They Ask, You Answer, 2nd Edition

22 Case Study 3 Small Retail Appliance Store Dominates Online and Makes Millions

If you were asked which company you thought was the biggest online thought leader in the kitchen appliance space, you’d probably assume that it was one of the major manufacturers you’ve been seeing in kitchens for years. Names like General Electric, Whirlpool, Kenmore, and Frigidaire might come to mind. Worth hundreds of millions of dollars each, these companies, at least in theory, should “own” the digital space.

However, you might be surprised to learn that not only is the go-to consumer information source in the appliance space not one of the leading manufacturers, but it’s not a manufacturer at all.

Rather, the company that is making a killing by providing educational articles, videos, buyer’s guides, and ebooks that are answering people’s questions about appliances is a regional retail store located in Boston.

About Yale Appliance

Yale Appliance has been selling and servicing the people of Boston with all of their home appliance and lighting purchases since 1923. From the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s, to the dotcom explosion of the mid-90s and the Great Recession of 2008, Yale Appliance has persevered through it all.

How does a local appliance store maintain such longevity while many other businesses in their field have been forced to shutter their doors during periods of economic decline? They turned to their customers and started paying close attention to their habits, ...