Any policy is purposeful, with "12 years of free replacement machine" as a means, no matter from which point of view, it is beyond the general imagination. So can this really kick-start the market and bring back the prosperity of the market?
Wangbo Zhai Lord||Written by
There is never a shortage of topics in the air conditioning industry. At the beginning of 2024, many people in the industry said that the market was flat this year, lacking market hotspots and topics, and believed that this was the home appliance industry had no choice but to fall into calm after entering the stock development period.
As soon as the words landed, in the middle of the month, there was the first-class news of Philips air conditioner's "12-year free replacement machine", and it was also said to have created a precedent in the industry. So, in the end, the 12-year free replacement machine is the market speculation or the after-sales service of the air conditioner has really been subverted, and what is the logic, which is very worthy of the industry's thinking.
Phenomenal Nature:
Such news is indeed the best in the air conditioning industry. Think about it carefully, what is the concept of "12 years of free new machine"? It means that a user who buys a Philips air conditioner during the event can exchange for a new Philips air conditioner for free after 12 years of use.
If the quality assurance of Philips air conditioners can be used for 12 years, this user will make a lot of money, which is equivalent to buying an air conditioner that can be used for 24 years. Since it's so good for users, why question it? The reason is simple, it is against the laws of business.
The author thinks that in essence, this is just a hype of the merchants, not the marketing strategy of the Philips brand. Although XZF, an investor in Philips air conditioning, led 28 sales companies to participate, it is still not confirmed that it is the behavior of the Philips brand. There are two reasons for this:
First, this is only revealed in an article entitled "Philips Air Conditioner Creates a Precedent in the Industry, 12 Years of Free New Machine" issued by Beijing Feili Electric Appliances, and it cannot be found on the official website of Philips, nor does it have any news of the Philips brand. Then it can be regarded as the dealer's first move, and the second is that the time is very short. If it is a manufacturer's policy, only long-term implementation is a complete and continuous policy. And this launch of the 12-year replacement is only a limited period of more than 2 months from January 10 to March 31. It can be seen that this is just a first-class behavior carried out by merchants in the case that the market does not start and cannot sell goods, and it is by no means a long-term strategy of the brand. The implementation time is short, and it is impossible to change the direction of the air-conditioning after-sales policy.
Pros and cons:
On the bright side, first, it should be a peculiar market planning. The air-conditioning industry has entered a mature stage of development, and it is indeed difficult to dig out the best theme in the market, and many of the industry's best activities are similar, and it is difficult to have an unconventional breakthrough. And this 12-year refresh really shook the market and surprised many manufacturers;
Second, the users who participated in the purchase activity during the period were indeed the beneficiaries from a formal point of view. If the activity air conditioner is affordable, it is very cost-effective for users to participate in the activity to buy, after all, users have no worries, as long as there is a problem with the product, you can replace the new machine for free, and the potential benefits must be there.
Third, it can indeed have the best effect. Such an affordable policy can indeed stimulate some people's desire to buy, and play a role in attracting purchases and driving the start of the market when the market is flat.
Fourth, the long repair time reflects the excellent quality of the product. From the manufacturer's point of view, increasing the repair time to an unprecedented length is to show the market absolute confidence in the quality of their products. If there is no quality assurance, users will have problems within 12 years, wouldn't it be to drag the manufacturer to death. To dare to promise is to recognize that your product will not have problems in 12 years.
In terms of disadvantages, there are also several aspects, one of which is to draw a big pie for users. Now the dealers are out of a period of change, not to mention 12 years, 5 years later, some dealers are not in the problem. Promise 12 years of renewal, when the dealers are gone, who to find a new one, isn't it empty like?
On the other hand, give the user a dilemma. With the blessing of modern technology, the iteration cycle of air conditioners is very short, and some manufacturers iterate for new products in a year, which brings users a dilemma. During the user's use, seeing all kinds of new products on the market are frequent, is it to buy new products? Or are you waiting to enjoy the promised renewal?
There is another aspect, which is not good for industry innovation. Home appliances are an industry that promotes rapid iteration with technology, otherwise it will not be able to meet the upgrading of user needs. 12 years of free replacement, undoubtedly to encourage users to use a product to 10 years after the new one, then it means that the manufacturer's innovative products do not buy for the time being, which is contrary to the current technological progress, resulting in the shortening of the home appliance update cycle, it must be unfavorable to the manufacturer's innovation.
In addition, it is not conducive to boosting consumption. At present, the domestic economy has entered a period of internal circulation development, which requires residents to accelerate consumption. After the implementation of the 12-year free replacement policy, it will have a leading effect in the shortage, and in the long run, it will inhibit consumption, which will definitely be very unfavorable to promoting economic circulation.
Overall, the air conditioning industry is in a period of transition, the market is in a downturn, and it is understandable to take steps to kick-start the market. "12 years of free replacement machine" from the original intention, or the starting point is good, is to activate consumption, inventory market. However, from the above analysis, the pros and cons are mixed.
Professionals who have been engaged in the after-sales service of household appliances believe that based on the commitment to replace the machine under the premise of confidence in quality, the shortage may activate the market, but what will happen after the first period? Besides, is it a bit too hard to promise a 12-year free replacement? Will it backfire on the after-sales system of brand owners?
The industry has different views on this, both applauding and worrying! How, exactly? It's better to let the market test it!
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