Disruptive Business Model

Student: Divya Meda, 2021-2022

Although Whirlpool knows the keys to success in today’s marketplace, they want to disrupt the category and introduce the key elements of tomorrow. Appliances are large investments - typically the largest spend consumers make after a home or automobile. The problem is that >60% of purchases are made under duress, when the consumers’ appliances have to be replaced immediately. Consumers are not saving for these items like they would their dream car or dream home, and consumers consistently cannot afford what they want on short notice. In the recent past , consumers would go into a retail store and have a salesperson walk them through the benefits and features of products, and were at the mercy of what the salesperson showed them on the sales floor. Oftentimes, the consumer was led to innovation on the floor by the salesperson because it is easy to display flashy features on the floor. Oftentimes Whirlpool’s competitors have more tangible innovation to bring to life and demonstrate on a sales floor. Throughout Covid, consumers got more comfortable with shopping online, and we expect shopping habits will continue to evolve over time. Through this project Whirlpool and I hope to disrupt the appliance industry by providing a unique value proposition and enabling current and future shopper habits so that Whirlpool can continue to be an industry leader in 2025 and beyond.