From full-scale outbreaks to slower growth to declining year-on-year, for smart phone brands, if the decade that has been experienced is a play, they probably like Shakespeare's "guessing the start but not guessing the end".
Of course, the immediate decline may only be temporary: The location of smart phones has not been replaced by other electronic products; in addition, from the point of view of the development of the communications industry, the 5G era that will be opened will bring new dividends. However, the 5G era will not In one move, to get rid of the 'difficulty' can not wait alone, in the current 'top 5G era', access to young user support is the key to the company's foothold in the future.
'The former 5G era', getting young user support is the key
In 2017, global smartphone shipments fell for the first time year-on-year, and according to IDC data, the rate was 0.5%. The industry may have expected this. After all, the slowdown in growth has been the inertia of many years before. The decline continues this year, And there is growing momentum: Also from IDC data, global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year decreased by 2.4% year-on-year.
The Chinese market has played an important role in this process: According to IDC data, in 2017, smart phone shipments in the Chinese market decreased by 5% year-on-year, while in the first quarter of this year, shipments fell below 100 million units, and since 2013, For the first time, Canalys data showed that the first quarter shipments of the Chinese smartphone market fell by 21% year-on-year.
In the view of Nail Technology, there are three reasons for the decline in shipments in the Chinese market: First, in the past two years, many manufacturers have moved to mid-to-high end, while for some users, they are willing to choose medium-to-high end in the context of consumer upgrades. Models, but also extend the service life of products; Second, in recent years, there are not many product innovations that can produce 'subversive' changes in user experience, and it is difficult to stimulate new enthusiasm; Third, the used 3C market is moving toward formality and Gradually rise, to seize market opportunities for some new aircraft.
However, judging from the numerous public information, the manufacturers did not show too much 'panic'. According to Nail Tech, this is related to three factors: First, the position of the smart phone from the actual use and the Internet 'entrance' status. No other electronic products can replace it; second, the Internet of Things is evolving further and needs to be used as 'portals' and 'controller' handsets; thirdly, the 5G era is about to start. Especially 5G, will bring new dividends to the market. And space.
However, it should be noted that on the one hand, the full opening of the 5G era still needs time, and the result of 'waiting for the wind' is still unpredictable. On the other hand, under the mature background of the smart phone industry, 5G has allowed brands to re-stand in the same place. The opportunity to start the line - whether the head brand can maintain its advantage, and how much advantage it can maintain, is not yet known. It is not impossible for the waist and the following brands to complete the counterattack. In this 'former 5G era', all manufacturers still need to be in the brand image. Word of mouth, user accumulative, etc. take the initiative to force, or maintain advantages, or create opportunities.
Under this situation, it can be clearly seen that the focus of the mobile phone manufacturers continues to shift to the Chinese market, while in the Chinese market, what is presented is further competition for young users. Through the aforementioned data, there will be opinions. It is believed that the Chinese market is the 'worst market' for smart phones, but China is still the world's largest consumer market for smart phones. The huge consumer and potential consumer base and young users' enthusiasm for change have all determined it. Still the smart phone 'best market'.
You may wish to understand the dynamics of the brands: Samsung, through the mid-range products such as Galaxy A9 Star and then force the young market, at the same time pay more attention to interact with consumers, and seize the right to speak in the new era through localized products and marketing; Huawei, its own design Having gone through the process of going from 'Technology' to a fresh line, the nova series is directed at young people. The 'Brothers' brand glory has been the 'mobile phone for young people' since its inception; Ov has always insisted on rejuvenation of its brand image and product design. Xiaomi is also becoming more youthful. At the same time, the spokesperson is being used to narrow the gap with young users. Lenovo and LG are returning to the Chinese market to make efforts for young groups. 360. The key layout of the 1000-2000 yuan file is for young users to support...
For mobile phone manufacturers, the above persistence or change is not surprising. Obtaining more support from young users of 'Smart Phone Aboriginals' can not only better survive the current market downside 'crisis' but also inevitably. The 5G era makes accumulation.
Three principles to win 'Smartphone Aboriginal'
The future of the world is young people, and the future of consumption is also because they will eventually grow into a group with spending power. Emphasis on young users, trying to get their support, this is the consensus of mobile phone manufacturers, but specific to how to operate, some brands There is no perfect methodology to support it.
May wish to understand the appeal of young people who are 'indigenous people of smartphones': First, the mobile phone is a 'toy' that integrates entertainment, camera, social, communication, and payment capabilities. It is not a pure communication tool. Second, the mobile phone is also Is a 'jewelry', highlighting the requirements of fashion, good-looking value, it is best to highlight the personality of the owner; Third, I hope the brand can bring a sense of participation, temperature, and interaction. Even in the 5G era, these The appeal will still exist.
In the view of Nail Technology, if mobile phone manufacturers want to continue their efforts in the 'former 5G era' and strive for initiative to obtain the support of 'Smart Phone Aborigines', they may wish to apply the following three principles:
First, the overall experience is not short-circuited. The term “lower family” represents the living conditions of the young group as 'indigenous smartphones'. The use of more frequent and richer scenes requires products to meet more demanding requirements. The conditions, such as: waterproof, resistance to bumps, long battery life, and the ability to 'smooth' games, video and other entertainment needs.
In comparison, the improvement of hardware performance is relatively easy. The most common practice in the industry is to use high-parameter components. However, first, some users are not sensitive to the parameters themselves; second, simple high parameters do not represent a good experience; Third, the application of a single high-parameter function module will inevitably make the product appear short board. It should be noted that a good experience, from the overall performance of the product, the cooperation of the functional modules, the combination of hardware and software, and the optimization of the system application, change Especially important.
The recently released Samsung Galaxy A9 Star is an overall experience without short boards. The advantage of brands such as Samsung is that it enables high-parameter components to perform as much as possible through effective debugging, or through a 'soft-hard-combined' approach. Domestic small and medium-sized brands in particular need to be strengthened.
Second, the basic ability is extremely refined. The overall experience has no short board under the premise that the basic ability needs to go to the extreme. One or several fundamental capabilities can be made on the one hand to form a product differentiation label, on the other hand, Helps to accumulate quality word of mouth for products.
Taking the camera function as an example, the “2017 Smart Phone Micro Report” shows that the users who choose to “take good pictures” have a weighting of close to 50%. In particular, short video platforms rely on mobile phone lenses to form a new social circle and reach 150 million live on the vibrato day. Nowadays, to the extreme and with a personality of the camera experience, to a certain extent determines the young user's attention and favorability of the product.
Samsung Galaxy A9 Star is a product that takes the ultimate route in the camera function. Its front 24 million pixel camera, rear 24 million + 16 million pixel dual camera, can achieve day and night intelligent switching, using F1.7 large aperture, Supports 4x ultra-sampling Tetracell technology to achieve instantaneous accurate exposure of 4x light sampling. In addition, it has AI pure beauty function, specifically for the Chinese market to learn the beauty needs, can be matched according to the gender and age of the characters in the photos. A more suitable beauty program provides young consumers with a more pure beauty self-portrait experience. Galaxy A9 Star also offers slim butterfly (front light), bright ring light (unilateral lighting), soft white natural light (bilateral Lighting effects such as lighting) not only allow users to have a photo studio-level texture, but also provide young consumers with more ways to express themselves.
Third, products, brand 'love' users, 'love' users, will be the key to the decisive market for manufacturers, including two aspects, product satisfaction and brand intimacy.
The first is product satisfaction. In addition to the functional experience mentioned earlier, it also includes design, positioning, and price. The mobile phone has evolved from a purely communication tool to an electronic 'fashionable fast consumer product', a design that best reflects the user’s current The 'improvement needs'. Especially for young users, 'value is justice'.
Source of data: 2017 smart phone micro report
The concept of quality and consumption at the level of positioning and price has made a large number of products with a price of less than 1,000 yuan no longer expected to be favored by the market. However, high-end products can indeed reflect brand strength and relatively high prices, but may not be able to be used by young users. Accepted. The comprehensive statistics of Aurora Data for many years and the “Smart Phone Micro Report 2017”, 1000-3000 RMB file, are more accepted by users, especially young users, tend to be 2000-3000 RMB files. Combined with the trend of domestic high-end The midrange model has become a product line that manufacturers need to focus on layout. Whether it is the Galaxy A9 Star series from 1999 yuan, or the main models of Huawei, Xiaomi, Ov, etc., all are in the price range of 2000-3000 yuan.
This is followed by the closeness of the brand and the ability to interact with consumers on an equal footing and engage in interactions. The president of Samsung China, Quan Guixian, once stated that the recently released Galaxy A9 Star series is precisely listening to the needs of the younger generation of Chinese consumers. The high-management level at the conference site, hip-hop and space technology are close to the 'tide' mentality of young users, and spokesperson Brilliance Yu is a 'bridge' for brand and user interaction.
Of course, in addition to the above three principles, 'localization' is equally important for 'returning', foreign companies that are ploughing deeply or entering the Chinese market. In this respect, well-known brands such as Samsung and Sony are worth learning and learning from.
Waiting for the wind to come, the upcoming 5G market will use new dividends to reshape the smart phone market, but excellent brands will never wait. The huge Chinese market and the young user groups among them will have potential before the arrival of the 5G era. Still to be tapped, these unearthed potentials will undoubtedly become dominant in the future.