Despite the rapid growth in sales, the penetration rate is still very low
Why doesn't the dishwasher "fire"?
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In the context of the home appliance industry as a whole entering the stock market, dishwashers are still one of the few leading categories that maintain high sales growth.
Data shows that during this year's "Double 11" period, dishwasher sales increased by 169% year-on-year.
However, in sharp contrast to the rapid growth, the penetration rate of dishwashers, the "home appliances that liberate human hands," is still very low.
Experts believe that in order to promote the popularization of dishwashers, it is necessary to promote the change of consumer perceptions with more humane product design.
The "Double 11" Consumer Upgrade Report recently released by Xinhua Finance and Suning.com shows that during the "Double 11" period this year, the sales of high-end home appliances have grown rapidly. Consumer mainstream, dishwasher sales increased by 169% year-on-year.
On social platforms, discussions about dishwashers are also very lively.
Taking Zhihu as an example, there are more than 3,000 questions about dishwashers on the platform, and the page views of the question "Dishwasher Selection Strategy" are about 35.5 million.
During the "Double 11" period, users are particularly concerned about how to choose dishwashers.
However, according to the survey, the penetration rate of dishwashers in Chinese households is only in the single digits, which is in sharp contrast with the high growth rate and high attention on social platforms.
Consumers' perceptions, actual conditions of installation, and the function of dishwashers may be important factors that cause dishwashers to remain "hot" in the market.
The awareness of dishwashers is still insufficient
"It's okay if we eat light food every day, but our family inevitably has to fry heavy oil and heavy ingredients. Can the dishwasher be cleaned?" Speaking of the reason for not planning to install a dishwasher, Mr. Yang from Beijing issued this doubt.
Mr. Yang’s ideas represent a considerable part of consumers’ concerns about dishwashers, and such concerns are not unreasonable.
The "2020 China Dishwasher Market Development White Paper" issued by the State Grid of China pointed out that the manufacture and design of dishwashers are rooted in the living habits of European and American families. The depth requirements are different, and the degree of oil pollution formed is also different, which makes the use of Chinese household dishwashers more complicated.
In addition to doubts about cleaning power, it is believed that dishwashers cost water and electricity as one of the reasons why many consumers are unwilling to use it.
In addition, the long-established living habits make people more accept hand-washing dishes and chopsticks. In traditional concepts, hand-washing dishes and chopsticks is also regarded as a manifestation of diligence. Affected by this, the "place of use" of dishwashers has been further reduced. .
In fact, compared to hand washing dishes, dishwashers have obvious advantages in removing bacterial residues and saving water.
Dishwashers equipped with high-temperature washing, high-pressure washing, omni-directional spraying and drying technologies can basically eliminate bacteria as high as 99.99% and antibacterial rates as high as 90% or more.
In the "Household Dishwasher Comparative Test Report" issued by the China Consumers Association, taking 6 sets of 46 tableware as an example, the test found that the water consumption of using a dishwasher is less than 1/3 of that of hand washing.
On the whole, Chinese consumers' awareness of dishwashers is still insufficient.
According to the results of a consumer survey conducted by the State Grid Corporation of China, only 7.98% of respondents said they knew well about dishwashers, and the proportion was less than 10%.
Dishwasher, you don’t want to install it
"I live by myself, and I only have one or two bowls for a meal. I wash the bowls when I have time to put them in the dishwasher." Mr. Wang, a citizen of Tianjin, is a young man living alone, and his diet is usually very simple. I think the dishwasher is a bit wasteful to myself.
Ms. Wang from Zhejiang also said frankly that because her financial situation is still unstable, she is currently living in a rented house, even if she wants to install a dishwasher, she does not have the realistic conditions: “Spending a few hundred yuan to buy a washing machine can reduce the trouble of hand-washing clothes. The bowl is mobile at a few thousand yuan, and it is not easy to move. The price/performance ratio is too low for me."
Living alone, renting a house, and working less for reasons such as self-cooking have all led to a decrease in consumer demand for dishwashers.
Even for families with a fixed residence, it is more difficult to buy a dishwasher.
"A few years ago, we did not reserve a place for the dishwasher. Now if we want to install it, we need to redecorate the kitchen. Cost is one aspect of the problem, mainly because it is too troublesome. Power supply and water and sewage connections are all factors that need to be considered. "Mr. Yang said.
It is understood that the dishwashers currently on the market are divided into embedded, vertical, sink, desktop and other categories.
In terms of purchase, although sink-type and desktop dishwashers take up relatively small space, the number of dishes to be washed is also small. Most families still prefer to have a larger dishwasher. In the sales structure of dishwashers, embedded And vertical products account for a relatively high proportion.
The high requirements for the installation location and large volume of dishwashers pose challenges to the relatively small Chinese family kitchens.
Zhang Jianfeng, executive deputy secretary-general of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, believes that the lack of a reserved space in the kitchen design has brought some resistance to the subsequent installation of the dishwasher.
However, in recent years, people's acceptance of dishwashers has increased, and some newly renovated families that have the conditions have begun to consider whether to install dishwashers. The matching rate of dishwashers in newly renovated houses is significantly higher than that in old houses.
Functional upgrades help increase market potential
In fact, in order to meet the diverse needs of users, manufacturers have already carried out some localized transformations to dishwashers.
For example, in order to solve the problem that it is difficult to place a dishwasher due to a small kitchen, a sink-type dishwasher is designed, which has sink, dishwashing and fruit and vegetable purification functions; in order to improve the cleaning and sterilization capabilities, it has developed ultra-micro bubble deep washing technology and crystal buds. Drying technology, independent heating and drying technology, etc. enhance the purification effect.
Zhang Jianfeng believes that if the dishwasher wants to gain a higher market penetration rate, the most fundamental thing is to start with the product itself.
"According to consumer feedback, targeted improvements will be made. When products are more humane and highly recognized by users, consumers' perceptions of those still in the decision-making period will gradually change. On this basis, if the price can be Further reduction, dishwashers will undoubtedly show huge market potential."
Regarding how to promote the further improvement of product quality, Zhang Jianfeng said that starting from the internal structural design of the dishwasher, we can focus on improving the washing ratio, saving washing time, saving water and electricity and other issues, while also developing intelligent cleaning and drying. And other technologies to realize the functions of cabinet integration and the cleaning of the dishwasher itself.
Reporter Shi Lanna