[Future Tech] Big Data and DX, Sparking the Evolution of Home Appliances

A company that understands there’s no place like home, LG is trying to make home life even better through expanding the customer experience offered by its advanced appliances.

LG presents consumers with a diverse range of products spanning around 20 different product categories, including home appliances, TVs, information technology and signage solutions. Right now, there are almost 200 million LG smart home appliances delivering customized convenience to people all over the globe. Via its rich ecosystem of products, and with the consent of its customers, the company is actively collecting and organizing data throughout the entire customer journey. Based on the analysis of this data, LG is developing various services and features to further improve the customer experience.

By utilizing ‘big data,’ the company is showing how digital transformation (DX) can simultaneously enhance business competitiveness and bring greater value to consumers. LG is applying DX technology to several key areas of its operations, such as product development, manufacturing and sales; improving the way the company works while also creating first, unique and new – or F.U.N. – customer experiences.

Let’s take a look at some of the innovative ‘DX-powered’ services that LG is able to provide its customers.

Proactive Customer Care

Inconvenient and rare though it may be, sometimes, home appliances don’t function as intended. To help avoid any major breakdowns, and the hassle that invariably comes along with them, LG developed a technology that preemptively checks for any potential issues and takes action in advance if any is required. The collection and analysis of home appliance data makes it possible to identify if a product has been incorrectly installed or is being improperly used, flagging the problem before any actual damage is done.

LG is expanding this preventive maintenance technology, which is being used throughout its home appliance lineups, by incorporating data-based AI care services. One such service enables the company’s washing machines to notify users when the drum needs cleaning due to laundry contamination or inform them if there is a risk of pipes freezing or bursting due to cold ambient temperatures. Active rather than passive, LG’s AI customer care features can be easily managed using the LG ThinQ app.

Upgradable Home Appliances

LG’s paradigm-altering ThinQ™ UP home appliances can adapt to the unique and changing lifestyles of each customer thanks to their impressive upgradability. A first for the home appliance industry, ThinQ UP technology, which allows customers to choose which additional features or functions they download and install, was no small task to develop.

In addition to providing a more tailored experience to users, ThinQ UP has helped LG to lower the total cost of developing and testing new functions for its appliances. In the future, ThinQ UP functions will be continuously improved based on customer usage data.

In order to deliver innovations like ThinQ UP, it is essential to first gain a deep understanding of how customers live. LG achieves this through analyzing product usage data and a variety of ‘external’ user data, such as whether the user is sensitive to heat, how much water they drink, and whether or not they have pets.

Customer Index

Developed and managed by LG, the Customer Index provides a wealth of data that the company is leveraging to make its smart home appliances – and related services – even smarter. The Index is helping to extend and enhance the user experience by revealing underlying usage patterns as well as customers’ hidden wants and needs – which LG then addresses by crafting clever, new services linked to its products.

In the future, owners of LG Objet Collection products who are interested in interior design will be able to use the company’s interior platform to find décor inspiration and purchase interior accessories that match with the aesthetic of their home appliances. As another example of what could soon be possible, LG’s Styler, washing machine and dryers may be able to connect users with specialist mobile laundry services aligned with their specific needs uncovered through the analysis of usage data.

By seamlessly combining products, data and services into a unified whole, LG will create continuous customer experience innovation that delivers unprecedented value and convenience. And through its commitment to implementing DX technologies, the company will keep on growing and refining its ability to help consumers everywhere enjoy healthier, happier lives.

Stay tuned to LG Newsroom for the next episode in the Future Tech series.