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LG products to integrate with Line app for broad control

LG Electronics is integrating its HomeChat products with mobile messaging application Line to let customers communicate with and control its products, including appliances, air solutions and home entertainment devices, pointing to the increasing number of capabilities that the mobile channel enables.

Consumers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to take care of their daily tasks. Therefore, retailers in this space increasingly need to leverage the convergence of mobile to provide consumers with solutions they expect.

?Newly released smart appliances are often centered around remote control, which naturally operates through an app on a phone,? said Shuli Lowy, marketing director of mobile at Ping Mobile, New York. ?Mobile features can allow consumers to remotely turn home features on or off, such as lights, or AC/heating units, or extract information from appliances, such as what food is in the fridge. 

?However, even once an app is built, it is not easy to get consumers to download it, become comfortable with using it, and actively re-engage with it,? she said. ?Consumers also don?t like having an infinite number of apps on their phone. 

?LG Electronics therefore took a strategic approach; instead of building their own app they chose to integrate with an app consumers are already using. This approach is certainly easier for consumers and represents an important step in the evolution of mobile technology. With well over a million apps on the market, consolidation is important.?

Adding convenience
Via HomeChat, which LG calls its virtual assistant, users will be able to control and operate their LG products through text and voice messages from the Line app on their mobile devices. HomeChat also offers customized recommendations for each user based on usage history, patterns and personal preferences.

Users can now use three main smart functions for everyday situations, including Vacation, Leaving Home and Coming Home modes. The Vacation and Leaving Home modes ensure products are using minimal energy with LG?s Smart Saving technology or are powered off while users are away from home for an extended period.

The Coming Home mode can help users prepare the home for their arrival by turning on the Smart Air Conditioner remotely, for example, or by requesting recipe suggestions from the Smart Oven.

The messaging abilities of HomeChat allow users to get real-time status updates anywhere and at anytime for their LG smart refrigerators. Its interior camera lets users see what is in the fridge, helping them while grocery shopping.

For laundry, users can monitor their washing and drying cycles and can remotely stop or restart them.

Line is available on most iOS and Android devices.

Mobile in the home
The home furnishings industry is increasingly accepting mobile technology, and consumers are on board with these capabilities.

For example, Porch?s recently launched app that lets homeowners connect with professionals and a pilot program that lets pros accept small job requests reflects its effort to capitalize on consumer demand for quick service accelerated by the mobile mind shift.

The app, available for iPhone and iPod touch, gives homeowners three new ways to connect with professionals - Concierge, Pro Dial, and Pro Search. The app shows how Porch, a home-improvement network which has gained broader exposure through its partnership with Lowe?s, is benefiting from leveraging mobile?s ability to bring homeowners and professionals together (see story). 

While digital how-to?s have been a key strategy for home improvement retailers for some time, thanks to the growth in mobile and social, chains such as Lowe?s and IKEA have been exploring ways to put the most relevant content in front of customers this year.

Lowe?s updated Improve with Lowe?s site leverages responsive Web design, social profile data and geographic information to supply customized weekly home improvement tips (see story).

?Line?s active market share is primarily in East Asia, and the app currently has over half a billion app downloads and 170 million active users,? Ms. Lowy said. ?More than half of those active users are in Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan.  

?For the areas in which the app is already popular it makes sense for LG electronics to integrate with the app,? she said. ?In areas where Line is still struggling to get an active user base, the partnership may not be as valuable. 

?Ultimately, LG Electronics may have to implement a divide and conquer strategy in which the appliance maker would partner with several messaging partners to provide value to their broader consumer base.?

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York