In recent years, consumer demand has become more diversified, and there have been new requirements for the function and appearance of electric shavers, and portable shavers have emerged. The new category of portable shavers, which are mainly in the form of cylinder type, flying saucer type and card type, has become the "dark horse" of the industry and the "net red" of the market with its small and exquisite appearance.
The development of traditional products is stable, and the popularity of new products is high
According to the consumption report released by the Boston Consulting Group, men in China have spent more than women in 2017. The "he economy" has quietly emerged as an active boost to the electric shaver market.
In the context of the weak growth of the domestic home appliance market, the performance of the electric shaver market in 2021 is relatively stable, and the sales in the online market have achieved a slight increase, of which portable shavers have grown rapidly. AVC online monitoring data shows that the online market sales of electric shavers in 2021 will be 6.59 billion yuan, a slight increase of 4.5% year-on-year. Among them, the sales of portable shavers were 360 million yuan, a year-on-year surge of 192.5%.
In the case of the overall market demand for electric shavers, portable shavers have opened up new tracks in scenarios such as travel and vehicles, and the sales of new portable products such as cylinder, card and flying saucer have increased significantly.
Portable shavers have achieved excellent sales results, not only because of the way they are carried, but also because of the appearance and price that attract consumers.
At present, the cylinder razor brand sold in the market is represented by the eyebrow, and the products are mostly single-head turbine electric shavers, with a fuselage length between 5cm and 12cm, and the size is comparable to lipstick; The card type electric shaver brand is represented by color, and its reciprocating portable shaver floating knife head thickness is only 12cm, double knife head thickness is 15cm, the shape is lighter and thinner; The third form is the small flying saucer electric shaver launched by the brand represented by Feike, which adopts a curved double ring knife design and occupies a place in the portable shaver market with its trendy, innovative, palm-sized shape.
The emergence of portable shavers allows users to no longer be limited by the size of the space, whether it is travel, car or office can have "shaving freedom", becoming the "second" razor in many users' homes. According to Jing Chao, CEO of Colored Shaver, young people are the main consumer group of portable shaving. Therefore, Nonferrous Metals will be committed to being close to the living habits of young people and matching the living needs of young people with the advantages of independently designed brands.
At the same time, the "Electrical" reporter learned that the main sales price segment of portable razors is 400 to 600 yuan, but there is no shortage of goods on the market that are priced below 200 yuan. In terms of average price, portable shavers are significantly lower than the overall average price of electric shavers.
The product is very popular and the price has a relative advantage, which makes portable shavers popular and makes more and more companies enter the game.
At present, the portable shavers sold in the market are mainly local brands, including Feike, beard eyebrows, colored and so on. These brands are more focused on online market sales and social platform communication, which has greatly increased the popularity and influence of the emerging category of portable shavers.
The "Electrical Appliance" reporter learned that the Feike small flying saucer shaver was sold on the Douyin platform as soon as it was released in the fourth quarter of 2021, becoming one of the products that "went online and exploded", and created a single monthly sales of nearly 300,000 units on all online platforms.
Eyebrows have also been laid out in the portable shaver field. Yang Dawei, a partner of Xumei Technology, told the "Electrical Appliances" reporter that the first Mijia shaver launched by Xumei is a portable product, and the sales of this product exceeded 2 million units after being listed in the second half of 2017, becoming one of the industry's explosive products in recent years. After 2018, Sumei began to develop its own brand Smate, launched the T3 shaver equipped with turbo knife technology in 2019, and launched the second-generation turbo knife product, the T6 shaver, in 2020. By the end of 2021, the sales of Sumei turbo knife products have exceeded 150 million yuan.
"Electrical Appliances" reporter learned through interviews that at present, some Internet brands of portable shavers do not have their own manufacturing plants, mainly relying on OEM production. Chen Xingrong, founder of Sumei Technology, said: "Technology, supply chain and talent are the three major thresholds of China's electric shaver market, of which the supply chain is an important part. "At present, many brands are mainly OEM, resulting in the portable shavers sold on the market are extremely similar in appearance, and the product homogenization is serious. In order to solve this situation, at present, many brands have begun to innovate in product appearance, technology, process and other aspects, in order to further stimulate the heat and activity of the portable shaver market.
Actively innovate and break the homogenization of products
Portability and innovation have become an important fulcrum of the development of the electric shaver market, but with the entry of more and more brands, the problem of product homogenization is prominent, and brands have encountered many difficulties or bottlenecks in the process of product innovation.
First of all, the biggest "roadblock" facing the industry is the lack of local supply chain and manufacturing capacity. "Chinese portable shaver companies rarely have their own independent factories, especially design-based brands. Without their own manufacturing plants, brands have certain problems when it comes to product innovation. Jing Chao said in an interview with the "Electrical Appliance" reporter, "In terms of color, the company cooperates with traditional electric shaver factories, which is the best way to solve this problem at present." ”
Secondly, there is less innovation in process and appearance in the industry, which is also an important reason for the homogenization of products. In terms of process and appearance, only from the needs of consumers, adhere to innovation, launch more portable explosive products, and stimulate market vitality through differentiated products. This is exactly the direction in which many brands are currently working.
For example, Feike product development mainly focuses on the comfortable, convenient, reliable and pleasant shaving experience of consumers, carries out technological innovation in the direction of intelligence, youthfulness, fashion and personalization, and continuously innovates and tries in the aspects of knife head knife network technology, structure, appearance, material and function.
Nonferrous metals focus on improving product process and appearance, while also studying product performance. According to reports, the colored portable shaver adopts an alloy body, grinds many times in the manufacturing process, and makes the fuselage have a metallic texture through the six-channel paint process to achieve the effect of uniform and rounded color; In the internal structure, the use of German steel bits, open custom knife networks, 7200 rpm high-speed motors, making shaving more efficient, shaving faster and longer endurance.
Sumei also stands in the perspective of consumers and upgrades products. Chen Xingrong said that the shaver is the first brand to use all the metal materials from the knife head, knife net, fuselage, for consumers to pay attention to the endurance problem, the eyebrow is through the use of lithium batteries, to achieve the shaver charging 1 hour, endurance of 60 days.
The market is stable and progressive, and the future can be expected
In the face of the gradual increase in the exposure of portable shavers and the market competition brought about by the rise of domestic local brands, Chen Xingrong still maintains a peaceful attitude. He believes that there is currently no so-called competitive relationship in the portable shaver industry, because each brand is positioned differently. In the huge Chinese market, especially in the field of portable shavers, the brand's biggest competitor is itself. "Sumei is committed to becoming a brand that adheres to the needs of users, takes the user's thinking as a fixed customer and new customer service, and uses existing advantages to enable more people to join the 'circle' of Sumei." He said.
The relevant person in charge of an electric shaver company said that the electric shaver is a mature product that is just needed, and the overall market capacity and demand are relatively stable. Benefiting from the vigorous development of digital technology and intelligent technology, the product form of electric shaver is expected to usher in a breakthrough again, the product will be more intelligent and more high-end, and at the same time, portable shaver products will also usher in a broader space for development.