28 years ago, the price of high-end audio was often tens of thousands of yuan, and an audio enthusiast could not afford to buy a stereo and could not stand the musical effects of inferior small speakers, so he made it himself. 2 years later, the audiophile found a partner to create a sound brand, and within a few years, the sales volume became the first in the country, and now, this brand is firmly in the leading position in the audio industry.
The audiophile is Zhang Wendong, who founded the Wanderer brand in the audio field for more than 20 years.
In 2022, The Wanderer ushered in his 26th birthday, recalling that 26 years ago, the enthusiast Zhang Wendong was full of entrepreneurial passion, and after the 100 audios he made were sold quickly, he was full of energy, and he quickly found his brother and student Xiao Min to start a business after seeing the business opportunities.
How did Wanderer grow from scratch to become today's well-known audio brand? Today I love audio network to lead you into the wanderer, explore the story behind the growth of the wanderer ~ ~
Who are the Wanderers?
Wanderer's full name: Wanderer Co., Ltd., founded in Beijing in 1996. EDIFIER is a professional audio equipment enterprise integrating product creativity, industrial design, technology research and development, large-scale production and independent marketing, and successfully landed on the A-share market in 2010.
Wanderer Co., Ltd. has five wholly-owned subsidiaries and six holding companies, has a production base in Dongguan, employs nearly 3,000 people, has a professional team from product creativity to industrial design, product research and development, large-scale production, independent marketing, products cover multimedia and home audio, headphones, car audio, professional audio and other four categories of hundreds of models. Among them, the headphone series covers TWS headphones, headphones, neck-mounted headphones, sports headphones, bone conduction headphones, examination headphones, etc.; the audio series covers media audio, portable audio, TV speakers, outdoor audio, amplifier speakers, etc.; car audio series includes lossless series, quick installation series, modification series, sound insulation series, etc.
Founded 26 years ago, EDIFIER Wanderer has always focused on the application and practice of audio technology, and has gradually become a well-known brand in the audio industry. Wanderer actively expands overseas markets, has registered international trademarks in more than 80 countries and regions such as Germany, Britain, France, Italy, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia, Mexico, etc., set up product development and sales teams from different countries, and built a marketing network that successfully sells products to the world.
Many of EDIFIER's products have won many international awards such as "Red Dot Design Award", "IF Product Design Award", "CES Product Design and Innovation Award", "Japan Industrial Design Association Good Design Award" and so on, winning the international reputation of Chinese brands.
In addition, wanderers have always been grateful and have been committed to public welfare undertakings for many years to practice corporate social responsibility with actions.
The growth trajectory of a well-known company is always exciting, whether it is a bold strategy in the face of twists and turns, or the correct strategic direction when the wind and waves are calm.
The path of growth of the wanderer
Wanderer started with audio, and then the product line expanded to headphones, microphones, car audio, etc.
Looking back at the end of the 1990s, there were more than 200 large and small brands in the field of Chinese audio, but now there are no more than ten of them. And The Wanderer not only stayed, but also became a well-known Rambler brand in the audio field today. In The 26-year growth process of Wanderer, what has supported Wanderer to become the world's leading audio company?
More than twenty years ago, the main electronic product for people's leisure and entertainment was the radio. In 1992, the first multimedia stereo appeared in China. After the outbreak of the computer market in the mid-1990s, the audio industry also took off, and in the early stage of the development of the domestic audio industry, the demand was much greater than the production. At that time, domestic audio companies sprung up like mushrooms, and in 1996, in the early stage of the development of the domestic audio industry, Wanderers joined the army of audio companies.
In the first five years of the establishment of the Wanderer, it is a period of steady development, to 2001, the Wanderer established its own factory in Shenzhen, not only saving costs, but also improved production efficiency a lot, to 2014, from the multimedia audio field sales, Wanderer occupied nearly half of the country's market, in the world can be ranked in the top three.
According to the official website of the Wanderer, there are currently 86 models of the Wanderer multimedia audio series, the lowest price is 89 yuan, the highest price is 3599 yuan, and more than 70% of the prices are between 100 yuan and 1000 yuan.
1. Focus on audio for more than 20 years, standing out from more than 200 brands
Wanderers believe that "choice is more important than effort", although effort is indispensable, but only by choosing the right direction can the role of effort be brought into play.
At the beginning of its establishment, the wanderers identified the field of active audio, when the computer and television market broke out, as a computer, TV peripheral audio equipment, there will be a long-term prospect and broad market space. Therefore, Wanderer continues to cultivate in the field of audio, using the advantages of appearance design, circuit optimization, box innovation, etc., combined with lower prices, to seize market share in one fell swoop. While maintaining their own advantages, paying close attention to product quality and constantly pursuing innovation, under the guidance of such a strategy, The Wanderer gradually opened up the gap with the industry opponents who started at the same time, leaving similar brands far behind.
In the 21st century, cars continue to enter thousands of households, and at that time, for people, cars were not only a means of transportation, but also a symbol of quality of life. The original audio of the car can no longer meet the needs of consumers for sound quality, and the potential market for car audio modification is in the market.
Wanderer in 2006 to develop car audio product line, although the then Wanderer has been a little famous, but the car audio and multimedia audio, TV audio is different, is a new thing, wanderers use their own years of audio technology advantages, in the car audio market outbreak when the rapid market layout, the original "lossless dress-up" car audio concept, not only to avoid drilling holes in the car, but also to do safe, economical, fast, won the favor of many car owners.
In 2006, Wanderer established the first Stroller car audio dealership in Beijing, and in the following 5 years, Wanderer has owned nearly 70 Stroller car audio dealerships, basically covering the first-line markets in various provinces and cities.
In 2008, the financial crisis in the United States broke out, affecting the world, and many audio FOUNDRies orders were cancelled, making it difficult to sustain. At that time, the Wanderer not only had its own factory, and as early as 1997, it had opened up a vast overseas market, and had absolute autonomy in production and sales, so in the face of this financial crisis, the Wanderer was not only not affected, but could better adapt to market changes, and in 2009, the performance was doubled, and the domestic market was further expanded.
With the advancement and development of audio technology, people are no longer limited to listening to music indoors, outdoor audio has opened up new scenes for audio applications, bringing people a new entertainment lifestyle.
The development of the audio market not only benefits from the development of applicable scenarios, but also from the development of Bluetooth technology. With the advancement of audio technology, the audio is no longer just a peripheral of the computer or TV, connected with Bluetooth technology, the audio is independent from a peripheral product, get rid of the shackles of the cable, not only can be used outdoors, and after the volume is getting smaller and smaller, it can be carried around, and the portable audio series was born.
On the official website of the wanderer, there are 29 portable audio series products, the average price is about 400 yuan, and various appearance designs also highlight the market development of personalized audio products.
If you look back at the development process of the wanderer in the first 15 years, you will find that the wanderer has always focused on the expansion and specialization of the audio product. The first 15 years of The Wanderer, but also the first 15 years of the rapid development of the audio market, the Wanderer more than ten years of continuous research accumulation, helped him successfully stand out from the initial more than 200 audio brands.
2. Pay attention to scientific research and maintain a sensitive sense of smell to the market
Strategic direction is the context of a company's development, and scientific research technology is the core of a company's development. Pay attention to scientific research is an important reason why Wanderer can always maintain a leading position in the audio industry, Wanderer in the factory research room in the laser scanning equipment, sound absorption wall, etc. are the most advanced in China, so it is not difficult to understand that the product quality of Wanderer can always maintain a leading position.
I love audio network from the wanderer annual report information learned that the wanderer from 2010 to 2020 R & D amount investment as shown in the figure above, in 2010 wanderer R & D amount investment of 30.093 million yuan, in 2020, wanderer R & D amount of investment of 119.184 million yuan, ten years of R & D investment increased by 296.05%.
While scientific research is important, it is equally important to have a sensitive sense of smell to the market. Whether a company can be developed has a lot to do with the manager's sense of market smell, maintaining a sensitive sense of smell to the market, so that the company can quickly enter the market and occupy the market share before or at the beginning of the outbreak. Although the wanderer started with the sound, in fact, the wanderer did not only guard this acre and three points of land, but constantly explored new market opportunities, and after seeing the market opportunity, he was fully prepared to meet the arrival of the market.
In 2009, smartphones began to spread in China, and headphones as smartphone accessories were also developed. As early as 2006, Wanderer was keen to smell the changes in the market and began to enter the headphone market, although the proportion of Wanderer's headphone business at that time was relatively small, but Wanderer had laid out and penetrated into the market and technology in the field of headphones.
3, The Wanderer seized the TWS headset market, and the revenue grew wildly
In 2016, Apple released AirPods, and then the TWS true wireless headset market exploded. Also since 2016, the Wanderer's headphone business has grown wildly.
As can be seen from the annual financial report of The Wanderer, the headphone revenue of the Wanderer in 2011 was 15.858 million yuan, accounting for only 1.98% of the total revenue, and by 2020, the headphone revenue was 1196.062 million yuan, accounting for 61.84% of the total revenue, more than half of the total operating income of the Wanderer.
Wanderer started with audio and has been working in the field of audio, what is the opportunity for Wanderer to broaden its product line to the field of headphones?
From the development of The Wanderer, there is a node that is crucial, that is, at the end of 2011, the Wanderer acquired the then well-known electrostatic headphone brand STAX. At that time, as the leader of the audio industry, Wanderer's acquisition of headphone brands caused a shock in the industry, and with the acquisition of STAX, Wanderer officially entered the HIFI headphone market.
Now it seems that ten years ago, the layout of the headphone industry was correct, and under the premise of maintaining its advantages in the audio field, it broadened the industrial chain and injected fresh blood into its own development.
In fact, The Wanderer released its first TWS headphones in 2018, and so far, there are a total of 20 Stroller TWS headphones that I love audio networks, of which 2 in 2018, 6 in 2019, 10 in 2020, and 2 in 2021.
I Love Audio Network 2018 Teardown Wanderer 2 TWS Headphones:
I love audio network 2019 disassembled Wanderer 6 TWS headphones:
I love Audio Network 2020 disassembled Wanderer 10 TWS headphones:
I Love Audio Network 2021 Teardown Wanderer 2 TWS Headphones:
From the Wanderer Jingdong self-operated flagship store, it was learned that the average price of the Wanderer TWS headphones was about 300 yuan, and the best-selling EDIFIER Stroller LolliPods true wireless headphones had a comment volume of up to 2.85 million, and the rest of the sales were also as high as hundreds of thousands.
Although the sales of TWS headphones have driven the growth of Wanderer's performance and become the main force of Rambler's revenue, in fact, the process of Stroller entering the TWS headphone track is not smooth. The early days of the TWS headset market were challenging for every player. After stepping into the TWS headphone track, the wanderers have large internal consumption, low efficiency, and lack of understanding of the market, resulting in the cost of the product being higher than the price, and in the early days of entering the TWS track, the wanderers have a mountain with a higher cost than the price to cross.
Wanderer, who has been in the audio field for more than 20 years, quickly adjusted its strategic layout, reformed various departments of the TWS headphone market, and adopted measures to compete with the same departments in the company and the society, so as to win the survival of the fittest and stimulate the potential of the department. In the reform stage, the mold department suffered from layoffs, the design department faced unprecedented pressure, under the premise of ensuring quality, if the outside is done well, and the price is favorable, the wanderers will be put outside to do it. This reform atmosphere is less than a year, the Wanderer TWS headphone market department has a new look, Wanderer founder Zhang Wendong even proudly said that the same TWS headphone products, the cost of The Wanderer is the lowest in the industry.
So far, The Wanderer's product line is very rich, covering headphone series, audio series, car audio series, and microphone series, and the application scenarios involve all aspects of life. As of June 30, 2021, Wanderer has 280 valid authorized patents, including 12 Chinese invention patents, 105 Chinese utility model patents, 136 Chinese appearance patents, 4 international invention patents and 23 international appearance patents.
Reverence for business, gratitude to society
In the 26 years of the wanderer's career, there is another scenery that is the most dazzling, that is, the wanderer's public welfare undertakings, while the wanderer develops, always have a grateful heart and give back to the society with actions.
In 2004, Wanderers set up a special scholarship for Beijing Institute of Technology in order to encourage college students to study hard, study hard, carry forward the spirit of mutual help and mutual assistance, and cultivate and cultivate outstanding talents with all-round development of morality, intellect and body;
In 2006, Wanderers took the lead in advocating and fully implementing the green RoHs (Directive on Restricting the Use of Certain Harmful Ingredients in Electrical and Electronic Equipment) standards;
In 2007, Wanderer donated 2 million yuan to establish the "Angel Echo Wanderer Fund", and in 2009, an additional 1 million yuan was donated, and since then, there have been many donations, so far, Wanderer has helped hundreds of deaf children to obtain treatment and restore hearing;
In the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the wanderers organized donations for disaster relief for the first time;
In 2011, the "Wanderer Musician Fund" was established to support the development of Chinese music culture;
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In 2020, the "Women's Power" public welfare plan was donated to promote women's employment; in the early stage of the epidemic outbreak, Wanderers donated about 5 million yuan worth of epidemic prevention materials to help the frontline of the epidemic.
For more than 20 years, Wanderers have always held a sense of public welfare and social responsibility, practiced gratitude and responsibility to the society with actions, and added a beautiful and warm landscape to the steady development of the enterprise.
I love audio network summaries
Looking back at the 26-year development process of the wanderer, it can be found that the most important factors that help the wanderer grow up are to choose the right direction to focus on the field, pay attention to research and development, have a keen sense of smell for the market, and have a high cost performance of the product. Wanderer started with audio and has been a leading enterprise in the audio industry for more than two decades, from active audio, multimedia audio, portable audio, car audio to TWS headphones, Wanderer has made good achievements.
Looking at the development law of the audio market, whether it is audio or headphones, the market high-speed growth outbreak period is only about 5 years, from the TWS headphones in 2016 the market outbreak so far, with more and more players to join, competition intensified, prices fell, inventory with each passing day, the market growth rate has tended to flatten.
However, the performance of the Bluetooth chip is still updating and iterating, the application scenarios of audio products are still expanding, and the market outbreak of what audio products will be ushered in in the future, we will wait and see, and the story of the wanderer is not yet finished!
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