VORWERK, HOW IT BECAME A GLOBAL LEADER IN DIRECT SALES OF HIGH QUALITY APPLIANCES

The story of the collaboration between Vorwerk and DHL eCommerce

Vorwerk was founded in 1883 as a factory for high quality carpeting. Gradually, the company grew to expand its businesses ranging from real estate development to gramophone engines.

In 1929 they used the gramophone engine on the first Kobold vacuum cleaner model. This innovation created a revolution at the time: a manageable, very powerful and effective device.

At the time, the market was not yet prepared for such an innovative breakthrough and putting it only for sale in a store, potential Kobold customers could not appreciate its advantages and features. That’s how direct selling is born in Vorwerk, without a doubt the most important milestone in its history.

Already a manufacturer of high-quality appliances, Vorwerk’s history continues to expand its product portfolio and, in 1971, introduces unprecedented new innovation: Thermomix®, the first multifunctional cooking robot to be launched.

Today, Vorwerk is the number one direct selling company in Europe and the world leader in direct selling high quality appliances.

What defines the Vorwerk brand?

Vorwerk is the manufacturer of the Thermomix® kitchen robot and Kobold cleaning system.

Vorwerk has a long history of successes based on passion and innovation. It is also a people-oriented company, a trait that it maintains today and that is the cornerstone of its success. Today, the Vorwerk community is made up of 100,000 business agents and about 9,000 employees worldwide.

When people come together, opportunities open up and a lasting connection is created. That’s how Vorwerk’s leadership has been forged, home to home and with direct selling. Product demonstrations are social events where participants gather, discover their love of the product and become members of the Vorwerk family.

How long have you been working with DHL eCommerce?

In 2017 we started our excellent collaboration with DHL eCommerce.

What were your logistics needs when you hired DHL eCommerce? And now, have they changed since then? Why did you decide to contract with DHL eCommerce?

Logistics needs increased and therefore we sought a partner that could provide us with a quality service adapting to the characteristics of a direct selling company such as Vorwerk.

Since then, we have grown considerably in sales and in the product catalog, on our website for the sale of both consumables, spare parts, accessories and also main product. All of this has increased both internal and customer logistics needs. DHL has been a reliable and effective partner helping us navigate everyday problems and exceptional situations.

Are there times of the year that are more logistically complicated? How do you manage it with DHL eCommerce?

Christmas and Black Friday are the times of the year when we could have the most complications at the logistics level, due to an increase in orders in some channels to quadruple the usual volumes. Fortunately, thanks to excellent forecasting and communication with DHL eCommerce, our customers are not affected at all by such a hectic pace.

What would you highlight about our service?

DHL offers a service that matches the high quality products that Vorwerk sells. It is an added value for our customers and sales force, collaborating with us on all B2C and B2B shipments.

An important issue to note is the flexibility shown in the new product launches we have had since 2017, helping us all the way and making life easier for our customers and sales force.