Trends for home appliances industry for 2016–2017

Home appliances are entering a new era. Designers have never been standing in front of so many challenges as today, and we try to assist them in facing those. How to connect thinking about sustainability, good design and usability at the same time?

Over the last months we talked for thousands of hours with our clients about their needs, and basing on those we were able to answer some of the troubling questions. What are the trends for home appliances that we are forced and also willing to face within the closest year? How to approach smart home trend and what it includes exactly? How to create a product that will be not only less harmful to the environment, but also helpful?

Take a look at our newest note, where we will present you with two strongest trends for home appliances coming this year!

Smartphones changed the way we live. First, they affected the way we communicate with family&friends. Afterwards, they have revolutionised our presence in social media and brought us to the point, where they’re not only a virtual part of our lives but an inherent part of reality, a gate that allows us to interact with outside world with totally new way. Smartphones and mobile devices influenced almost all known industries, including home appliances.

Currently, when we talk with our clients, we see that there are two end-factors that are absolutely essential while designing devices of the future: compatibility and automation. Basing on cloud-based data we are able to connect multiple devices and force them to share information between each other in order to eg. save power and improve the environment for the user.

A great example of situation where compatibility (devices are working together) and automation (they are able to automatically respond to the situation) are occurring at the same time:

1. Tools: Cooker communicates with hood fan, ventilator, light, heating system and air-monitoring tool

2. Outcome: in order to provide the best temperature and air humidity for the human.

So why the first paragraph is mentioning a history of smartphones? That’s very simple actually: the user is able to monitor (data collection and live analysis) and control situation with only one tool instead of few different (1 pilot is better than 10 pilots).

Another good example of smart device situation is when our cooker is able to choose time and temperature of heating on its own — preceded only by the user choosing the right programme from the list.

In Beltrade we are absolutely sure, that smart home is the future of home appliances, only with one remark that we find remarkably important: smartphone will not, at least in coming years, completely replace traditional ways of controlling devices (buttons, knobs, icons). Both customers and technology are not yet that advanced and failure-free to resign from those in 100%. (also: it’s worth to note, that retro style is more and more popular with every month)

Compatibility and automation are not only about comfort but also about sustainability. Powered by data from the cloud, devices will be able to save the power. And that’s where those two trends are having a meeting point.

The other part, that we as Beltrade, are even more involved in, are sustainable materials. While choosing the right options for our clients we look for solutions that don’t include harmful phthalates or halogens. We also minimise their content in the supply lines.

By that we’re trying to make our products ecological and environment-friendly from the very first parts, yet before production.

In our opinion, those are two biggest trends for coming years in home appliances. As it happens, they’re both connected to each other. Remember about one very important part — always check if your components provider has a knowledge, experience and orientation in your market. It’s crucial for your product, trust us 🙂