Science journalist Gaya Vince's History of Human Evolution argues that one of the most important factors in human success is our ability to make fires and cook. Now it seems that this skill is actually constantly evolving. Especially after the birth of the modern kitchen, we have also experienced several rounds of kitchen productivity upgrades such as fire, gas, and electricity.
In fact, behind the transformation of kitchen tools, it actually reflects the evolution and upgrading of human civilization and needs. Today, the kitchen is not only used for cooking, it is also a place to enjoy life. The kitchen needs quality kitchenware and stoves to meet the needs of quality kitchenware and stoves, and the entire kitchen appliance market has also ushered in a new trend of development, and the industry is facing opportunities and challenges to move towards high-end.
First, behind the trend of high-end kitchen appliances:
Product insight capabilities with "people" as the core
From scratch, from less to more, from more to refined, the development of productivity promotes the upgrading of kitchen appliances.
Today, with the continuous development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the market trend of consumption upgrading, the kitchen appliance industry has ushered in a new transformation opportunity. For industry players, how to seize the current wave of industrial upgrading has become the key to development.
So what is the development trend of the kitchen appliance track? How should players step on the beat of industrial upgrading?
The success of kitchen appliances, brand, marketing, and channels are important, but in the final analysis, it lies in the core value of the product. There are countless popular "meteors", and brands that focus on product strength, design and function are more likely to gain the favor of the public and become real industrial "birthday stars".
In the past few years, there has been no shortage of popular innovations in the kitchen appliance industry. But in fact, there are two kinds of innovation, one is fast fashion, such as some Internet celebrity kitchen appliances that focus on marketing and appearance. There is also a "slow fashion" that truly leads the industry change, changes the life of the public kitchen, and caters to the development trend of the industry and the upgrading of mass consumption.
What is slow fashion? Intelligent machines replace functional machines, new energy replaces fuel vehicles, and gas stoves replace land pots, which is slow fashion, meets the development requirements of productivity and public demand, and belongs to the upgrading of the entire industry.
In this regard, the current kitchen appliance industry has actually evolved two relatively obvious evolutionary paths.
One is to take the product as a clue, and directly bring the public a different kitchen life experience with the upgrade of various high-end products. The basic attributes such as the function and appearance of these high-end kitchen appliances themselves are only to better serve users.
The other is to take space as a clue and start from the reality of Chinese family kitchen space to do functional integration. From the perspective of practicality, with the diversification of cooking needs and the increasingly small contradiction between the general small space of Chinese kitchens, the trend of diversification and integration of kitchen appliances is becoming more and more obvious, and integrated kitchen appliances have become a "must-answer question" for kitchen development.
At present, the leading players in the industry have realized the trend of industrial development. Taking Fangtai as an example, on the one hand, it independently develops multiple kitchen appliance categories from the product line, and makes efforts to high-end kitchen appliances from multiple dimensions. On the other hand, it took the lead in laying out the "new species" integrated cooking center, which also reflects the "scene wisdom" possessed by Fotai and also leads the new trend of the industry. Up to now, we have seen mainstream players of kitchen appliances follow Fangtai to join the integrated cooking center track, which once again shows that Fangtai has stepped on the beat of the development of the times.
There is a saying that innovation is divided into three levels, "looking at the mountain is a mountain", "looking at the mountain is not a mountain" and "looking at the mountain or a mountain".
In the author's opinion, the innovation of the kitchen appliance market also follows this logic, that is, in the end, the "mountain" must return to the "mountain", and product innovation must eventually return to the most essential value.
Looking back at the development of the kitchen appliance industry in the past period, it seems that there has been no shortage of eye-catching "Internet celebrity" products, but they cannot become the "main theme" after all. In the final analysis, this can only be a niche "marginal innovation" that does not touch the root of the industry.
Real industrial innovation still has to start from the most fundamental needs of "people", rather than relying on some short-term stimulus.
Take dishwashing as an example, in the kitchen, cooking is beautiful, but dishwashing is often not. As a dishwashing link that kitchen life must go through every day, how to make people more comfortable should be a problem that enterprises need to consider. The sink dishwasher created by Fangtai is aimed at the problems of cumbersome dishwashing and small space, as well as the hygiene and environmental protection of tableware, which is to solve the problem from the most essential needs and achieve experience upgrades.
Think what users think, anxious about what users are anxious about, this is the original intention of innovation to serve mankind, and it is also the essential requirement for the development of kitchen appliance brands.
Second, leverage the kitchen appliance market with high research and development:
Product power is the table, and the technical "moat" is inside
Innovation is the way to develop that never goes out of style.
Buffett's "moat" theory tells us that enterprises building unique technological leadership can form a competitive advantage in product functions and production costs, which will also be the key to standing out in the market competition.
Decades ago, overseas home appliances, especially Japanese home appliance brands, always grabbed the public's attention for the first time, leading the industrial innovation of the kitchen appliance market, and Japanese home appliances such as Sharp, Sanyo, Sony, Panasonic and other Japanese home appliances swept the world. In the final analysis, it is actually leading technology and huge patent resources that shape their core competitiveness.
In recent years, "imported products" have declined, and domestic brands have sprung up, which is actually due to the fact that some domestic home appliance companies are willing to bury their heads in independent innovation and integrate many scientific and technological elements, so that domestic products can lead the current wave of domestic home appliance consumption upgrading trend.
We all know that R&D is important, but it is easier said than done, and there are very few companies that are really willing to invest more and more stable investment in R&D in action. Of course, this is also easy to understand. After all, the barrier to entry for investment in technology itself is high. In terms of funding, investment in technology research and development is often a large number. R&D cycles are long, the timing of success is unpredictable, and sometimes it can contradict the immediate profitability of the company.
Therefore, companies that are willing to invest stably in R&D for many years are lonely and valuable. Therefore, all successful enterprises in the industry must first go through the research and development of hard work.
Taking Fangtai as an example, it is understood that Fangtai insists on investing at least 5% of sales revenue in R&D every year, which is much higher than the average R&D investment of 2% to 3% of home appliance companies. As of July 2023, Fotile has more than 11,000 domestic authorized patents, including more than 2,600 invention patents, and has the largest patent pool in the field of professional kitchen appliances. At the same time, the number of domestic patents in the tobacco stove consumer category of Fangtai has fully surpassed that of foreign brands.
In addition, Fangtai's R&D capabilities have also been certified by authoritative institutions, and it has undertaken national scientific research projects for many times, and is one of the few private enterprises leading the key R&D projects of the "13th Five-Year Plan". As the leader of the national range hood standardization working group, he has led the formulation of IEC international standards and national standards for range hoods, and has led the revision/formulation of more than 130 international and national standards for range hoods. Today's Fotile not only establishes standards for the development of the industry, but also strives for more say for China's kitchen appliance industry in the international market.
Authority is a convincing force. Authority, which can enhance people's trust and identification with certain information or things, can also influence people's behavior and decision-making.
From this dimension, so many authoritative endorsements have also made Fangtai's brand power in the minds of the public skyrocket. Especially today, when domestic products become the slogan of the times, this ability will be trusted by the public.
In the future, under the demonstration effect, the innovative ideas of the head brands will affect more and more domestic kitchen appliance enterprises. At the crossroads of the transformation and upgrading of the kitchen appliance industry, it is precisely where the opportunity for domestic kitchen appliance brands to overtake and lead the coquette is located.
Third, the cautious heart of the "climber":
The long-term philosophy of kitchen appliance companies
"Amazing Coach" Milou said: "Attitude determines everything", which also applies to the development of kitchen appliance enterprises.
As far as the current point of view, the current evolution trend of kitchen appliances is summarized in these aspects: First, high-end intelligence, liberating people with more and richer interactive methods. The second is to get rid of hypocrisy and pragmatism, and create "real needs" instead of Internet celebrity economic gimmicks. The third is to cater to the reality of Chinese family kitchens and is committed to the realization of "small area, multi-function". Fourth, in line with the characteristics of the era of "appearance is justice", good kitchen appliances must be products with high value.
Technology or appearance, at first glance it is a problem of ability, but from a long-term perspective, it is still a matter of truth-seeking and pragmatic attitude at the research and development level. Insight into the real needs and the actual situation of Chinese families requires enterprises to really observe and think patiently, and maintain a humble psychology, which is a problem of attitude towards enterprise development.
It can be seen that if domestic kitchen appliance companies want to step on the cycle and achieve long-term ism, they need an attitude and an attitude of "rock climbers".
Luo Zhenyu said in a New Year's Eve speech: "The process of climbing with bare hands is not to overcome difficulties, but to get used to difficulties. And for a brand, in order to achieve true long-termism, it must also learn to "climb with bare hands" and get used to "climbing with bare hands".
Looking back at business history, it seems inevitable that large companies in many fields will worry about them entering the "innovator dilemma". In fact, no matter what position you are in, you must always look in the direction from the perspective of a climber. When they reach a height, they set their sights on a new height, which is also the internal engine for enterprises to maintain their leading force and competitiveness for a long time.
Whether it is the homogenization of the industry for a while, the price war is not, and it is the way to realize long-term enterprise long-termism.
Returning to the kitchen appliance industry, there are more and more signs that the concentration of brands in the kitchen appliance industry is increasing, and the advantages of head brands such as Matthew Xiaotai will become more and more prominent. In the face of a new wave of kitchen appliance upgrading trends, what height will Chinese kitchen appliance brands grow to, let's wait and see!