IFA 2023 Review
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‘IFA is a core ingredient in the evolution of the CE industry’ Gekko’s Dan Todaro sends his report from Berlin.
Dan Todaro with LG’s PLAYMOBIL characters
O
nce again IFA 2023 was the place to be for all
technology brands
– and not just those from the consumer electronics category. With the show sold out across
26 halls this year covering 130,000sqm of exhibition space, it affirmed its position as the de facto CE showcase of the industry calendar.
The simultaneous occurrence of several negative global events – such as war, extreme weather events, food and energy inflation – unsurprisingly stops people from spending. Therefore, the need for a brand to increase its voice is critical and to do this with a new perspective, doing so through a new lens that better understands the pain points consumers are experiencing and appeals to the user’s pleasure points. That is why I believe that IFA, as a cultural hub, is so much more than an exhibition; it is the centre stage for the globe’s CE brands to demonstrate how to solve the problems consumers share. IFA is a core ingredient in the evolution of the CE industry. All brands big and small were in attendance; these included all manner of start-up concepts and categories and there were several robotic floorcare start-ups displaying and showcasing. One that caught my imagination was Dreame’s Revolutionary Flagship Robotic Vacuum L20 Ultra with Industry First AI-Driven Mop Extend. However, one of my most memorable chats was with the haircare brand SharkNinja about its ultra-compact SpeedStyle hairdryer. The irony is, as a follicly-challenged man, I’ve not owned a hairdryer for 30 years – yet I was enthralled by its functionality, design and huge potential consumer appeal. It’s going to be a Christmas wish list essential!
Perceptions of premium The themes were consistent across the show: sustainability, renewables, connected by AI, and premium. Let’s start with the latter; while aspiring to be a premium brand is admirable, it’s down to the consumer’s perception of what constitutes ‘premium’ based on how much they are prepared to pay for a product. What you and I may think of as being premium may not be the view of others, and is likely to vary greatly depending on whether the consumer is Gen Z or Gen X.
Everyone wants quality as standard. And
brought to them at a reasonable price. Whilst GfK expects the global CE market to still be in the red by the end of this year, the trend is for consumers to continue to replace appliances as those from even just five years ago look and perform exceptionally outdated.
Dreame’s Flagship Robot Vacuum
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