By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY, NSW: The key to success in refrigeration in 2010 will be maximising internal space within the traditional 60-centimetre cavity, according to Samsung’s refrigeration product manager, and head of Samsung’s Space refrigerator, Jason Fardoulis.
In an interview with Current.com.au this morning, Fardoulis said the consumer response to Samsung’s recently released Space fridge has consolidated it as the number two player in the refrigeration category, and the product itself is now the number one fridge in the market based on value.
“We’ve been very strong in store, it has a very strong store presence with whitegoods and we’re looking at extending that outside the store as well,” Fardoulis said.
Samsung recently conducted a series of in-house surveys to better understand the Australia whitegoods consumer. Fardoulis reported the top request amongst respondents was for a refrigerator that can fit into the standard 60-centimetre cavity but still somehow hold more contents.
“Obviously it sounds very straightforward, but it’s been very powerful for us and it’s starting to resonate now with the Space fridge,” he said.
“Customers are really starting to take this fridge up in big numbers, and that’s really come back from that number one criteria that people have: maximising what they can get in the space without having to renovate their kitchen or do anything major within that area.”
According to Fardoulis, Samsung implemented a number of design initiatives in order to create an extra 100 litres of capacity in its Space fridge. These included a 33 per cent reduction in insulation space, which was possible through making the insulation denser; placing the ice dispenser in the door; and moving the compressor so that there is more space in the crisper.
“With the Space fridge that we’ve had in the market a little while now, you get 100 extra litres in the same size fridge of a 600 litre cabinet, so effectively you’re getting a 700 litre fridge,” said Fardoulis.
Current.com.au understands that Samsung will be investing heavily in a comprehensive above the line marketing campaign to support its refrigeration range in 2010. This will be part of a wider whitegoods branding strategy that will also feature air conditioning, laundry and cooking.