How will Internet thinking revolutionize air purifiers?

Which air purifier is the best? If it were three months ago, consumers' choices would probably be locked on some traditional home appliance brands such as Philips , Sharp , and Panasonic , as well as new brands that focus on air purifiers such as Blueair and IQair - although the prices of these brands are not cheap, often costing thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan.

However, with the emergence of a number of cost-effective products with Internet blood flowing through them, such as Xiaomi and Baomi from the Lei system, as well as Xiaodan and Three Dads, it has become clear which ones are better and which ones are worse.

Data shows that in 2013, the sales volume of air purifiers in the domestic market reached 3.53 million units, with a total market value of 8.5 billion yuan, an increase of 176% compared with the sales volume of 1.26 million units and a market value of 3.1 billion yuan in 2012. This growth rate is 4.4 times that of 2012 and 8 times that of 2011. It is estimated that in 2014, the sales volume of air purifiers in China will reach 5.76 million units, with a market value of 14.5 billion yuan.

Internet companies are naturally unwilling to let go of such a big piece of cake. So what are the killer weapons of the aggressive Internet companies to "subvert" the traditional air purification industry? The author summarizes the following three points. Welcome to criticize.

One of the killer features: cost performance

Statistics show that in the first quarter of 2014, among the top air purifier brands in terms of offline sales, the average price of Philips was 2,947 yuan, Sharp was 3,307 yuan, and Blueair was 5,562 yuan, while domestic brands such as YADU were mostly priced around 2,000 yuan.

Haze is a new thing, and air purifiers are full of mystery in the eyes of ordinary consumers. In fact, many manufacturers take advantage of consumers' ignorance and make huge profits.

According to industry insiders, most brands are OEM, and most purifiers that cost less than 500 yuan can be sold for more than 1,000 yuan or even higher after OEM (the price varies depending on the size of the brand). It can be said that air purifiers are essentially a highly profitable product formed by the scarcity economy.

When the Xiaodan on Guokr.com was launched, the scientifically-minded product was priced at 1,984 yuan, which was considered "scare the competition to death". However, the one that really scared the competition to death was the Xiaomi, which only sold for 899 yuan. In terms of CADR (clean air delivery ratio), Xiaomi's is 406 cubic meters per hour, while the Blueair 410B, which has a CADR of 408 cubic meters per hour and costs more than 6,000 yuan.

In the final analysis, Xiaomi, which is good at using Internet thinking, uses Internet technology and marketing to make the entire operation process highly efficient, which is impossible for traditional home appliance manufacturers to achieve, and ultimately makes the retail price close to the cost price and still profitable. The Baomi of Cheetah Mobile, which is also under Lei Jun, has also applied this Internet thinking to the extreme. Although the price is slightly higher, less than 100 yuan, the configuration of the probe, fan, etc. is also more high-end, meeting the high-end needs of some people who are not so sensitive to price.

From the 1440 yuan of T3 Air Guardian, the 1984 yuan of Xiaodan, to the 998 yuan of Baomi and the 899 yuan of Xiaomi, Internet manufacturers have lowered the price of air purifiers to less than 2000 yuan, and finally to less than 1000 yuan. As we all know, Chinese consumers are price-sensitive, and being able to offer low prices has already dealt a fatal blow to traditional home appliance manufacturers.

Figure: Performance comparison of air purifier products from four Internet companies

The second killer feature: User experience

The Internet is also an industry that is closest to users and attaches the most importance to user experience. They know better than traditional home appliance manufacturers how to maximize the capabilities of air purifiers and at the same time please users with their control and appearance.

Take Xiaomi as an example. Just like mobile phones, Xiaomi "makes products together" by "listening to users' opinions, making friends with users, and bringing all users in". In addition to using Internet marketing, the most thoughtful thing Xiaomi does is probably to solve the problem of filter replacement. For users, when to change the filter, where to change it, and the price of the filter are all big problems, but the corresponding mobile phone APP of Xiaomi purifier will promptly remind users when to change the filter, and can achieve one-click door-to-door delivery.

In terms of performance, although they can directly OEM, Internet manufacturers still insist on improving technical details in order to achieve the best user experience. The LED screen on the Baomi body displays the indoor PM2.5 index in real time to make users feel more "at ease". In addition, to solve the noise problem of the whole machine, Baomi uses a Japanese high-efficiency silent motor, which has low energy consumption and low noise, and is very suitable for use in bedrooms that require quietness.

In terms of appearance, the products of Internet companies are obviously more sophisticated.

The Little Egg is probably the one that lives up to its name the most - it is indeed egg-shaped, and this appearance is the most outstanding among all air purifiers. Moreover, since Guokr.com is a well-known website focusing on scientific knowledge, this Little Egg has won the trust and favor of quite a number of "science lovers".

The third killer weapon: technical control

Internet companies are all "technology-controlled" and "R&D-controlled". Different from traditional home appliance manufacturers, even when faced with a highly standardized product like a purifier, they still hope to embed the best technology as much as possible.

Xiaodan's experience in popularizing science on Guokr.com and selling creative products on Quwan.com has made Xiaodan aware of the anti-human design of traditional air purifiers. Therefore, Xiaodan has made many designs that impress "scientific youth". For example, Xiaodan has a built-in dust collection structure. Through an algorithm, it can calculate the dust holding capacity of the filter and automatically turn on the dust collection function without the user having to do anything. It also calculates the actual life of the filter based on the indoor air quality, usage time, and even the external environment.

In order to monitor indoor PM2.5 and other air quality issues more accurately and in real time, Baomi claims to be equipped with a German active laser probe, whose accuracy is comparable to the 10,000 yuan detector of the national testing agency.

In fact, the probe is really important for an air purifier. Whether the air purifier works or not is all based on the probe's judgment of the indoor air quality, similar to a "commander". In terms of cost, the common external probes on the market are only a few dozen yuan, while the laser probe used by Baomi costs more than 200 yuan.

In addition, for Internet manufacturers, making traditional air purifiers intelligent is their specialty. Whether it is Xiaomi or Baomi, the purifier can be remotely controlled through the mobile phone APP. From then on, the air purifier is no longer a simple home appliance, but a smart hardware.

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.