What will be the major trends in appliance technology and design and what will be the drivers for these trends? 

“The rise of smart technology within the home is on an upwards trajectory and shows no signs of slowing down. Everyone’s time is becoming even more precious and subsequently we are all looking at ways to streamline how we run our homes.

“However, we have seen that the need for personalisation within any potential appliance solution is key to whether or not it is adopted. People want the flexibility to suit their lifestyle and they want it to operate within the parameters of how they live their life, as well as it reflecting their aesthetic taste.

“Smart appliances are set to become even more advanced and integrated into our homes so it’s important they aren’t operating in silo to enable a wider connected living experience. This is where we’ve seen a lot of growth in the use of Samsung SmartThings as it’s device and platform agnostic. This combined with the power of AI learning means you get personalisation and the ability to automate routines within the home can be managed from the one app.

“The cost of living has shifted consumer priorities and people are more aware of how they are running their home and the appliances within it. As a result a further trend we’ve seen is increased awareness of how to manage costs and energy use throughout the home of which cooking, washing and refrigeration all obviously play a large part.

“To add to this, more of us are mindful of our shopping behaviour, food waste and eating a healthier diet. However not everyone has the luxury of time to plan and organise themselves, so we have found people are looking for ways to cook and feed the household efficiently.

“From a design point of view, we are also seeing a growth in handleless designs, which is where we predict voice activation and voice personalisation will become more prevalent. This will form an exciting part of our new 2025 line-up.

“In summary, appliances with features that save customers time, energy and money will therefore be high on consumer wish lists for 2025.”

What will be the main factors impacting on trends in the coming year and beyond?

“Economic shifts are changing consumer priorities. Consumers are a lot more conscious of their budgets and as a result are spending more time at home rather than eating out for instance.

“There is also increasing interest in your living space and how you can distinctively carve out leisure and work areas. 

“Finally, in our recent Smart Home Buyers Index, we found that 70% said energy efficiency is a key factor when considering a smart home. The incoming Future Homes Standard will come into effect in 2025, so new homes built next year will produce 75–80% fewer carbon emissions than homes built under current regulations. This will also further impact the consumer’s energy consciousness, as they will want to ensure that’s not undone with inefficient appliances inside the home.

“Here at Samsung, we have been supporting the customer with our market leading AI energy savings across all our product portfolios. When linked to the intuitive Samsung SmartThings app you can reduce energy use by up to 70%* simply by turning AI Energy Mode to ‘on’.”

*Based on internal testing on the WW11BB944AGB washing machine model on a cotton 40 degrees wash with the AI Energy Mode turned on compared to not using AI Energy Mode.

How might the state of the housing market as it currently is, impact the KBB market? 

“There’s no denying it’s a challenging market out there with the impact of the cost of living and interest rates making it difficult for all aspects of our industry.

“However, our Smart Home Buyers Index found that despite this Brits were willing to pay an average of 7.7% more for a fully-equipped smart home and 25% of consumers consider smart technology as a must have in their next home. Plus, 36% are drawn towards the smart tech that new builds are likely to come with as standard. Therefore, those in the industry that can cater for that demand for connected living will no doubt see the longer-term benefits.

“Renters and homeowners alike are wanting more connected homes – whether it’s entertainment, lighting, heating or home appliances, such as fridges, washing machines and tumble dryers. They want to be able to set it up and use it simply, all through one app rather than multiple controls and complexity.

“They want connected homes to drive efficiencies and ease around running their house and Samsung is proud and committed to driving market leading innovation to add multiple benefits and enjoyment to people’s everyday lives.”