The opening of the air conditioning market in the 2018 cold season was a bit unexpected

The biggest difference between the opening of the 2018 cold season Chinese air conditioner market and the 2017 cold season is that, in addition to the continued popularity of on-site merchant payment collection and foodie sales, the entire air conditioner manufacturer attaches great importance to offline channels. Because in the 2018 cold season, the biggest growth momentum and space for the air conditioner market will come from the third and fourth tier town and village markets. This is also the bargaining chip and capital for a large number of new industry players to enter the air conditioner market to grab the cake in recent times.

If the air-conditioning industry still has 2-3 years of good days, the source of good days must come from the popularization of air-conditioning in the township and village markets. Compared with color TVs, refrigerators and washing machines, air-conditioning has not been quickly popularized in the rural market in the past few years due to the limitations of housing conditions. At the same time, the purchase of multiple sets of air-conditioning by families at one time (1 cabinet and 1 hanging, 2 cabinets and 1 hanging) will also allow this industry to maintain a high and steady growth in the future.

10 years later, a new wave of newcomers stealing the show

From Meibo Air Conditioner opening the 2018 cold season with the "shared air conditioner" model, to Xiaomi's Zhimi Technology entering the air conditioner market with a 4,399 yuan DC inverter, Konka plans to acquire or invest in an air conditioner factory and seek to build its own air conditioners, and Handian Group in Cixi, Zhejiang, will also invest in building its own air conditioner factory...

Entering August, with the opening of the 2018 cold season air conditioner market, the industry has once again set off a wave of "newcomers rushing into the market" after a lapse of ten years. In addition to the above-mentioned well-known or unknown companies entering the air conditioner industry, there are also a large number of copycat and miscellaneous brands. In the past year or so, nearly 30 copycat speculative brands have been mixed in the rural home appliance market.

It is foreseeable that in the air-conditioning market in the cold season of 2018, there will be a round of collective competition among "Chinese and foreign enterprises, large, medium, small and micro" enterprises. Of course, this shows that manufacturers continue to be optimistic about the market prospects, but it will also usher in a round of chaos among large and small, strong and weak brands.

Merchant payment collection continues to be very popular

At present, with the opening of the new cold season for a large number of air-conditioning companies such as Gree, Midea, Haier, AUX, Chigo, Hisense, Changhong, TCL, etc., continued popularity remains the main theme of this year's air-conditioning market.

If we say that at the beginning of this year, when the peak season of the air-conditioning market opened, there was a climax of rural air-conditioning dealers queuing up to collect payments, which triggered a heated discussion in the entire air-conditioning industry, then the new cold season, when the air-conditioning market opened, the enthusiasm of dealers to collect payments rose again, indicating that stimulated by the hot summer weather, although the channel inventory is still large, the manufacturers generally do not have great pressure.

Compared with the past few years, when air conditioner manufacturers opened their doors with rich payment policies to attract payment, this year they are more concerned about guiding merchants to transform their operations for mid-to-high-end products. Manufacturers have begun to shift their policy focus toward mid-to-high-end profit models, hoping to differentiate their operations from e-commerce and chain stores: e-commerce stores sell low-end and low-priced models, while offline channel stores sell mid-to-high-end profit models.

However, behind the hot opening of sales, there are still some air conditioner dealers who are dissatisfied. In particular, some manufacturers have shifted a large number of popular low-priced models to e-commerce channels in the past six months, resulting in low-end models being out of stock in offline channels during the peak season. E-commerce companies directly sell goods through offline franchise stores, impacting offline channels.

Rural areas become a hot spot for air conditioning industry

In addition to the continued high temperatures, which are driving the hot sales of air conditioners, the improvement of housing conditions and power supply systems has also released the demand for air conditioners in the rural market. This is also the core driving force behind the hot opening of the air conditioner market in the 2018 cold season.

Compared with the past few years, color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and other products have already entered the popularization channel in the rural market of China. Air conditioners have not been widely popularized in the rural market due to the lack of airtightness of the power system and housing structure. As a result, the air conditioner market has been in pain in the past few years, and the focus has been on urban renewal.

The current explosion of the rural market, coupled with the hot weather, has brought about a counter-trend explosion in the entire air-conditioning market in the home appliance industry. The strategic position and focus of offline channel dealers have also been rekindled and ignited. Although many air-conditioning manufacturers do not know clearly how great the demand for air-conditioning in the rural market is, they have already deeply felt the changes in the rural market.

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.