Insights from IFA 2018

Having celebrated 10 years of home appliances, the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2018 exhibition proved that customisation and matching experiences with consumer’s needs are still key aspects for brands to take into consideration for further commercial success.

Oliver Breit, PDD Managing Director-Asia, attended the event in Berlin on the 31^st August – 5^th September and highlighted several innovations that seem to have pushed the boundaries of nowadays’ technology to even further dimensions.

It was clear from the very beginning that this year’s focus was on finding the right balance between mindfulness and a digitalised existence, an approach that seems to be more difficult to tackle nowadays than ever before. Perhaps integrating emotions in the context of technological advancements is a winning formula for the ever-changing 21^st Century consumer. A similar approach was noticed in the Silverline range hoods which proved that usability goes beyond the purely functional attributes. From wall-mounted and stove-integrated appliances to range hoods that could be used as mood lights, the Istanbul-based brand has once again emphasised that its design philosophy is based on revolutionising any culinary experience.

                               Image credit: PDD

                           Image credit: PDD

Talking about customisation, Liebherr from Germany animated the refrigerators and freezers’ sector by offering customers the opportunity to create their own designs. Choosing from a wide range of images, the compact cooling boxes illustrated below were set to stimulate users visually and create a point of interest out of a product that would usually go unnoticed.

                          Image credit: PDD

Bang & Olufsen launched another statement wireless speaker and this time in collaboration with Michael Anastassiades; an artist known for his ability to give minimal designs a lively twist and whose works are featured in renowned museums across the world, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Museum of Art in New York and the MAK in Vienna.

It has been mentioned that the speaker’s circular form takes inspiration from the British pound coin and that volume can be adjusted as easily as flipping the speaker back and forth. Not to mention Bose emphasis on the product’s unusual feature of either being placed on the floor or hanging on the wall. The new and interactive installation featuring this speaker was also part of London Design Festival , which took place earlier this month (15^th-23^rd September).

                                                                          Image credit: PDD

                Image credit: T3

Sage – a brand new coffee company that was recently introduced to the European market is now available at John Lewis. Its coffee-making machine stood out among the crowd through its semi-automatic operation which resembled the one used by Italian espresso machines.

                                                                                    Image credit: John Lewis

And after when thinking that nothing new can ever emerge on the coffee-making industry, Clessidra by DeLonghi impressed the audience at IFA with its new approach to drip coffee that can be switched over to pour an intense cup of caffeine-rich drink.

                                                                                    Image credit: DeLonghi

On the same innovative note, Kärcher introduced a revolutionary cordless steam cleaner.The machine was designed with the users’ needs in mind and offers increased flexibility in an area that was hindered by cables up until now.

                          Image credit: PDD