Telecoms + Energy: The Next Loyalty Engine in Europe
This is no longer something to merely keep an eye on. It’s a movement already underway and accelerating across several European markets. Consumers are changing fast: they expect services that are more integrated, simpler, and more sustainable. The result? Traditional models are under pressure and must evolve.
And most importantly, this shift is no longer limited to telcos. Energy is becoming a much broader playing field. Renault is already positioning itself with Vehicle-to-Grid approaches… and now Les Echos reveal that IKEA is set to launch an electricity offer in Germany (sold via a partner).
The message is crystal clear: energy is no longer just a regulated commodity. It is becoming a packaged, bundled, mass-market product designed as a loyalty driver.
Across Europe, operators are taking action. In Italy, WindTre is moving into energy by becoming a supplier, not merely a distributor of a third-party subscription. And both Germany and Spain are sending strong signals of this hybridisation, driven by a simple equation: loyalty is becoming more expensive to “buy”… and growth is becoming harder to capture.
Historically, telecoms have been stuck in a saturated market under heavy price pressure. Energy can therefore become a highly relevant growth lever, with two very tangible effects:
- ARPU uplift: adding an energy offer means selling an additional essential household service, increasing average revenue per customer.
- Churn reduction: the more services a customer bundles (telecoms + energy), the higher the psychological and logistical switching cost — which directly improves retention.
But entering energy is a major strategic shift. Telcos must deal with structural differences that are critical:
- Regulation: complex, and above all different from telecoms; compliance must be built in from the offer design stage.
- IT systems / BSS: billing, customer management, meters, dynamic pricing, energy data flows… operational complexity demands platforms that can manage multi-service without friction.
At triPica, this is exactly our conviction. We speak daily with companies to support these strategic transitions and help them launch complex new activities, from offer definition all the way to BSS implementation.
