Samsung and LG Electronics Ride the 'Smart Home' Wave... Collaborate with Furniture Companies on Customized Appliances

Samsung Electronics' BESPOKE refrigerator equipped with 'Family Hub'

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The spread of social distancing measures due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has sparked a 'smart home' craze in the home appliance market. Companies are expanding their business areas not only by developing products utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and big data but also through strategic cooperation with different industries.

According to the home appliance industry on the 10th, Samsung Electronics has tentatively agreed to open a shop-in-shop featuring kitchen appliances such as Bespoke refrigerators and dishwashers within Hanssem's largest domestic store, the Daegu Beomeo branch, by the end of the year. Consumers will be able to receive a total solution linking Hanssem's remodeling services with Samsung Electronics' smart furniture.

Samsung Electronics will deploy its personnel to Hanssem's local store to conduct offline consultations. Starting with the Daegu Beomeo branch, Samsung plans to gradually increase the sharing of retail infrastructure by placing Hanssem furniture in Samsung Digital Plaza stores. This is part of a prior memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two companies to strengthen joint business efforts and focus their capabilities on smart home solution businesses for future residential environments.

LG Electronics is also continuing collaboration with global furniture companies on customized home appliances. Recently, at the LG Signature Kitchen Suite showroom located in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, LG showcased premium kitchens and living rooms in partnership with the Italian premium furniture brand 'Cassina'.

LG Electronics created an integrated space of kitchen appliances and living room furniture through designer furniture such as column refrigerators and wine cellars from LG, and LC4 lounge chairs and Ombra Tokyo chairs from Cassina. LG plans to continuously expand customized home appliances by collaborating with global furniture companies on its ultra-premium built-in 'Signature Kitchen Suite' product line, which incorporates smart technology.

In addition, LG Electronics is focusing on enhancing lifestyles at home by utilizing AI technology. A representative example is the 'Proactive Service' applied in the 'LG ThinQ app,' which can analyze and detect the operating status and causes of malfunctions of home appliances.

An industry official said, "As the contactless era has accelerated, the home appliance industry is focusing on the smart home business as a future growth engine. Currently, cooperation with the furniture industry is concentrated on the kitchen area, but in the future, the smart home business will expand to the entire home, including the living room."