With an idle rate of up to 70%, why have small household appliances become the “bottom of the box”?

In the past few days, Ms. Liu cleaned her house and found a lot of "inventory". "I thought these small appliances were fresh and fashionable at the time, so I bought them. But they ended up being the last thing on the shelf." The reporter learned that many consumers bought some small appliances out of curiosity and impulse, but the enthusiasm only lasted for three minutes before the small appliances were put aside.

At Ms. Liu's home, the reporter saw that the coffee table in the living room had become a display stand for small appliances, including juicers, bean sprout machines, yogurt machines, meat grinders, oil presses, etc. "If I hadn't cleaned up the house these few days, I would have forgotten many of the small appliances." Ms. Liu said that she bought bean sprout machines and yogurt machines because they were novel and "excited." "I tried to use them when I first bought them. As for the yogurt machine, the kids played with it when making it, and they didn't eat it well when eating it. I had to clean up the mess myself, which was very troublesome, so I just hid it. I think I only used the bean sprout machine once, because I didn't eat much and it was too troublesome. It's not easy to buy raw materials for the oil press, so I never used it."

To remove or not to remove? Mr. Zhang and his wife have discussed for several days, but they have not yet reached a conclusion. An electric fireplace has troubled them. "When decorating, I thought it was fashionable and useful to hang it up." Mr. Zhang said, but he found out after moving into the house that he could not use it at all. "Floor heating is good, and the electric fireplace only works when you sit in front of it. At first, my wife was taking a selfie in front of it, but soon she lost interest. In daily life, there are not so many little romantic touches." These days, Mr. Zhang wants to remove the electric fireplace, but there are already marks on the wall behind the electric fireplace, and a very conspicuous piece has been removed. Mr. Zhang also has small appliances such as yogurt makers and toasters at home, but except for the electric oven, they are all idle. "In fact, the electric oven can also be considered idle." Mr. Zhang said that the electric oven has many functions, but he does not know how to use some of them, and some find it troublesome. Now there is only one of the "eighteen martial arts" that he uses from time to time - roasting sweet potatoes.

Dishwashers are useful during festivals when there are many pots and pans, but it is easier to wash them by hand when there are only five or six bowls and plates. Air purifier filters need to be replaced frequently, and they are expensive. Why did you buy an egg beater in the first place? Many citizens are upset to see small appliances "hibernating" at home.

The reporter visited the home appliance market and learned that small appliances can be roughly divided into three types: health appliances, mainly juicers, soymilk machines, etc., to meet consumers' demand for healthy diets; small appliances that follow the "lazy economy" route, such as dishwashers, sweeping robots, cooking machines, etc.; beauty and fitness appliances, such as facial cleansers and facial massagers. "Some small appliances have withstood the test of the market and time, such as soymilk machines and smart rice cookers." Manager Li of a home appliance store said that the small appliance industry has a wide variety of products and is updated quickly. Some products can only attract attention for a while by being novel and special. Consumers who follow the trend and impulse consumption will soon find that they are actually "chicken ribs." A study on small appliances for cooking in Chinese urban working women released by an institution showed that the idle rate of small appliances is about 70%, among which yogurt machines and bread machines have the highest idle rates. "Practicality should be the most important consideration." It is recommended that consumers learn about the functions of small appliances in detail before purchasing, and consider the practicality and convenience of small appliances in comparison with their own needs. For new products, it is better to wait and see what the practical value is.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.