Taking a pan-european approach to 100+ sites

Electrifying different territories

One of the most iconic consumer and professional electrical goods manufacturers today, Electrolux provides household and commercial appliances across Europe and the world. The Swedish multinational offers designs and sustainable solutions, under brands including Electrolux, AEG, Zanussi and Frigidaire.

They operate different areas including kitchen, laundry, small appliances and home care and services. Products within Major Appliances include refrigerators, freezers, cookers, dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, room air-conditioners and microwave ovens. Small appliances include vacuum cleaners and other small appliances. Professional Products consists of foodservice equipment and laundry solutions for professional users.

With a multitude of different products and markets being served, it was paramount Electrolux possessed a relevant content and ecommerce platform to attract and convert addressable opportunities. This would come in the form of much more than just a glossy digital catalogue. Instead, it would enable direct-to-consumer ecommerce and deliver a better service to end-users.

Catering to the differing needs across Europe, requires an approach that is local to each visitor. This meant the digital experience platform needed to connect different services together and adhere to internal governance around warranties, national scrappage requirements and local installation guides.

Each region and brand would have its own site architecture that would be multi-purposed. It was vital these were balanced, so they were not product content heavy but instead included elements of inspiration. The aim was to marry the multiple sites under one digital framework built upon a powerful content and commerce ecosystem. This would enable markets the digital freedom to work responsively within their respective territories.

Electrolux selected Optimizely for their newly devised disruptive approach. The best-in-class digital experience platform is designed to meet the purpose and scale of this pan-european project which covers around 100 sites.

Designing against international needs

One of the most complex needs revolved around the differing expectations different regions would have when it came to buying online. Electrolux, with the help of Optimizely partner Bombayworks, designed a digital architecture that appeases the intricate asks of a modern ecommerce experience. Clear structure is important for the different brands. Visitors are presented illustrative graphics before any detailed content. The plug-in with Translations.com allows sites to be instantly translated to 11 key languages. They are semantically translated so each translation carries the same meaning.

Electrolux’s entire digital estate is geared towards making transactions happen. By smartly deploying creative content in the right areas of the site, prospective visitors are natively guided to desired products that meet their needs. Even with today’s savvy online browsers, who no longer shop in a linear fashion, Electrolux cater to this behavior. They understand and accept visitors using multiple tabs to compare and evaluate products to form a purchasing decision. As a result, Electrolux use their Optimizely estate as a story telling experience. Their content strategy includes aspects of blending the ‘who we are’ with the needs and wants of target audiences. From there, detailed product literature is provided aside inspiring visuals.