Xiaomi's hand-scattered cards

After the end of the first quarter, around the Xiaomi mobile phone next to two things: first, Xiaomi mobile phone shipments of the trend surge; The second is the Xiaomi 8 conference to go low, the flagship machine finally got a "really like Apple" evaluation.

Objectively speaking, Xiaomi mobile phone in the first quarter performance is not very strong, it seems that the familiar "cost-effective + explosive strategy" of the millet back. But if we analyze the entire millet shipping structure, we will find that the recent amazing performance of millet hidden behind the problem: the serious high and low end of the structure is unreasonable.

In the first quarter of the data, Xiaomi mobile phone 2000 yuan products, shipments reached 26 million, almost the lower the price of the larger shipment. And more than 3000 yuan shipments only for less than 500,000. Of course, the low-end product is very important, but too much foot in the mobile phone industry is not very optimistic signal. Le vision, 360, Meizu and other mobile phones, have been in a similar market structure after the great crisis.

What is this for? Maybe we can think of the mobile phone business game as a fight landlord: Big brand to decide the right to speak, small cards determine the progress of the card. When there are too many cards in the hand, the mobile phone will easily lose the discourse position in the market, even into the brand dilemma. And more frightening, is the small card between the system, each other delay the board. This is a bit like over-reliance on the low-end market of millet, in today's situation: hand a lot of cards, but give people the feeling of a loose hand.

Not even the low-end inertia of the straight

The low-end product is of course important, there is no doubt about it. Mobile phone and a lot of products, like the consumption structure of the date core, in addition to the top of the high-end models and low-end non-branded cottage products, mid-end products have a huge amount of shipments.

But the excessive proportion of low-end products, especially the high proportion of entry machines, may add a serious burden to the entire business system. This is referred to as low-end inertia in business terminology-attracting large numbers of users through low-end prices, but not high profitability and the inability to invest more in talent, technology, and more.

Today, the low-end inertia of millet, is in a large number of low-end machine to ship the case, the overall price of the product sequence is not afraid to go up, otherwise it will cause the market is out of touch, the flagship price is not go, otherwise easy to lose loyal fans;

Several low-end machines accounted for a chain reaction, the biggest probability is the next period of market cycle began to produce some side effects. Three of them are the most dangerous.

One, the market risk increased: Low-end machines, especially the entry machine, is the lowest brand loyalty product sequence. If a competitor suddenly makes a similar field, the market share can be very dangerous.

Just like Xiaomi's current product volume is the largest mix and digital series, and the largest shipment is five hundred or six hundred Yuan Red Rice series, it is difficult to persuade the market red rice sales from the impact of advertising marketing. At this time, if the music vision, Meizu a brand swept back, with a lower price than five hundred or six hundred yuan to occupy the market, it is likely to threaten the Red Rice series today's status.

Second, the operating cost of high: in order to increase the low-end machine shop, we saw the first Internet-made millet, now also began to heavily layout offline, three or four-line cities and overseas markets.

Since the success of OV's sinking through the offline channel, offline has become an important battlefield for mobile phone brands. Can be the success of OV, on the one hand is a step by step high group of capital, on the other hand, ov on the product has been low-profile high-priced, can compensate for the high cost of offline operation. After the hunger marketing era of millet, but did not usher in changing brand awareness of the high-end node, and millet in order to focus on the concept of cost-effective, product profit space has been very low. So what has ov experienced before, the high-operating low-margin crisis will not be repeated in Xiaomi?

Third, product cognition of the bottom: we seem to be able to see that the social media today is still discussing the "configuration" of this thing, only rice noodles this group. Under the catalytic of Moore's law, the use value of today's mainstream models has drifted away from the heap configuration.

The main harm of low-end inertia, is that multiple ports may appear in the mainstream of the break, thus the cliff-type loss of market discourse. Small cards are not scary, group is not straight, every place is likely to be dangerous, is the business system should be vigilant.

The brand paradox of 3 with 2

As said above, the high-quality mobile phone market model, should be high-end with low-end, high-side profit and brand awareness, low-end market share and shipments. High-end product shipments will not be the most, but have enough profit margins, while high-end products represent a manufacturer in the product and technology can achieve the highest standards for low-end product quality assurance.

It turns out that Xiaomi is not trying to take this route. More likely, but in the listing of this large level of the inverted force, the nearly half-yearly cycle has to give up the impact of the high-end process, turn a heavy attack can exchange good data for the low-end market and overseas markets.

In 2017, the Mix series is still highly anticipated, full screen, ceramic texture and so on elements have their own innovative beauty, from some quality, mix series is the ability to impact 4000 yuan of this document. But like this grade of impact, Xiaomi seems to its own user groups formed a "betrayal", put aside the price of their own label. At the same time high pricing is also an adventure, if the shipment is not good, market opinion is easy for Xiaomi to lay down the high-end market argument.

But when Xiaomi sets the mix to 3000 yuan, it probably means that its high-end plans are phased out. So familiar with a scene back, millet positioning back to: "The configuration is really high, the price is really low, the eyes are not good to think I take apples." ”

Lack of high and low collocation, can not play 3 with 2 is problematic, this is probably very early to find and try to solve the millet. But the real benefits and the listing plan seem to have blocked it all. Hand large shipments, but back to the beginning of the millet, had to re-review the brand embarrassment: high-end machine can not get out, low-end machine afraid of competition.

With some domestic media evaluation, Xiaomi 8 Conference is "really very apple, really cheap, really no technology." This basically means that Xiaomi has lost the opportunity to scour the market for the first half of the year. Then the next period of time, facing the market, the need for further sales and net profit of Xiaomi mobile phone, can only continue in the low-end market and sales channels to fight the past.

This is a brand of the Moro ring, perhaps at least a year's cycle, Xiaomi can try to jump out again.

Can't make up XXX's technical life gate

The real can be called dangerous, perhaps the trend.

Today's mobile phone market, has been completely different from the beginning of the 2014, there is no technical reserve, relying on the accumulation of hardware to improve performance can be pleasing to consumers. On the contrary, after a long period of research and development cycle, today's mobile phone market, whether it is Apple Samsung these outsider, or Huawei Glory ov these local brands, have begun to research and development system to drive product innovation. Self-research chip, enhance the camera, optimize the underlying software ... These capabilities can be achieved not by a large number of wholesale CPUs plugged into a mobile phone. It can be said that research and development bonuses are continuing to ferment.

In other words, millet before, now and the next a long time, are not planning to develop a technology XXX. But the problem is, when Xiaomi did not plan to develop technology XXX, other brands are early in the development of technology XXX. Today's mobile phone market is the calm before the storm, and no one knows which manufacturers will suddenly launch deadly weapons.

The rule of playing cards is that you do not have xxx in hand, you have to be careful of others. The fact is that mobile phones are transforming, and technology is triggering new possibilities, ready to turn the tables.

Low-end machine cycle in the millet, really ready to deal with the restless mobile phone environment? The Internet of things, offline experience stores and smart hardware may be a haven for the eve of listing, but for a long time, the phone remains the biggest highlight of Xiaomi and the biggest worry.

In short, this hand scattered cards, millet playing is not easy.

Xiaomi's hand-scattered cards