Whirlpool’s Digital Commerce Strategy Is Creating Happier Customers

By Winnie Albornoz, Director of Product Marketing, SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP

The home appliances industry has faced significant challenges in recent years. Persistent supply chain disruptions and consumer demand for more digital-first experiences have forced the industry to modernize and modernize quickly.

In fact, in the North American market for household appliances, online sales will account for about half of total revenue in 2024, according to Statista. Whirlpool Corporation, a leading global appliance manufacturer, is well versed in what it takes to stay competitive and meet consumer demands.

That’s why it leans into its corporate vision: to improve life at home. The company is committed to innovation and providing a best-in-class customer experience to make life better – not only with the products that they sell, but through every, single touchpoint customers have with the company.

Seamless, personalized customer experience

Part of delivering that customer experience is their digital commerce strategy, which goes beyond simply selling products and ensures that consumers experience brand sentiment, obtain product relevant information, and understand the quality of product.

“Our websites are more than just sales channels,” said Satyendra Kanjilal, Senior Manager for Digital Technology Delivery at Whirlpool. “They offer a seamless, personalized experience that guides consumers through their purchase journey, whether they buy online or in-store. We ensure consistency in our messaging across different digital touchpoints, providing reliable product information and intuitive interfaces.”

Whirlpool Corp. takes a unique approach to digital commerce for each of their brands. With brands like KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana, and their namesake Whirlpool, brand experiences shine through and drive online sales to deliver revenue growth between their owned and partner sites.

For brands like JennAir, the digital strategy is focused on curating a high-end experience to bring consumers in-store to get hands on with their products.

Commerce + ERP

Delivering this experience is complicated, but Whirlpool Corp. uses their commerce platform as the foundation to manage all digital operations, including managing complex catalogs, handling large volumes of site traffic, and ensuring that all product information and content is consistent across owned and partner sites.

Integration into their ERP system is also critical to providing a truly omnichannel experience for their customers and ensuring smooth operations across all sites that provide the Whirlpool experience. This systematic approach provides accurate and reliable product details that translate into a consistent experience regardless of where their consumers decide to engage. At the end of the day, consistency is the key to maintaining consumer trust.

Whirlpool’s commitment to improving life at home remains at the forefront of everything they do. Their digital-first strategy will continue to evolve with AI, a robust technology infrastructure, and a strong focus on customer satisfaction.

This story also appears on The Future of Commerce.