Washers can now send alerts to your phone, but appliance store owner says low-tech products remain popular
Even though appliances like refrigerators, washers and dryers can be controlled from your phone with the tap of the screen, people looking to furnish their home locally are still leaning toward the old-fashioned versions of these products.
Brian Parker, owner of Parkers Appliance in Chicora, said his store offers both options, with a healthy number of “smart appliances” in stock.
“You can watch your appliances from the app, the app will let you know when your refrigerator filter needs replaced,” he said. “The app will let you know your laundry is going to be done in five minutes, change loads, things like that.”
But many people still seek out products that are not meant to connect to their mobile device, and most manufacturers offer options, Parker said. So even though there are many options for modern devices, the tried and true products remain popular.
“More than half of General Electric’s appliance line does have the capability, if someone wants to look for the fancier features,” Parker said. “We talk to the customer, and we find out really the product they're looking for, the options in the basics or the fancier stuff.”
Parker said the most popular products at Parkers Appliance are laundry machines, some of which are made to connect to digital applications that alert a user to when a wash or dry cycle is complete. But even the laundry machines that are not connected to the internet are getting more technologically advanced, with some washers and dryers being made for longevity.
“The Speed Queen brand in washers and dryers outlast these other companies by at least four times,” Parker said. “They do cost a little bit more.”
Another appliance with smart options is refrigerators, which Parker said can be equipped with monitors and screens, and with connective ability that let owners know when the filter needs to be replaced. Parker said customers on the younger end tend to lean toward the smart and connected products, because there are some advantages to being alerted to needs through a phone application.
But the makers of kitchen and other large home appliances still maintain the basics of what make them useful in the first place. Internet connectivity is just the latest update available to these products.
“They haven't made any big changes or anything too exciting,” Parker said of electronic appliances.
One trend Parker has noticed in selling furniture and appliances is actually in the attention customers pay to manufacturers. He said there has been an increase of customers asking if a product was made in the U.S., with the American-made devices becoming more popular than before.
“We do push a lot of American-made product. A lot of people appreciate that,” Parker said. “I would say 90% of my product is made in the U.S.”
Parker added that people tend to begin shopping for more entertainment electronics like televisions in November and December — the holiday-buying season.
