Each month, we run our ‘ASK BOSCO® Index league table’ on a specific retail category. We do this by running the ‘credit score’ or digital online presence of a category’s top retailers and pit them against each other using our competitive benchmarking tool. The Competitive Benchmarking feature in the ASK BOSCO® platform compares your website’s online presence against your closest competitors. This month we focused on energy suppliers, a key area for exploration following cost rises, budget announcements and the transition to green energy.
What does the energy sector currently look like?
The energy crisis has been gripping the UK since autumn 2021, when wholesale gas prices began to rise. This crisis has had a significant impact on the cost of living for UK households and businesses. While the cost of energy has fallen since, energy prices still remain one of the main drivers of inflation.
As a result, the retail energy sector is focusing on empowering customers with flexible energy solutions and stable pricing. The transition to clean energy is driving the adoption of dynamic pricing models, such as time-of-use contracts and smart meters, which aim to help customers optimize their energy usage and reduce costs themselves.
However, widespread adoption is hindered by slow smart meter rollouts and existing fixed-price contracts. Digital transformation, supported by AI, is enhancing customer experiences by offering personalized insights and greater control over energy consumption. Regulatory bodies are working to balance customer protection with the need for market flexibility, ensuring that all consumers can benefit from sustainable energy options while promoting a greener energy supply.
What is the ASK BOSCO® Index?
Do you want to know how your brand compares to the competition online – and then learn how to outrank them? The ASK BOSCO® Index within the Competitor Benchmarking part of the platform is the perfect way to measure your digital presence and assess the effectiveness of your SEO, paid search, website health and other marketing efforts.
Unlike other metrics that only consider your marketing budget, the ASK BOSCO® Index considers your performance across paid media and organic traffic. It provides an accurate overview of your online performance based on your previous digital interactions by analyzing data from trusted third-party sources.
What is a good ASK BOSCO® Index score? It ranges from 0 to 1000, with the average score for brands and retailers being around 500. The higher your score, the better your online performance as a retailer. Think of it as the credit score of digital marketing.
Here’s how we scored the top 10 energy retailers
Who topped the league table?
EDF Energy
Launch of the “Change is in our Power” campaign
EDF introduced a new brand platform under this slogan, which aims to inspire pride and trust in the company’s efforts toward sustainability and customer-centric service. The campaign, developed by Lucky Generals, is their largest to date and features a hero video centred around a young musician calling for change. It strategically integrates traditional media (like TV and out-of-home ads) with digital efforts across platforms such as Spotify, Sky, and GoodLoop. A critical part of this strategy is leveraging AI-based targeting and Nielsen data to optimize their media buying and reach highly engaged audiences.
Our ASK BOSCO® Index has found that EDF perform the best in SEO with an overall SEO score of 720, with an individual score of 818 on website traffic through SEO alone.
Customer migration to the Kraken platform
EDF recently partnered with Accenture and Kraken Technologies to transition over five million customers to the Kraken platform, known for its advanced data and AI capabilities. This move enhances customers’ ability to manage their energy consumption online more efficiently. The transition also supports EDF’s push to modernize its retail operations, aiming to streamline processes, improve customer experience, and reduce costs
These initiatives combine targeted brand messaging with significant tech investments, positioning EDF as a proactive and customer-focused player in the energy sector. This dual focus on branding and digital transformation aims to drive growth, elevate customer loyalty, and improve operational efficiency.
Octopus Energy
Smart tariffs & cleantech
Octopus has been promoting smart tariffs to encourage the use of renewable energy at optimal times. This includes innovative pricing that reduces costs for consumers when renewable energy sources are abundant.
Customer-centric approach
Octopus remains focused on delivering excellent customer service, which has helped it top customer satisfaction rankings and increase its market share. Octopus Energy are still the most popular energy and utilities company in the UK at the moment, according to a YouGov survey.
Octopus Energy’s best performing category was in paid search with a score of 719, driving traffic to their website was their strongest point, scoring a massive 807.
Expanding global footprint
With substantial investments, Octopus is pushing into new markets such as the U.S. and Brazil, partnering with local firms to expand its reach.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to know more about the ASK BOSCO® Index and find out where your brand sits on our league table rankings, simply get in touch with us at team@askbosco.com – we’d love to hear from you.
