Discover how BSH convinced families in Taiwan, a market with a dishwasher penetration rate of just 3%, to gradually turn their backs on the tradition of washing dishes by hand.

Consumer centricity as the guiding principle for product development and marketing

Millions of people worldwide purchase home appliances and use digital services from BSH, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that these consumers want and need the same thing. In fact, most of the time they don’t.  

To achieve international brand success, their heterogeneous needs and expectations need to be addressed by regional teams that understand these in-depth. The term “consumer centricity” sums up this approach perfectly, as it demands the relentless pursuit of placing the consumer at the heart of product development and marketing activities – a principle that has been driving work at BSH internationally for many years. 

What were the reasons behind the scepticism towards dishwashers?

Let us take the Taiwanese dishwasher market as an example. Did you know that only 3% of households own a dishwasher in Taiwan?

Looking into the reasons for this, BSH discovered two major concerns of Taiwanese consumers. First, they don’t know the benefits of a dishwasher, often wrongly assuming hand-washing dishes delivers better results and uses less electricity and water. Second, many consumers worry whether a dishwasher would fit in their kitchen. 

How did BSH address these concerns? 

To begin with, the focus was on educating local consumers on dishwasher benefits, like high-temperature sterilization. In addition, BSH offered a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, giving consumers the opportunity to experience the advantages of a dishwasher hands-on in their home. For those not sure if a dishwasher would even fit in their kitchen, a free home inspection service was introduced. All the measures were rewarded with overwhelmingly positive feedback from Taiwanese consumers. 

A market changing from traditional role models to modern equality

The local team observed that there was more to the low popularity of dishwashers than simply a lack of knowledge and concerns about kitchen space. In Taiwan, women looking for help with household chores, whether through home appliances such as a dishwasher or otherwise, still fear a loss of face. 

To address this crucial consumer insight and remove the taboo on this issue, BSH created the emotional concept “Your family deserves your time, your dirty dishes don’t!”, which leverages the time-saving benefit for families by giving justification, other than just convenience, for using a dishwasher.

And what would be more convincing than little kids giving up their favorite toy in return for more time with their parents? Watch one of the video spots that touched the hearts of parents all over Taiwan:

In a humorous hidden camera clip, the local BSH team also questioned Taiwanese men about their role in the household: 

“By adding this new emotional angle to our usually rational communication, we could address the hidden socio-cultural buying barriers in a subtle way”, reflects Florian Fuhl, CEO of BSH Home Appliances Taiwan. 

So, could those sceptical consumers in Taiwan be convinced? 

With millions of people watching the videos and many taking BSH up on the offer of free home inspections, the Bosch brand gained significant popularity. Combined with a distribution expansion and impactful in-store visibility, the BSH team in Taiwan has been able to further grow the dishwasher market and solidify its position as the clear market leader in Taiwan. 

Results that underline what we have known for a long time: that it’s crucial to help consumers to lead a life with fewer household chores and more time for what really matters.