"Used by Both People and Pets"... SMEs Competing with Pet-Friendly Appliances

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Min-jae] As the number of 'Petfam' (Pet+Family) who consider pets as family members increases, small and medium-sized home appliance companies are intensifying their efforts to target pet appliances. Until now, they have mainly sold pet-exclusive appliances, but now they are continuously launching 'pet-friendly' products equipped with pet mode functions in general home appliances. With the rise of MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) pet owners, pet appliance trends have also diversified.

This signifies a qualitative change in the pet appliance market following the quantitative growth of the pet industry. Previously, pet-exclusive appliances dominated, but an increasing number of small and medium-sized appliance companies are releasing pet-friendly appliances by adding pet functions to general home appliances so that both people and pets can use them together. They also claim to have addressed the drawback of relatively high prices, appealing to consumers.

Mid-sized appliance company Winix has introduced an air purifier with a detachable pet-exclusive filter (Plus Care filter). The company explains that by attaching an ultra-fine dust filter to the existing air purifier, it can efficiently manage human hair and pet fur. A Winix representative said, "If you purchase and attach only the Plus Care filter to the existing Winix air purifier, it adds the function of an air purifier equipped with a pet filter," adding, "Since the product launch, monthly sales have increased by 5-10% due to its relatively affordable price."

Shinil Electronics even created a pet-specialized brand called 'Purby.' In the second half of this year, they will release a 'stand-type dryer' that can be used by both people and pets. The product was made stand-type to allow convenient drying of pet fur using both hands. They also changed the motor noise. The dryer is equipped with a pet mode function that produces noise in a frequency range suitable for the sensitive hearing of pets, minimizing discomfort from dryer noise.

The pet-friendly appliance market is expected to continue growing. According to the '2021 Korea Pet Report' by KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, 14.48 million people (6.04 million households) in Korea owned pets last year. The Korea Rural Economic Institute forecasts that the domestic pet market size will grow to 6 trillion won by 2027.

Large corporations are also targeting the pet-friendly appliance market. Samsung Electronics has added pet care functions to its wireless vacuum cleaner (product name Bespoke Jet Bot AI), and LG Electronics created a separate 'Pet Care Course' menu for Tromm washing machines, dryers, and mini-washers released as 'UP appliances.' A home appliance industry official said, "Pet-friendly appliances have a broader target market than pet-exclusive appliances, so the market will continue to grow."

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