Every Friday on Current.com.au, the team chooses the most impressive new product from the preceding week to be named our Product of the Week. The main criteria for this award are that the product is saleable and can inject value back into the industry.
Breville hasn’t been a loud player in the microwave space, but the launch of the Quick Touch microwave in time for Christmas is set to change that. From first glance, the design is not greatly different to other products on the market, but Breville has put on its Food Thinking cap and added a few new features that are sure to grab consumer attention and help retailers generate sales.
Getting hands on with this product this week, Current.com.au was able to test out the intuitive interface, which includes a shortlist of common food types and an “Amount” dial that can be adjusted based on the food selected — select soup and you can dial up the volume in millilitres, select pizza and you’re increasing the quantity by slices.
Joining the large screen and basic dials is a hidden set of buttons on the inner rim of the microwave, behind the door, which add to the feature set and allow users to add favourite programs, while the “A Bit More” setting from Breville’s toasters makes an appearance to allow users to easily add cooking time.
In a plus for retailers, the microwave will be available in four finishes — stainless steel, cranberry, black sesame and white — and in the lead up to Christmas, each microwave will be bundled with a bonus set of colour-matched scales for weighing food.
With an RRP of $399, the microwave is on the more premium end of the sales spectrum. But with ASPs sitting at the $170 mark, Breville’s marketing manager said the Quick Touch was developed to help grow the category.
The Breville Quick Touch microwave BMO734 is available from October for RRP $399.
Editorial responsibility for Product of the Week is taken by Current.com.au editor Patrick Avenell.