Berlin IFA 2022: What are the new challenges for the electronics fair that is coming back to life in Berlin?
The IFA electronics show is taking place in Berlin from September 2 to 6, but regaining its pre-Covid aura is not a foregone conclusion.
"Ready, steady, show! "After two years of absence due to the pandemic, the IFA European exhibition opens its doors from September 2 to 6. Since 1924, the grand-messe of consumer electronics has been the meeting place for retail buyers, who have come to sniff out the novelties of manufacturers, and for the public, eager to discover the future tech equipment that they will be able to afford. But after the Covid years, the IFA is facing new challenges.
Berlin IFA 2022
This summer, Kai Mangelberger, the new director of the show, wanted to reassure: "the fact that the number of exhibitors (more than a thousand) has returned to pre-pandemic levels shows that IFA 2022 is an event expected by the entire profession".
However, in the aisles of the salon, there are some notable absentees. Philips/TP Vision has deserted Hall 22. The Harman group (JBL, AKG ...), once a fixture at the show, is absent. Just like HiSense. And Sony, which has only dispatched its German team to the site, will not present any new products. Désamour, question of budget? Where nothing to reveal?
"Beyond the brands that, for some, have deserted the IFA, beyond the media that no longer send as many journalists (20 Minutes has moved anyway), I would add that many customers have missed this appointment this year and it is more worrying for the future of the show," worries Jean-Yves Fabre-Darcourt, Philips /TP Vision France.
To present its novelties and undoubtedly reduce its costs, the brand has thus preferred to invest in a large Berlin building for a week, where it receives media and retail buyers. "The episodes of confinement and remote work have shown us that a different model is possible, but also that the face-to-face model is still popular," says Christian Debrosse, marketing director of Panasonic France, a brand present at the IFA.
Berlin IFA 2022 statements
"Yes, it's true, another model is probably possible, and we have shown that we know how to adapt over the past few years. But this year, it was really important to meet again after two years of absence," Anne Martel, Electrolux's General Manager France, told 20 Minutes. Opinions and strategies that differ.
Many people have noticed this during tech fairs (IFA in Berlin, CES in Las Vegas, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona ...): major innovations have not necessarily been on the agenda for a few years. After the digital transformation and the surge of connected objects, a glass ceiling seems to have been reached in terms of innovations.
This year again at the IFA, not necessarily a "wow" effect. LG will undoubtedly make a buzz with its OLED Flex TV, whose flexible panel can be curved with a simple press of the key on its remote control (for more immersion for video games). Asus will stand out with its ZenBook 17 Fold Oled foldable screen computer, but we are mainly witnessing renewals of already existing product ranges at most of the stands.
"In terms of purchase criteria, we note the importance of the customer's use value of a particular technology or the importance of the product that "makes life easier" for customers," deciphers Jean-Yves Fabre-Darcourt, the boss of TP Vision France. This "quest for comfort" is ranked 26th among consumers' priorities (out of 57), according to a GFK study last January, four points more than in 2020.
Berlin IFA 2022 details
"The public is also attentive to a more reasoned, more sustainable consumption. He does not hesitate to go upmarket for devices that will last longer," adds Christian Debrosse at Panasonic. "There has been a real awareness during the pandemic and there is a tendency to want to consume differently. Consumers are thinking more about their purchases and are very sensitive to the eco-responsible aspect," confirms Anne Martel for Electrolux France.Aiming for carbon neutrality in 2040, Harman Kardon announced it before the IFA: its JBL Go 3 Eco, Clip 4 Eco, Harman Kardon One 8 and Flip Essential 2 speakers, which will be launched at the end of 2022, will be designed using recycled materials. This trend wants to assert itself. "The general public is becoming more and more aware of this point, and as a result, so are professional buyers," notes Christian Debrosse of Panasonic. Yes, according to Jean-Yves Fabre-Darcourt of TP Vision, "but respect for the environment remains a secondary selection criterion for professionals, with the exception of distributors who have decided to integrate it into their strategy".
Berlin IFA 2022 products
Highly anticipated in the field of environment and sustainability, manufacturers of household appliances products are undoubtedly the ones with the most room for maneuver to distinguish themselves. AEG is also taking advantage of the IFA to present new washing machines whose steam function saves 96% of water with a delicate program. Filters retaining up to 90% of the microplastic fibers released by synthetic clothing are also presented. Arguments that speak more and more to consumers.
"The IFA is also an opportunity to explain how, concretely, we provide eco-responsible solutions through our latest innovations," says Anne Martel, Managing Director France of Electrolux. Who adds: "the price of energy is currently soaring and offering energy-efficient products, such as clothes dryers with a heat pump that consume three times less energy than conventional clothes dryers, is a real argument for consumers". It remains to be seen whether they will be present at IFA, and whether, in the current context, they will have the means to invest.
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