By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium
ST. JOSEPH – When it comes to buying a large appliance, nothing can be harder than trying to visualize what it may look like at home.
That’s what Maytag officials thought when they created the Bring Maytag Home mobile online tool, which allows consumers to see what their home would look like with the appliance there.
After choosing an appliance, ranging from dryers to refrigerators, the consumer then takes a picture of the empty space it is desired to go in. The site then plays back a video with a Maytag man installing the desired appliance in the picture that was uploaded.
Brendan Bosch, senior brand manager for Maytag, said the mobile tool was created to simplify the shopping process.
“We know it is complicated to find what features are right for you,” he said. “It’s a convergence of a few things. We know that people are more into their mobile phones than in the past, but also that sometimes people need help in knowing what their renovation might look like.”
Bosch emphasized that the tool is not an app because research showed many customers were unwilling to download an app for a one-time occurrence.
The mobile tool was officially released to the public May 12, months after development began.
Bosch said the process was complex, but worthwhile as they have already begun to receive feedback from customers.
“There is a bit of an entertainment aspect to it since you get to see the Maytag man in the video,” he said. “The feedback we are getting is very useful. For now our focus is that this is a easy to use tool to help shoppers remodel their kitchen or laundry room.
“We want to make sure we are giving the best info to make their experience as stress free as possible.”
Customers can swipe through different color and configurations of the appliance and have the ability to use the tool as many times as they want.
The tool is compatible on desktops and internet enabled Android and iPhone devices by visiting BringMaytagHome.com.
Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.
(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on May 24, 2015)
Tony Wittkowski 