"The Chasing Phenomenon: New Reflections for the Home Appliance Industry"

At AWE held in March this year, Dreame was undoubtedly one of the biggest winners on site: the 800-square-meter exhibition area was packed with spectators, while long lines formed outside. This leading cleaning appliance company, known for its robotic vacuum cleaners and vacuum cleaners, suddenly ramped up its efforts and boldly ventured into the already mature categories of air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, and kitchen appliances. The new products showcased on site were described by attendees as "exciting and imaginative." The heads of various categories took turns answering media inquiries in the press area, and brand information was frequently released before and after the exhibition, leading to a surge of "Dreame fever."

What kind of confidence does the fully powered追觅 have behind it, what considerations do they have for the future, and what reflections will it bring to the home appliance industry?

Underlying Logic and Technical Compounding

It is well known that, as a mature category of home appliances, the competition for both air conditioning and refrigeration/washing products has become extremely fierce. Even the kitchen appliances, which are regarded as the last high-profit territory in the home appliance industry, have faced a downturn in recent years. This objective reality has put existing competitors under significant pressure, while new entrants face even greater challenges.

"Not concerned about competition, only focused on users," said a representative from ZhuiMi, who found a breakthrough point through their products. The X-Wind air conditioner, equipped with dual robotic arm technology, the Z-Wind all-embedded integrated air conditioner, the Z-Fresh series refrigerator utilizing ECO ultra-low oxygen preservation technology, the dishwasher with bionic eagle wing probing wash technology featuring dual DD direct drive (maglev direct drive motor), and the range hood that breaks the paradox of suction power and noise, all bring fresh energy to the industry.

"We do not rely on research companies; instead, we go directly to the users and co-create with them," said Li Zhengliang, the person in charge and chief product manager of ChaseMe Air Conditioner. "Only by deeply engaging with users can we discover the more real pain points."

"In our research, we found that some users think it's ugly to place the indoor unit of the air conditioner outside, while others feel that the airflow is uneven. 'Since refrigerators and kitchen appliances can be built-in, why can't air conditioners?' 'Why is the airflow of air conditioners limited to horizontal and vertical deflectors? Why can't we define airflow based on the freedom of the wind?'"

Under this innovative concept, the natural wind air conditioner X-Wind uses the pioneering wide-angle wind manipulation mechanical arm technology to achieve collaborative operation with dual mechanical arms, increasing the airflow area by 6.6 times compared to traditional air conditioners, while allowing the left and right air outlets to operate independently in different zones. Another model, the Z-Wind all-embedded integrated air conditioner, utilizes the self-developed 聚风 (Gathering Wind) main unit and a three-level uniform air distribution duct to directly bring outdoor natural wind indoors, ensuring that the indoor unit is ultra-thin and fully embedded, truly achieving 100% home integration.

The Z-Fresh refrigerator is no exception. With ECO ultra-low oxygen preservation technology, Z-Fresh can precisely control oxygen concentration and temperature, extending the freshness period of ingredients. At the same time, the AI nutrition management system addresses the current demands of users' fast-paced lifestyles and health management needs with features such as personalized healthy recipe creation, intelligent temperature control, and remote operation.

In the home laundry scene, Zhaimi discovered that traditional belt-driven dryers are noisy. Zhaimi's direct drive technology eliminates the belt design, fundamentally reducing noise. Coupled with a shock absorption system, it operates extremely quietly. The motor is directly connected to the drum, freeing up more internal space and creating conditions for upgrading the heat exchange system, thus revolutionizing the dryer usage experience.

In recent years, the kitchen scene has become a center that may rival the living room, and ZHUIMI has many highlights. The cleaning effectiveness of dishwashers is a core concern for users. ZHUIMI's patented bionic eagle wing probing washing technology and deformable spray arms work together with temperature variations, spray angle changes, and turbidity sensors to achieve the best cleaning results. To address the dilemma between the suction and discharge performance of range hoods and noise levels, ZHUIMI employs bionic fluid noise reduction technology with a shell pattern. Under a wind volume of 30m³/min and a wind pressure of 1200Pa, the product operates at a noise level of only 53db.

As Wang Jiangbin, the global head of Pursuit Kitchen Appliances, said, "There are many core pain points in kitchen appliances that have not been addressed. Whoever can provide a better solution has the opportunity." "In this sense, it's not just kitchen appliances; the same applies to categories like refrigerators and air conditioners."

According to Li Zhengliang, the head and chief product manager of Zhui Mi Air Conditioning, the underlying logic of focusing on users and technological innovation is key to Zhui Mi identifying market opportunities in mature categories and building competitive advantages. At the same time, the technological compounding formed by Zhui Mi Technology in the field of cleaning appliances naturally extends to the research and innovation of new categories. For example, core technologies such as high-speed digital motors, intelligent algorithms, fluid mechanics, and AI visual interaction can all find “shadows” in new fields—AI vision and path algorithms in robotic vacuum cleaners can empower the spraying system of dishwashers; high-speed digital motors provide solutions to the dilemma of airflow and noise in range hoods; fluid mechanics experience from hair dryers can be applied to the intelligent circulation wind system of steam ovens; the miniaturization of motors is relevant to air conditioning robotic arms and embedded air conditioners, among others.

By深入用户 and co-creating with them; breaking traditional thinking, leveraging cross-border technological compounding, Chasing is bringing a different atmosphere to the home appliance industry and opening up new spaces for upward growth in the sector.

Break the path dependence

In the cleaning appliance industry, where online sales account for over 85%, Chasing, founded in 2017, has undoubtedly become the "most qualified" enterprise to form path dependence as it rapidly advanced to a leading brand within this channel system.

However, it is clear that Zhuimi is not like this. Breaking all constraints of thought and path dependence, focusing on the user and respecting the experiential characteristics of large home appliances and kitchen appliances, providing users with the most convenient and direct access channels is the core of Zhuimi's channel development. Zhou Yang, the head of Zhuimi's refrigerator BU, told the author, "In the future, when we promote our channels, we will advance both online and offline simultaneously, creating a sales network centered around the user. Online, we will utilize traditional e-commerce brands, influencer platforms, and user operation to drive growth; offline, we will enter mainstream channels and establish our own channels. This will provide users with more touchpoints to experience Zhuimi's large home appliance products."

At the same time, as a newcomer, Zhaomi focuses on "not competing on price, but providing innovative solutions to users' difficult problems." Li Zhengliang, the head of Zhaomi Air Conditioning and chief product manager, clearly stated, "We do not care who is leading or who has the advantage; we only care about users and technology." In Zhaomi's view, by thoroughly understanding users and technology, everything will naturally fall into place.

The brand strategy of positioning in the mid-to-high-end market also demonstrates Dazhong's determination to refuse to "engage in price competition" in the new market. This time, several responsible persons from Dazhong's kitchen appliances, air conditioning, and refrigeration sectors unanimously expressed, "We aim to learn from excellent leaders in new industries while continuing to uphold Dazhong's consistent geek spirit and break through the technical barriers." Peng Chongkui, the marketing head of Dazhong's kitchen appliances in China, clearly stated, "We are not aiming to seize market share from our 'predecessors' but to provide new user value through technological innovation." He emphasized, "Our current positioning is geared towards young people, and we hope that interesting and interactive marketing concepts can be integrated into consumers' minds."

"Born without boundaries"

In fact, on the day before the opening of AWE (March 19), Dreame Technology held a global product ecosystem launch conference themed "Born Without Boundaries," introducing a total of eleven new products across six categories, including robotic vacuum cleaners, floor washers, air purifiers, vacuum cleaners, high-speed hair dryers, and window cleaning robots.

At the press conference, Duzhimi Technology officially announced the Duzhimi Ecological Family and declared that Duzhimi will officially become a boundaryless ecological enterprise. It will continuously build four major "boundaryless architectures": technology without boundaries, scenarios without boundaries, quality without boundaries, and civilization without boundaries. This aims to accelerate the transition from a diverse range of smart hardware to a comprehensive ecological strategy for smart living solutions across all scenarios, allowing every household to transcend categories and navigate scenarios, thereby enjoying an intelligent life of "born without boundaries."

Breaking down barriers and redefining the relationship between people and home, as well as home appliances, through technological innovation to provide users with a healthy and comfortable life is the most prominent strategic goal of ZhiMi. Behind this is ZhiMi's direct engagement with users, leveraging geek innovation and technological compounding to extend scenarios and drive the entire industry chain for ecological co-construction.

What drives all of this is ZhiMi's commitment to making technological innovation its core focus. Data shows that by the end of 2024, ZhiMi had filed a total of 6,379 patents, with over 60% of its workforce dedicated to research and development, and an R&D investment intensity of 7%. These two figures are respectively twice and 1.5 times higher than those of industry benchmark companies in the cleaning appliance sector.

In recent years, the home appliance industry has shown significant characteristics of stock, with insufficient new demand. At the same time, there are objective realities such as technological homogenization in products, formulaic innovation, and the ineffective youth-oriented strategies of some brands. This latest "Chasing the Heat" phenomenon has brought new reflections to the industry.