NewAir Extend Case StudyNewAir Extend Case Study

NewAir Adds Product Protection and Heightens the Customer Experience

Household Appliances
Manufacturer
1-50 employees
<5
Days to integrate
11%
Attach rate

“Having the ability to offer product protection plans from Extend also shows that we stand behind our products.”

Hilton Blieden
Hilton Blieden
CFO and Head of Operations, NewAir

Commitment to quality is at the core of NewAir

For NewAir, a leading provider of compact appliances, building customer trust is foundational to growth. The company offers a unique line of products — including wine and beverage refrigerators, ice makers, air conditioning units, and more — that merge quality with convenience for individual consumers and businesses alike.

NewAir’s products can be purchased online or in-store at select retailers, although the company believes that no matter where a sale takes place, an exceptional customer experience is what sets them apart. So when NewAir realized a gap in the level of service provided by their previous product protection provider, they turned to Extend.

NewAir shapes the customer experience with value-added services

The e-commerce landscape has evolved and matured since NewAir was founded in 2004. And as such, the company has embraced valuable resources that provide website visitors an exceptional experience, including live chat, accessible product reviews, helpful product imagery, and payment options to assist with purchasing. 

Hilton Blieden, CFO and Head of Operations at NewAir, considers these value-added services  to be competitive differentiators. “You have to have a strong presence online. One of the things we believe in is much better images and content — our web content is a lot better than our competitors’,” he said.

Through a large insurance provider, NewAir was already offering extended warranties as another value-added service for customers. But the insurer’s customer service didn’t match the premium experience NewAir customers had come to expect. “They weren’t getting back to customers if there was an issue, and it was just taking too long,” Hilton said. “It was hurting our customers and hurting our customer service.”

A better product protection offering helped validate NewAir products

NewAir offers a limited one-year warranty on new products, but Hilton knew customers would value an extended warranty solution to protect their products after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. Additionally, he wanted to provide customers the option to purchase accidental damage protection for even greater coverage and peace of mind.

“We were looking for someone that could make [providing protection plans] very easy on our customers, on us, and show that we have comprehensive coverage and someone who invested in our product,” Hilton said.

Rather than go with another large insurance company to provide and service NewAir’s product protection, Hilton compared Extend and Clyde as potential options. But once he reviewed how each company might fit into the optimal NewAir customer experience, Extend was the clear choice.

The unparalleled benefits of Extend

Bringing on a new tech solution can be a major lift for any company, but for NewAir, the implementation was simple. In less than five days, Extend was up and running on the NewAir website.

So far, NewAir has seen an 11% attach rate for product protection plans on its products, increasing average order value and driving incremental revenue. But the benefits of Extend go beyond increased revenue driven by product protection.

Simplified — and superior — customer service

NewAir partnered with Extend because they knew that Extend provides the best customer experience in the product protection industry. Hilton values how hands-off the process is for NewAir, virtually eliminating any need for a customer to reach out directly to NewAir for assistance.

“Extend handles everything once the customer makes the claim. They’re not calling our customer service to handle it,” Hilton said. “Before, customers would call our customer service, and we would have to get on the phone with the insurance company and get the whole thing resolved."

Customers can use Kaley, Extend’s virtual claims specialist, to get adjudication in mere minutes, and they don’t need to keep a receipt in order to submit a claim.

Increased brand loyalty

Building brand loyalty is an important objective for NewAir, and Extend’s fulfillment process fit what Hilton had in mind.

“What I liked is the fact that Extend sends the customer back to our website for a replacement product,” Hilton said. “The other guys just gave customers a credit.”

Keeping the customer within their own ecosystem provides NewAir with guaranteed revenue during a claim filing, incremental revenue during repurchasing, and a high level of customer retention and engagement.

Streamlined management of the customer journey

Product protection from Extend also enables NewAir to better manage the customer journey from beginning to end. Customers visit the NewAir website to perform product research, and they gain peace of mind knowing that their purchase can be backed up with a product protection option.

“The fact that we can offer product protection on our website is a big plus,” Hilton said. “I think that adds credibility to the product, and I think our customers appreciate it.”

Moreover, customers see Extend as part of the NewAir brand, indicating a strong brand commitment to the quality of the products they sell.

Product protection supports future growth

Customers buy compact appliances from NewAir because of their quality, durability, and the unique experience curated by Hilton and the entire NewAir team. Partnering with Extend means that the company can maintain its focus on growing the business and reaching more customers without worrying about the customer experience if a product needs to be replaced.

With Extend, NewAir remains competitive with large retailers while simultaneously driving incremental revenue, providing best-in-class online support, and increasing brand loyalty with repeat customer visits to the NewAir website.