Built on innovation

From the day it was founded, Miele was always looking for fresh approaches and new products that could make its customers’ lives easier. From a new Meteor butter churn in 1900 that helped to reduce the workload for farms, and particularly for farmers’ wives, to a revolutionary water-powered washing machine in 1914, the company introduced a range of innovative products.

But these products weren’t just innovative – the company also emphasised the importance of precise, well-crafted engineering and stylish design. In fact, they were so confident in the quality of Miele products that in 1916, they began offering customers a ten-year warranty on request.

An expanding range of products

As well as butter churns and washing machines, the company’s first years also saw the development of a number of other products, including hand-carts, bicycles and even cars. The company only produced cars for a short time, from 1912-14, but Miele hand-carts were introduced in 1915 and manufactured well into the 1950s. And Miele motorised bicycles were popular from their introduction in 1932, with mopeds and eventually motorbikes added to the production line through to the 1960s.

At the same time, Miele was introducing other domestic products, such as vacuum cleaners and kitchen ranges. In 1958, the company launched its first electric tumble dryer and in 1963, the new Miele dishwasher was introduced to the market.

Harnessing new technologies

Miele has always embraced new technology and in 1993, a fully automated distribution centre was opened at the Gütersloh plant, with a computerised storage system for around 100,000 domestic appliances.      

The company was also keen to incorporate the latest technologies into its products. So, 1977 saw the launch of the first Miele microwave. And in 1981, the company introduced a new generation of computer-controlled washing machines and tumble dryers.

Miele has always been a responsible business, constantly introducing innovations to save energy and resources. Now, in the 21st century, it’s putting sustainability at the top of the agenda by setting clear climate targets.

The digital age

In 2020, in line with its constant focus on innovation, Miele launched Miele X to create a new digital heritage for the global group. The idea was to use data more effectively and harness the power of digital technologies to enable Miele teams around the world to deliver delightful customer experiences. Starting out with just three people, Miele X now has colleagues from more than 40 different nationalities, who are consistently adding to the Miele success story. Here are some Miele X highlights from the last four years:

Forging partnerships

To create delightful experiences for Miele customers, Miele X needed to work closely with the major digital platforms, such as Google and Amazon. In 2021, they began to build a partnership with Google CSS in Dublin for Google shopping ads across the EEA region. In the same year, they also centralised account ownership and access management for Google Ads and access to the Google Merchant Center and Microsoft Ads.

Miele X also started to forge strong partnerships with the Miele country teams, by launching a Digital Growth Lab event where Miele X could share their expertise and collaborate with Miele colleagues around the world. The move to a new Community Space at Valley in Amsterdam in 2023 means Miele X now hosts up to eight of these events each year.

Global presence

As Miele’s global digital hub, since 2020, Miele X has been instrumental in developing consistently branded digital campaigns that can be used by Miele teams around the world. These include toolkits for major calendar events such as Black Friday and Christmas, as well as campaigns to support specific product launches.

Delivering the best for everyone

One of the key roles for Miele X is to identify the best platforms and tools for Miele and make sure that every Miele country team has access to them. This started in 2020, when the US became the first of 20 Miele country teams so far to migrate to SAP Commerce Cloud. In fact, there have been a series of migrations since 2020, to ensure each country team has the best tools available, including migrating countries to the Bloomreach Customer Engagement Platform.

Another major development has been the migration of Miele’s eCommerce platform to a Headless architecture, which enhances the core customer journey. And with the introduction of a data management framework, including a variety of data tools, metrics and dashboards, Miele and Miele X colleagues have easier access to the data they need.

Improving the e-shopping experience

From refining the design of Miele’s e-shops in different countries, to introducing tools such as the ShopConnect 2.0 interactive eCommerce platform, Miele X has helped Miele to better connect with its customers. This includes introducing website features such as Product Advisor, Ratings and Reviews, Customer Assistance and Guest Checkout across a number of Miele markets. And Miele X is using the Hotjar user engagement tool and Qualtrics to gauge customer reactions in these markets.

Miele X in addition introduced consistent headers, footers and cookie consent banners to the Miele online shopping sites. And, with the introduction of Adyen and Worldpay Iframe as well as a more streamlined checkout process, customers find the payment process a lot easier, too.

Looking forward to the next 125 years

For the last four years, Miele X has been building on Miele’s 125-year heritage, working collaboratively, thinking innovatively and acting boldly to delight Miele customers across the globe. As Miele looks ahead to the next 125 years, Miele X offers many thanks to all the Miele colleagues around the world who worked with them to make it all happen. And the company looks forward to continuing its collaborative work across the Group, and drawing on its expertise to move digital forward at Miele. Together.