No more dirty dishes ever again: the completely connected household

Hello Jörg, we’re going to ask you a quick round of questions and you can answer as briefly as you like. If there was one thing you couldn’t do without at home, would it be coffee or tea?

Coffee. Our coffee machines is connected via the Home Connect platform, meaning I can order a coffee using an app or even by voice command and can see when the machine is running low on beans.

Are you responsible for the dishwasher or the washing machine at home?

The dishwasher.

And is it already equipped with OTTO ready?

Of course. There are six dishwasher pods in it at the moment, so it won’t be long until the dishwasher informs me of this and I can order new ones via OTTO ready.

How smart is your home?

Very smart. From the lock to the sun blinds, the heating and the lawnmower - everything is linked up.

At least we now have an impression of the extent to which you are getting to grips with this topic, and why OTTO ready is so important to you. Tell us how OTTO ready works - what lies behind it all?

We connected linked-up household devices to our product OTTO ready using the manufacturer's own management app. In real terms this means that thanks to OTTO ready, the dishwasher knows in advance when it is running low on pods and informs the owner of as much. The owner receives the notification through the management app. What OTTO has now managed to do is convert the notification into an order. Once everything is set up, the smartphone sends a push notification to let the user know when a supply is running low, and the customer can then order more of that household product at the touch of a button. OTTO then delivers the supplies reliably and at the regular market price.

BSH Hausgeräte (Bosch and Siemens Household Devices) are the first to work with OTTO ready. How did that come about?

OTTO and Bosch entered into a collaboration as far back as summer 2018. With Bosch’s linkable household devices, in the future you will able to not only manage and control devices or call customer services remotely, but also check supplies of rinse aids, pods, salt and machine cleaner and then order more through OTTO ready. This also means an owner can manage their stocks manually if necessary. We ensure the suitable range is available for the particular device, allowing the customer to quickly and easily order their own dishwasher pods or coffee beans. We are of course in discussions with other manufacturers that are of interest to us and who also believe OTTO ready could provide exciting opportunities for their products.

Did you consciously decide against developing an app?

We thought about the matter from the customer’s point of view and asked ourselves whether the customer really needs another app, or whether it might make more sense to incorporate the manufacturer’s app instead. If I own a connected dishwasher, then I have the manufacturer’s app already. We want to place OTTO ready in exactly the same place as you’d control the dishwasher and offer support, and above all make the customer’s life easier. In short, we are exactly where the customer would expect us to be.

Did OTTO develop the order service itself, and if not how did the whole idea come about?

We met the “Order This” team through the Otto Group’s Corporate Company Builder (Otto Group Digital Solutions & Liquid Labs, Anm. d. Red.). We were won over by the idea put forward by “Order This” - that of building a bridge between device manufacturers and retailers. After many fruitful discussions we were certain that we wanted to use this idea for OTTO. OTTO bought the startup on the 1st March and is bringing it onto the market under the new label of OTTO ready.

In addition to device manufacturers, Google and Apple are also lining up to develop solutions for smart homes. Does OTTO ready mean we are specialising in the household devices sector?

We are keeping our eyes open in all the other sectors too. Everything that belongs in our homes also works with OTTO ready. Robot lawnmowers and printer cartridges are exciting enough, but toothbrush heads can be integrated too. Everything that happens in and around the home is of interest to us.

How is OTTO ready different from the recently banned dash buttons?

The main difference is that, with OTTO ready, the price is displayed before the user places an order. Our customers therefore benefit from very obvious price transparency. What’s more, they can also browse various dishwasher pods and not be restricted to one brand.

When you look around your own smart home, what is the biggest downside to connected living?

(Jörg shows us his smartphone) I have 16 apps for my different devices and features alone. In my opinion there are too many isolated solutions, which means it is not yet possible, or at least requires a lot of commitment, for a customer to enjoy a rounded smart home experience. Lots of things will happen on the market and at OTTO in the coming years and it will doubtless become easier for each of us to use our homes in such a way that they really provided added value for the inhabitants.

How long will it be, do you think, before the majority of Germans will own this kind of household device and make active use of their smart home on a daily basis?

Samsung says that by 2020, no products will roll off the assembly line that cannot be linked up. BSH estimates that date to be 2022, and I would say that smart homes will be commonplace in Germany by 2025. This means we can start looking forward to an exciting new age.