For most consumers, the idea of subscribing to a washing machine or a refrigerator is still new. Which presents Haier with a huge challenge — and a huge opportunity. “The perspective of the consumer is changing quickly,” explains Andrea Contri, IoT Ecosystem Director at Haier Europe. “They no longer expect to own their smartphone at the end of the subscription. We see this mentality coming to appliances very soon, even though we are not quite there yet.” By jumping on this trend early, Haier is looking to gain first-mover advantage in the space, pursuing the opportunity with an entrepreneurial mentality. Their first entry into the usership market with a product that has been “servitized” is called WashPass. WashPass is a high-performance, all-in-one washing system by Candy, a Haier brand. The consumer pays a set-up fee, then a monthly subscription charge, plus a per-use component. The subscription includes a smart washing machine, a customized detergent blend, and a service package. Haier research has shown that the system results in up to 70% better washing performance — which means that high tech has officially arrived in the laundry room! “Our journey toward WashPass actually began with technological innovation around the detergent,” says Contri. “We were trying to come up with customized detergent mixes for specific laundry types. Then we realized we had a provisioning challenge, in that most of these ingredients were not available at the supermarket.”