LOTTE HIMART is seeking to rebound through a new private brand (PB). This is the first overhaul in 9 years since the PB 'Haimade' was introduced in 2016.
LOTTE HIMART announced on the 20th that it will launch a new PB 'PLUX' on the 21st. PLUX, a blend of the English words 'Plug,' meaning 'connection,' and 'Experience,' conveys the idea of providing essential values for a smarter self to connect to a better everyday life.
The release of PLUX is more than just a simple brand name change; it brings overall changes in target customer segments and the entire brand concept. LOTTE HIMART introduced PLUX after about a year of consulting, consumer surveys, and product planning, making it the brand's core concept to change daily life with small differences as 'everyday appliances.'
PLUX is targeted at 'Young minded, Small family,' defining its primary customer base as 'young households with 1-2 members.' It aims to offer new home appliance experiences that reflect customer opinions by moving away from the previously high prices based on less-frequent functions and designs, as well as unnecessarily large capacities.
LOTTE HIMART also conducted consumer surveys to confirm the effective categories for PB home appliances. The results revealed that 1-2 member households had a higher preference for PB than those with more than 3 members, and this customer segment prioritizes 'cost-effectiveness' and 'functionality and design that are faithful to basics' when purchasing home appliances.
These findings have been fully reflected in the development of PLUX products. The 'PLUX 330-liter (L) refrigerator,' which will enter pre-order sales along with the PLUX launch, features a compact size while achieving an energy efficiency rating of 1 and having a beige color design.
From the product development stage, PLUX analyzed millions of data points, reflecting customers' usage experiences. Notable outcomes include a one-burner induction that is easier to clean and the 'PLUX smokeless grill,' developed in response to customer feedback regarding the inconvenience of smoke and cleaning.
Additionally, PLUX has applied a longer warranty period of 3 years for small and mid-sized appliances, and 5 years for large appliances, compared to the previous free service (A/S) warranty period of 1-2 years. The differentiation is reinforced by automatically applying features from the 'Himart peace of mind care' service, which has a high customer demand for 'extended warranty services.'
LOTTE HIMART plans to operate over 200 PLUX products across various fields, including kitchen, living, seasonal, and IT, within this year. Through this, it aims to establish PLUX not just as a simple PB product line, but as an 'everyday appliance' brand that encompasses the customer's entire daily life.