Product Teardown: Vitamix
Product Teardowns are short explorations of what makes products work, the business strategy, and in some cases my ideas for how to make them better.
Vitamix is one of those brand names that has largely replaced the common name. “Blender” is still around, but in many cookbooks the instructions just say “Combine in Vitamix.”
There’s a good reason for that: the Vitamix is really, really good at its job.
The job: Blending food. Smoothie, soup, sauce, dressing, nut butter, you name it Vitamix blends it.
Who is it for?
Both professional chefs and home cooks.
What makes the product work?
It doesn’t require much from the user. The motor does almost all of the work. It blends quickly and consistently. This is not a trivial achievement: cheaper blenders are weaker therefore slower and less consistent, requiring more effort from the user.
The controls are simple and tactile. There are just two switches and a dial on the standard 5200 model. Turn the speed dial and you immediately hear the blades speed up and see the effects.
Basically cleans itself. Again, the motor does the work here.
It lasts a long time and is backed by a 7 year warranty.
The Vitamix’s power enables a satisfying speed and efficiency to the blending. This makes it rarely if ever frustrating to use.
At an emotional level, the Vitamix makes you feel powerful and never frustrated. The power of the motor makes blending fast and efficient. You have a dozen ingredients on the cutting board; thirty seconds later it’s a perfect smoothie.
What’s the business strategy?
The best blender for everyone.
By being the top choice for chefs and food professionals, Vitamix attracts home cooks who care about quality.
The obviously superior product inspires long-term loyalty and creates growth through enthusiastic customers recommending to friends and family.
How does Vitamix onboards and engages users?
Through food media, chefs, cookbooks, friends, and now through the magic of language as the default term for the product.
The challenges?
The high price point ($450+) limits potential volume.
The viability of the price rests on the difference from other blenders being tangible to a casual cook. This means staying ahead of competitors on quality and power.
Preserving the reputation for superior quality makes it harder to thread the needle of expanding the product line for specific uses and accessories.
How would I improve it?
Sadly I’m not a blender engineer so I don’t have an especially informed opinion here.
My sense is Vitamix should remain focused on their unique advantage of quality, and the challenge is probably in fighting the natural erosion of that through the desire for growth via lower price point or facile innovation.
Maintain the quality edge. The company strategy rests on quality and durability so any investments here both incremental and innovative seem worth it
Continue building relationships with new chefs and food influencers. Winning over the next generation of food influencers is probably the easiest way for a competitor to disrupt them. Play defense here.
Deepen customer loyalty - Everything from the packaging to the marketing emails can play up the storytelling about quality and amplify the sense of community. Doing events, celebrating users as with their 90th anniversary book, and finding new ways to fit the Vitamix into the latest food trends.