Traditional home appliances are no longer "traditional" and the air-conditioning industry welcomes a new thinking of "network customization"

The Internet wave has swept in, bringing popularity to smartphones and the mobile communications industry. In comparison, the relatively traditional home appliance industry seems to be unable to keep up with the thinking of the new era and has slowed down its pace.

So, is there any chance for the development of traditional home appliances to turn around in the current market environment?

Not long ago, the suspense of the #任性挑战# initiated by JD.com and TCL was finally solved. On December 15, the leading e-commerce brand and the home appliance giant joined forces to release the "first online customized smart air conditioner", actively embracing the Internet and handing over the "customization rights" of air-conditioning products to users. TCL's bold and innovative transformation in the market has allowed us to see the new thinking of home appliance brands moving forward.

What is web customization?

Starting at midnight on the 15th, the first online customized smart air conditioner - TCL Jingdong "Renxingdiao" officially launched its pre-sale activities on JD.com. The name "Renxing" means that consumers are not only purchasing an air conditioner, but also customizing a product that suits their own usage style.

In this event, consumers have the right to make decisions on the appearance, functions, naming, and remote control of the air conditioner. They can choose 6 out of 22 functions, including compressor, evaporator, condenser titanium fins, smart Wi-Fi remote control, energy saving, quietness, sterilization, formaldehyde removal, and 1 out of 4 panels to customize their own exclusive products.

There are many benefits to customizing products. In addition to making the product's appearance more personalized and more in line with the tastes of young consumers, users can also remove functions that are not often used in their own usage habits and processes to reduce purchase costs. According to staff, the maximum price difference between air conditioner products with different configuration combinations can reach 500 yuan, accounting for nearly 1/4 of the price of air conditioners.

On the other hand, the title of "online customization" does not mean that the product quality will be lower than that of offline stores.

A relevant person in charge of TCL said that the choice of cooperating with JD.com's online platform is to leverage the user big data accumulated by JD.com to better achieve the purpose of customizing air-conditioning products. Compared with the traditional consumption model of offline channel users selecting products based on prototypes, through the browser, consumers can better find the functions they hope to get in the product, and for manufacturers, the product customization process is also faster.

But the products delivered to your home by the courier still have the same quality as those in the physical store, except that they have more user-friendly elements in terms of appearance and functionality.

Air conditioning is just the first stop for traditional home appliances to "cross-border"

The Internet can build a product selection platform with a high degree of freedom for users. For home appliance companies, this is also a new opportunity to integrate products with the Internet. TCL and JD.com have taken the lead in giving users the right to customize air conditioners. In the future, the "customization right" of more home appliances will likely be handed over to consumers themselves, not limited to a certain brand or a certain product.

Whether it is a television or various white goods, the functions that the product has are not used, while the functions that users want are not available. This has always been a major problem that has troubled consumers and manufacturers. Especially in an era when home products are gradually moving towards intelligence, allowing users to "customize" products themselves will be a very visionary idea.

On the other hand, the "cross-border" cooperation between Internet e-commerce platforms and home appliance companies can also more accurately analyze consumers' consumption habits and reflect the "user-driven" value of products by organizing user data.

The "first Internet-customizable smart air conditioner" makes traditional home appliances no longer "traditional" and also symbolizes that traditional home appliance brands are transforming from a "manufacturer" to a "smart maker."

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.