[NewsSpace=JeongYoung Kim]  Amid a sluggish global economy, Samsung and LG have simultaneously released "Shoe Management Appliances" in the 1 million won range to pioneer a new market.

Following their success in creating a new market for "Clothing Management Appliances," the two companies have expanded their scope to include shoes.

Recently, Samsung introduced the 1.04 million won "Samsung Bespoke Shoe Dryer" and LG released the 1.49 million won "LG Styler Objet Collection Shoe Care," both of which can deodorize, sterilize, and dry up to four pairs of shoes at once.

Neither product has a separate washing function. Until now, shoe care has been limited to washing or airing out on the balcony, or using a dehumidifier to dry shoes that have become wet. However, these new appliances are bringing shoe care into the realm of "daily maintenance." 

It appears that these companies are targeting consumers who have become more hygiene-conscious after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both of these products are medium-sized appliances with a width and depth of around 40cm and a height of about 1m. They are quite heavy, weighing between 28 and 38kg, and have an elongated vertical shape. When you open the door and place your shoes on the internal rack or stand, the machine blows air to eliminate odor particles, and sterilizes the shoes with UVC (short-wave ultraviolet rays for Samsung) or steam at 100°C (LG). The shoes are then dried at an appropriate temperature and humidity level according to each individual shoe's characteristics, and a pleasant scent is added.

Both products have 10 shoe care courses, in addition to the basic course. Samsung offers shoe care courses for dress shoes, hiking boots, golf shoes, boots, and rain boots, while LG has courses for leather, suede, golf shoes, and soccer shoes.

The management time differs significantly between the two. Samsung's courses include Soft Care (35 minutes), Standard Care (2 hours), Intensive Care (4 hours), and Strong Drying (6 hours), for extended shoe care. On the other hand, LG emphasizes its strengths in providing relatively fast care, with courses such as Rapid (15 minutes), Standard (47 minutes), Intensive Sterilization (1 hour 56 minutes), and Dew Dry (3 hours 30 minutes).

The target audience is diverse. According to a Samsung Electronics official, "families with children who enjoy playing outside, people who have hobbies such as golfing or hiking, and households who are planning to move or want to add interior appliances are the target." The home appliance industry also expects some demand from those who want to quickly dry their shoes and go home after work, especially when it's wet outside from rain or snow.

◇ Expensive price is a hurdle

Currently, the shoe care device market is in its early stages, making it difficult to determine its scale and prospects. Although it is an appliance that targets niche demand, the success of the market is still uncertain. Samsung released its first product in 2021, but the response has not been significant enough, as new products are listed on online second-hand markets for less than half the price.

With LG Electronics joining the market, it is expected to grow even further. However, just like with clothing care devices in the past, many people are expressing concerns that there is no appropriate space in apartments to place the shoe care devices. Home appliance companies keep producing new concept products, but space is limited.

The expensive price is also a hurdle. The price is similar to that of large-capacity clothing care devices that share similar technological principles. According to an LG Electronics official, "Shoes require more advanced technology for odor and bacteria removal, as shoe materials are more diverse than clothing materials," explaining why the shoe care devices are priced higher than clothing care devices.