Innovations In Housewares: Recap Of IHHS 2019
The SpinDance team had a great opportunity, yet again, to attend this year’s International Home + Housewares Show located at Chicago’s incredible McCormick Place Convention Center. As the largest housewares-only event in the world, the event attracts thousands of manufacturers, retailers, product developers, designers, and technologists who gather each year to release their newest ideas and innovations in housewares. SpinDance was excited to be a part of the event, meet up with current customers, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the housewares industry.
Located in the Lakeside Building of McCormick Place, both the “Wired + Well” Expo Hall and the Smart Home Pavilion hosted companies from around the world showcasing their high-tech innovations for every room of the home.
“The other common theme we noted, for brands big and small, is the need for a clear, documented roadmap for their products. Without this roadmap, stakeholders run the risk of haphazardly developing solutions that, in most cases, provide little value for the end customer.”
Wired + Well Expo
In the Expo Hall, hundreds of companies—both large and small—presented their newest products within the electronics and home healthcare space. This included everything from classics like the KitchenAid Stand Mixer all the way to never-before-seen products like Gourmet’s new pressure cooker, which includes a built-in refrigeration system to keep your food chilled until you’re ready to cook.
Smart Home Pavilion
Walking back to the Smart Home Pavilion, which housed smart home innovations, we noticed super innovative products and solutions: a smart kitchen scale from Pepper that uses voice control to guide users through the cooking process; the team at Plott was using augmented reality (AR) to assist in-home improvement projects; and our favorite from BEERMKR, an all-in-one craft beer brewing machine with a monitoring app that makes more than a gallon of craft beer in just a week’s time. Very cool stuff!
Overall, we noticed a few common themes in this event. The first? Most companies are starting to shift from traditional products to products + digital services. Companies are focused on disrupting the norm and on the value of innovation. The other common theme we noted, for brands big and small, is the need for a clear, documented roadmap for their products. Without this roadmap, stakeholders run the risk of haphazardly developing solutions that, in most cases, provide little value for the end customer. A great roadmap will map out timing, features, benefits as well as costs associated with developing a truly innovative experience for the end user.
If you’d like extra support, have us review your roadmap to validate it or make suggestions. Contact us at hello@spindance.com. We’re looking forward to another year of innovation in the housewares industry!