Achieve healthy wellbeing in your home – Responsive wellbeing ecosystem.
All product development at Electrolux aims to give consumers the best possible experience and results when using Electrolux products. Product development focuses on three main areas to offer Best-in-class consumer experiences: great tasting food, care for clothes and healthy wellbeing in the home.
Taste Electrolux products help consumers to achieve a culinary experience, and cook healthy and nutritious food for family and friends. Some examples include the Electrolux CombiSteam Pro Smart ovens including CookView camera and the My Electrolux App, as well as the Anova Precision Cooker, an innovative connected device for sous vide cooking that enables restaurant-quality results in the home. A continuous dialog with professional chefs and the development of new solutions for restaurants and hotels across the globe provides valuable insight that is conveyed to other parts of the Group.
Care Electrolux helps consumers to take care of their clothes so they feel new for longer. A common problem is avoiding using the washing machine or tumble dryer for certain garments. Electrolux has, however, solutions to make it possible to use its products without having to worry about the outcome. In 2017, the AEG connected washing machines and dryers received top marks from several magazines and consumer organizations around Europe. In the textiles area, the Group also benefits from the experience of professional users when new products are being developed for consumers, such as dryers with heat-pump technology.
Wellbeing Consumers also want to create a clean and healthy indoor environment free from dust, allergens and pollution. Electrolux has solutions for this, including vacuum cleaners, air-conditioning devices and water purifiers. One example of innovative solutions in this area launched in 2017 is the robotic vacuum cleaner Electrolux PURE i9 (also called the AEG RX9) with a user-friendly app and a smart navigation system that means that it, unlike other robotic vacuum cleaners, can detect obstacles and manoeuver around them.
The Group has a number of strong, desirable brands including AEG, Electrolux, Frigidaire, Westinghouse and Zanussi. In 2017, Anova was acquired, bringing a brand with digital focus, a passionate user community and a direct-to-consumer business model. During the year, Electrolux worked successfully to revitalize the AEG and Frigidaire brands in Europe and North America respectively. Preparations were also in progress for a similar sharpening of the Electrolux brand in 2018. To maximize the contribution from these brands Electrolux focuses on selected key, high-margin products and categories, and seeks partnerships with preferred key trade partners to enable efficient marketing, delivery and sales.
Consumer needs and preferences vary considerably between different parts of the world. Electrolux global projects account for an increasing share of product development and the Group’s global modular platforms facilitate the spread of successful launches from one market to another, with adaptations to local preferences. Such adaptations are crucial to giving the best possible experience to consumers around the world. The platforms also support the company’s objective of offering more resource-efficient products to more consumers worldwide.
Electrolux has about 15 development centers for household appliances throughout the world, focusing on different products and technologies.
These development centers are currently located in Sweden, Italy, Germany, the U.S., Brazil, Egypt and China.
The most significant environmental impact for the Group is energy and water consumption during the usage of products. Accordingly, Electrolux focus on increased product efficiency, and sustainability is one of four prioritized areas in product development. At least one-third of the product development spend is environment-related and includes energy and water efficiency. Material efficiency is growing in importance. Electrolux has successfully introduced recycled material in vacuum cleaners and other appliances.
New technology opens possibilities for new solutions. During 2017, approximately 6 million connected appliances are estimated to have been sold world-wide. It has been predicted that the annual sales figure for 2020 will be around 120 million. By that year, Electrolux aims to deliver more than 1 million connected products per year. Besides simplifying and improving the usage of products, the connection strengthens communication with the consumer after the purchase. Connected appliances is therefore an area of significant continued innovation efforts in all major product areas.
During 2017, the Group launched a number of new connected products, such as the Electrolux PerfectCare range of washing machines and tumble dryers, the robotic vacuum cleaner and the Frigidaire CoolConnect air conditioners. Electrolux also launched the Electrolux Connectivity Platform, an Internet of Things ecosystem that connects consumers, service providers and third-party players with an Electrolux backbone. The platform was first implemented in the smart Electrolux PerfectCare washer and dryer system product ranges.
Voice-activated products
In 2017, Electrolux became the first appliance company to sign up with Google Home to bring voice activation to Frigidaire and Anova products in the U.S. For example, consumers can ask the Frigidaire air conditioner to raise the room temperature, change fan speeds, turn the air conditioner on or off, etc. With the Anova Precision Cooker, Google Home users can use voice control to set the temperature and check the cooking status. The Group has joined the Open Connectivity Foundation, a broad collaboration project to continue to drive towards unified standards for developing open source code for connected products.
Engaging with consumers
Electrolux develops solutions to engage with consumers throughout the purchase and use phases. The aim is to establish an intimate dialog with consumers and strengthen the overall owner experience of the Electrolux offering. The Group’s “360º Consumer Experience” process focuses on creating the best consumer experience at different stages, from exploring various alternatives, visiting websites, interacting on social media and choosing products at retailers to installing and using the products.
Electrolux has engaged with consumers, kitchen manufacturers and retailers with the aim to create the best Brand Experience.
Electrolux offers efficient service, rapid upgrades and a broad range of accessories and consumables. Well-functioning service activities have the advantage of increasing customer satisfaction and presenting opportunities for profitable aftermarket sales. The objective is to increase the share of a product’s sales value that comprises service, consumables and sales of accessories.
Online sales increase
Consumer decisions regarding the purchase of household appliances are increasingly based on visits to websites, blogs and the use of social media. Online sales are expected to increase considerably in line with increased Internet usage. In 2017, the Group rolled out new AEG, Electrolux and Zanussi-branded web shops across several European countries.
Committed to quality
Quality is an important prerequisite for the consumer to choose an Electrolux product above competitors. The Group has ambitious long-term goals to continue to improve quality and drives global quality efforts through the Committed to Quality program. This program contributes to both creating better experiences and continuous improvement by listening to consumers, prioritizing prevention and early warning detection of any failures in the market. In 2017, product quality reached a new record level with a service call rate (SCR) of 3.7% (see graph).
The Group’s “360º Consumer Experience” process focuses on creating the best consumer experience at different stages, from exploring various alternatives, interacting on social media, visiting websites and choosing products at retailers to installing and using the products.
Electrolux Tasteology, a documentary series uncovering the essential steps to the ultimate taste experience, has been a great success on social media.