Demand is still there, and the competition focus of air-conditioning products has shifted to the third and fourth tier markets

The performance of the home appliance market was generally poor in the first half of the year . Both the television and refrigerator markets saw a decline, and the washing machine market did not grow much. However, air conditioners became the product that bucked the market trend and grew among all home appliances.

Statistics show that in the 2014 cold season, the domestic market sales volume reached more than 42 million units, with the overall sales volume of the domestic air-conditioning market increasing by 16.24% year-on-year and sales revenue increasing by 17.49% year-on-year. Such results are indeed gratifying.

Since the beginning of this year, there has been no corresponding stimulus policy development in the home appliance market, and the sales of most home appliances have been affected. The overall domestic macroeconomic operation is stable, but the medium-term downward trend has not been reversed. Under the baptism of the Internet tide, the entire home appliance industry is bustling, but it can hardly hide its fatigue.

Industry insiders said that the overall home appliance market was weak in the first half of the year, with a year-on-year growth of only 4.8%. The air-conditioning market became a rare bright spot, and without external policy support, it still maintained a year-on-year sales growth of 16.24%.

In the overall competition of the air-conditioning market, the third- and fourth-tier markets have become the focus of enterprises. According to statistics from relevant national departments, there are 20-30 air conditioners per 100 households in rural areas , and 120-130 in urban areas. As people's living standards improve, the demand for the third- and fourth-tier markets is still there. It can be said that the third- and fourth-tier markets provide a driving force for the increase in air conditioners .

In addition, the optimization of product structure in the air-conditioning market is also a highlight. By the end of the 2014 cold year, the proportion of variable-frequency air-conditioners in household air-conditioning products had reached 58.1%. As the market product focus shifted to variable-frequency air-conditioners , many air-conditioning companies have shifted the focus of product research, development, production and sales to variable-frequency air-conditioners, and are also increasing research and development of variable-frequency products.

The sales structure of variable-frequency air conditioners in the third and fourth-tier markets has also increased from 51.3% in the 2013 cold year to 57.3%, with the 6.0% increase far exceeding the 3.0% increase in the first and second-tier markets.

Industry experts said that as the purchasing power of consumers in the third and fourth tier markets continues to increase, their requirements for air-conditioning products are also higher. In many third and fourth tier markets, poor electricity usage conditions are also a test for the use of air conditioners, and variable frequency air conditioners are better able to adapt to unstable voltage environments, which has effectively increased the share of variable frequency air conditioners in the third and fourth tier markets.

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.