The home appliance market is in fierce competition in the second half of the year. This is the only chance for a rebound.

Opportunities always come to those who are prepared. For the competition in the home appliance market in the second half of this year, the opportunity that many manufacturers can seize is actually very clear, which is to shift from catering to consumer demand to creating consumer demand. This is also the only opportunity that all home appliance manufacturers can seize in the future.

For the mature home appliance market, judging from consumers’ behavior and preferences in purchasing home appliances, there are obvious differences between the second half of each year and the first half of the year. Simply put, in the first half of the year, users’ demand for home appliances is more about “creating something from scratch”, mainly new demand, mainly due to new home decoration, etc.; in the second half of the year, users’ demand is “from good to excellent”, mainly due to replacement demand. This is mainly due to improved living conditions, bulging pockets brought by mid-year bonuses, and strong purchasing power.

Therefore, for home appliance manufacturers, the market pursues quantity in the first half of the year, while the market must demand quality in the second half of the year. The market development rules in the past 10 years show that the average customer price of home appliances in the second half of the year is about 10%-20% higher than that in the first half of the year. Some foreign brands and high-end brands are at least 30 points higher. Behind the increase in average customer price is the purchasing demand and focus of home appliance consumers in the second half of the year, which is to pursue better products, have low price sensitivity, and pay more attention to brands and products.

These changes in user demand are the best opportunities for home appliance manufacturers to adjust their business models and methods. Learning to deal with users will be a compulsory course for all manufacturers for a long time to come. The key lies in changing from catering to this round of consumption upgrades to leading consumption upgrades. Intensifying the promotion of mid- to high-end home appliances requires a rapid transformation from quantitative growth to qualitative growth.

Generally speaking, the second half of the year is the traditional peak season for color TVs, kitchen appliances, water heaters, and small appliances. In terms of market competition, we must abandon the past single low-price war to grab the market, and instead bring out a batch of mid-to-high-end boutiques and new products to directly grab the market. We can attract users and the market through discount promotions of mid-to-high-end boutiques.

At the same time, in terms of promotional means, we should abandon direct price reduction and instead emphasize the added value of products, that is, high-quality service experience and high-quality social activities beyond price. We should strengthen the value of products beyond price, that is, establish brand clubs, organize concerts, wine tastings and other activities, and release the high added value of brands and products through cross-border and cross-industry marketing.

Similarly, for white goods such as air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, after experiencing the market expansion and rigid demand in the first half of the year, the second half of the year should be more relaxed, and more time and energy can be devoted to promoting a series of differentiated high-quality and new products. Therefore, whether it is smart air conditioners, fresh-keeping refrigerators, or zoned washing machines, they are all the focus of promotion and detonation in the second half of the year. It should be said that the purpose of market scale cannot be abandoned, but a different perspective and thinking can be used to find more meaningful and higher-quality scale growth.

Keeping a close eye on users and discovering business rules from their seemingly "unpredictable" purchasing habits and consumption trends is what all home appliance manufacturers must do in the second half of this year. This is also the only opportunity!

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.