"Few mass consumer goods can achieve such a high gross profit of electric toothbrushes." The ex-factory price of electric toothbrushes on the market is only about 170 yuan; If the price is around 300 yuan, the cost may be within 100 yuan.
"There are more than 200 domestic brands, and their production and supply are almost entirely dependent on more than 20 foundries. How much difference can there be in quality? "
20 18 An electric toothbrush booth at the 37th Beijing International Gifts, Gifts and Household Articles Exhibition. Electric toothbrush has become a new capital outlet. (vision china/map)
(This article first appeared in Southern Weekend in June 19, 20 13)
Since March 20 19, every time Weibo is opened, Lin Xin (pseudonym), a Shanghai white-collar worker, has a fear of being dominated by advertisements for electric toothbrushes.
Whether it is a travel blogger who cares about the world, a current affairs blogger who points out the country, or even a big V with intellectual light, they will eventually meet under the advertisement of electric toothbrush, and even Han Han's dog has "received" the advertisement.
"If you are a big V from the media and haven't received an advertisement for an electric toothbrush, it means that you haven't done enough." In an article entitled "No big V can escape the electric toothbrush", Internet information blogger Lu quipped. He revealed that not long after the article was published, more than a dozen manufacturers came to the door to "seek cooperation."
Insiders recalled that in the last year or two, hundreds of electric toothbrush brands suddenly appeared on the market. China Household Electrical Appliances Association has made statistics. At present, there are 424 brands on JD.COM platform alone.
Respondents said that as far as the electric toothbrush industry is concerned, it sprouted in 20 12 years, became a new hotspot of mainstream e-commerce platform in 20 16 years, and entered a high-speed development at the end of 20 18. China Household Electrical Appliances Association replied to Southern Weekend reporter that in 20 17 and 20 18, the domestic sales of electric toothbrushes reached 3.2 billion yuan and 4.8 billion yuan respectively, up 70% and 50% year-on-year.
Such a huge industry has unknown secrets. Cheng Tuo, a partner of the lifestyle vertical e-commerce brand "Speed Black Market", told Southern Weekend reporter that the production and supply of hundreds of domestic electric toothbrush brands are mainly concentrated in the hands of more than 20 foundries. "Most just change the brand. In fact, things are similar, the marketing team is better and the price is higher. "
"Network marketing, the whole industry is crazy about electric toothbrushes. Is this the result we want? " After reading the wave of "whole network big V sells toothbrushes", Cheng Tuo reflected.
After careful observation of the industry, Lin Xin thinks that he has found the similarity of domestic electric toothbrush marketing-"I like to play hardball on KOL". It's hard for you to find soft articles in traditional media or search engines, but the promotion of electric toothbrushes can be seen everywhere on platforms with a large number of fans, such as Weibo, Little Red Book, Bili Bili and Tik Tok.
From 2065438 to March 2009, the "Three People in Five Mountains" with nearly three million fans in Weibo also received an advertisement invitation. Afterwards, he exposed the story in Weibo: the brand asked to write a story about himself and his teeth. The "five mountains scattered people" was a little surprised: "My teeth never make trouble. Why not just say that selling electric toothbrushes is over? " It didn't work. I have to tell a story.
Results "The staff of the brand spoke very loudly", and according to this, Weibo said that his teeth were not very white when he was a child because he had taken tetracycline drugs. The electric toothbrush has been used for 3 months, and the stains are much cleaner and the teeth are a little whiter.
Chen Maohui, CEO of Mengyajia electric toothbrush, is not shy, claiming that Mengyajia is the most advertised brand in Weibo. 20 15 transforming from an education and training company to an electric toothbrush. The company also asked dentists to publicize it early, but ordinary consumers simply couldn't understand those professional words.
At the end of 20 18, Chen Maohui decided to adjust the communication strategy and launch Weibo Big V. He said that the company rarely launched beauty bloggers and tended to choose "highly educated and credible".
The general routine is that the big V people introduce their personal stories, then link them with dental health, and finally end up with coupons. "We communicate with users in the mode of' friends' and' readers'." He told Southern Weekend reporter.
After more than 600 Weibo V's were launched, the effect was immediate. "In the first half of 20 19, our turnover is expected to reach the sum of the previous three years." Chen Maohui insists that Meng Yajia is essentially an education company, which uses electric toothbrushes as the carrier to popularize oral care knowledge.
"This marketing method is very smart, which is equivalent to spending tens of dollars to get a user." Evaluation of an electric toothbrush entrepreneur. Click on the coupon link shared by bloggers in the comment area, and the page will jump to Tmall flagship store. Brands settle accounts with each blog according to the mainstream number.
A popular science blogger who has received an invitation from Amon told Southern Weekend reporter that bloggers can get a one-time reward ranging from thousands to tens of thousands, or a commission of tens of yuan per order.
From a national perspective, most people who buy electric toothbrushes are young people and women. The "KOL Grass Culture" on the online platform has become an important channel for young users to obtain information and decide to buy.
Usmile, an emerging brand of electric toothbrush, focuses on little red books and beeps, sharing the secrets of little white teeth with stars, and it is a strong "Amway" product. At the same time, all kinds of comments from amateurs and "planting grass and demining" make marketing look less "overexert". Even Guangdong Luoman Intelligent, a rare listed company in the electric toothbrush industry, joined in and captured a large group of fans on Little Red Book.
However, the overwhelming promotion of various brands also disgusted some consumers. Lin Xin spit, quite like a child's brain platinum advertisement "magic brainwashing".
"I want you to study hard every day, and you will feel bored." Chen Maohui doesn't care about this. "I never said how awesome my product is, just let you brush your teeth. What's wrong? "
Many people think that electric toothbrush is a new thing that has only appeared in recent ten years. In fact, the electric toothbrush was born shortly after the traditional toothbrush became popular all over the world.
1954, a Swiss doctor invented the electric toothbrush, which was originally used for the disabled who could not take care of themselves. It consists of a power supply, a motor and a brush head. Through the rapid rotation or vibration of the electric movement, the brush head vibrates at high frequency, and the toothpaste is decomposed into fine foam to clean the teeth.
It was not until about 20 12 that the electric toothbrush was recognized by the white-collar workers in the first-and second-tier cities in China by the spring breeze of the Internet. Hundreds of foreign brands have become synonymous with luxury and high-quality life. But for most consumers, electric toothbrushes are not even "dispensable", but "unnecessary".
What really makes the electric toothbrush fire is the e-commerce platform. In 20 18, tmall sold120,000 electric toothbrushes within one hour on the day of "Double Eleven".
According to the statistics of Nielsen, a well-known market research company, the domestic market share of electric toothbrushes is only about 5% in 20 15 years. In the United States and Japan, the figures are 42% and 40% respectively. The attributes of just-needed and consumables highlight the huge market potential of the industry.
After the electric toothbrush turned into an online celebrity, capital also poured in quickly. Domestic brands such as Guangdong Roman Intelligent Technology and Ningbo Bayer have entered the market one after another; Xiaomi, who started as a mobile phone, has successively launched many brands of different grades, such as Mijia, Sushi, Oclean and Doctor Bei. Netease YEATION's cumulative sales of electric toothbrushes have exceeded one million.
But Cheng Tuo and people in the industry know that the electric toothbrush is not as good as the product itself, but because of information asymmetry. "Under the premise of highly symmetrical information, almost no mass consumer goods can achieve such a high gross profit of electric toothbrushes." According to an industry insider, the ex-factory price of electric toothbrushes on the market is only about 170 yuan; The cost of an electric toothbrush, which costs around 300 yuan, may be less than 100 yuan.
On an e-commerce platform that focuses on purchasing and wholesale, Southern Weekend reporter saw the agent price list of a brand of electric toothbrushes: 1000 sets or less in 40 yuan, and 1000 sets or more in 35 yuan. On Taobao, the retail price of the same paragraph is 178 yuan.
On the one hand, it is driven by high profits; On the other hand, it is the market demand brought by the composition of "network celebrities". Chen Maohui said that the industry has now entered a "barbaric growth period": "The players are very mixed, and everyone wants to get involved. In two or three months to six months, a brand will appear. "
When choosing an electric toothbrush for home, Lin Xin made a choice. Don't say that the quality is hard to distinguish, and you don't even know which parameter to look at.
The price of high-end products is more than 1000 yuan, and it is equipped with various brushing modes such as cleaning, whitening and deep cleaning. You can also connect to the App to track the brush intensity and remind you of the blind spots that have not been brushed; On some e-commerce platforms with sinking traffic, the price is as low as "terror"-less than 100 yuan, and four brush heads are also presented.
Cheng Tuo told Southern Weekend reporter that there are indeed differences in bristle materials, motor power and production technology of electric toothbrushes at different prices, especially for products below 100 yuan, the parts and technology are relatively rough. "There are more than 200 domestic brands, and their production and supply are almost entirely dependent on more than 20 foundries. How much difference can there be in quality? "
His company has many product categories, such as facial cleanser and latex pillows. The purpose of entering the electric toothbrush is to "expand the product category and play by the way". After the Spring Festival of 20 19, Cheng Tuo and his partners planned to push a "high-end" electric toothbrush, and it took a lot of effort to find a suitable foundry. "After screening for a long time, I collected more than a dozen samples alone."
"foundries generally lack the motivation for research and development." Chen Maohui said. Some foundries originally did not produce electric toothbrushes, but were transformed from small household appliance manufacturers such as facial cleanser and shaver. Meng Yajia's products were first produced in a factory in Ningbo, but the cooperation was "particularly tired" and finally she changed to a supplier in Shenzhen.
Most foundries of electric toothbrushes are concentrated in Shenzhen. Manufacturers provide technology and OEMs provide solutions. "Some brands will make requests, we will develop and produce as required, and some just change the logo." Du Yuhang, a salesman of a foundry in Shenzhen, told Southern Weekend reporter. The boss of the factory where he works is a foundry. He has technology and has always wanted to transform into his own brand, but he can't promote marketing and his products can't be sold.
Electric toothbrush belongs to the beauty and health care category of small household appliances and has manufacturing properties. But in Du Yuhang's view, most domestic brands are more like Internet marketing companies.
At present, the common electric toothbrushes on the market can be divided into rotary type and sonic type according to their working principles. The former is represented by Oral B, while the latter is represented by Philips. According to Taobao's data, from 20 15 to 20 17, Oral B and Philips always occupy the top two, accounting for nearly half of the domestic market.
After doing a wave of market research, Du Yuhang found that the appearance of domestic electric toothbrushes is similar, and it can't be distinguished by changing the logo, and some even directly imitate the appearance of Philips. High-end products with core technological innovation are scarce, and low-end products with cost-effective advantages are even more mixed.
Since the homogenization of products is serious, why can we get such a high premium? The answer lies in the marketing link.
When choosing an electric toothbrush, frequency is one of the key indicators. Many brands claim that "the vibration frequency reaches 3 1000 times/minute", but the higher the frequency, the better the cleaning effect.
"Torque and amplitude are the most important hidden parameters." Cheng Tuo explained that once the toothbrush touches the teeth and feels the pressure transmitted by the hand, its vibration frequency will decrease accordingly. The electric toothbrush with large torque can overcome the influence of external force on the hand and continue to maintain the set effective range. Otherwise, the amplitude will be greatly attenuated and the cleaning effect will be greatly reduced.
Almost all brands of electric toothbrushes claim to be "DuPont bristles". However, Su Jianhong, the founder and dentist of Beijing Qidian Dental Clinic, explained to Southern Weekend reporter that DuPont bristles are not uncommon, "the key is to see the polishing rate of bristles".
The sharp corners and burrs of non-polishing brush hair can damage teeth. According to GB 19342-20 13 "Toothbrush" national standard, the cross section at the top of bristles should be free of sharp corners and burrs. However, this standard does not apply to electric toothbrushes.
The key indicators such as amplitude, torque and grinding rate are rarely expressed by the brand in the product introduction. Southern Weekend reporter consulted the online customer service of several brands as consumers, and the other party said that they had never heard of it.
Two months ago, Song Shen, the chief physician of the Department of Dentistry and Endodontics of Peking University Stomatological Hospital, also received a private letter from a brand inviting cooperation. He didn't answer. "As a dentist, I don't want to represent any oral care products."
There are always patients who ask him: which is better, electric toothbrush or manual toothbrush? His view is that if the brushing method is correct, there is not much difference between the cleaning effects of the two. The electric toothbrush can cooperate with the mobile App to manage the brushing behavior, and can be superimposed with more functions to analyze and monitor oral health, with high brushing efficiency, "but only if the brushing method is correct." He told Southern Weekend reporter.
The internationally recognized standard brushing method is the Pap brushing method recommended by the American Dental Association-the bristles point to the vicinity of the gums at a 45-degree angle and vibrate horizontally in the front and back direction for a short distance for 4-5 times. When vibrating, the toothbrush only moves about 1 mm, and brushing 2-3 teeth at a time can effectively remove the plaque near the gingival margin and in the gingival sulcus.
Su Jianhong also agrees with this view. If you want to control dental plaque in your mouth and keep your gums healthy, it is not enough to rely solely on electric toothbrushes. You must floss your teeth. "Today's manufacturers intentionally or unintentionally exaggerate the role of toothbrushes and toothpaste."
More and more enterprises have entered the market, but the targeted standards for electric toothbrushes have been missing. Product performance indicators are not uniform, and there is a lack of standardized and consistent testing methods, which brings hidden dangers to the healthy development of the industry.
Supporting policies have been followed up. 2065438+At the end of March, 2009, China Household Electrical Appliances Association held a meeting to draft standards for electric toothbrushes. The association replied to the Southern Weekend reporter that the standard should clearly describe the definition of electric toothbrushes, and also standardize the performance and safety of electric toothbrushes. "The relevant units involved in the formulation of standards have completed the first draft of standards and are soliciting opinions. After that, the discussion on the standard content will be launched one after another. If it goes well, the standard will be completed within the year. "
The association said that with the introduction of standards, consumers' confusion in choosing electric toothbrushes will gradually decrease.
Cheng Tuo is also optimistic. When the bonus period of the industry ends, the gaudy marketing tactics will gradually run out, which will force the brand to improve its quality. "Shuffle may come faster then."