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| Kim Hyun-suk, president of Samsung Electronics' consumer electronics division, speaks during a press conference at the Westin Grand Berlin hotel, Thursday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
By Baek Byung-yeul
BERLIN ― Samsung Electronics will pursue "consumer-centered" innovation to further improve its home appliance business, Kim Hyun-suk, president of the tech giant's consumer electronics division, said Thursday.
"Electronics firms have released tech-centered products in the name of innovation and so does Samsung. We have grown our business through innovation and raised our brand value," Kim told reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of the IFA tech trade fair.
However, he said Samsung has been transforming its DNA from being a tech-savvy company to a more user-focused maker to match the changing consumer trends.
"Now the times have changed and we are learning more about young generations or generations with a youthful mind. Based on that we have been launching more consumer-centered appliances," Kim said.
Kim cited the new refrigerator lineup BESPOKE as an example that proves Samsung's changing approach.
Samsung launched the customizable refrigerators in Korea in June, enabling consumers to choose their preferred designs and colors.
Kim said the BESPOKE refrigerators have been drawing popularity on its home turf much more than expected, saying the new products account for 65 percent of the entire refrigerator sales in only three months.
"We launched the BESPOKE refrigerators in a bid to provide an opportunity for consumers to create their own appliances. Given home appliances have a long lifespan, the explosive response to the BESPOKE is way beyond our expectations," Kim said.
Based on its soaring popularity, Samsung announced the launch of the BESPOKE in the European market at the IFA fair, aiming to improve its share in Europe's "built-in" home appliance market.
"Built-in appliances account for over 40 percent of the appliance market in Europe. Samsung announced it will roll out the BESPOKE lineup at the IFA. I think these products can change the game because the semi-built-in BESPOKE refrigerators have potential to bring more options to consumers," he said.
Kim said Samsung will focus more on launching new internet of things (IoT) devices as well. Samsung vowed previously that every device of the firm will be IoT-connected by 2020, but Kim said the tech giant has achieved the goal earlier than expected.
"The promise we have made has been fulfilled because Samsung's latest home appliance devices are already connected with IoT technology. I am a heavy IoT user as I have 63 devices connected with the SmartThings IoT platform in my home," Kim said.
Samsung has been focusing on selling IoT devices such as lighting, sensors and cameras in the U.S. market. Though the company didn't officially launch its IoT devices for the business-to-consumer market at its home soil, Kim added Samsung will come up with those devices here soon.
"Samsung has produced 500 million devices every year. I think we are the only company on Earth to produce such a large number of devices. Based on the competitiveness, we will continue to improve the IoT ecosystem centering on our devices," Kim said.
In the TV market where the company has been the world's top TV maker for 13 consecutive years from 2006 to 2018, Kim said Samsung will be able to comfortably extend the reign to 14 after this year.
"If there's no big problem, I am so sure that Samsung will be able to secure the top position for the 14th straight year. And this could be possible thanks to the popularity of premium TVs such as QLED 8K TV," he said.
