Smart products top gift-giving preferences at fair

Novelty is giving way to utility in the gift-giving sector, with innovative and intelligent products now gaining traction among domestic buyers.

As a leading gift and home products fair in China, the 27th China (Shenzhen) International Gift and Home Products Fair kicked off at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday.

Covering an area of 110,000 square meters and gathering over 2,500 exhibitors, the four-day fair showcases more than 20 categories of products, which encompass handicrafts, digital gadgets, electrical appliances, household decorations, and bags and suitcases.

Morphy Richards, a British household appliances brand, has attracted a huge crowd of visitors to its booth. The company has presented its bestsellers and newly developed products at the fair.

“Our portable electric kettle is very popular in the market. At present, we can produce more than 40,000 such electric kettles in a month and they almost get sold out,” said Piao Chengxue, a salesman with Guangdong Xinbao Electrical Appliances Holdings Co. Ltd., which is Morphy Richards’s general agent in China.

According to Piao, the kettle is made in consideration of the drinking habits and health of Chinese people as there are many people who travel a lot and worry about the hygiene of kettles in hotels.

“The reason why our products are favored by consumers is that we develop products for specific needs and help consumers solve problems in daily life,” said Piao. He disclosed that the company’s portable juicer, which launched this March, has exceeded 100 million yuan (US$14.12 million) in retail sales in a month.

Featuring a soothing palette of mint greens in simple styles, the intelligent water bottle presented by Zhejiang Onvent Technology Co. Ltd. has also drawn a great many buyers.

According to the company, the water bottle is equipped with DuerOS, a voice-controlled mobile assistant developed by Chinese tech giant Baidu, and is able to work without the Internet.