Samsung Electronics said on 28 September it would expand its AI appliance subscription service after generating nearly 1 trillion won ($734 million) in cumulative sales, excluding mobile products, Yonhap reported. The company is renaming its AI Subscription Club as Samsung AI Subscription and introducing a service for business customers, Maeil Business Newspaper reported.
Key points
- Samsung plans to offer appliance subscriptions to public rental housing, dormitories and lodging businesses before expanding into healthcare and finance.
- Business customers can receive up to six years of free after-sales service and emergency engineer visits within 48 hours on business days.
- A lower-visit care option cuts the monthly fee for one air conditioner from 92,000 won to 82,000 won on a six-year contract.
Samsung takes subscriptions into business premises
Samsung is extending a service built around household appliances to organisations that may need equipment across several premises. Its initial targets for B2B Samsung AI Subscription are public rental housing, dormitories and lodging businesses, with healthcare and financial companies to follow. Im Sung-taek, the executive vice president overseeing Samsung’s South Korean sales team, announced the changes at a briefing at Samsung Store Cheongdam in Seoul.
Under the proposed business model, customers pay monthly for appliances and management services rather than buying all the equipment at once. Im said subscriptions could turn an upfront purchase into an operating expense for a restaurant or small office. He also said AI functions could reduce costs such as electricity bills, potentially helping businesses pay the subscription fees.
Samsung’s B2B Blue Pass offers up to six years of free after-sales service. Its provisions include engineer visits within 48 hours of a service request on business days and a dedicated engineer for each site at financial institutions and other facilities with security requirements. Banks can arrange servicing across branches after business hours. Samsung Electronics Service and Samsung Electronics Logitec engineers will manage equipment according to customers’ operating environments.
The proposed range extends beyond water and air purifiers. Banks, hospitals and pharmacies may also subscribe to air conditioners and small refrigerators, while hotels and offices may add PCs, monitors, printers and system air conditioners. Samsung said large companies could subscribe to AirDressers for employee benefits. Those product options and service commitments put equipment availability at the centre of its pitch to corporate customers.
Blue Pass gains cheaper and tailored options
The rebrand comes two years after Samsung introduced its appliance subscription service. Im said subscriptions paired with Blue Pass were approaching 1 trillion won in sales a year after that care service’s launch. Blue Pass covers support from installation through after-sales servicing, according to the company.
Samsung has added a Newlywed Pass with checks after a move to make sure appliances work, and restoration of built-in furniture when products such as dishwashers or robot vacuum cleaners are removed, The Asia Business Daily reported. Dual-income households can arrange cleaning visits at suitable times. Senior customers can receive regular guidance calls and use a dedicated consultation channel.
The new Visit Care Lite option reduces the frequency of inspections and professional cleaning visits. For a BESPOKE AI Windfree Combo Gallery Pro air conditioner, it lowers the monthly subscription fee from 92,000 won to 82,000 won on a six-year contract. The lower payment therefore comes with fewer on-site services, rather than the same care schedule at a reduced price.
Samsung cites one in three appliance buyers
Kim Yonghoon, a general manager and CE team leader at Samsung Electronics Korea, said one in three buyers of major appliances was choosing a Samsung subscription. He said awareness of the offer had risen from 44 percent last year to 71 percent this year. The figures concern Samsung’s existing consumer business as it prepares to extend the model to corporate customers.
Samsung also cited broader subscription use in South Korea as a reason for expanding. It said 94.8 percent of consumers used subscription services this year, averaging 5.5 services and spending an average of 41,853 won a month. That spending figure covers subscriptions generally, rather than Samsung appliances alone.
Samsung has raised the maximum advance payment ratio for its appliance subscriptions from 30 percent to 50 percent, with an additional 5 percent reduction in the total subscription fee for customers paying more than 40 percent upfront. Buyers taking out plans for more than one product can receive loyalty credits worth up to 6 million won. Samsung is offering discounts of up to 20 percent through Samsung.com and Samsung Store until 31 October.
