dealerscope

  A recent survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce found that the United States is facing a daunting shortage of semiconductor chips , which are used to manufacture cars, electronics, medical devices, and other products. At the moment, median inventory among chip consumers in the U.S. is down to just five days from 40 days prior to the start of the pandemic. This means that if something unforeseen were to happen to current chip production, such as another COVID-19 outbreak, most companies would only be able to manufacture products for 5 days before being forced to shut down.  Between 2019 and 2021, demand for chips has grown a whopping 17 percent while the supply of chips saw no relative growth. Increasing chip-making capacity is a process that requires significant amounts of lead times and financial investment. For example, Intel has announced that it is investing $20 billion to create chip plants in Ohio, but the factories are only set to begin...

  THE DAILY SCOPE, 1/19/22: BodyGuardz, a device protection solutions provider, released its new Pure 3 screen protector for the Apple iPhone 13. According to BodyGuardz, it is the first and only screen protector to be awarded the Green Product Mark by TÜV Rheinland . The Pure 3 is made up of 30 percent recycled glass and is five times stronger than the stand-alone phone screen. BodyGaurdz also utilizes post-consumer recycled cardboard and biodegradable components in its packaging of the Pure 3 to make sure that every aspect of the wrapping can be curbside recycled . The Green Product Mark certification by TÜV Rheinland is based on three areas of criterion: Prevention of pollution, sustainable use of resources, and climate change mitigation. TÜV Rheinland only awards the certification to companies that responsibly manage their energy usage as well as their air and water pollution footprint. The Green Product Mark is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection A...

Around the United States, COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted and the population is getting vaccinated; however, the mental impact of a year spent in a germ-conscious pandemic society remains. Consumers are increasingly conscious of the germs present on the surfaces of the phones, keys, wallets, and other daily accessories and gadgets they carry around all day. Retailers and manufacturers who filled the need for hygiene-conscious products such as UV-C sanitizer devices , smart face masks , and air purifiers during the pandemic are continuing to utilize this increased awareness in the post-pandemic world.    In July, the second-generation Coral UV 2 , an LED UV-C sanitizer and dryer system, will be released for sale directly to consumers. With a sleek stainless steel design, the Coral UV 2 can be placed in any room in the house and eradicates 99.9 percent of bacteria in just 10 minutes. Compared with the original Coral UV sanitizer and dryer that was first ...

The refrigerator is one of the most used, yet hardest to organize, appliances in the household. Users of traditional refrigerators often find it difficult to keep track of produce and other perishable items leading to food waste or overstocking. But what if your refrigerator could take inventory and tell you exactly what was in it, then give you recipes using only those ingredients–all without requiring you to open the door? The sixth-generation Family Hub Smart Refrigerator from Samsung, which was unveiled this past week, does just that.    While earlier generations featured Samsung’s proprietary Bixby voice assistant, the new Family Hub refrigerator is the first to come with Alexa built-in, giving a broader swathe of users access to Amazon’s ubiquitous and comprehensive hands-free voice control capabilities. The Family Hub touch screen panel also includes a new feature that allows you to control all of your Samsung smart appliances and devices, stream music, mirror your TV, ...

The pre-COVID consumer and the peak-COVID consumer each have their discernible differences. But, as the state of the pandemic stands today, it’s time to start preparing for a new consumer who will possesses traits of each: the post-COVID consumer. Because even as things get back to normal, they are not getting back to the same. The Budget and Tech-Savvy Consumer Today’s consumers should not be underestimated when it comes to their tech and budget savviness. They are now armed with the know-how and confidence to seek shopping solutions that work best for them, whether it be shopping online, scheduling curbside pickups, or BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In Store) ordering. Comparing prices and hunting for deals has also never been more prominent. While it is true that we saw many of these habits even before the pandemic, the past year and a half has exceedingly conditioned shoppers to begin their journeys online. Looking ahead, even as stores begin opening at full capacity and lifting mask p...

 While people are still anxious to return to their local restaurants, the skills and interests they acquired over the last year are here to stay, along with a general interest in health and nutrition. These three kitchen appliances make healthful cooking easier than ever. Accelerating the juicing trend is Breville’s 3X Bluicer Pro ($400), coining a new micro-trend: “Bluicing,” which is mixing fresh juice with fresh blends using the same kitchen appliance. Users can combine freshly extracted juice into blends, while incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables. It fits comfortably on the counter with a space-saving design that consists of one base with interchangeable parts — a juicing chute with an attachable pulp bin along with a blending jug that doubles as a carafe for juicing. The Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor ($120) is designed specifically for preparing smoothie bowls. The smartTORQUE technology blends and powers through the thickest ing...

  Summer has arrived. As temperatures rise, consumers will search for the best ways to beat the heat, be it at home or on the go. Multiple factors are contributing to the growth in particular categories of cooling devices, including the demand for energy-efficient technology, the effects of global warming/climate change, and the popularity of portable devices. It is reported that the personal cooling device market is expected to experience a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.16 percent, during the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. Energy efficiency and portability make these cooling devices, particularly handheld models, most attractive. The rise of temperatures created by global warming also is a contributing factor to the appeal of personal cooling devices. This past May, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a #KeepCool campaign to educate the population on the dangers of heat and “adapt for the increased temperatures in the future.” The organ...

1. What has been happening in the last couple of months in your business sector? Every spring/summer marks the new model year for TVs.  This year’s new TV models have more significant video display technology upgrades and enhancements that exploit the abilities of the new 4K HDR TV Video System.  Brighter OLED TVs not only deliver brighter images and better HDR and improved DCI P3 with good color saturation and full color volume, but it also gives the users another technical advantage that has not been discussed yet and that’s the much larger dynamic tonal range.  The larger dynamic tonal range that is only possible with LG’s G1 Gallery Series and Sony’s A90J Master Series OLED TVs gives the images more detail and the perception is a sharper and more real to life detailed picture. Larger screen sizes with these new high-performance OLED TVs are now available up to 83”, ranging from 55”, 65”, 77” and now the 83” class. Samsung’s new Neo series includes a beautiful range of...

This pandemic has obviously done a ton of damage to retailers the world over, but one of the few silver linings might wind up being the fast tracking of Augmented and Virtual Reality as a retail model. Done correctly, it’s not designed to replace the in- store retail experience, but rather enhance it. More on that further down. A key element of this pandemic recovery period, such as it is, as well as the someday-virus-free future, is that consumers will return to stores, malls, and various other retail locations after the crisis passes. However, after spending so much time shopping online, many of them will have developed new habits. Smart retailers will look for creative ways to play to that fact – to deliver virtual experiences and to interact with shoppers online in new and unique ways. Our guess is that we’ll be seeing many retail segments begin to invest in virtual experiences such as recreating in-store demonstrations online, or perhaps virtual salespeople who can e...

  Dealerscope’s 40 Under 40 Honorees: The Class of 2021 Never in the history of the consumer technology industry has the dynamism and energy of its members counted more than in the past year and a half, when all the usual challenges of business were compounded by the COVID pandemic. Luckily, the industry is emerging in good health from these challenges — thanks in no small part to the contributions to its well-being from the roster of honorees in Dealerscope’s 2021 40 Under 40 awards. The individuals recognized this year were nominated by votes and supporting testimonials from their industry peers both within and outside their companies.  The nominations were then reviewed by Dealerscope’s staff, and our honorees were selected. They were then asked to answer several profile questions to help our readers get to know them a bit better. We’re pleased to present their career histories and their remarks here, which include insights both about their individual roles at ...

Dealerscope: In what ways has the dramatic consumer shift during the pandemic period towards an eCommerce shopping experience impacted the retail finance sector – particularly for the consumer technology and appliance industries? And do you expect the shift to sustain, even after buyers are able to shop for their tech products in person? Orlando Zayas, CEO,  Katapult :  The pandemic forced financial service providers to shift focus from brick-and-mortar experiences to improving or creating a customer-centric ecommerce experience; it is not enough to just be online. The ecommerce experience and decision process is completely different from that of an in-store experience, it requires specific expertise and a strong understanding of the consumer. I anticipate that this trend will continue and ecommerce will continue to be an important segment to cater to.  Martin Kuhn, President,  Tempoe/SmartPay :  Consumer buying behavior has moved aggressivel...