The European and American market status of intelligent hardware products

　　2016 is the intelligent hardware lows, media, capital, practitioners are not bullish on intelligent hardware. But in contrast, European and American markets, from product sales to release did not stop, instead of sweeping traditional electronics industry.

The European and American market status of intelligent hardware products

Reporters last week on a business trip 3 days, learned a mainstream retailers Christmas 300000 intelligent household products purchase plan; Another customer mail received 2 days ago, 10000 pieces of similar products under the trial order; Through the agent last week, one of America‘s biggest TV shopping channel QVC a smart socket before Christmas sales plan about 500000; 2 months ago (target, best buy) headquarters in Minneapolis, customer told that best buy some brand of smart camera weekly sales peak of 400000 only.

In 2015, the sales amount is unimaginable.

Back in 2011, one of the UK‘s largest distributors of 2020 mobile softbank (has been) has revealed that the jawbone bracelets if they agent is not quality reason cannot normal sales, more than 2012 UK sales is one million only.

Smart hardware market in North America and Western Europe since 10 years the app open bluetooth interface in jawbone intelligent hand ring, for the first wave, to today, the market has a number of products, several rounds of propaganda of repeated shocks, gradually mature. Consumers in purchasing the products, is more of a focus on the features of the product, convenient and cost-effective over their lives, but seldom pay attention to whether products with intelligent hardware TAB.

And north American market retailers, manufacturers, brand dealers in time and to promote the product mainly emphasize product life can bring convenience to consumers, therefore, intelligent hardware as the iterative nature of traditional products, successfully entered the mainstream market and start to accepted by the public.

Smart hardware is an intermediate state, its past is consumer electronics, iot node is tomorrow

From the consumer electronics industry into the intelligent hardware channels of European and American manufacturers and retailers, such as best buy, philips, GoPro etc. Using the original channel, brand, capital advantage, then cut into the intelligent hardware market and start to reap the profits. At the same time, for the future new Internet provider of technology products, such as Slock. It, Canary security, to the technology to promote product innovation, sales model of innovation at the same time combined with the traditional channels, will quickly take the commanding heights of the Internet of things in the future market.

For most of the foreign brands, channels and retailers, intelligent hardware is the only value is through product differentiation to achieve higher profits. Compared with domestic counterparts, they are more valued profitability of products, sales, market prospects; Before they will launch a product, repeatedly questioned consumers, downstream customers, channels, even after gaining orders really put into budget company to develop a product; They pay more attention to Product of PMF (Product Market Fit), not just is the leading Product technology.

In the value of trillions of market, and they like the sense of smell keen hyenas, rapid detection, catch the opportunity of high profits. Because of this, the foreign intelligent hardware startups are often more easily from the start-up, in 1 to 3 years time grow into tens of millions of dollars in annual sales of the company.

2013 and intelligent doorbell Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff in Los Angeles had a brief meeting, when he has just finished an unsuccessful, the raise of apple charger is just starting the next project, the intelligence of what became known to all the bell Ring, the team only three people, including all part-time.

Three and a half years later, his product has entered, including Costco, almost all of the mainstream U.S. retail channels. Just online retailer Amazon has more than $15 million in annual sales. In the United States, the company is not a few, such as Ring, of course, is more of the old brand of quick intelligence hardware transformation.

The intelligent lighting, including general electric (GE) from the start the HoneyWell start and Nest into intelligent temperature control, Underarmor through acquisition and the research into the smart wear, etc. These companies have very understand, originated in the consumer electronics, are fast becoming iot node hardware component of the intelligence, for them is or has become the important business growth point.

Innovation is the basis of intelligent hardware products successfully, but innovation is not only limited to the product itself

Domestic many intelligent hardware company in the past for a period of time are innovative company itself, but most of the domestic companies are engineers, mainly from what can be used as the starting point to consider product innovation, not from what the product can meet customer needs as the starting point to consider product innovation. Let alone with model and digital to verify the product market prospects, whether can meet customer demand.

And decided to product sales, is often not how advanced technology products, how cool, but the products can meet consumers‘ need, the price of the product policy whether can meet the requirements of the downstream channel and retailers, the product itself is there enough news (NewsWorthy), and can attract plenty of media attention.

Everyone know that the success of the GoPro now, but success is only products? If the product, then why cantankerous millet without success? The answer to the question on social media countless in the extreme sport of GoPro logo, beautiful scenery, the life of the video inside, each a small video pulled dozens, many millions of users to browse more, many of these views is turned into sales.

Innovation, we must give full consideration to the user requirements, just need to grasp the situation and then go to meet the demand of technology, not vice versa.

Suggestions to domestic intelligent hardware startups to sea

Before we fully understand the market, make the product, it‘s best to know what to do. Best can find interested customers, before doing better, let the customer directly advance payment, cooperative development. , of course, it‘s not easy to do this, the domestic intelligent hardware startups are never short of excellent has fully "know how" of engineers; Need to know what to do "know what" product manager can earn money, and can sell the products to the sales director of overseas channels.

In view of the target market, establish the localization team. If you don‘t have the money to establish the localization team, their timing casing to get there, visit customers, understand the skill for the product feedback, English not enough can also be a lot of opportunity. Anyway, now the ticket cheap, visa easily.

Electricity is the threshold of the lowest retail channels, but sell it must control the price, retail price in the market once the bottom go to, just won‘t come on; And traditional retailers have no 40% of profits, channel without a 15% profit, won‘t make your products.

Conditional word, local do market promotion, make the city, if there is no market maker, then you will wait (competition) to help you build up, and then follow up quickly. Marketing to pr, soft wen and other low cost is given priority to, and to promote team must localization, and must be under the condition of the set target fully authorized. Remember once and a domestic valuations billion app the company hire us marketing team had communication, localization is the localization, but all of the decisions is to be done by the domestic management. And the management itself and have no experience in this field. The results, ha ha.

Hardware startups founding team has had better sales, marketing ability members; Over the years successful hardware startups often inside the boss is the company‘s trump card sales. Overseas sales ability if the team does not have, you need to constantly at the same time in the recruitment of self-study.

Smart hardware overseas market is very big, achievement the legend.