LG Electronics Expands Air Conditioner Subscription Service with 'Full Lineup'

[Financial News] LG Electronics is accelerating its attack on the air conditioner market by expanding its 'subscription service' to the home system air conditioner sector. Considering the characteristics of system air conditioners, which are installed inside the ceiling and not exposed to the outside, making it difficult for users to clean and inspect them directly, the company plans to enhance customer convenience by combining professional management services. 
According to the industry on the 20th, LG Electronics has confirmed that it launched a home system air conditioner subscription service combined with professional care services in late June. Previously, subscription services were only available for stand-type and wall-mounted air conditioners, but the range of applicable products has been expanded. The newly introduced system air conditioner subscription service contract period is 4 to 6 years, with regular visit management conducted every 12 months. Care experts visit regularly to disassemble the product and provide care services such as △high-pressure cleaning △steam sterilization △ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. 
The reason LG Electronics expanded the subscription service to system air conditioners is due to the increasing demand for these products. According to LG Electronics, more than 80% of new apartment households are adopting system air conditioners as an optional choice. It is interpreted that factors such as the ability to install on the same day, flexible installation in narrow ceiling spaces, and the ability to connect multiple indoor units with a single outdoor unit, thus enhancing space utilization, have acted in combination. As a result, in the second quarter of this year, LG Electronics' sales due to the demand for system air conditioner replacement increased by 69% compared to the previous year, and the company's system air conditioner sales have continued to grow at an average annual rate of over 10% in the past four years. 
In response to such demand, LG Electronics recently introduced the 'Whisen AI System Air Conditioner', which applies artificial intelligence (AI) technology and customer-tailored installation solutions. The product features functions such as 'AI Wind', which automatically adjusts the strength and direction of the wind by learning the user's preferred temperature, and 'AI Comfortable Sleep Wind', which detects sleep status through radar sensors and adjusts the wind according to the sleep stage. In particular, AI Comfortable Sleep Wind features the ability to quickly cool the room with strong wind before the user falls asleep, switch to indirect wind when tossing and turning decreases, and then change to 'soft wind' that reduces airflow and noise after a certain period to aid comfortable sleep. 
Additionally, LG Electronics has developed the 'Slim Embedded Kit' to easily install system air conditioners in places with narrow ceiling spaces, such as remodeled apartments or existing houses. The Slim Embedded Kit can be installed on the same day without separate level adjustment or molding finish, reducing construction time and cost. It is finished with an integrated design of the same material as the indoor unit, not harming aesthetics, and can be inspected without removal during maintenance, which is said to increase user satisfaction. 
An LG Electronics representative said, “Since system air conditioners require expertise from installation to management, we have prepared a subscription service to allow customers to use them more conveniently and comfortably," and "We will continue to strengthen our leadership in the system air conditioner market through customer-centric solutions.” 
soup@fnnews.com Lim Subin Reporter