Development of Korea's First Ice Frozen Storage Water Purifier
Expansion of Home Appliance Subscription Business... "Increasing Market Share"
On the 5th, LG Electronics announced the launch of the 'LG PuriCare Objet Collection Ice Water Purifier,' the first water purifier in Korea to freeze and store ice inside the purifier. This is the only ice water purifier to have obtained the Korea Certification (KC) mark, excluding ice water purifier refrigerators. Through this, the company plans to accelerate its home appliance subscription business.
The 'LG PuriCare Objet Collection Ice Water Purifier,' which features ice freezing storage inside the water purifier and was launched by LG Electronics on the 5th as the first of its kind in Korea, is installed. [Photo by LG Electronics]
LG Electronics explained that the new product's feature is freezing and storing ice made in the ice-making section. Before the product launch, a user survey confirmed that ice stored at room temperature melts easily and breaks easily, causing customer dissatisfaction. To maintain ice quality, the company developed technology that uses a single compressor to generate cold water, make ice, and control the temperature inside the ice storage compartment of the purifier. The compressor delicately controls and maintains the temperature of the freezing storage compartment. It symbolizes LG Electronics' core component technology capabilities.
LG Electronics plans to solidify its leadership in the domestic water purifier subscription market with the new product. The domestic water purifier market is estimated to be about 2.1 million units and worth 3 trillion KRW as of last year. The proportion of ice water purifiers in the saturated water purifier market is steadily increasing. The industry estimates that ice water purifiers account for about 20% of the total water purifier market.
The freezing storage ice water purifier aligns with LG Electronics' subscription business expansion. LG Electronics first entered the subscription (rental) market with water purifiers in 2009. Last year, the annual subscription sales reached 1.1341 trillion KRW. It surpassed 1 trillion KRW in sales just two years after fully launching large home appliance subscriptions.
The new product features thorough hygiene management functions, a strength of LG PuriCare water purifiers. The All Puri filter system removes nine types of heavy metals and eliminates 99.99% of norovirus. The high-temperature sterilization function applied to the product automatically sterilizes the direct water pipe inside the purifier once a week. The water outlet can be sterilized with high temperature whenever the customer desires. The UVnano sterilization function automatically sterilizes the water outlet, ice dispensing outlet, and even the ice-making section.
The monthly subscription fee for the LG PuriCare ice water purifier ranges from 50,900 KRW to 52,900 KRW based on a 6-year contract. The fee varies depending on the maintenance cycle.
Lee Hyun-wook, Head of Kitchen Solutions Division at LG Electronics H&A (Home Appliance & Air Solution) Business Unit, said, "With the launch of the ice water purifier, we will leap forward as the number one in the domestic water purifier market, where subscription is the trend."
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