The user needs are constantly refined, healthy, and scenario oriented, and the washing and care industry is exploring new development paths

In July, the fire is flowing, and in September, clothes are given. In the blink of an eye, it's time to add clothes when the weather is cool.

Whether you're flipping through old clothes or buying new ones, you have to go to the washing machine and "stir it up" first to remove dust and odor? No, it's not just about "washing and deodorizing" anymore. With the further upgrading of consumption, those consumers who pursue a better quality of life are becoming more picky about their clothing cleaning and care requirements. As a result, the washing and care industry is ushering in a new transformation.

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The industry is in a path of continuous repair

Since 2023, with the warming of the consumer market, the Chinese home appliance industry has experienced slight growth. According to data from GfK Zhongyikang, the retail sales volume of China's home appliance market in the first half of this year reached 457.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.8%. Specifically, in the washing machine industry, due to the lagging demand for replacement and strong installation attributes, the washing machine market did not recover quickly as expected, but slowly recovered despite negative growth at the beginning of the year. From the data, overall in the first half of the year, the retail volume of the washing machine market was approximately 20.33 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 1.7%; The retail sales volume was approximately 39.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%.

The economic situation in the first half of the year was not very optimistic, and the domestic washing and care industry was greatly affected by the bleak real estate market. The number of people buying and renting houses decreased, and the demand for new home appliances in house decoration will naturally decline. Regarding the slight decline in the retail scale of the washing machine market in the first half of the year, the person in charge of Midea washing machines analyzed to a reporter from China Home Appliance Network. The continuous downturn in the national economy and real estate industry has weakened the demand for renewal in the washing and care industry. At the same time, washing machines have stronger installation attributes compared to other categories, and their consumption priority is relatively lower, so the demand release is relatively slow.

According to a recent interview and research conducted by China Home Appliance Network, multiple washing machine related companies have analyzed similar views to reporters. However, although the market consumption performance was relatively weak in the first half of the year, according to feedback from enterprises, the mainstream trend products in the washing and care market have significantly improved both internally and externally, and continuous product upgrades have also provided a strong grip for the market growth of related enterprises. For example, Haier washing machines face users' home life scenarios directly, launching products such as washing machines, clothes dryers, integrated washing, drying and care machines, clothing care machines, and clothes dryers, achieving iterative upgrades from single products to complete solutions to the entire process of clothing washing and care services. By solving pain points and creating new experiences and value, Haier's washing machine business achieved revenue of 15.345 billion yuan in the first half of the year, an increase of 3.8% compared to the same period last year. The relevant person in charge of the upstream Haili compressor enterprise stated that the company mainly focuses on R290 refrigerant, focusing on miniaturization and environmental protection. In terms of noise, the company optimizes noise and vibration through a combination of noise foundation team, Qianyi Machine compressor development team, and customer system. This year's performance has shown steady growth, especially in the clothes dryer business. The sales of Haili clothes dryer compressors from January to August this year have approached the full year of last year.

With the gradual recovery of consumer confidence and the combination of policy catalysis and real estate completion driving the gradual release of demand, the industry generally predicts that the recovery pace of the washing machine market is expected to accelerate in the second half of the year. We believe that the industry will have a growth rate of 5% -10% in the second half of the year, and we expect the industry's sales growth to slightly exceed last year, "said the person in charge of Panasonic washing machines. Based on insights into user needs and adjusting product structure and functions according to their needs, as well as continuous investment in product research and development, as well as rapid response to channel changes, many washing machine companies, including Panasonic, are confident in achieving better breakthroughs in the second half of the year and even throughout 2023.

Multidimensional innovation to meet the needs of exquisite "grooming"

As reflected by various washing machine enterprises, the washing machine industry continues to move towards a moderate recovery path. Entering a new cycle of stock exchange, it is difficult for the industry scale to experience significant fluctuations like before, but continuous product upgrades will provide a strong grip for subsequent market growth. JD platform data also confirms that the growth rate of structural products in the washing machine market has far exceeded expectations since the beginning of this year, with a growth rate of over 50% in the 3K+market, and a cumulative increase of over 300% in new trend products represented by ultra-thin and large cylinder diameters.

So, what have been the changes in the demand for washing machines in the new cycle? Based on these changes, how can enterprises create upward development space through technological innovation and product structure adjustment?

From a consumer perspective, on the one hand, in the post pandemic era, people actively seek a healthy lifestyle, and their lifestyle philosophy has shifted from "disease centered" to "health centered". They are more sensitive to the demand for thorough sterilization and cleaning of clothing. Consumers' awareness and demand for health are constantly increasing, reflecting that at the product level, washing machine companies are also increasing their research and development in the field of 'health' functional technology, "the relevant person in charge of Whirlpool China told China Home Appliance Network reporters. For Whirlpool China, its new W7 Master series washing and drying set is equipped with Hybrid sterilization and mite (hybrid sterilization) steam+ozone hybrid sterilization, which is committed to meeting the needs of users for healthy and clean clothing, clothing protection, and mite removal.

Not only Whirlpool China, but also China Home Appliances Network has noticed that many mainstream enterprises, including Midea, Haier, Bosi Home Appliances, Hisense, Konka, Samsung, TCL, etc., have launched products based on health functions and are constantly iteratively upgrading. Taking the dazzling washing machine L5 promoted by Hisense as an example, which can "eliminate fungi", it is introduced that this product adopts the pioneering live water washing technology 3.0 technology, and is equipped with a new oxygen sterilization module that generates a large number of multiple oxygen molecules, which can damage the protein structure of bacteria, fungi, viruses, mites and other microorganisms, thereby achieving 99.99% efficient sterilization. At the same time, the live water tank device can stimulate water activity, form weakly alkaline full-time live water, and efficiently improve the decontamination ability. In addition, the Kangjia Smart Zhencai series washing machines are equipped with five health sterilization technologies in terms of clothing sterilization function. They have functional configurations such as steam thermal sterilization, nano silver ion sterilization, high-temperature sterilization of mites, 90 ℃ cylinder self-cleaning, and AMT antibacterial window mats, comprehensively protecting users' dressing health.

In addition to the trend of demand for health care, with the improvement of people's living standards and the awakening of their awareness of refined living, higher order, more refined, and more refined consumption needs have also emerged. The demand for washing solutions from consumers has shifted from simple cleaning to high-end fabric washing and drying care, such as silk, wool, and cashmere care, "as analyzed by the person in charge of Bosi Home Appliances to reporters. Consumers' demand for the use of washing machines is gradually shifting from washing and cleaning to a more refined direction of washing and drying care. The most obvious change is that the once important selling point of the washing and drying integrated machine has lost its growth rate, and is replaced by the independent clothes dryers, washing machines, and clothes dryers "washing and care sets" that mainstream enterprises are fully promoting. From the perspective of Bosch Home Appliances, in the face of the upgrading of consumer clothing washing and care needs, Bosch Home Appliances has innovatively developed and launched a series of oxygen washing and drying sets such as the Bosch 6 series Jingyang series. The oxygen washing and drying function of this product is customized for the lifestyle of young users, with professional washing and drying. Sweaters, down jackets, and silk quilts can be easily washed and dried at home. In addition, the clothes dryer product of this set can achieve instant drying and stopping, Make washing and drying clothes more refined and convenient.

Since the beginning of this year, green smart home appliances have received high attention and support from the national government, and the implementation of the "dual carbon" strategy has been continuously deepened. Green quality home appliance products have become the preferred choice for more and more Chinese households. On this basis, washing machine products have also moved towards a greener and more energy-efficient quality direction. The person in charge of Samsung washing machines pointed out to a reporter from China Home Appliance Network that this year, Samsung conducted research on Chinese consumers and once again confirmed that in addition to increasing demand for intelligent washing machines, Chinese consumers are also paying more attention to the energy-saving, water-saving, and environmental protection performance of washing machines. To this end, Samsung has applied the advantages of chips and algorithms to its products, resulting in five unique AI washing and care functions. Among them, AI Wash uses five sensors (weight, water level, fabric, turbidity, and detergent) to intelligently optimize the amount of water and detergent used, continuously adjusting the soaking, rinsing, and dehydration time. One click start, thoroughly clean, care for clothing fabrics, save detergent and water.

From the upstream level, GMCC Meizhi&Welling Weiling has also expressed its optimism for the green and energy-saving trend of the washing machine industry and the company's technological layout in this field to China Home Appliances Network. It is reported that GMCC Meizhi&Welling Weiling has formed a comprehensive R290 refrigerant product line and product matrix, relying on innovative technology support such as miniaturization, low oil volume, and high energy efficiency to promote R290 compressors while balancing safety, reliability, and energy efficiency, Covering multiple product lines such as heat pump dryers, creating a green and energy-saving life for more families.

Scenario empowerment opens up new consumption space

Looking at the development trend of the washing and care industry, it is true that the exquisite "washing and care" represented by health, refinement, and greenery has become an important direction for the current and future development of the industry. However, the trend of "scenarioization" that has emerged in addition cannot be ignored. In the survey, multiple washing machine companies have reported to China Home Appliance Network that the expectations of the new generation of consumers for washing and care are not only more functional, but also more situational, and corresponding solutions need to be solved by washing machine companies. The "Ten Major Trends in Industry Development" report released by the organizing committee of this year's AWE China Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics Expo also clearly points out that "scenario based" has become one of the key development trends for household appliances such as washing machines.

The entry of the washing machine market into the category of scenario customization currently belongs to segmented market demand, but this type of demand has an expanding trend and promising future prospects, "the relevant person in charge of Midea washing machines told reporters. Based on this insight, Midea's AI technology high-end home appliance brand COLMO and Little Swan brand, which focus on" professional cleaning ", have conducted some cross-border innovative explorations in the field of home cleaning scenarios this year, The launch of a dual washing station that integrates washing, drying, scanning, and mopping has stirred up a wave in the increasingly homogeneous competition industry, and has also attracted great attention from user groups and the industry. Taking COLMO dual cleaning station as an example, in terms of cleaning and care, this product is equipped with COLMO AI light dry cleaning technology, which can achieve ultra-high energy soft steam, wrinkle removal, and odor removal effects plus. In the sweeping and dragging work, this product is equipped with an Auto-Dos patented dual compartment automatic delivery system, making the inside and outside clean as new. Although it integrates the functions of two major categories of products, due to the integrated ultra-thin and fully embedded appearance design of the COLMO dual washing station, as well as innovative designs such as unlimited water supply and drainage, one outlet pipe, one inlet pipe, and one power cord, we can still see the spatial beauty brought by the installation of the product on balconies and other scenery.

The person in charge of TCL washing machines also believes that in the era of integrated home appliances and digital and intelligent home appliances, the integration of washing machines has become an inevitable trend. To this end, TCL has recently launched a dual cabin washing, drying, and protection integrated machine. In addition to being equipped with innovative technologies such as heat pump intelligent temperature change technology and 360 ° forward and reverse rotation, this product also adopts a one-stop washing, drying, and protection system, an integrated appearance design, and an integrated interactive intelligent control. The body thickness is only 555mm, and it can support ultra-thin embedding, perfect for the integrated decoration style of living rooms and balconies.

In fact, what we ultimately hope for is that household appliances such as washing machines are integrated into the home space, but they can also take on the important task of liberating hands and improving quality of life in family division of labor. In the view of Xin Jianing, Vice President of Sales at Whirlpool China, the integration of household appliances and home furnishings is the trend and represents the future development direction of the industry. As enterprises, we must comply with the trend and actively embrace industry changes. Reflected in the field of washing machines, such as the W9 clothing care machine launched by Whirlpool, it provides professional care for various high-end fabrics such as wool, down, fur, dresses, and suits that may encounter various drying and care needs in the lives of exquisite people. It is fluffy, smooth, and has a clean odor and wrinkle removal effect. At the same time, this product can be placed in any scene such as balconies, living rooms, and cloakrooms, and is integrated into home space design to achieve a high-quality life Home aesthetics leave ample space for beauty to occur.

In the survey, multiple washing machine companies mentioned to reporters that in the new cycle of stock revitalization, users will choose products more rationally, and only by solving the pain points of users' previous use and high user experience products will gradually be favored by users. It is obvious that under the empowerment of scenarios, innovative products that meet users' exquisite cleaning and care needs, as well as scenario based solutions integrated into home space design, have gradually become the key "key" to opening up the space for enterprise development and bringing changes to user experience. In addition, in the eyes of various enterprises, the continuous and diverse washing and care scenarios such as underwear washing, mother and baby washing, shoe washing machines, and pet washing are also becoming an important driving force for the development of the washing and care market.

As for how washing machine enterprises can innovate to promote more segmented demand and open up scene space, on September 26th, under the guidance of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association and hosted by China Home Appliance Network, you will find more answers at the "New Scenes · Yi Chang Xin · Chu Liu Xiang -2023 China Home Washing and Drying Industry Summit Forum". At that time, let's jointly explore and grasp the path of "washing and protecting"!