E.G.O. Group: The Future of Kitchen

We began by mapping global macro-trends, noting, for instance, how technological acceleration is bringing smart elements into home kitchens, while the ‘urbanization of tradition’ is reshaping traditional cooking methods as global populations migrate and urbanize. We tracked how these drivers of change manifested differently across distinct regions, understanding that innovation cannot be one-size-fits-all.

To ground strategy in reality, we moved beyond desk research into the field. Through in-depth interviews and direct observations with diverse consumer archetypes (from culinary enthusiasts to time-crunched cookers) we uncovered invisible frictions. These are the sometimes unconscious elements that shape how people relate to food preparation and gas cooking. We found that flame visibility carries psychological weight beyond mere function, that resistance to upgrading often stems from the complexity of repairing built-in appliances, and that cleaning practices across different markets demand radically different materials.

These insights became design imperatives. Rather than treating them as isolated data points, we translated them into concrete principles like modularity or repairability, that could guide innovation development with clarity and direction.

In the final phase, we collaborated with E.G.O Italy’s R&D team to translate these findings into actionable product concepts. During dedicated co-design workshops, participants first analyzed the current innovation pipeline, weighing its strengths and weaknesses against the identified opportunity areas. Subsequently, we explored concrete future kitchen scenarios, leading to a hands-on session of brainstorming, sketching, and design that resulted in about twenty new product ideas. These concepts were then filtered through a two-level evaluation matrix.

We moved beyond simple economic feasibility, introducing criteria such as portfolio consistency and market maturity. The result is a strategic roadmap that allows the company to identify not just what to build, but when and why specific solutions will provide a competitive advantage in the global market.