be elevated from a utility to a centerpiece by integrating new technologies and future trends.
Submission Requirements (University Students application ONLY), 3,000 Euros funding support to student teams selected.
This is an exclusive call for university students within the European Union to participate in an exciting opportunity to co-create an innovative solution in collaboration with a leading company under the INDUSAC EU-funded project. Supported by Innoget, this initiative aims to foster collaboration between academia and industry, empowering students to contribute their knowledge and creativity to tackle real-world challenges.
Initial Problem Description
The primary goal of this project is to develop an innovative marketing campaign that positions the kitchen sink as a central design and functional feature in modern kitchens. This will be achieved by conducting a comprehensive market analysis to understand both B2B (business-to-business) customers (e.g., kitchen retailers, contractors, interior designers) and B2C (final consumers) in terms of preferences, usage patterns, and trends. We aim to understand consumer preferences, competitor dynamics, and emerging trends, and use these insights to inspire product development and creative marketing strategies.
A critical outcome is also to forecast future trends, including smart home integration, sustainability, and evolving design preferences, to inform product development and future-proof our marketing strategies. Ultimately, this will result in a campaign that drives engagement with both B2B and B2C audiences, boosts market share, and redefines how customers perceive the kitchen sink.
Context
This project will examine both product design and marketing strategy in light of current and future trends in home and kitchen design. Kitchens are evolving into multifunctional, social spaces, and with the rise of open-plan living, there is a growing opportunity to position the kitchen sink as a focal point. By examining trends in smart technology, eco-friendly materials, and customization, we aim to address how these trends affect the decision-making process for both B2B and B2C customers. Understanding the future landscape will help in crafting marketing messages and products that resonate long-term with our audiences.
Connection to cross-cutting areas
This project addresses several cross-cutting areas that are critical for both present and future product development and marketing:
• Sustainability: Analyze the growing demand for eco-friendly materials and water-saving technologies, appealing to both environmentally conscious consumers and professional buyers who prioritize sustainable solutions.
• Technology Integration: Explore the potential for smart home integration, such as touchless faucets, water-saving sensors, and IoT-enabled features, to align with future home trends. Understand how both B2B customers (developers, contractors) and final consumers value these innovations.
• Future Design Trends: Investigate how sinks and kitchens of the future will look and function, understanding preferences for customization, multifunctionality, and minimalist or luxury design, which will impact both B2B and B2C customer decisions.
• Behavioral Shifts: Understand how changing lifestyles, such as increased home cooking, entertaining, and remote work, are influencing the way consumers and businesses view kitchen functionality.
• Health and Hygiene
• Customization and Personalization: Offering sinks that can be customized in terms of design, finish, and features. For B2C customers, personalization is key to matching their kitchen's aesthetic, while B2B customers (like interior designers) value flexible options to meet diverse client needs.
Modular sinks that adapt to various kitchen sizes and configurations, appealing to both small and large home markets, as well as commercial or hospitality sectors.
• Energy Efficiency: Water heating efficiency with IoT-enabled features that ensure water is heated only when needed, reducing energy consumption.
Systems that recycle water or use greywater for non-potable purposes (e.g., gardening or flushing toilets), aligning with sustainability goals for both homes and larger projects like eco-friendly commercial buildings.
• Urbanization and Compact Living: With the rise of urban living and smaller homes, there's an increasing need for compact or multifunctional sinks that maximize space. Space-saving innovations such as foldable or extendable sink surfaces.
• Ergonomic designs that ensure ease of use, important for both residential customers and commercial kitchens, where efficiency and safety are critical.
• Cost Efficiency and ROI for B2B: For B2B customers, such as property developers or contractors, sinks that offer long-term durability and lower operational costs through energy-efficient or water-saving technologies can be a significant selling point. Additionally, IoT-enabled maintenance tracking could help reduce repair costs.
Input
Inputs Needed
To deliver a comprehensive solution, we require the following inputs:
• Market Data: Detailed insights into current and future trends in kitchen sinks and in kitchen design, materials, smart home technologies, and consumer behavior. Separate analysis for B2B and B2C markets is essential.
• B2B Customer Insights: Explore the preferences and priorities of B2B customers, such as kitchen retailers, interior designers, and contractors, with a focus on bulk pricing, product reliability, and ease of installation. Identify how they are responding to future trends like smart home integration and sustainability.
• B2C Consumer Feedback: Understand final consumers’ evolving needs, including trends in home improvement, smart kitchens, eco-conscious products, and customization options.
• Competitor Analysis: Explore the competitive landscape, focusing on how key players are positioning their products for both B2B and B2C customers and how they are addressing future trends in their offerings.
Expectations
We expect the team to deliver:
• A detailed market analysis that examines both B2B (business buyers) and B2C (end consumers), including future trends such as smart home integration, sustainability, and design preferences.
• Trend forecasting that identifies how future technological, environmental, and lifestyle shifts will impact both product innovation and customer preferences in the kitchen sink market.
• Strategic product development recommendations for sinks that align with future trends and meet the needs of both B2B customers (e.g., developers, designers) and B2C consumers (e.g., homeowners, renovators).
• A marketing strategy that anticipates and incorporates future trends, positioning the kitchen sink as a centerpiece that aligns with smart home technology, eco-conscious living, and evolving design aesthetics. The strategy will include tailored messaging for both B2B professionals (highlighting product features like durability and installation) and B2C consumers (emphasizing design and multifunctionality).
• A clear competitive analysis outlining how competitors are responding to future trends and identifying opportunities for differentiation in both the B2B and B2C markets.
Desired Team Profile
We are looking for a multidisciplinary team that includes:
• Market Analysts: Experts in forecasting future trends in both B2B and B2C markets and synthesizing market data on consumer preferences and competitor strategies.
• Trend Specialists: Focused on predicting future innovations in kitchen design, smart technology, and sustainability.
• B2B Marketing Specialists: With experience in communicating to and building relationships with business buyers such as kitchen retailers, interior designers, and developers.
• Product Designers or Engineers: Focused on integrating future trends like sustainability and smart home technologies into kitchen sink design.
• Creative Marketers: Skilled in creating campaigns that not only resonate with current customer needs but also anticipate future market demands.
• Data Analysts: To interpret both B2B and B2C market data and translate consumer behavior into actionable insights for future product and marketing strategies.
Additional Information
We believe teamwork is the key to success and we are committed to support teams. A focus on future-proofing the product and marketing strategy is key, so we encourage the team to explore innovative approaches, including smart home integration, sustainable materials, and customizable design options. Collaboration with B2B stakeholders (e.g., designers, retailers) and B2C focus groups will ensure that the proposed ideas resonate across all target segments and are aligned with both current and future trends.
Submission Requirements (University Students application ONLY)
3,000 Euros funding support to student teams selected.
This is an exclusive call for university students within the European Union to participate in an exciting opportunity to co-create an innovative solution in collaboration with a leading company under the INDUSAC EU-funded project. Supported by Innoget, this initiative aims to foster collaboration between academia and industry, empowering students to contribute their knowledge and creativity to tackle real-world challenges.
The challenge is part of the EU project INDUSAC and is open to students from public universities across Europe.
The INDUSAC project designs a state-of-the-art mechanism for industry-academia collaboration, based on human-centered design principles that facilitate rapid project co-creation. At least 300 international co-creation projects will be selected for implementation to validate the mechanism. These micro-projects, led by teams of students, researchers, and company staff, cover a wide range of activities targeting various industrial sectors. They aim to bridge the gap between business and academia.
The goal of the project is to develop and validate an advanced Industry-Academia Collaboration mechanism for swift, challenge-driven, human-centered co-creation.
The INDUSAC project focuses on four key areas:
Circularity
General Sustainability
Digitalisation
Industry 4.0
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