Although there are some industry people may not agree, but five years ago, smash hit electric water heater, the eyes are indeed experiencing an unprecedented passive situation.
Dilemma
'Caused by this passive situation, not a simple one of the two reasons' to accept the "Aiken home appliances," an interview with a water heater brand official said,' before the interception, after the pursuers, more trouble is , The referee on the court began to consciously favor the competitors, so that electric water heaters face the market situation worse.
The industry has stressed the 'referee partiality', it is in recent years in the ascendant 'coal to gas' project .2003 the State Council issued the "Air Pollution Control Action Plan" since the coal to gas, coal to electricity project to quickly implement. Reached its peak in 2016.
Haier excellent anti-wall technology
'In Beijing and Tianjin as the core area of the northern market, the largest impact on the electric water heater is the boiler', name health, general manager Zheng Ke told the "Aiken appliances", 'Tongzhou, for example, subsidies for gas boiler Up to 90%, which means that users can use 800 yuan price to install 8,000 yuan of the boiler, electric water heater can not compete with the '.' Originally, the northern market is the main battlefield of electric water heaters, such a policy red packets hit the gas Products, the entire electric water heater industry will have a significant impact '.
'In the southern market, the traditional electric water heater and further suffering from energy-saving subsidies for the air source heat pump eroded', 'to know that this is the original natural gas pipeline on the basis of continuous expansion, so the electric before and after the attack, the situation is Is difficult. "But in some people's opinion, the competition by the competition category squeeze, but the electric water heater into a passive situation of the external reasons. The most fundamental reason, or out of the electric water heater itself.
For a long time, with the low cost of initial installation, the use of the advantages of low threshold, electric water heater in a secondary market access to the dominant position, while the tide of urbanization (especially after 2010), greatly squeeze the space of solar water heaters, Great development.
The rapid growth of the market directly ignite the industry's capital increase expansion boom, and reached its peak in 2013. Production and sales contradictions highlighted by the inevitable result is that companies began to use the price lever. 280 yuan (or even lower) 40 liters of electric water heater and package The price of the installation has been in existence for a period of time, and most of the small and medium-sized enterprises are struggling to seek a breakthrough in size and to seek amortization of costs without the need for technical research and development.
The regret is that in the core of the product experience, the electric water heater has not been subversive technology, heating speed is slow, bulky, power consumption of these problems has not been a breakthrough. The above reasons, eventually resulting in the same The installation of water heaters under the conditions of the passive situation.Specifically speaking, is a second-tier city water heater upgrade, the electric water heater is difficult as the user first choice in the 34 market for election, but also suffer from gas water heaters, solar water heaters and air Source heat pump intrusion, and some places have to be forgotten by the policy support .This embarrassment, whether it is the three leading brands of electric water heaters, or the majority of small and medium-sized brands, are facing the same situation.
Performance in the data, according to a number of third-party market statistics, 2016 year, relative to the heat and air source heat pump double-digit growth, electric water heater sales and sales growth are single digits. In the first half of 2017, the overall growth in sales of electric water heaters was only 4.1%, and sales were negative.
opportunity
The passive situation is not described for the description of the problem.To explore the reasons for the passive situation is to find opportunities from the cause.It is undeniable that the current electric water heater industry, from the brand pattern business, has been basically stereotypes. , The United States, AO Smith, million and, MACRO has formed a leading market 3 +2 pattern for the entire industry, the five brands, especially among the top three brands, the responsibility for the industry to explore new markets space.
On the product structure of the vertical force, especially the brand to the high-end forward, is the choice of most brands.Mei launched the Beverly high-end series, Haier in the past six months to vigorously adjust the product structure, AO Smith has been committed to High-end water heater research and development, million and Bosch thermal technology co-founded Huambo company, are trying to enhance the quality of the entire electric water heater and grade.
The United States launched the Beverly high-end series
At the same time, to enhance the product experience, but also the core content of many enterprises vertical force.For example, Haier technical support, for the introduction of electric water heater intelligent wall 3.0, double-effect scale, 3D-Max hot, SMART instantaneous hot wash , SMART-TIME cloud wisdom, VCM precision coating six top technology, trying to allow users to bid farewell to the big white bucket, heat storage, sewage washing as the representative of the previous generation of products, leading the industry and users to intelligent security bath era.
For the long-term problem of security, the United States launched the 'water that is power off' electric water heater A7, with triple power protection, water and electricity, leakage detection and lengthening the protective wall, even without plug the plug can be assured wash. , A7 in the hot and energy-saving aspects of the outstanding performance, such as the upper and lower 3000W dual-tube hot, high-power heating, to achieve hot and comfortable freely; equipped with new three-generation water cyclone technology to guide the smooth flow of hot water, up to 80% , Did the real 'province'.
The data has always been hidden in the past three years as a time period, Ovilvy net data show that 2014 ~ 2016, China's electric water heater market sales were 20.872 million units, 22.14 million units and 24.724 million units , Sales were 26.89 billion yuan, 28.38 billion yuan and 32.63 billion yuan, the amount of each year the amount of growth were more than 5% .Although the first half of 2017 sales in frustrated growth, but sales remained about 4% positive growth , Which shows that since the first half of this year, industry-leading brands and mainstream brands in the adjustment of product structure has been fruitful, but also gradually construct the industry level of benign competition order.
From the perspective of product experience, toward a more secure, more intelligent, more energy-efficient direction, which is the future of electric water heaters in the market competition to get the key to the status of any kind of product is replaced by competitive categories, in the final analysis is the product itself problems Before the VCD, MP3, and even the film camera and other Kam Kam Kam Kam - users care and ultimately choose, not rigidly adhere to the formal, tangible specific products, but a safe, comfortable, economical and efficient hot water Life solution.
Along this line of thought, as an electric water heater business, both in the vertical rise of the electric water heater to make a fuss, to enhance the way of experience and competition category face to face competition, but also around the hot water life and horizontal, Especially in the latter, the majority of small and medium-sized brands, the more practical significance.It is understood that some small and medium-sized brands in Guangdong has been quickly play a 'boat a small U-turn' advantage, quickly launched a boiler project or air source heat pump project To respond to market changes in time.If you stand on the height of business operations, the way even do not have to stick to the hot water solutions.For example, the name of electrical appliances, despite the previous years, the main electric water heater, but the most recent year to shop (dealer) as the core , Around the promotion of the dealer's performance level and profitability to build category, the achievements of a channel resources and the healthy development of the typical, for the majority of small and medium enterprises, there is no lack of reference significance.
'Leading brand to play the brand advantage and channel advantage is available, the mainstream brand at least the advantages of industry chain available, and the majority of small and medium-sized brands only trying to play their own flexible advantage, or only exit', has been closely concerned about the electric water heater market for many years, Manager Zhao Yanjun told the "Aiken home appliances", 'in the case of market growth in the case of difficulties, the bigger the brand, the more ways to break through the smaller. The smaller the more vulnerable to squeeze, often this time, the most obvious reshuffle effect when' .
In addition, it should be noted that, despite the current situation in the electric water heater is not optimistic, but the complexity of the Chinese market determines the hot water solution will not be dominated by a product type market. A large number of natural gas pipeline Can not lay the place, it is to play a huge advantage of electric water heater.Even in the secondary market, most of the two water heater installation of the family, will also set aside a quota for electric water heaters. Thus, 'in the market space , The electric water heater still has a vast space of the maneuo, the difference is that before spending eight points to achieve the performance of energy, and now need to spend twelve points of effort ', served as director of the marketing of the United States Qi Gao Ling Jun told the "Aiken Home appliances ".
In short, the dilemma is the reality of the existence, but no one can completely block the electric water heater business breakthrough path.
A.O. Smith part of the electric water heater products
future
In the interview process, we also from time to time to hear this view, under the general trend of energy saving and environmental protection, electric water heaters difficult future.There are some respondents to the EU market ban electric water heater and the domestic market policy guidance, for example The future of water heater pessimistic.
But as mentioned earlier, the complexity of the domestic market, the complexity of the global market, for a long period of time will greatly offset the constraints imposed by these policies.Only by some means that the enterprise is not enough to worry about, The impact of decision-making factors on the electric water heater business, the top priority is still doing business things to do the rest, leaving time.
In a sense, the beast is not a derogatory word, on the contrary, it emphasizes that the more difficult circumstances, the percussion and the potential of the more able to be excited.The current pattern of electric water heater brand has been basically stable, We found that the leading brand, the mainstream brands and the majority of small and medium-sized brands, have their own response measures, especially in the operation of some of the small brands of ideas enough to make people shines - stick to professionalism is a feeling, but from the business The height of thinking, but it is a more pragmatic approach.
To explore the future of the electric, we may wish to cite an extreme example.As a cooler cooling fan, although the function is far away from the air conditioning, but the fan no space yet?
But by virtue of the product installation and use of the low threshold, electric market space, is difficult to have other categories.If you continue to enhance the experience, electric water heater attack may be further activated.
