"Scan Food Barcode for Automatic Customized Cooking"… Food Industry Increasing Collaboration with Home Appliance Companies

Samsung Electronics-Nongshim Optimize Ramen Cooking with 'Ramyunduction' ScanCook
Increased Collaboration Between Home Appliances and Food Due to Convenience Food Growth and Smart Appliances

Samsung Electronics 'Bespoke Induction' scanning the barcode of Nongshim Shin Ramyun using the Scan Cook feature.

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Collaborative marketing between food companies and home appliance manufacturers is on the rise. This is attributed to the alignment of interests between the two industries in effectively promoting various products and services in response to the changing cooking and dining environments, such as the increased use of Home Meal Replacements (HMR) and the smartening of kitchen appliances.

According to industry sources on the 15th, Nongshim began collaborative marketing with Samsung Electronics on the 13th using the ‘Bespoke Induction’ for ‘Ramyeonduction’. Nongshim linked the barcodes of 13 products including Shin Ramyun, Chapagetti, and Neoguri with the ‘Scan Cook’ function of the Bespoke Induction. Scan Cook is a customized cooking feature that automatically completes ramyeon by simply placing cold water, noodles, and soup powder into a dedicated container at once, following a simple cooking course. When users scan the barcode on the ramyeon packaging with the ‘Samsung SmartThings’ application, it sets the optimal cooking mode, time, and temperature for each ramyeon, allowing for easy and delicious preparation.

Besides Nongshim, collaborations between food and home appliance companies have continued this year. CJ CheilJedang partnered with Samsung Electronics in April to run a campaign that replaces home microwaves with the ‘Bespoke Cooker’, a cooking device equipped with microwave, grill, air fryer, and toaster functions. Customers who subscribe to CJ CheilJedang’s meal kit subscription service and pay a certain amount can exchange their used microwave for a Bespoke Cooker. Samsung Electronics will continue the same campaign until next month.

Samsung Electronics 'Bespoke Q Cooker' and CJ CheilJedang 'Q Pack'

Ottogi also conducted joint marketing in March using LG Electronics’ kitchen appliances. Participants in cooking classes held at Ottogi’s ‘O’Kitchen Studio’ had the opportunity to experience various dishes using LG Dios microwave ovens, dishwashers, and induction cooktops. Earlier, Lotte Confectionery’s meal kit brand ‘Chef Food’ partnered with Philips. Until May, Chef Food ran an event offering Chef Food products such as pork loin tonkatsu and discount coupons to customers who purchased Philips air fryers.

Recently, collaborations between food and home appliance companies are seen as a phenomenon resulting from the rapid growth of the meal kit market and the emergence of smart kitchen appliances due to technological advancements. Food companies can promote their products and increase demand by providing optimal cooking methods and examples for competitively launched meal kits, while appliance manufacturers can enhance purchase incentives by demonstrating real-life usage of their smart kitchen appliances.

An industry insider explained, "Recent collaborations between the two industries aim to provide the best taste quality and convenience through various attempts such as connecting food and devices and integrating digital and IT technologies."

Additionally, considering that most major home appliance companies are global corporations, collaborations with them are seen as opportunities for food companies facing the challenge of expanding sales channels overseas. A Nongshim official said, "As Nongshim is focusing on global sales, we expect to expand overseas recognition through collaboration with a world-class company like Samsung Electronics."

Since food companies are linking meal kit subscription services with kitchen appliance purchases, food subscription services are also expected to become more active. A CJ CheilJedang official stated, “We are consistently updating recipe algorithms customized for automatic cooking every month,” adding, “Recently, we have provided recipes for Plantable dumplings, Gourmet chili gambas pizza, and currently have registered about 40 recipes.”

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