By: Lee Jae-Seung, Head of Digital Appliances of Samsung Electronics
Recalibrating Our Strategy in a Changing World
The home has always been a central part of lives – it is, after all, where we begin and end most of our days. But now, as many people around the world practice social distancing, home becomes more important than ever.
The pandemic has resulted in all of us re-assessing the spaces in which we live along with the ways we operate and prioritize things in our daily routines. This had led to many people reorienting their lifestyles, personal and professional, to lead the most healthy, sustainable and productive lifestyle possible, whatever the situation they may be in.
Such changes of mindset and habits are in line with the vision Samsung Electronics has for its digital appliances division, one of moving beyond simply manufacturing appliances and towards becoming a truly consumer-centric lifestyle brand. We look to innovate so that consumers can enrich their home experiences and express their own personalities through our appliances in this changing world.
The Home as a Flexible, Personalized Space
As our consumers spend more and more time at home, the boundary between places of work and places of relaxation has shifted and people are increasingly repurposing their space to serve as multi-function spots – be they as a vacation spot, a party room, a makeshift gym, an office space, a bar or a cafe.
Today, the concept of the “home” has become more flexible so as to include all kinds of individual lifestyles and habits. Naturally, we felt that it was time for appliances to evolve in the same way, too.
The Era of Customizable Home Appliances
With our customizable home appliances, Samsung has pioneered a new age in the history of domestic gadgets based on the belief that today’s appliances should go beyond simply helping users complete their housework and that they must take the lead in innovating the lifestyles they fit into. We are constantly listening to our consumers and innovating our portfolio accordingly in a way that will allow us all to reflect our actual lifestyles – no matter how they may change, now or in the future.
Our Bespoke refrigerator line is the forerunner of this new direction. The concept started with on fundamental question: the average consumer users their refrigerator for ten years, a period of time in which so much can change, so way shouldn’t their refrigerator be able to change with them? Getting married, moving to a new city, having children, getting a new job – all of these changes can result in new needs, want and requirements for users of their domestic appliances. Therefore, for each change, the Bespoke line offers a variety of types, colors, and finishes that can answer the call.
However, the Bespoke line is not the only Samsung product to offer such personalization; this capability has expanded beyond refrigerators with our new line of laundry devices that are designed to adapt to user preferences with each use. Equipped with artificial intelligence, the new WW7000T washer learns user-preferred settings and combines this knowledge with big data to recommend the best cycle for optimal washing.
Keeping Hygiene Top of Mind for Both Indoors and Outdoors
We at Samsung are aware that the pandemic has made consumers much more aware of the need to maintain and manage best-practices hygiene routines, both for themselves personally and also within their homes.
This recent heightened demand for cleanliness has boosted our vacuum cleaner sales in the Latin American region by 350% compared to the previous year. Our global air purifier sales have also increased by 410% from January to July last year compared to the same timeframe last year. What this has led to is that in addition to creating innovative new products like the AirDresser, Samsung is looking closely at its entire existing portfolio through the lens of hygiene, as well.
For example, Samsung’s Clean Station™ took aim at an inconvenience that most of us accepted as being unavoidable: having dust fly back into the air whenever we emptied our vacuum cleaners’ dustbins. Pairing seamlessly with the Samsung Jet™ stick vacuum cleaner, the Clean Station™ lets consumers empty their dustbins right into a disposable bag with the touch of a button – and with no dust escaping back into the air.
Sustainability is Here to Stay
As they spend more time at home, consumers have also become more acutely aware of how their daily habits, including the use of home appliances, can impact the environment. Consumers today are challenging us to be bolder in our pursuit of eco-friendly, energy-efficient, sustainable products that align with their personal values surrounding environmental conservation.
For example, in the midst of the current pandemic, consumers are now shopping for groceries fewer times a week but buying in bulk when they do. This means that many consumers are looking for larger refrigerators but don’t want to see their electricity consumption spike.
Furthermore, our new lineup of high efficiency washing machines and dryers also reduces washing time by up to 50% thanks to Samsung’s proprietary QuickDrive™ technology. Additionally, with our EcoBubble™ technology that is capable of activating detergent even in cold water, consumers can save additional energy that may have been used to heat water.
*Product specifications may vary by country
Looking Ahead: Innovation That Reflects Our Users
Samsung is committed to developing appliances that do more than just clean, cool, and purify. Our trusted home appliances are now being upgraded to the next level with Samsung’s leading IoT and artificial intelligence capabilities which allow our products to communicate with their users and vice versa. Digital appliances are set to evolve into digital “assistants” that understand our patterns of behavior and work to create a home environment optimized for each household.
By continuing our close collaborations with internal research organizations as well as external experts, we hope to introduce home appliances that will truly understand you and your home.
We will always challenge ourselves to find the next big technical breakthrough and deliver on higher performance for users, but we know that technology without purpose leads to nowhere. We will always have our doors open to our consumers and put consumers at the center to create appliances that truly enrich each user’s lifestyle.
