IFA 2017 – What Appliances Will We Mostly Look for in the Shops?

The most important trade show of the region IFA 2017 took place in Berlin, Germany, 1–6 September. The exhibition included products that are new to the market as well as categories introduced earlier; all of them being gadgets/devices that we are most likely to be looking for in the shops. After the exhibition, Ignas Rumbutis, Head of Product Department at ACME Europe, shared some insights about the latest technological tendencies.

This year’s exhibition is described by the specialist, Ignas Rumbutis, as one of the most rational in the last five years. “This exhibition was focused more than ever before on end users. Major technology manufacturers and brands have focused entirely on devices that are affordable to the general public and which make daily life easier: wearable electronics, wireless audio technologies, sports accessories, virtual reality devices”, said the Head of Product Development at ACME Europe. He added, “There were almost no expensive or luxurious items designed for specific markets and devices that are hard to adapt to everyday life.”

Ignas Rumbutis emphasised that in the exhibition there were very few brands that have only recently appeared on the market and that have no history. He continued to share his insights: “I think the spotlight and attention were mostly focused on long-term market players such as Philips, Samsung, Sony and Logitech, which concentrated on their most important categories and were able to display their products through the prism of their history and values”.

Attention to the Brand Image and Innovative Packaging

Another interesting tendency noted at the IFA 2017 exhibition was the large amount of attention devoted to branding and packaging. “This year the large market players made an effort to stand out not just because of their newest technologies, but also because of the way they were presented. In today’s retail marketing environment, in order for your product not to stagnate on the shelf, it is essential to pay special attention to the packaging concepts, using outstanding graphics, colour and other innovative solutions. These days consumers are not satisfied just with a good price. They feel they get value for the money they have spent by receiving clear information on why they should buy this particular product and clear instructions on how to use it”, the expert, Ignas Rumbutis, said. “We ourselves pay a lot of attention to packaging design. We introduced new concepts at the beginning of this year. We created unified packaging, using infographics instead of text, and we had openable boxes, so that the consumer could quite literally get close to the product,” said the Head of Product Development at ACME Europe.