Laser Punting On Matter Gear For Growth After 35 Years Flogging Everything From DVD’s To Pet Tech

Laser Corporation who are celebrating their 35th year is banking on the new Matter platform to drive sales in the connected home market with the revealing of a major new range of products.

Matter is the latest wireless interoperability standard threatening to shake up the industry and despite it not being released yet, Sydney based Laser Corporation was yesterday showing retailers a range of new products including intelligent door handles locks security lights and intelligent bulbs.

In the works since 2019, with companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung and Zigbee finally working together to deliver a common platform Matter was formerly known as ‘Project CHIP’.

Several major retailers are now telling ChannelNews that they see SmartHouse technology as a key category for 2023.

Gary Brown Development Manager at Tempo and a former senior Harvey Norman executive said “Matter is going to be big. Consumers don’t want multiple products from different brands that don’t talk together. They want connectivity and they want products that do talk to each other without the need for multiple apps”.

Brown who has just spearheaded a successful launch of new Monster products in Australia said, “We have several new products coming in the Matter space”.

The unlock key for Matter is the fact that big name Companies behind the protocol will soon be throwing their products into the newly unified state, and that inevitably this has a knock-on effect for distributors such as Tempo and Laser Corporation who revealed their new range of yesterday at a major event at Sydney’s Park Hyatt.

The big issue for retailers is the education of floor staff as Matter is a new smart home interoperability protocol that is already supported by over 170 companies.

Currently Bunnings is rethinking their SmartHouse technology ranging after limited success with insiders telling ChannelNews that COVID lockdowns played havoc on the category as merchandisers were not allowed back into stores.

The hardware business currently does over $120M in revenue from smart locks and door handles alone.

The primary objective of Matter is to be an interoperability protocol with standard data models that ensure smart home devices can work across different ecosystems.

For example, an Amazon Echo Show display should hypothetically be able to work as seamlessly with a Google Nest doorbell or a Swann camera or an Apple or Samsung product.

While celebrating 35 years of delivering affordable technology over four decades, Laser also unveiled a new pet technology line-up new e-mobility and portable power station options.

CEO Chris Lau said ““Our history mirrors the significant consumer technology revolution we have experienced over the last four decades, technology that has changed the world and the way we live our everyday lives. We have played an important role in helping many Australians adopt and try new technology for the very first time, an often-under-appreciated benefit of delivering affordable but high-quality products,”.

“Today we proudly describe ourselves as a trusted, omni-channel brand house, with our own dedicated sourcing and quality control staff in a dedicated China office, and brands that have carved out an important role in their respective categories.”

“We genuinely feel that our role in the Australian consumer electronics industry has never been more important, and this is only further reinforced as inflation and the cost-of-living starts to impact many Australians. As headwinds continue, the craving for new technology will need to be balanced with affordability for many around the country. This is where LASER has always shone through.”

He said that Smart home and pet technology will continue to be a major contributor to Laser Corporations revenues.

Currently Harvey Norman sells Laser Corporation SmartHouse products branded as Smart Home.

Lau said that several new categories are currently being introduced one of them is portable power stations designed deliver utility across camping, backup home power and to support tradespeople they range in price from $1,300 with a camper able to get six days of TV viewing from one charge of a portable power station.