'Record High Exports' Korean Dishwashers... The Secret to Capturing the Demanding Indian Market

Export value increased by 41% year-on-year last year due to the 'Corona Special'
Gaining attention in major and emerging countries such as the US and Canada

LG DIOS dishwasher sterilizing dishes with 100-degree TrueSteam function
[Photo by LG Electronics]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the time spent at home has increased due to COVID-19, clean home appliances that reduce the burden of housework and consider hygiene are gaining worldwide attention. A representative product that has enjoyed a special demand surge is the home dishwasher. Last year, exports of Korean-made dishwashers grew by more than 40% compared to the previous year, reaching an all-time high, especially with a noticeable preference for our products in emerging countries such as India.

According to the Korea International Trade Association's International Trade and Commerce Research Institute on the 13th, last year, South Korea's home dishwasher export value was recorded at $245.78 million. This is a 41% increase compared to the previous year, marking a record high. By country, imports of Korean-made dishwashers by the United States increased by 34% from the previous year to $149.797 million, the highest amount. Following were Canada ($27.153 million), the United Arab Emirates (UAE, $23.895 million), and Australia ($10.579 million), each purchasing over $10 million.

Among countries that exported more than $1 million, Algeria showed the highest export growth rate, increasing by 391.4% from the previous year to $1.367 million. Additionally, dishwasher exports to India and Iraq rose by 274.8% and 268.0%, respectively, amounting to $7.035 million and $5.665 million.

Source=Korea International Trade Association International Trade and Commerce Research Institute

Among these, the high growth rate of dishwasher exports to India is noteworthy. According to the Korea International Trade Association's International Trade and Commerce Research Institute report, India has larger average household sizes with many dishes, and because cooking involves a lot of oil and spices that are difficult to clean, home dishwasher sales were previously sluggish.

Korean companies considered these characteristics of India and adopted technologies that enhance dishwasher cleaning power while reducing water and electricity consumption, satisfying local consumers' purchasing desires. Currently, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics hold the 3rd and 4th market shares, respectively, in the Indian dishwasher market.

Meanwhile, in the largest dishwasher export markets, the United States and Canada, the market share of Korean products is also on the rise. In the U.S., Korean-made home dishwashers maintain 2nd place after China, with market share rising from 23% in 2016 to 27% last year. During the same period, the gap with the 3rd largest exporting country widened from 6.1 percentage points to 13.0 percentage points. In Canada, the market share of Korean products increased from 5.0% in 2016 to 10.1% last year.

Yang Ji-won, a researcher at the Korea International Trade Association, said, "Korean home dishwashers are securing global competitiveness by employing various strategies such as smart home appliances, improved design, and entering niche markets," adding, "If the market is segmented by household size to diversify products and efforts are made to improve sterilization and cleaning technologies, more export channels can be developed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.