FRITEL Keeps a Finger on the Pulse of Future Customers

The customers of the future: what will they buy? How much money do they have to spend, and why do they choose one supplier over another? To answer these questions, the Limburg-based household appliance brand FRITEL has established a Millennial Board. This panel consists of students from UCLL University of Applied Sciences, who regularly provide feedback to FRITEL from their perspective. VKW Limburg is also participating.

FRITEL, VKW Limburg, and UCLL SME & Entrepreneurship Diepenbeek are the founders of their Millennial Board. The group they have put together helps companies gain a better understanding of the next generation. “For us, it is essential to assemble as broad a panel as possible,” says Cindy van Ratingen, CEO of FRITEL. “That’s why we collaborated with VKW Limburg and UCLL to create a mix of dorm students, student-entrepreneurs, young graduates, young potentials, and young people with diverse backgrounds and lifestyles. To complete the picture, we even added two teenagers (15 and 13 years old) to the group. This way, we gain even broader insights into buying behavior and digital habits.”

Bringing the board together was a joint effort: Monique Wathion from UCLL University of Applied Sciences Diepenbeek, department SME & Entrepreneurship, brought the right students on board. Simon Cox from the employers’ organization VKW Limburg supported the recruitment of young graduates. FRITEL handled the coordination and organization.

In February, the Millennial Board officially met for the first time for an in-depth session on marketing. How do you reach millennials and Gen Z? Which channels do they use? What works on social media and how important is sustainability to them? The session yielded a wealth of insights.

“I can really recommend it to any company,” says Cindy van Ratingen. “It’s incredibly inspiring to hear directly from the consumers of tomorrow where their preferences lie and how they think. You get valuable input that you can immediately use in your strategy.” In the coming months, the Millennial Board will continue to work on various themes and share insights that can help the company to further align its products, marketing, and strategy with the next generation.