In recent years, the kitchen and electric appliance industry has been rapidly advancing rapidly. A number of new kitchen appliances that have been combined with value, convenience, efficiency, and ease of use have entered the Chinese family. Among them, the electric steamer category has captured a host of healthy and high-end selling points. Fans, but limited by the public’s weak perception of the electric steamer, the view of the electric steamer is polarized, and one party believes that the electric steamer is convenient and easy to use. It is one of the indispensable cooking utensils in modern kitchen life; It is believed that the price of the electric steamer is high, and the function is repeated with the steamer, and it is not necessary to spend thousands of yuan to purchase the product. In this regard, the State Grid of China interviewed Rao Jianan, Director of Vantage Disinfused and Steamed Products, on the electric steamer Market prospects were explored.
'steaming' is not the same
Rao Jian’an clearly stated that the steamer, whether it is gas or electricity, is different from the electric steamer. This is often only experienced after experiencing it. “Guangdong, for example, Guangzhou people advocating 'steamed fish' The step is generally to place the dish fish in the steamer after the water is boiled; and the electric steamer directly puts the ingredients, without waiting. At the same time, there is a gap in the steamer, and during the steaming process, the heat is continuously lost. The temperature of the steam in the steamer is actually lower than 100°C, and the internal temperature is not constant; and the electric steamer chamber is sealed to ensure that the steam is 100°C, and even higher than 100°C, and the temperature is constant, for the finished product. In addition, due to the special high temperature and constant temperature environment of the electric steamer, a large amount of grease can be separated and precipitated, and the taste is more refreshing; while the steamer can only be cooked and can not separate more oil. The health experience brought by the electric steamer is not reached. Also, it is very important that many consumers do not control the heat and temperature in the face of complicated dishes. This is also a feature of modern young people. Steamer with a key cooking and wisdom The menu function eliminates the user learning process.
As an exotic product imported from the West, embedded kitchen appliances represented by steamers, ovens and dishwashers have been developing in China for many years, but are still in the import stage. Currently, there are fewer brands in the market. Rao Jian’an revealed that 'market monitoring data show that the whole electricity is currently The steamer industry has a capacity of approximately 1.2 billion yuan, with half of its online and offline share respectively. Among them, the offline channel is dominated by high-end brand product lines, and the high-end market basically divides more than 90% of the domestic market; while in the e-commerce channel , The brand is slightly more, but mainly in the low-end entry-level machine.
Rao Jian'an pointed out that products with electric steamers are often ovens, and in terms of cognition, the oven is higher than the electric steamer. 'Oven is a traditional cognition and can bring cooking pleasure. Products, so people's buying behavior is more. But in the past two years, this awareness is being reversed because the frequency of use of electric steamers in real life is much higher than that of ovens. Baking, especially pasta baking, involves a lot of meals Before meals, such as sending, mixing, filling, etc., this kind of fun can happen once and for all, but it is impossible to do so every day. In contrast, electric steamer can be used every meal, and can also be cooked. Heating, to a certain extent, replaces the function of the microwave oven, and has a good taste and healthier. 'At present, the domestic oven has grown at an annual rate of more than ten points, and the annual compound annual growth rate of the electric steamer has reached more than 30%, 'wherein, the most The swift and violent machine is a steam roasting machine, which increased by 180% year-on-year in 2017. 'Rao Jian'an calculated an account for us. 'Currently, the single-function electric steamer price is between RMB 5000-9000. The oven is similar. If the purchase order is single Steamed, single-baked products, need at least five thousand yuan, but also need to configure a separate cabinet Total was down about $ 13,000. And Zhengkao machine entry price of 6,000 yuan, pulled down the overall purchase threshold, consumers are more willing to pay for it. '
Light life, light diet
'Actually, the electric steamer is a product that people are interested in or have demand for, but will hesitate to actually buy it. ' Rao Jian'an believes, 'After all, from the price point of view, the entry price of 5,000 yuan is for the average family. It's still relatively high. 'But from the industry big data and user surveys, he is full of confidence in the future of the electric steamer. 'In my home, for example, both my wife and I are wage earners. I ate at the company at noon, and I don't normally have anything at night. If I'm hungry for cooking, I'll buy some 'clean dishes' from the convenience store, steam them in an electric steamer, and quickly resolve into leisure time such as fitness and reading. Including my colleagues and many others The research subjects are all like this, unless there is an elderly person at home to help cook.'
In addition, like many people after 80s and 90s, everyone in the day-to-day life tends to prefer western-style diets. For example, my wife and I, a Jiangxi citizen and a Hunan citizen, are all very happy, but they are only limited to the next day. The diet we prefer is lighter and healthier.
'And, nowadays, young people, unless they really like to delve into cooking, are still very bothered to cook and cook. They are more willing to use peace of mind, less laborious cooking utensils. Just like fire cooking, everyone can fry, but It is another thing to eat well. In summary, the rise of young consumer groups is changing the traditional kitchen style, convenient, healthy, and worry-free. The energy-saving electric steamer is an important supplement to kitchen life. Replace traditional cooking methods in some people. '
However, Rao Jian'an also believes that the promotion of electric steamers is determined to a large extent by the habits and eating habits of the consumer population. 'From the perspective of purchasing behavior, the electric steamer sold in East and South China, which likes a light diet, is the best seller. Stir-fried heavy oil is relatively poor in the Southwest.
In addition, Rao Jian'an judged that from 2018 onwards, the starting price of the electric steamer may enter the downside range. The basis for making this judgment is that the brands entering the field are increasing. From the point of view of the growth of the single product, from the beginning of its birth, In the lead-in period, prices are higher, so as to ensure that a small number of brands have sufficient profit margins to do market breeding and basic technology development; Once the growth period is entered, the number of brands and funds that are added will increase, and the universal innovation technology will also increase, and the popularization cost of consumption will increase. The price has entered the downward phase; once it enters the mature stage, major brands have basically established their own core technologies. Product shipments have rapidly increased and profits have declined. In the recession period, they have entered an era of severe shuffling and oligarchy. Very thin. For the electric steamer, it is currently in a state between the lead-in period and the growth period, it is reasonable to maintain a high gross profit, and in the future as the market matures, the price will show a downward trend.
Pressure steaming highlights heterogeneity
According to Rao Jian'an, as a brand of professional kitchen appliances, Vantage started listing the first generation of steamer products in 2014, and continued to increase and concentrate on the continuous research and development of the steamer. With the company's strategic slogan of 'wisdom + fashion', 2017 Embedded Kitchen Power Accelerated Layout. Newly built brand new embedded product line, fully self-produced from last year. '
As a latecomer to 'beating the world', he or she has the technology of heterogeneity, or has a price advantage. As a high-end smart kitchen appliance brand, the heterogeneous selling points of Vantage's electric steamer products focus on our expertise, which includes 'pressure. Steaming 'technology.
At present, other mainstream brands of electric steamers are focused on high-temperature steaming, and the main oils are precipitated. For example, the temperature of steam is raised to 110-120°C. Vantage combined with the living habits of the Chinese people and made targeted product development. Considering that Chinese like it. Using a pressure cooker, the electric steamer and the pressure cooker are fused. By adding 'micro pressure', the cooking process can be accelerated and the time can be shortened. At the same time, it helps to lock in nutrition. Compared with the pressureless electric steamer, cooking effect is improved. It's much better. For example, the trotters and tendons that many people like can be steamed very softly. In addition, considering that not every dish is suitable for pressure steaming, the user can choose to switch the pressure function.
In addition, Vantage found in user communication that the products with knobs can help the user quickly select the desired state, which is more popular; Vantage built 39 smart menus, covering the East, South, West, North daily dishes, users get started Easy; At the same time, Vantage electric steamer tank volume is larger, can steam 2-3 dishes at a time, 'taking into account the different cooking curves required for various layers of dishes, and odor problems.'
This year, Vantage launched a number of new products with pressure steaming capabilities, which are unique in design, appearance, craftsmanship and technology. 'In addition to the introduction of pressure steaming functions, in the electronically controlled auxiliary heat, residual water collection, our The new products are greatly improved, and the taste of cooking foods will be better. In addition, the new products will have a more stylish and technological sense in appearance design; and the details of the craftsmanship embodies the connotation of the brand. In the production of new products, we pay special attention to From this point of view, from the selection of materials to every stitching, crevices, we strive for excellence. This is also the 'artisan spirit' that we have implemented in the production process; we have adopted an easy-to-clean material to increase the volumetric capacity. Always solve the pain point of the user, as the direction of our product development and design. ' Rao Jianan said.
He also talked about his own experience in product development. 'Electric steamer is not complicated in terms of structure, but the difficulty lies in the electronic control. It is not only a process of heating and steaming, but also guarantees good taste and good color. Good product quality, the more dimensions considered, the harder it is to control the underlying logic and requires a lot of experimental argumentation. All our cooking menus, each dish must be tested repeatedly to achieve the best food taste. Takes three months, Some test engineers have gained a lot of weight.'
At present, Vantage focuses on the embedded market in the field of electric steamers. 'There are also some simple desktop steamers on the market. Although the price is low, the actual experience is far less than our professional embedded steamer. Also, the countertop area of the Chinese kitchen Valuable, by comparison, embedded products are more space-efficient. Embedded in the future will become the mainstream of consumption, so on the steamer, as well as on other products.