Home Digital Keyboards have been having a moment of late. Features such as the ability to play and practice in close quarters quietly, which had already been significant selling points, took on greater importance during COVID-related lockdowns. “The pandemic demonstrated the importance of music-making in everyone’s lives,” observes Cory Callies of Kawai America Corporation; Yamaha’s Ben Harrison adds, “Playing through headphones allows privacy while practicing and lets players enjoy their instruments without disturbing others.”
Some of these home models boast functionality rivalling the most advanced stage and recording keyboards, but hold greater appeal than those similarly powerful instruments for some home owners and renters because of visual aesthetics. “Home digital keyboards are not only musical instruments, but also attractive pieces of furniture that complement home décor,” says Eric Wang of Donner.
Those factors and more have made this segment of MI particularly robust in recent years and continue to drive sales for many dealers across the country and the globe. Read on to learn more about trends in the market, successful selling techniques, and the most popular models in 2023.
For your brand, what model, or models, of Home Digital Keyboard are currently the hottest seller(s)?
Ben Harrison: DGX-670, P-45, P-125a, YDP-184, YDP-165
Eric Wang: The best-seller is the wood grain series of digital pianos, with the DDP-80 being a favorite among many customers. The DDP-80 is not only used as a practicing and performing piano, but also serves as a decoration in many households.
Other traditional digital pianos like the DEP-20 are also one of the best-selling digital piano by Donner, which is frequently recommended by schools and educational institutions for teaching activities or practice.
Cory Callies: The CA series – We offer four models that feature all-wood keys on all 88 notes. Our new competition concert grand piano sound is getting rave reviews. The Novus Hybrid instruments are also seeing high consumer demand which continues to exceed our current production capacity.
Mike Martin: Casio offers the best keyboards for users that fall into three distinct categories. The Casiotone CT-S1, a 61-key portable keyboard, has been doing extremely well since its introduction. Its combination of minimalist design, portability, great sounds and affordability has differentiated it from the rest of the market. Similarly, our CDP-S360 digital piano is doing very well. There is nothing else in its class that offers so much, making it attractive for both beginner and experienced musicians. Last, our flagship Privia PX-S7000 premium digital piano has been our best-seller, appealing to users who place a high value on inspirational design in their living space.
Corey Fournier: The new GP Grand Pianos we recently introduced have been incredible sellers for us thanks to the all-new “Piano Reality” technology that sets a new bar for the digital piano playing experience. We also expanded our lineup with a new GP-3 mini grand piano that allows customers to enjoy a grand piano in the same footprint as an acoustic upright, and the GP-9M full-size grand features moving keys, which have been a popular request from customers.
Luciano Minetti: KORG’s best-selling home piano is currently the Liano, the latest edition to our piano lineup. This ultra-portable and affordable solution appeals to players of all skill levels, offering KORG’s high quality Italian Grand sample in an ultra-portable package. With built-in speakers, battery operation, USB connectivity, and an easy to use sound dial, the Liano is a great all around solution that allows musicians to make music anywhere.
What features are buyers of Home Digital Keyboards in 2023 most drawn to?
EW: Donner has always been committed to understanding the needs of our users, and we have conducted in-depth user research. The data we have gathered reveals that in 2023, consumers are most concerned about the key touch sensitivity, excellent sound quality, and meeting their piano practice requirements when it comes to electronic pianos.
MM: Casio has many features and technologies that make our pianos and keyboards play and sound wonderful, but design has to be the main quality attracting buyers. In particular, products like our Privia PX-S7000 redefine how a piano can be the musical centerpiece of the home.
LM: Specifically in the home digital piano market, USB connectivity is essential. For beginners, this offers a seamless way to connect with piano learning software to provide real-time feedback when learning to play. For players looking to integrate into a recording setup, all KORG pianos equipped with USB also function as an audio interface, allowing for easy recording and monitoring.
CF: Buyers are looking for connectivity to apps to enhance their learning and entertainment through lessons and the ability to play along with their favorite songs. Roland pianos offer Bluetooth audio and MIDI connectivity for smartphones and tablets for music playback and to the Roland Piano App, which provides access to Roland Cloud’s expanding content library.
CC: At Kawai, it all comes down to touch and tone. Our proprietary harmonic imaging technology really resonates with consumers – pun intended. And our weighted, balanced wooden key action brings people as close as possible to an acoustic piano experience.
In addition to Kawai’s authentic touch and tone that replicates those found on the finest acoustic pianos, our customers expect intuitive operation that is easy to navigate and connectivity to the devices we use every day. Every Kawai Digital Keyboard can be operated via app through the usual Android and iOS devices.
BH: Graded, weighted keyboard action delivers a feel-and-touch response like an acoustic piano. This helps develop players with proper finger strength and technique and provides the realism more advanced pianists require. A high-quality grand piano sound that responds to the player’s expression through the keys is essential. It not only aids in development and practice, but is also a significant contributor to the overall enjoyment of playing the instrument.
Customers are drawn to app connectivity for easier operation and added functionality (Smart Pianist for Yamaha digital pianos) and for lessons (flow key). The ease of control and access to additional functionality and content through a smart device they already own adds great value to their digital piano.
While the feature is ubiquitous among digital instruments, headphone connectivity is one of the main reasons a customer would choose digital over acoustic. Playing through headphones allows privacy while practicing and lets players enjoy their instruments without disturbing others.
Have you noticed any “best practices” adopted by MI retailers who are especially successful in marketing, displaying, and promoting Home Digital Keyboards?
LM: A simplified and easy to understand feature/benefit approach to marketing digital pianos is essential. At KORG we are now expanding our marketing efforts on Amazon, and it is evident that the most successful amazon retailers rarely focus on specifications that are difficult for new customers to understand.
CC: Actually, our best retailers are the “brick and mortar” dealers who have embraced e-commerce sales channels to reach a broader audience. Their longstanding experience with communicating with customers face-to-face in the store makes them a trusted source for customers who prefer to buy online.
CF: Product knowledge and qualifying the customer are paramount, and our most successful dealers are always participating in our product training. In our training we focus on understanding what the customer is looking for in a piano and finding the right piano for their situation. Do they need portability? Is it for a venue? How the piano fits into their home and family’s lifestyle is also a significant consideration.
BH: Home digital pianos vary so much in price and features that customers often need clarification about the differences and value. The most successful retailers are well-versed in demonstrating the quality and features and explaining the value of all the instruments they offer. They begin their sales process by focusing on the best quality instrument they offer. While the “top-of-the-line” might be out of the customer’s budget, understanding what quality and features they sacrifice as they move down to lower prices helps influence their decision. They often spend a little more than planned to get a better instrument that will make them happier and keep them engaged in the long run.
MM: Creating original online content that emphasizes the store’s salespeople as experts and encourages customers to come in and see and play the products is the best practice. In addition, Casio has been working closely with our retailers to ensure they have our in-store displays. An attractive display that evokes how the instruments might look in their home is important in closing the sale.
EW: We have noticed that many sellers have started combining home digital keyboards with home styles and lifestyles in their marketing strategies. Home digital keyboards are not only musical instruments, but also attractive pieces of furniture that complement home decor. This marketing approach broadens the audience for digital keyboard buyers and stimulates consumer purchasing desires from different perspectives.
For your brand, to what degree are supply-chain issues still challenging when it comes to manufacturing these instruments?
MM: Casio was only minimally impacted by supply-chain issues during the pandemic compared to other brands. Our only supply issues were due to our conservative estimates of how successful products like the Privia PX-S5000, PX-S6000 and PX-S7000 would be.
EW: In recent years, we have indeed encountered some issues such as rising raw material prices and the inability to deliver goods on time in the supply chain. However, we have already made sufficient preparations for this. The critical components and raw materials in our production are procured in advance through various channels, reducing our reliance on suppliers. Therefore, we are fully capable of meeting production demands in terms of the supply chain.
BH: Supply chain issues have subsided, and manufacturing has returned to normal (pre-pandemic) levels.
CC: We weathered the storm pretty well. Right now, most of our digitals are in stock and ready to ship. The exception is the Novus NV5s and NV10s, which due to global demand are still catching up.
LM: While certain models in our digital piano lineup continue to experience component shortages, we are generally experiencing improvements in our manufacturing capabilities.
CF: Fortunately, we are not experiencing any supply chain issues. Our factories and parts suppliers are back to pre-pandemic performance.
Does your brand have any recent or upcoming Home Digital Keyboard models you’d like to draw MMR readers’ attention to?
CF: The FP-E50 entertainment piano is an exciting new instrument that is the closest thing to playing in a band, without the band. It provides a complete, portable playing experience to jam along with backing styles and enhance singing with advanced vocal harmonies. It also includes Roland’s SuperNatural piano tones and the latest ZEN-Core synthesizer sounds. Plus, it is infinitely expandable with new ZEN-Core sounds and backing styles available through Roland Cloud.
CC: The most recent additions to the CA line-up are the CA401 and CA501. With significant upgrades from the previous models, we feel these two are among the best instruments available in their price range. In fact, our CA (Concert Artist) series instruments are all new in 2023 and are our best ever instruments at bridging the gap between acoustic and electronic instruments.
LM: The KORG Liano has received much attention since its release last year. The size of Liano is extremely impressive featuring a design that’s only 2.87 inches thick and 13.23 pounds. Powerful built-in speakers make Liano perfect for at-home playing and practice, and players can perform anywhere with six AA batteries for up to eight hours of playing time.
BH: Yamaha launched the revolutionary P-S500 earlier this year. This is an incredible sounding, 88-weighted key portable digital piano that features “Stream Lights” technology which helps players learn by showing the correct keys to play and the timing of when to play them. When paired with Yamaha Smart Pianist (iOS/Android), users can access hundreds of built-in songs and lessons that utilize the Stream Lights. Yamaha also has an exclusive partnership with Flowkey, the top lesson platform available today, which has a library of thousands of popular songs to learn, all of which take advantage of our Stream Lights technology.
EW: We are expecting to introduce a new model in July, which is the Donner DDP-60 digital piano. This model features a compact design with a semi-weighted keyboard, offering consumers more choices in terms of appearance and size. Also its appearance is fit for a modern home decoration style.
MM: The Privia PX-S7000 has won additional awards, including the iF Design Award and two New York Design Awards. This is on top of the music products industry accolades we received, including an Editor’s Choice Award at NAMM and MMR’s Dealers’ Choice Award.
Expectations for this market segment in the coming months?
EW: We believe that the niche market of home digital pianos will continue to expand in the future. As the market grows, there will be a significant increase in product homogeneity among the flagship models. Brands must leverage their core competitive advantages in product development and have a keen insight into consumers’ actual needs to gain a larger market share in this industry.
MM: Casio is looking forward to strong Back to School and Holiday seasons, and we are working closely with our retailers to help them achieve great success throughout the year. Our product line offers something for everyone, wherever they are in their musical journey.
LM: At KORG, along with other MI retailers, we are currently in the process of optimizing our E-Commerce presence, as this is the biggest opportunity for the home piano segment. This optimization which has been taking place will offer a renewed presence for KORG on platforms such as Amazon, which will allow us to reach an even wider audience.
CF: Players who started playing or returned to the piano during the pandemic will make it an ongoing part of their musical lives. Where they may have started with online lessons like those offered by our partner Pianote, they will enhance their studies in-person with a piano teacher. From a music retailer’s point of view, we anticipate that these players will look to upgrade their beginner pianos as their skills and commitment continue to grow.
BH: We expect strong demand for home digital pianos, with a continued focus on console-style (full cabinet, pedals and bench) instruments. As we head into the fall and the holiday season, we expect normal seasonal increases in demand for entry-level instruments.
CC: We expect to see growth in the rest of the year as consumers discover how remarkable the Kawai digital instruments really are. The pandemic demonstrated the importance of music-making in everyone’s lives. Kawai will continue to produce Digital Keyboards that exceed the expectations of our customers, enriching their lives and those of their families.
