Air purifiers are just transitional products: Even if the wind is strong, pigs may not fly

The stock market has been booming recently, with technology stocks soaring. Manufacturers of air purifiers, the nemesis of smog, have also received more attention. In 2014, the air purifier market suddenly became popular like thunder after a long drought. It is not difficult to imagine that air purifiers will continue to explode in 2015. It is said that the shipment volume of air purifiers in the retail market will reach 9 million units, and the total retail sales will exceed 20 billion yuan. But does this mean that air purifiers will be the next market with huge economic benefits?

The unprecedentedly hot air purifier market

In recent years, the domestic air purifier industry has been booming. Just as domestic home appliance manufacturers such as Midea, Hisense, Lenovo, and TCL have been involved in the air purifier industry and have been confronted with foreign manufacturers such as Sharp, Philips, LG, and Samsung, domestic Internet and IT manufacturers have also begun to join in the fun. Cheetah Mobile priced its "Baomi Air Purifier Master" at 998 yuan, and the "Waiting for the Wind" Xiaomi air purifier, which is still popular at 899 yuan, even the technology website Guokr.com and the literary and artistic Quwan have jointly launched the Xiaodan air purifier. This smart air purifier, which claims to be the first customized for "scientific youth", also has a very literary price of 1,984 yuan, and is known as the "best filter and fan", borrowing the maker thinking to make products. In addition, there are a large number of unknown brands in the crowdfunding stage, such as Jingmeishi, SuperCleaner, Weibao, Iris, Beon, Kashan, etc. Intelligence has become their primary gimmick, and low prices and APPs have also become two magic weapons for Internet companies to enter the air purifier industry. Interestingly, there are still many people willing to buy. Other companies decisively avoid Internet companies and take a different approach, focusing on public areas such as hospitals and schools, taking the large-scale professional high-end route instead of indoor homes.

In short, the air purifier market is booming and unprecedentedly hot.

Is all this crazy financing a bubble?

If Internet companies make purifiers because the purifier market is huge with high profits and relatively low technical barriers; then their own advantages in promotion and marketing, sales channels, user experience, etc. become the most powerful guarantee for Internet companies to enter the air purifier market. However, people have been asking questions as they use the air purifier: "Why is the purification effect of the air purifier not as good as expected?" After using it, the indoor air pollution level is even worse than that of the outdoor air!

In the past few days, Xiangling has been "unfriendly" collecting everyone's views on the current air purifiers on the market. The industry standards are different, the certification agencies are varied, and even false propaganda makes consumers miserable. What's strange is that such an industry with "chaotic certification, chaotic data, and chaotic propaganda" has been favored by capital. At the China Electronics Star Innovation and Creativity Competition, a "Forest Breathing" button-sized purifier easily won 4 million angel investment. The three dads who were famous some time ago set a record of 10 million JD.com's largest crowdfunding, but if you are lucky enough to experience these star products, not all of them are satisfactory. For example, the three dads were exposed: the anti-pinch cover layer of the top air outlet is easy to fall off, and if a child accidentally reaches in, it may cause danger. When PM2.5 continues to purify after more than 200, the descent speed is slow, there is a shaking phenomenon when it is turned on, there is more noise, the bottom wire leaks out; the silent pulley is not equipped with a locking function and other problems.

After the capital hype, there is still a lot of room for improvement in product experience.

Be careful when entering the industry, the air evaporator may harm you

After reading the above complaints, you may realize that the purifier market is only superficially prosperous, or you may think that this industry lacks industry barriers, and as long as you make good core components such as fans and filters, you can get a share of the pie. There are even speculators who hope to enter the market before a unified industry standard is established, and then withdraw after making a profit.

For newcomers, Xiangling can't help but kindly remind you: the purchase decision of air purifiers is basically the same as other white and black home appliances. Brand recognition is the key factor. Traditional home appliances have natural brand potential. Not all companies are suitable to grab this market that home appliance giants are eyeing. The second is the user experience, and the last is the product price. Like air conditioners, rational consumption is leading the consumption habits of the target consumer groups. Air purifier brands will soon enter the era of oligopoly, and there is not much time and opportunity left for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Furthermore, from the product form, the air purifier may be a transitional product. It only purifies the existing air in the room. However, when people need new oxygen, they have to open the windows for ventilation, so that new "dirty" air comes in. The air purifier can only effectively purify the air in a closed environment, and cannot achieve indoor and outdoor air exchange, nor can it guarantee that PM2.5 is filtered and indoor oxygen is not lacking. In this way, what the market really needs is a combination of air conditioner and purifier.

Finally, under the three mountains of smart hardware market position, implementation method and cost investment, profit success is a low probability event. Whether the user demand is false or weak, whether the differentiated positioning is effective, the implementation method determines whether the user experience brought by the product form exceeds expectations, and the cost investment affects the price and finally determines whether the user will pay. Doing hardware in the real industry is not a smooth thing. Even a small pig may not be able to fly in a strong wind. Thinking too much often hurts yourself.

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.