High-end ceramic sanitary companies sink into the rural market?

Following the “home appliances to the countryside” and “cars to the countryside”, the “building materials to the countryside” policy proposed by the state is attracting more and more companies to focus on the third and fourth line markets. Many companies are “touching the heart” with their huge market share in rural areas. The once forgotten rural market has been sought after by many companies.

At present, the development of China's entire ceramic industry encounters difficulties in real estate price limit purchases, market saturation in first-tier cities, and anti-dumping policies in foreign markets. Building ceramics enterprises entering the village into the countryside seem to be one of the tricks that can help companies break through and stimulate their vitality. However, whether the companies that build ceramics, especially those producing medium and high-end ceramic sanitary ware products, will encounter environmental problems in rural markets? What problems do you have when you farm on the rural market? Reporter conducted an interview.

1. More Functionality in the Rural Market For the current domestic first- and second-tier markets, the development of the ceramic industry has for decades given birth to a group of consumers with a certain quality of life and strong purchasing power. In order to win a share of the market share, the company has also racked its brains to improve the level of product development and design, adding a higher decorative value and cultural value for the product. However, in the rural market, the functional value of building ceramic products is in the first place.

“The function of tile products in rural areas is very demanding. After raising their living standards, they pay great attention to the quality of ceramic tiles. Especially in the northeast region, rural families have relatively higher requirements for the cold-resistant and heat-resistant functions of wall tiles.” Chinese Ceramics Lan Weibing, director of the Foshan Office of the Industrial Association, told reporters that he had organized the association to conduct a survey of the ceramic rural market and found that rural families in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, such as Zhongshan, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Huizhou, and the Yangtze River Delta, were keen to purchase ceramic brands. The functional requirements of the products are very high, and the tile prices in rural markets such as Sichuan are comparatively low. Lin Wei, president of Guangdong Yingpai Ceramics Group Co., Ltd. also mentioned that the rural market needs more functional and cost-effective products such as moisture-proof, odor-absorbing, and cold-resistant. If companies can segment these markets according to these demands, the prospects will be considerable.

2. Low price is not the main melody of consumption For a long time, many people believe that the township ceramics market players are mainly low-end and low-priced products, and the price war was once considered to be a life-saving straw for the rural market. It is not true.

Deng Ke, the marketing director of Guangdong Xinzhongyuan Ceramics Co., Ltd., told the reporter that the implementation of the price war is actually the most “short-lived”. Once it is caught in the price war, the high-end corporate brand advantage is difficult to repeat, and the low-quality and low-end products are rampant in the city, which will eventually lead to market Flooded with inferior products, it is difficult for high-quality products to seize market share, and consumers are ultimately damaged.

The Blue Guards said that building materials go to the countryside in order to allow farmers to use quality and affordable products. Some farmers are even richer than urban residents. What they need is the quality of ceramic tiles. Some farmers still do not see products with low prices.

For a rural market with a large potential for consumption power and a large market capacity, strictly controlling the quality and price of products and maintaining market access thresholds will be conducive to the sustainable development of enterprises in the rural market. "High-end brands should not blindly cut prices or provide low-cost but relatively low-quality products. To be close to the township market, enterprises can provide specialized production lines for the rural market's spending power and demand." Zeng Dechao, Director of Technology Development Department, Guangdong Dongpeng Ceramics Co., Ltd. Say.

Deng ** believes that low prices are not a panacea, embodying the added value of the brand and guiding consumers to change their consumption concepts are the issues that all three or four market brands need to consider. In addition, he also believes that the combination of building ceramic products needs to be fully equipped, high-, medium-, and low-end products are available, and the image of high-end products will be used to win profits, with low-end products as the support, and with mid-range products as the combination of fists, the county-level market will be firmly grasped.

3, the channel can not pass all talk about any company want to take the rural market, only the construction of this piece of hardwood board under the armor can be unimpeded, for heavy product weight, large size, and more experience of building ceramic companies is even more so. “The difficulties encountered by building ceramic enterprises in the countryside are the remoteness in some areas and the inconvenience of transportation. There are no good display areas and concentrated sales markets. Some counties do not have brand stores, and many farmers often go to neighboring counties to purchase. Moreover, software packages for construction teams, designers, etc. are not complete," the Blue Guards told reporters.

Xinzhongyuan, one of the earliest brands in China to start the 3rd and 4th markets, has already established a relatively complete marketing structure in the second, third and fourth-tier markets, with more than 90% of prefecture-level cities and over 80% of county-level districts in each jurisdiction. Cities already have distribution outlets, and most of the townships in the core markets have basically completed the establishment of sales networks.

The construction of a production base for ceramic enterprises in the township helps to reduce the cost of logistics and transportation and the cost of raw materials, and provides guarantees for consumers to provide big brands, preferential prices, and high-quality products. However, logistics problems in some regions have also become difficult problems for enterprises. “The township market is relatively decentralized. The current purchases cannot be quantified according to the county or municipal standards. Most of the current purchases are at eight tons of ten tons, which is not very easy to find in terms of vehicle sources. This directly results in the goods not reaching customers in time. "Deng ** said.

According to the reporter’s understanding, Yashigao Company has made strategic preparations for product development, channel construction and supporting services, and proposed the idea of ​​“brand stores opening up to consumers’ homes” so that people can buy products in the nearest places. Get experience, purchases and support services.

Corporate voice:

It has never given up on the support of the national policy on rural markets, the increasingly saturated market of first-tier cities, the maturity of townships in rural areas and the improvement of rural living standards have urged the ceramic companies to commit themselves to the development and development of rural markets. Yin Hong, secretary general of the Foshan Ceramics Industry Association, believes that the process of urbanization in townships and villages is accelerating, the market share in rural areas is quite large, and the market prospects are very objective. It is worth investing in enterprises. The reporter visited several Jiantao sanitary ware companies and they all expressed to reporters their intention to expand the rural market.

“We will not abandon the rural market. In the next period, the brand will gradually introduce mid-range products in the rural market. The current work focus is to increase brand awareness, deepen brand consumption, and gradually improve consumer attitudes and consumer psychology. Deng Wei said that he also hopes to make use of the timing of building materials to the countryside to upgrade the terminal sales of Xinzhongyuan, while constantly optimizing the quality of outlets, improving service quality, improving product structure, meeting the needs of different consumers, and developing it into a household name. National brand.

He Xinming, chairman of Dongpeng Ceramics, told reporters that companies actively promote the channel to the countryside and deepen the rural market. Dongpeng added 100 new stores this year will be placed in the 34 markets. Chen Yanbin, Chairman of Ashgaf Ceramics Co., Ltd., is optimistic about the purchasing power of the new generation of rural consumers. He plans to build 100 independent brands of the French modern art museum in the three or four markets in developed regions such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong to capture rural areas. New generation consumer market.

“At present, King's Bathrooms has few sales outlets in rural areas or third- and fourth-tier cities. Enterprises plan to increase their attention and efforts in the rural market in the second half of the year and vigorously develop channels for the 34 markets.” Lin Xingquan, Manager of Emperor Foshan Sanitary Branch, told reporter.



At the end of last year, the Central No. 1 document listed building materials to the countryside as a benefit agriculture policy. In order to actively cooperate with the implementation of the national policy on building materials to the countryside, implement practices for benefiting farmers, and improve the service systems for the 34 cities and towns, the China Building Materials Distribution Association conducted trials of building materials to the countryside in the national building materials sector, and released the first batch of experimental units for building materials to the countryside. "The list includes nearly 400 pilot units from ceramics, sanitary ware, coatings, cement, lamps, doors, steel, doors and windows.

The building sanitary ceramics enterprises and distribution companies reached 50, among them, the new Zhongyuan Ceramics, New Pearl Ceramics Group, Nobel ceramic tile, Marco Polo ceramics, Dongpeng ceramics, Eagle ceramics, Jiajun ceramics, Shun Cheng ceramics, Huida ceramics Group, Wrigley, Anwar ceramic sanitary ware, Faenza sanitary ware, Zhongyu Sanitary Ware, Shenluda Sanitary Ware, Hecheng Sanitary Ware, Jiumu Sanitary Ware, Brilliant Plumbing and other companies are on the list. Red Star Meikailong, Huanai Lijia, Oriental Homeland, China Fortune Ceramics and other building materials circulation companies have also been short-listed for this pilot.