How chaotic was the air purifier industry in the past? Now only 70% of them are qualified

After experiencing a series of problems such as toxic milk powder, gutter oil, and water-injected pork, it is no exaggeration to say that the nerves of the Chinese people have become extremely sensitive. Any issues involving life and health can cause heated discussions throughout the city and make a lot of noise. With the arrival of autumn and winter, northern cities are once again experiencing serious air pollution. In an instant, the word "smog" has flooded the circle of friends. Some people are worried and some are happy. Smog has driven the hot sales of air purifiers, allowing manufacturers in this field to make a lot of money.

According to data from the China Consumers Association, 30% of air purifiers fail to meet the standards:

According to the 2015 China Air Purifier Industry Report, the domestic retail sales of air purifiers in 2015 were only 3.52 million units, which was basically the same as in 2014. However, after the official implementation of the new national standard for air purifiers in 2016, consumers had a basis for choice, coupled with the rise of health awareness and improved quality of life, the retail volume and sales of air purifiers began to recover.

According to CMM data, online air purifier sales reached 244,000 units in October 2016, up 118.1% from the previous month and 21.5% from the previous year. At the same time, the sales volume of air purifiers during the "Double Eleven" shopping festival last year reached 620 million yuan, up 113.1% from the previous year.

Such a hot home appliance field, but hidden dangers. At the "Indoor Air Purifier Consumer Education Seminar" held by the China Consumers Association in mid-September this year, Liu Qing, deputy secretary-general of the China Consumers Association, said, "my country's air purifier market has an annual sales volume of 5 million units, with an annual growth rate of 20% to 30%, and 30% of these products are substandard." The uneven quality of air purifier products and the variety of product promotions have increased the difficulty for consumers to choose.

What exactly is the reason for the chaos in the industry?

High gross profit and low technical threshold

When it comes to air purifiers, the reason for their sudden popularity is, on the one hand, the worsening of the real air pollution problem, and on the other hand, the driving force behind the manufacturers cannot be ignored. In the final analysis, it is driven by the high profits of the products. Manufacturers take advantage of the lack of standards in the air purifier market and consumers' lack of knowledge about air purifiers, and successfully squeeze into the "well-known brands" of the domestic air purifier industry through false prices and exaggerated publicity effects.

Driven by high profits, a strange phenomenon has emerged in the home appliance industry. Traditional manufacturers that have sold TVs for decades have also started selling air purifiers. They have used their own brands and reputations in the home appliance industry, but have never produced a single purifier. They have become the leaders of air purifiers. The only thing behind this is investment, and other companies have just put a brand on their products. What's even stranger is that they dare to set ridiculously high prices, and their sales are still very good.

There are also many new companies that are not as famous as traditional home appliance brands, but they have attracted many consumers with their ultra-low prices. Their products may only have a slight purification effect on some air pollutants, and some products not only have no effect at all, but also have negative effects, but they are also openly called air purifiers.

Industry speculation leads to the introduction of national standards

A person from the China Household Electrical Appliance Research Institute said, "The technology of air purifiers is actually very mature, the threshold is not high, and even if it is used to the extreme, the cost is not particularly high."

At present, there are very few professional companies in the field of purifiers. The vast majority are outsourced processing. Some so-called big brands even operate across industries. They have little understanding of industry standards and no relevant talent reserves, so even very low-level problems may arise during spot checks.

The crazy growth rate has brought high attention and development prospects to air purifiers, but it has also given rise to chaos in the air purification industry. The rush of merchants to occupy the beachhead and the difficulty of consumers to make a decision have pointed the finger at the urgent need to improve market standards and get on the track of standardization.

Against this background, the new national standard for air purifiers was officially implemented in March 2016, clarifying the basic technical indicators of air purifiers and the signs and labels of air purifier products.

Brand awareness does not mean high quality, and the pass rate is less than 80%

After the implementation of the new national standard, the number of active online brands dropped sharply from 595 to 127, while the number of offline brands dropped sharply from 226 to 83. From the data, the introduction and implementation of the new national standard has alleviated the mixed phenomenon of the industry to a certain extent, and the false and random labeling of product indexes has improved to a certain extent, but this is far from enough.

In the 2016 national product quality supervision and random inspection, a total of 61 batches of products produced by 56 enterprises in 8 provinces (cities) were randomly inspected, and 21 items in three aspects, including product safety indicators, performance indicators and electromagnetic compatibility indicators, were tested. After inspection: 46 batches of products from 42 enterprises were qualified, and 15 batches of products produced by 14 enterprises were unqualified. The product random inspection qualified rate was 70%, and brands such as Bain and Three Dads were on the blacklist.

How do consumers choose an air purifier?

(1) When choosing air purifier products, consumers should purchase products that comply with the new national standards and choose products that are clearly marked with CADR (clean air delivery ratio), CCM (cumulative purification volume of the purifier), high energy efficiency, and low noise.

(2) Pay attention to the formaldehyde removal efficiency, medical grade, antibacterial, and sterilization advertised by the merchant. The merchant should provide a test report from a third-party professional organization.

(3) When choosing an air purifier product, the more expensive the better, and the higher the marked value, the better. You should choose based on actual needs, such as the applicable area and purification needs.

(4) Many air purifiers that are labeled as being able to remove haze may not necessarily be able to remove formaldehyde. If consumers want to remove formaldehyde and other pollution caused by decoration, it is recommended that they choose formaldehyde-removing air purifiers with a CCM value as high as possible.

(5) It is also very important to use and maintain the air purifier correctly. Avoid obstructions on the air outlet to prevent filter contamination, which will reduce the service life of the filter. Whether it is filtering or electrostatic adsorption filter technology, the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced regularly to avoid secondary air pollution.

Summarize:

There are large gaps in the performance and quality of air purifiers on the market. There are many companies, some of which are short-lived, and there are "purifier orphans" who cannot buy filters and other consumables after purchasing the products. There are some small brands that rush to market new products with false publicity, and consumers buy such products as chicken ribs;

However, after-sales service lags behind, and consumers who buy purifiers cannot get after-sales service, and some even become secondary pollution sources. In short, the air purifier industry still needs to be rectified. Consumers should choose some well-known brands when buying air purifiers. They are not looking for small bargains, but at least the quality is guaranteed.

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.