Chinese Companies’ Imitation
JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce company in China, is planning to release a smart refrigerator with a capacity of 296 liters in the first half of this year, which allows shopping and checking of the ingredients in itself by means of a built-in display and a smartphone application. It is very similar in exterior design and feature to Samsung Electronics’ Chef Collection Family Hub refrigerator coming with the Food Management feature.
Examples abound of Chinese consumer electronics manufacturers imitating South Korean companies’ products. For instance, Haier recently launched a smart refrigerator with a 21.5-inch dual touch screen for healthcare functions and connection to other devices, which is almost identical to the user experience provided by South Korean consumer electronics manufacturers like Samsung.
Earlier, Haier released T-Door refrigerators imitating those of LG Electronics that were put on the market in 2012 and come with a transparent display and a bottom freezer. Likewise, the Chinese companies including Midea, Hisense, TCL and Galanz have come up with products imitating the Family Hub of Samsung Electronics and providing online food purchasing, food management based on built-in cameras, smartphone connection and entertainment. Moreover, Turkish and German companies like Vestel and Bosch have released similar products.
The Chinese companies’ imitation has led to the South Korean manufacturers’ low share in the Chinese market. According to industry sources, the latter’s share in the Chinese home appliances market is less than 5%.