TOWSON, MD— Black+Decker has entered the robotic vacuum segment, as the company saw the market shifting to an “on the go” cleaner, with the launch of its Smartech robotic vacuum line.
“With homeowners finding it more difficult to set aside long periods of time to clean, products that help to minimize cleaning time are becoming more popular,” said Ronit McGuthrie, Black+Decker’s senior product manager, noting that robotic vacuums are one of the fastest growing floor care categories.
In terms of product development, McGuthrie noted that with nearly four decades of experience in the vacuum industry the company is “very aware of consumer needs and frustrations when using any type of vacuum.”
“We’ve taken our deep knowledge in that space and applied it to the robotic vacuum category,” she said. “Additionally, we leverage our buying power of components across other business units, especially lithium ion batteries, our global home products design center in the U.K., our designated innovation team and state of the art manufacturing facilities to offer the best performing products at the best value.”
The vacuum line features the company’s new Smartech sensing technology, including AutoSense, FilterSense and BatterySense, which were initially launched within its new line of cordless stick and handheld vacuums.
These features allow the robotic vacuum to determine whether it’s cleaning hard surface floors or carpet in order to automatically adjust its power level accordingly, detect stairs and other drop-off areas and alert users when it’s time to clean the filter and charge the battery.
In addition to the company’s existing sensing features, the robotic vacuum line includes AlertSense, said to alert the user when the vacuum encounters an issue. If the vacuum does encounter an issue, the feature prompts an LED light on the top cover to flash directly on the problem area.
The vacuums also feature a low-profile design to help capture hard-to-reach debris under furniture, two side sweepers to clean along edges and in corners, a 9-inch, extra wide brush roll and a clear, one-liter dustbin. Furthermore, the line features high-performance HEPA-certified filters said to capture 99.9% of pet dander and dust particles in the air.
The line also supports the company’s smart home push, featuring Bluetooth connectivity that links to a mobile app.
The mobile app provides users with a variety of functions including three cleaning modes: auto, quick and spot clean. It also allows users to manually drive the appliance while monitoring its battery status. Once the vacuum needs to recharge, it automatically returns to its dock to prepare for its next job, however, if needed users can send the vacuum back to its charging dock through the app. Two models also allow users to choose the color of the vacuum’s color-changing LED cover.
McGuthrie said when it comes to a smart home appliances, consumer education is extremely important as “this is still a niche product with low household penetration, so consumers need to be educated.”
“We are creating FAQs, usage and maintenance videos within our app in addition to helping consumers set up their room properly to maximize cleaning cycles,” she said.
In terms of marketing for the new line, McGuthrie said the company’s strategy includes, “creating many digital assets for online content as research in this category is primarily done online. We are also developing robust in-store merchandisers to communicate the key benefits of our line.”
