The epidemic has spread in many places, and the real economy has borne the brunt of the impact. As many provinces and cities in China have successively increased the intensity of epidemic prevention and control, the performance of major logistics companies has declined significantly, and then online enterprises have also begun to be implicated.
Looking at the market, most brands are worrying about "steady growth" and plan to tide over adversity by tightening their budgets. But I found that there is such an "unusual" home appliance brand company, that is, Panasonic. Not only did it not indent the brand strategy, but instead of playing according to the routine, it directly sold the washing machine to the price of the Hermès bag.
On March 9, Panasonic Washing Machine launched the ALPHA series of laundry robot all-in-one machines, including single-wash G1M, drying care G1, and smart care flagship G1S, of which the main sales model G1 card is 19998 yuan, and the G1S is directly locked 34998 yuan as the flagship model.
So, why does Panasonic washing machine dare to price it like this? Are consumers willing to pay for it?
In 2021, luxury car manufacturer BMW Group earned 12.463 billion euros, and its net profit increased by 223.1% year-on-year, setting a new historical record.
Let's look at the macro data of the National Bureau of Statistics. In 2021, the per capita disposable income of mainland residents reached 35,128 yuan, an increase of 9.1% over the previous year; Per capita consumption expenditure was 24,100 yuan, an increase of 13.6% over the previous year, exceeding the GDP growth rate.
It can be seen that although the environment is in a weak market, those brands that dare to go off the ordinary path can still play an extraordinary role in adversity. According to AVC offline drum monitoring data, in 2021, the sales of washing machine products below 5,000 yuan declined, the sales of high-end products above 20,000 yuan increased, and the sales of products above 2W+ increased the most, up 312% over 2019 sales.
From 2016 to 2021, the sales amount of duplex drum washing machines representing high-end products rose from 181 million to 1.106 billion, and this growth curve rose rapidly from 2019, when the epidemic began; From 2019 to 2021, the market share of duplex washing machines at 2W+ prices increased from 83% to 93%, while the market share of 1W-2W price points decreased from 44% to 42%.
These data and the upward and downward curves represent trends – in this stock market, consumer demand based on advanced enjoyment is rising rapidly. If the brand can accurately grasp the market demand, it can also achieve amazing results.
02 With or without, Panasonic's choice
It can be said that Panasonic directly locked the peak price of the washing machine industry, what is the origin of this duplex washing machine with a price of 34998 yuan, and what kind of calculation does Panasonic play?
Let's start by reviewing the history of duplex washing machines.
In 2009, the first duplex washing machine was launched in response to the classification washing needs of high-end users. In this year, the average GDP of Chinese reached 26,200 yuan, and the per capita disposable income of urban residents was 17,175 yuan.
Do I need to buy two washing machines for the washing of mother and baby clothes? Duplex washing machine was originally aimed at families with babies at home, in order to prevent cross-infection, and did not want to wash by hand, so is it worth spending ten thousand yuan to buy a washing machine? Some say it's paying the IQ tax.
In 2012, China News Network issued a message that "Tianjin's monthly sister-in-law's salary has risen 3 times in 6 years, and citizens say that they are all troubled by Comparison". It is said that it is a comparison, but the confinement sister-in-law has become a "confinement necessity", because the consumption mentality has changed: if you have the conditions to spend this money, why not enjoy it?
The same is true of the popularity of duplex washing machines. After that, LG, Beverly, Haier, Hisense, TCL and other brands joined the camp of duplex washing machines.
But Panasonic, an old player in the washing machine, did not follow up. Panasonic, wanted to go the other way.
From here, we can see that Panasonic's pricing strategy aims to redefine washing machine products, which is a new expression of the perception of the Chinese consumer market as a senior brand in the industry.
In Panasonic's view, the development process of the entire duplex washing has been changing in the arrangement and combination of the three keywords of "drum, wave wheel, and drying", and has not jumped out of the traditional washing mode, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious, and there is no revolutionary change in technology.
At this time, a stronger consumer force is accumulating, rooted in the changes in The wardrobe of Chinese families.
Thousands of high-end shirts, cashmere coats, mink coats, lace clothes, dresses for specific occasions, private custom models from independent designers... There are more and more of these "luxury" clothes, and their daily washing and care has become a big problem.
Consumers have plenty of pain points, but do they have a full desire to buy a high-end washing machine?
According to the information reported by Hurun Wealth, from 2017 to 2020, the number of wealthy families in China continued to rise, and in 2020, the number of households with assets of more than 6 million exceeded 5 million, and the number of households with assets exceeding 10 million exceeded 2 million.
For such wealthy families, they are not price sensitive, they only care, can you meet my needs?
This part of the high standard, high requirements of the user, is the Panasonic delineation of the market segment target.
03 Luxury clothes deserve "customized washing"
In recent years, luxury consumption has gradually developed into a strong reserve with a demonstration effect in the mainland, and the international luxury market has weakened after the financial crisis. However, in the Chinese market, there has been a wave of barbaric growth, and the penetration rate of luxury consumption has increased year by year, and it has shown a trend of rejuvenation.
Panasonic keenly believes that the washing and care of "luxury" clothes will be a larger stock upgrade market than the original design of duplex washing machines for families with babies.
In 2019, duplex washing machines came out, focusing on the concept of "partition washing" product use. In 2022, G1S advocates the realization of the exclusive customized washing and care of each luxury clothing - "the law of two eight luxury protection".
20% high-end materials, big-name customization, high-end underwear, easy to wear and tear delicate clothing, including underwear, baby clothes, washed with bionic hands, luxury fabrics such as cashmere sweaters and silk can achieve the effect of non-destructive washing; 80% of daily luxury clothes, such as cotton T-shirts, jeans, fashion sportswear, etc., large-capacity machine wash is completed.
So, what kind of new technology is the G1S? How does it achieve "customized laundry" for delicate luxury clothes?
Luxury clothing washing is a technical work that desperately requires professional knowledge, at this time, an exclusive washing consultant is very necessary, 7-inch LCD smart screen plays this role, through the mobile phone APP in the cloud interaction, this "private consultant" can not only do professional guidance, but also like a housekeeper to give you a new life reminder. The whole process of private service, a full set of intelligent output, and the "service awareness" in a washing machine reflect a big step in the evolution of luxury washing!
At the same time, as a unique secret trick of Panasonic laundry robot - bionic soft pressure hand washing technology. The imitation air bag simulates the gentle scrub of real hands. At the same time, the sensitive barometric pressure sensor acts like a clever brain that intelligently regulates the "massage" intensity. It is quiet when washing, unlike the wave wheel or drum washing machine tumbling back and forth, wrestling; Dehydration adopts vacuum extraction technology, which avoids the entanglement of clothes through static dehydration, so that the clothes are wear-free and deformed, and the washing liquid is not left.
In addition, in the design of materials and details, it is also "pampered". The extrusion film material is made of natural rubber, which is resistant to oxidation and corrosion, and is softer to press; The inner tank is made of integrated stainless steel, this "zero gully" no-wash inner cylinder, leaves no dirt and avoids the deformation of the clothing hook. After evaluation, G1S is the only product in the industry that is comprehensively washed and covered: down jackets, cashmere coats, mink jackets and other daily luxury clothes, washed with differentiated care; Chiffon, silk, cashmere sweaters, high-end shirts and other big-name delicate clothes, washed with fine bionic hands; Underwear and baby clothes can be washed separately. In a washing machine, the luxury department, health washing, nursing washing, and differentiated department are integrated into one, and the exclusive customized care of different types of luxury clothes is truly achieved.
It is worth mentioning that the appearance of G1S also reflects the ingenuity, pressing on the open lid type of "magic box appearance", inspired by Porsche design, minimalist shape, exquisite fashion. In addition, the simple space, there is a large capacity, G1S can wash 12 kilograms, bake 7 kilograms of clothing, comparable to the sports car's shock absorption system so that it can effectively filter the vibration when working at high speed, keep calm and quiet. There is also such a caring and practical design as "baby warm clothes", which can reach 55 ° C that makes the baby feel comfortable in 15 minutes.
04 A healthy way of life for families, starting with daily washing
Under the epidemic, consumers' emphasis on health has increased to an unprecedented height. The Panasonic washing machine has become the existence of the most understanding of consumer needs, using G1S to achieve "double protection" with black technology to ensure the cleanliness of each piece of clothing.
The ALPHA series laundry robot G1S, which was launched in March, combines Nanoi waterless garment technology to split the water in the air into nano-sized particles through high-pressure electricity, penetrate into clothing fibers for deep care, deodorize and sterilize hypoallergenic; Silver ion photodynamic silver double sterilization, to achieve room temperature washing, efficient double sterilization. At the same time, the automatic delivery of washing dose through the algorithm can ensure adequate washing; During rinsing, the inner cylinder self-cleaning system greatly increases the water flow rate, flushes the cylinder wall at high speed, and washes away the dirt attached to it, reducing secondary pollution.
It is understood that before the official advent of this laundry robot all-in-one machine, after more than 200 Chinese and Japanese engineers, experienced more than 10,000 experiments, condensed 31 world patented technologies, and formulated a new group standard for laundry robots, so it is also known as the "fourth revolution in laundry methods".
Perhaps, this is where Panasonic's strength lies. In China, the world's largest single market, consumers' pursuit of quality and personalization is on the rise. With the rise of The Z-Era, a new generation of consumers has become more aware of their economic independence. What they crave is not only the freedom of unrestrained consumption, but also the enjoyment of the material upgrading experience of consuming high-end products.
In China, Gen Z spends rmb4 trillion, accounting for about 13% of the country's total household expenditure. The word "pleasing oneself" is the main tone of their consumption, and the proportion of price in consumption decisions is actually not very high. From this point of view, the Panasonic laundry robot, which has been "fiercely materialed" in terms of quality and function, fully meets the needs of a new generation of consumer groups. Panasonic's "big move" also seems to have been carefully laid out, and its confidence comes from accurate insight into China's future market demand.