According to Good Corporation, which evaluates the topicality on TV, there are names that are particularly noteworthy in July and August 2020. Yoo Dragon, Linda G, and Biryong. You all probably know that they are talking about Ssak3. That proves how much of a topicality there was. For us living in 2020, we evaluate them as having swept this summer by making us crazy about 90s culture, such as goggles, cargo pants, and hoods, in Deux's Summer.
As such, it is truly the era of retro. As times change and the pace of change accelerates, does the longing for the old also grow? Even before 2018, when the term 'retro fever' began to be used in earnest, 'retro' was one of the popular trends, to the point that you could easily find things like 'old school uniform experience' and 'nostalgic dalgona' at amusement parks and amusement parks. However, the recent retro trend shows a different aspect. While the old retro trend stopped at a one-time experience for taking pictures, the retro fever blowing in 2020 is creating a new retro by bringing the temporal background itself into reality to the point where it is even expressed as 'newtro'. It is naturally using retro culture and related products in everyday life, going beyond experiences or play.
<Retro photo studio in Folk Village>
And at the center of this trend is Eletron. Eletron is a retro-style small home appliance SPA brand that was created in 2017, before the retro craze became full-blown. Its representative products include the 'Pena Keyboard' and 'Radio Heater' with a classic typewriter design. Why is it so popular? Because it is a retro-style home appliance. At first glance, it seems like an incongruous description in a world where everyone is proclaiming themselves to be smarter and more future-oriented.
<Eletron's Pena Keyboard. The vintage design catches the eye>
However, the consumer response is surprisingly good. Eletron's first product, Pena Keyboard, was first released to the market in 2017 through the US crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, and at the time, Pena Keyboard achieved a fundraising amount of approximately 400,000 dollars (474.6 million won) in just one month of funding. Eletron, which was first recognized for its marketability overseas, has also become the hottest popular product on the domestic crowdfunding platform 'Wadiz', and most new product launches are decided through crowdfunding. We met with CEO Kim Jeong-min to hear a detailed explanation from Eletron, which is showing remarkable progress such as being selected for the NEST program.
<Eletron CEO Kim Jeong-min>
CEO Kim Jeong-min is a so-called 'retail expert'. Before founding Eletron, he was the head of the E-Land Retail Modern House Marketing Team and was in charge of the launching and marketing of several big brands such as 'Modern House', fast living brand 'Butter', and direct import furniture brand 'Bahus'. The reason he left his stable job and started his own business was because he discovered new possibilities while launching the brand [The Holexion].
According to CEO Kim, at the time, The Holexion imported and sold antique products from overseas, but after seeing that domestic consumers were buying old typewriters for hundreds of thousands of won, he concluded that there was a clear reason why consumers were willing to put up with the inconvenience of buying typewriters instead of modern keyboards. Namely, the classic design and the analog emotion that typewriters provide. He planned the 'Pena' keyboard, which took advantage of the design while adding digital functions that classic typewriters did not have, and conducted crowdfunding in the United States. He said that he raised funds through the pre-orders he received at that time, and was able to continuously expand and develop his brand portfolio to this day.
Eletron’s strength lies in developing and manufacturing its own products. Of course, things were not easy from the beginning. CEO Kim Jung-min said that while he was able to plan the design and functionality of products he manufactured himself, manufacturing was a different story. He added that it was particularly difficult to take care of the entire manufacturing process, such as molds, and to control the QC stage to evaluate quality. So he formed a team of experts. CEO Kim Jung-min himself is developing products using his experience as a planner, and in terms of technology, Senior Researcher Lee Da-geun, a former researcher at Hyundai Mobis, and Researcher Ban Sang-hyun, an Android developer, are taking on that role. It could be said to be a great combination of liberal arts and science sensibilities.
Eletron's products, which combine retro sensibility with the latest technology, have formed a group of fans, especially women in their 30s and 40s who have economic and social stability. Eletron, which has secured a loyal group of customers, has now expanded its product categories to include mice, smart pens, and heaters, based on the know-how gained from its first product, the Pena keyboard.
<Pena Straw Under Development by Eletron>
Most recently, they are developing a daily consumer product, a straw. Eletron's straw uses a UV system that prevents bacterial growth and a detachable structure using magnets, and implements a separate cleaning method by combining a cleaning brush and a case. You can clean the straw by simply putting it in the case and shaking it.
This kind of move allows us to anticipate Eletron's future direction. As Eletron has grown by utilizing the 'retro' trend, its goal is to capture the second and third trends and create a home appliance SPA brand with a reasonable price and a universal yet trendy design. And to make the SPA brand that will be created known to the world. CEO Kim Jeong-min said that Eletron is already at a certain stage of becoming a global brand. In 2019, the company introduced products to Vietnam through Lotte Distribution BU and confirmed the possibility of success in the Southeast Asian market.
Lastly, we were able to hear from CEO Kim Jung-min about the future direction of Eletron products. The Eletron that CEO Kim Jung-min thinks of is a product that anyone can use comfortably and without burden. A product that is not too trendy, too maniacal, or too common. CEO Kim Jung-min added, “I think that technology and design that many people can enjoy without burden is a great design, so in the future, we will not emphasize unique or differentiated functions, but will present products that we think have universally good design.”
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