Zimi Limited (ASX:ZMM) announced on 23 September 2026 that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Directed Electronics Australia for the retail, direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business sale of its new Matter product ranges across Australia and New Zealand. The arrangement carries an initial term of three years, with an option to extend for a further two, and covers the next generation of Zimi products scheduled to launch in 2027. Through Directed, the devices are set to reach a network of more than 10,000 retail outlets in the two countries.

The release contains no Revenue figures, contract values or Earnings guidance, so there are no financial gains or declines to report from it. The update concerns Zimi's route to market rather than reported results. This article outlines what the announcement says, how the Matter standard fits into the picture, and which uncertainties remain open.

Company Overview

Zimi Limited is an Australian technology company that develops smarter electrical devices for the home. Its head office is in Helensvale, Queensland, and its registered office is in North Perth, Western Australia. The chief executive and executive director is Jordan Tentori. The company describes itself as an early adopter of Matter, the connectivity standard now supported by Amazon, Apple, Google and Samsung, and says it was among the first Australian manufacturers to achieve Matter certification.

Zimi previously launched the Senoa range of switches, dimmers and power points, which combined glass touch technology, proximity sensing, customisable colours and laser-etched icons. According to the company, it spent 2026 re-engineering that range to adopt Matter, so the hardware can work with platforms such as Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Apple Home and Google Home.

Zimi also has an existing wholesale distribution relationship with GSM Electrical (Australia) Pty Ltd, which serves the electrical trade and wholesale market. That agreement was renewed and announced to the ASX on 5 March 2025 and continues alongside the new arrangement.

Details of the 23 September 2026 Announcement

Under the agreement, Directed becomes Zimi's exclusive distributor for the retail, D2C and D2B channels in Australia and New Zealand. Zimi says the two distributors together give it a complete path to market, covering sales, Marketing and distribution across both countries, as it prepares to bring the next generation of Matter products to shelves.

The release states that Directed reached its decision after evaluating Zimi's engineering, design and Manufacturing capabilities, its readiness to meet Australian and New Zealand electrical standards, and the commercial opportunity in the smart home category. Directed's chief executive, Steve Siolis, said every product goes through a multi-stage review covering the product, its quality, its compliance with Matter and the company behind it, that most items reviewed do not pass, and that Zimi did on merit. He added that Zimi's position on Matter adoption gives it an early-to-market advantage.

Directed is part of the Directed Group of Companies, which operates in Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Thailand, South Africa, the Philippines and Mexico through two divisions: Directed Electronics, which brings consumer electronics brands to retailers, and Directed Technologies, which develops OEM and telematics solutions for vehicle makers and enterprise customers. Its Brand portfolio includes OURA, EZVIZ, Lucyd, Square, SteelSeries and Lustre Skin, along with owned brands Ryze, Pixbee, Soho and Kapture. The company has operated for more than 20 years, supplies retailers including Bunnings, JB HI-FI, Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming and Officeworks, and runs its head office and main distribution centre at Melbourne Airport. In 2023 it opened a $15 million connected vehicle and IoT technology hub in Australia.

Mr Tentori said the new range delivers the simplicity and cross-platform compatibility that Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung are promoting, at a time when the category is moving into the mainstream. Zimi also said it expects to announce further additions to its product portfolio in due course. An open investor briefing for shareholders, investors and Brokers was scheduled for 11:30am AEST on Tuesday 29 September 2026 via Zoom Webinar, with a question-and-answer session led by Mr Tentori.

Industry Context

According to the release, the smart home has often meant a different hub, account and app for almost every device in the house. The Connectivity Standards Alliance developed Matter to address that fragmentation. The Alliance has more than 900 member companies, with Amazon, Apple, Google and Samsung among its board members, and Matter uses a mix of Wi-Fi, Thread, Ethernet and Bluetooth to keep the customer experience consistent across manufacturers.

Zimi positions itself at the hardware layer of this ecosystem. Voice assistants and platforms sit on top of Matter, but something still has to physically switch lights, dim a room or run a fan. The release contrasts smart switches with smart bulbs: bulbs are cheaper individually but need one in every fitting, whereas a switch controls the lighting, fans and heaters already in a home without replacing fittings or appliances. Zimi notes that major retailers have traditionally focused on smart bulbs, so a wall-switch range would be a new category for them.

The announcement also cites forecasts from MarketsandMarkets (2026 to 2032) and Grand View Research (2026 to 2033) that the global smart home market will grow to between US$450 billion and US$887 billion within the next decade. The gap between those two figures shows how widely forecasts of this kind can differ.

Risks and Uncertainties

Several uncertainties sit alongside the announcement. The release discloses no financial terms, such as minimum order volumes, pricing, expected revenue or launch costs. The products are due in 2027, so no sales through the Directed channel have been reported yet. The exclusive arrangement also places Zimi's retail, D2C and D2B sales with a single distributor for the initial three-year term.

What to Watch Ahead

Items that may inform the picture from here include the 2027 launch timetable, any announcement of further products, confirmation of retailer ranging through Directed, and commentary from the investor briefing. Financial reporting will show when, and how, any effects from the new channel appear in Zimi's numbers.