Make up for the shortcomings of the rural market and continue to release consumption potential. Home appliances go to the countryside to benefit farmers and people.

　　As an important part of household consumption, promoting household appliance consumption, especially activating the consumption potential of the rural market, is not only an important measure to expand domestic demand and stabilize growth, but also an effective way to meet the growing needs of the people for a better life.

　　The State Council executive meeting held not long ago proposed to carry out home appliance trade-in and home appliances to the countryside; 13 departments including the Ministry of Commerce recently jointly issued the "Several Measures on Promoting Green and Smart Home Appliance Consumption" (hereinafter referred to as "Several Measures"), and introduced 9 specific measures. The measures comprehensively promote the consumption of green and smart home appliances, and the new round of home appliances going to the countryside is expected to be accelerated to better release the consumption potential of home appliances.

　　What is the significance of promoting home appliances to the countryside, what problems are still facing, and how can we effectively enhance the people's sense of gain and happiness?

Recently, the reporter conducted investigations and interviews in Shaanxi, Guizhou and other places.

Full reduction of subsidies and trade-in for new ones, a new round of home appliances going to the countryside to benefit the people

　　"It's a good deal to be able to participate in the trade-in and get the full subsidy reduction!" Reminder, enjoy two discounts at once.

"Every 1,000 yuan can enjoy a government subsidy of 80 yuan, plus the 190 yuan deduction for the old refrigerator, a total of 510 yuan discount!"

　　This real discount benefits from the "Renewing Consumer Season" campaign for home appliances to the countryside launched by Bijie City.

　　"Through the coordinated efforts of the government, banks and enterprises, we have launched the largest home appliance subsidy in recent years." She Long, deputy director of Bijie Municipal Bureau of Commerce, introduced that the city coordinated UnionPay, China Construction Bank, Haier and other home appliance companies to participate in home appliance companies across the city. Subsidies are given to sales companies and consumers who go to the countryside.

"In addition to the 8% full-reduction subsidy for the purchase of products from invested enterprises, consumers can also enjoy a 5% inclusive subsidy for the purchase of other 19 brand products, so that the policy dividend can benefit the masses to the greatest extent and further stimulate consumer demand."

　　Policy dividends are more inclusive, and home appliance categories are more focused.

Recently, Gong Yinghua, a resident of Chang'an District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, purchased a brand-new smart air conditioner that "reduces carbon and reduces prices" in Gome's offline stores.

It turned out that in July this year, Shaanxi Gome Electric launched an energy-saving subsidy activity, giving subsidized subsidies to first- and second-class energy-efficient appliances.

　　"One set is subsidized at 10% of the total price, saving 800 yuan." Gong Yinghua told reporters that the old air conditioner at home has been used for several years, and the noise is loud and the refrigeration is poor. The new air conditioner can automatically adjust the temperature to reduce energy consumption.

　　"Judging from the sales of the platform in the past year, the demand for home appliances in the county and township markets is not much different from that in big cities, and the demand for upgrading green smart home appliances is even stronger." said Li Haiying, general manager of Shaanxi Gome Electric Appliances, taking refrigerators as an example. In the past, consumers were more concerned about capacity and quality. In recent years, new functions such as intelligent temperature control, energy saving and low consumption have become more popular.

"At present, the subsidy activity has lasted for three weeks, driving the sales of green smart home appliances to exceed 42 million yuan."

　　Linking platform merchants and connecting vast counties and townships, a new round of home appliances to the countryside is being carried out across the country, and relevant measures have been introduced in various places.

Shandong issued 200 million yuan of consumer coupons. When consumers buy TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners, they can issue corresponding consumer coupons according to the sales invoice amount of a single product; Zhejiang released a preferential promotion plan for home appliance companies, and Zhejiang Suning Tesco cooperated UnionPay Cloud QuickPass issued 25 million yuan of consumer coupons to consumers...

Expand domestic demand, make up for shortcomings, and provide a higher level of supply for the county and township home appliance market

　　At present, why should we promote a new round of home appliances to the countryside?

　　Jiang Feng, executive director of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, said that launching a new round of home appliances to the countryside will help improve the home appliance consumption market environment and activate the huge domestic demand potential.

　　The "2021 China Home Appliance Market Report" released by the China Electronics and Information Industry Development Institute shows that in 2021, the sinking market, which accounts for 70% of the population, will account for 31.5% of the retail sales of home appliances, and the market size will reach 277.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase. 8.9%.

According to data from the Jingdong platform, the retail sales of high-end home appliances in the rural market will increase by 61% in 2021, far exceeding the 35% increase in first-tier cities. The sinking market has become the most potential growth pole in the home appliance industry.

　　Jiang Feng believes that since the last round of nationwide promotion of home appliances to the countryside, these old home appliances have gradually reached the age of replacement.

"Entering the stage of the stock market, trade-in is the main direction. The change in demand of rural consumers from 'have it' to 'is it good' will release considerable room for growth."

　　In addition, launching a new round of home appliances to the countryside will also help the home appliance market to make up for shortcomings and promote the upgrading of rural consumption.

　　"Imperfect after-sales service and imperfect service network are important factors restricting the consumption of household appliances in third-tier cities and county and township markets." Experts said that taking advantage of the new round of home appliances going to the countryside, we should make good use of relevant funds to transform and improve rural home appliance sales, Distribution, maintenance, and recycling outlets, and increasing the guarantee of electricity, water, and gas networks will help to continuously release consumption potential in the short term, and will also promote the home appliance market to supplement the weak points in the long run.

　　In the past 10 years, the new changes in the county and township market environment have opened up a broader space for a new round of home appliances to the countryside.

　　The supply level of home appliance enterprises is higher.

　　Through the remote control of the mobile phone, the rice cooker at home runs automatically, and the water heater enters the heating mode... In Bi Po Village, Hulei Town, Yongding District, Longyan City, Fujian Province, Xu Ruihang, a post-90s boy, lived a smart life of "one-key drive and home appliance linkage".

"Taking advantage of the platform subsidy, I just replaced a smart TV recently. It can be woken up with just voice, and it is very convenient for parents to use it."

　　"Cost-effective smart home appliances can better meet the needs of improved consumption, and have been widely sought after by users in counties and townships in the past two years." Lu Weibing, President of Xiaomi Group China, introduced that since 2015, the group has opened "Xiaomi" in nearly 90% of the country's county towns. Through a strong ecological chain system, consumers in county and villages can experience rich whole-house smart products and feel the comfort and convenience brought by smart home appliances.

　　The sales network has a wider coverage.

　　"In 2016, JD.com started to open specialty stores below county-level cities across the country, and rely on its own logistics system for distribution." Xie Fan, president of JD.com's home appliance business unit, introduced that up to now, it has operated in 25,000 townships and 600,000 administrative offices. The village has opened more than 15,000 stores, helping consumers in the sinking market to enjoy the same delivery speed as in big cities.

　　The denser and denser outlets have opened up the obstacles of poor freight transportation in the rural market.

"In the past, it took at least a month for an ordinary large home appliance to go through Lhasa to Nyingchi, and finally to Milin County." said Liu Tingting, owner of a JD home appliance store in Milin County, Nyingchi City, Tibet Autonomous Region. In June last year, offline monopoly The store is fully covered in Nyingchi, and it can be delivered within 2 to 3 days after placing the order.

During the "618" period this year, the turnover of home appliances in the Jingdong home appliance store in Milin County exceeded 1.5 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.5 times.

　　The supporting role of infrastructure is stronger.

　　Standing poles, laying out lines, entering lines... In Shisanfang Village, Puyang Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the power supply radius of 65 villagers' homes has been reduced from 310 meters to 210 meters, and the power supply capacity is stronger.

The person in charge of the State Grid Hangzhou Xiaoshan Power Supply Company said: "As there are more and more household appliances in the villagers and the electricity load continues to rise, the timely implementation of the rural power grid transformation and upgrading project can better meet the growing electricity demand in rural areas."

　　The electricity is guaranteed, and the network is faster.

Following the implementation of "broadband access to every village" in administrative villages across the country, the 5G network has also further deepened its coverage to counties and townships.

"The continuous improvement of information infrastructure has built a solid network support for smart home appliances to go to the countryside and optimize consumer experience," said He Yaqiong, director of the Consumer Goods Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

　　"In recent years, with the continuous expansion of the household appliance consumption market, a number of 100 billion-level household appliance manufacturers have risen rapidly, established more smooth channels, launched more complete categories, richer functions, and created more diverse experiences, which has promoted supply and demand. Effective connection." In Jiang Feng's view, the optimization and upgrading of the supply side will provide strong support for stimulating the consumption potential of a new round of home appliances going to the countryside.

Improve the after-sales service system so that rural consumers can buy and use them well

　　Although the potential is great and the foundation is good, in the research and interview, the reporter found that there are still some blocking points and difficulties in the process of the new round of home appliances going to the countryside. We still need to make up for the weak points, so that consumers can buy with peace of mind and use them at the same time. Be at ease.

　　On the one hand, the county and township market urgently needs to improve the after-sales service system and further enhance the consumer experience of home appliances.

　　"The after-sales service of home appliances is a weak link in the sinking market." Jiang Feng introduced that at present, the after-sales service of home appliances is generally the responsibility of the enterprise during the warranty period, and the after-sales problem after the warranty period has become a major pain point for consumers.

Indiscriminate repairs without disease, major repairs for minor diseases, sky-high asking prices... Some home appliance after-sales maintenance routines make consumers miserable, and also damage corporate reputation.

　　"Although it is cheaper and faster to buy home appliances online, the after-sales service is inconvenient, and installation and maintenance are more difficult." Gong Yinghua said that some home appliance categories do not support cross-regional sales, and sometimes cross-regional products cannot be purchased without corresponding after-sales service. Bottomless.

　　As the upgrading of smart home appliances is getting faster and faster, it is foreseeable that consumers' demand for after-sales service experience of home appliances will be stronger.

In this regard, the "Several Measures" clearly proposes to implement measures to improve after-sales service of home appliances, through cultivating leading enterprises in after-sales service, and promoting after-sales maintenance services into communities, shopping malls, and platforms, etc., to effectively improve the current chaos and allow consumers to enjoy Better and more considerate after-sales service.

　　On the other hand, to promote a new round of home appliances to the countryside, it is also necessary to continue to make efforts in the recycling and utilization of waste home appliances, so as to eliminate the worries of home appliance renewal.

　　"The old home appliances are not easy to use if you want to sell them, and they can only be disposed of as waste. It is not cost-effective." Liu Feng told reporters that although he wanted to replace more new home appliances, how to deal with the old home appliances has always been a headache. .

　　The data shows that in 2021, the theoretical scrap of major electrical and electronic products in my country will be about 208 million units, but the overall recycling and processing capacity of waste electrical and electronic products is only 87 million units, and the recycling and processing is facing greater pressure.

　　In a new round of home appliances going to the countryside, trade-in is the main force.

"The problem of difficult disposal of old home appliances has affected consumers' willingness to renew to a certain extent." Jiang Feng analyzed that in the past, home appliance manufacturers mainly fulfilled their responsibility as producers by paying funds, and home appliance manufacturers basically did not participate in recycling work, which is not conducive to Form a green ecological closed loop for home appliances.

The "Several Measures" emphasizes the implementation of the recycling target responsibility system, requiring home appliance manufacturers to directly participate in the recycling and dismantling process of used home appliances. Strong support.

　　According to reports, in 2022, Haier, Gree, TCL, Changhong, Midea, Hisense and other 6 companies will declare and standardize the recycling of TV sets, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines to reach 17 million units, accounting for about 17 million units of scrap and dismantling in my country throughout the year. 1/5 of .

　　"After the "Several Measures" are issued, there may be different subsidy levels, operating modes and operating standards in various places during the implementation process." Jiang Feng suggested that relevant departments should promptly issue supporting measures and specific guidelines to continuously improve the standard system for green smart home appliances , Promote the standardization of installation and maintenance services, improve the operation subsidy norms, etc., so that favorable policies can be beneficial to consumers, and effectively promote the expansion and upgrading of household appliance consumption.

　　(Reporter Han Xin Cheng Huan Yuan Tao Xiong)