New energy efficiency standards force home appliance companies to blow off price cuts

Recently, several major home appliances stores in Beijing, such as "The return of the difference, the color TV low price storm, the return of replacement protection" and other promotional slogans, continue to catch the eye.

This time, the merchants have made great efforts to discount products, and they are not unrelated to the imminent implementation of new energy efficiency standards. Five categories of household appliances such as air conditioners and flat-panel TVs will implement new energy efficiency standards from October 1, 2013, and the domestic appliance industry will face a significant product upgrade. According to the new standards, power consumption of flat-panel TVs, variable-frequency air conditioners, and washing machines will drop drastically, and the original three-level variable-frequency energy efficiency products will stop production.

Foreign brands collectively cut prices

When the new energy efficiency standard comes out, will the home appliance industry face changes? What are the major air-conditioning manufacturers and market distributors at all levels? In the face of the product line to be shut down, will household appliances companies be forced to set off a new wave of price cuts due to inventory pressure? With such doubts, the reporter went to the Suning Appliance store in the Madian and Gongzhufen area of ​​Beijing's North Third Ring Road. The two stores were separated from the Gome New Store Madian store and the newly reopened Dazhong Zhongta store. One hundred meters, although the number of consumers visiting the store under the scorching sun is not too much, but the enthusiasm of the business promotion can be described as in full swing. The entrances of several stores are full of slogans, giant billboards are visible everywhere, and there are plenty of promotional gifts for manufacturers. Each of them is in the dark.

The implementation of new energy efficiency standards will soon begin, and the sales efforts of various stores will focus on energy-saving products. The reporter found that the level 2 and level 3 energy-efficiency products are relatively more preferential, while the level 1 products are relatively free from inventory pressure due to better sales. Businesses will re-discount the small and medium-sized brands of the two energy-consuming products, the maximum discount of up to three. "This type of discount is unprecedented," said a store salesperson.

The National Standardization Management Committee recently announced that five types of household electrical appliances such as inverter air conditioners, flat panel TVs, washing machines, air-powered water heaters and range hoods will begin implementing new energy efficiency standards from October 1. The new energy efficiency standard for inverter air conditioners will be changed from the current Level 5 standard to Level 3. The currently classified energy efficiency levels of Class 1 and 2 will be reduced by 1 and they will be changed to Level 2 and Level 3 respectively, and a higher standard of Class 1 energy efficiency will be added.

The implementation of the new energy efficiency standards means that the original two-level variable-frequency energy efficiency products will be downgraded, and the old three-level variable-frequency energy efficiency products will not be allowed to be remanufactured and sold, and the existing products must be digested before October. The industry believes that there will be more than 30% of the frequency conversion of 3-stage air conditioning products on the market will not meet the standards, or will have 70% of the drum washing machine products delisting. The new energy standard will bring a fatal blow to some small and medium-sized brands.

In the air conditioner and drum washing machine products in the store, the reporter saw the whole body with dazzling promotional information. The relative price of the new flying refrigerator is relatively low, the price reduction range from 200 yuan to 800 yuan; Rong Sheng refrigerator price range is also ranging from 200 yuan to 1,100 yuan; Hisense a high-end refrigerator straight down 2,000 yuan; Sharp worth 20,000 yuan The large-screen color TV straight down 6,000 yuan. Grade 2 and 3 energy efficiency products have the largest discount.

In the increasingly fierce competition in the Chinese market, foreign brands can not resist the temptation to cut prices, have discounted. The reporter saw that a high-end Samsung, Matsushita refrigerator price cuts up to 7,000 yuan, almost no price cuts on weekdays, foreign brands Siemens, this time is also greatly reduced, refrigerator products mostly in about 85 fold.

A Samsung brand salesperson from Suning Store said: “At present, Samsung refrigerators are mainly promoting high-end products in the Chinese market. This year, Samsung changed its strategy at the expense of some profits, and seized the whitewash market share such as ice-washing with price advantage.”

“At present, Samsung and Siemens products of foreign brands basically meet the first-class energy efficiency standards, and some brands such as Panasonic and Electrolux have two-level and three-level energy efficiency standards. The difference is significant. The monthly sales of medium and high-end models are the highest. Single and home appliances domestic brands in addition to some strong brands have a strong reputation to occupy the major market share, small and medium-sized brands are also in the minority, and energy efficiency grade 3 or more products are mostly from small and medium brands.” Suning store sales manager told reporters.

The new standard will use the new logo
The reporter saw that energy-efficient products are labeled with energy efficiency labels on their bodies. This logo is in accordance with the new standard for air-conditioning energy efficiency grade GB12021.3-2010 released by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China on March 3, 2010, covering energy efficiency grades, power consumption, and volume.

For the new energy efficiency standard to be implemented on October 1, a head of the store in Gome told reporters: “The manufacturer has not given specific standards and notifications.” It revealed that “the new standard implemented on October 1st, the energy efficiency label of the product or Changes will occur. Previously sold products will also be sold in accordance with the original standard, but they may usher in a new wave of promotions in September until the stocks have been digested, and the online products will be reclassified after the implementation of the new standard. The promoters will explain the old and new standards to consumers."

“At present, some manufacturers are very eager to complete sales of old products that will not meet the new standards before October, resulting in greater operating pressure. The gross sales margin for these manufacturers will drop sharply within two months and profits will decline.” Home Appliance Industry Economic Observer Liang Zhenpeng said.

Ren Minqi, a researcher in the home appliance industry of China Investment Advisors, believes that home appliance manufacturers want to quickly eliminate previous inventory before implementing a new energy standard, causing household appliances to set off price cuts. After the implementation of the new energy standard, if the manufacturer still has not cleared the inventory that can not meet the standard under the new energy standard, it will face greater inventory pressure, and there will be a surge in inventory in the annual report.

Although the manufacturers in advance to prepare for <br> <br> in business inventory liquidation process, directly stimulate the emergence of a new round of price surges. However, it is understood that the current mainstream home appliance brand manufacturers face pressure on inventory is not large. In an interview with the reporter, several responsible persons for home appliance brands said that the new energy efficiency standards have little effect on business performance, and there will be no greater inventory pressure in the short term.

A Haier management team official stated that before the introduction of the national policy, non-compliance products will be cleaned up, but this proportion is very small. "The company has successively upgraded its products that meet the new standards."

Wu Wenxin, president of Midea Home Air Conditioning Division, told the reporter: “The new energy efficiency standards provide a more comprehensive assessment of the overall energy efficiency of air conditioners. At the same time, they significantly increase access barriers and will introduce products that meet the new standards at the fastest speeds. Production and preparations have now been completed. ”

It is understood that as a result of the continuous implementation of home appliance policies in recent years, companies have learned lessons from high inventory, adjusted ahead of schedule, and controlled production within a certain range.

Changhong Air Conditioning Department official told reporters: "Since last year, the company's newly listed energy efficiency indicators must not only strictly meet the relevant national standards but also exceed the national standards. After the implementation of the new energy efficiency standards, there will be no pressure on the company's products. Big."

“At present, major home appliance manufacturers such as Midea, Gree, and Samsung have all adopted order-based sales. After acquiring ordering information in physical stores or e-commerce platforms, Gome supplies its products directly from manufacturers through its own logistics.” Gome said the above-mentioned sources said that orders Sales allow it to avoid the existence of the phenomenon of product accumulation. “The sales volume of hot-selling goods is large, and the number of manufacturers has gradually decreased, resulting in relatively insufficient output. In the summer, even the hot-selling branded products are in short supply.”

It is understood that at present, all chain companies and home appliance manufacturers have not yet received the new energy efficiency standards of the logo and instructions, but manufacturers have made some preparations and changes for the new energy efficiency standards, high energy efficiency, energy, new Internet of things constantly updated and launched, In August, home appliances companies such as Midea and Changhong all had a new batch of products to be listed.