On the afternoon of April 20, the "Cross-regional Slate Determines the Future" 2021 China Slate Summit, co-organized by China Ceramics Headquarters, China Slate New Material Exhibition and Procurement Base, and Ceramic Industry News Digest, was shared offline in China The multi-energy conference hall on the third floor of the Ceramics Headquarters came to a successful conclusion. Sharing from multiple angles and dimensions, I believe it will bring a lot of thinking and help to friends in the industry. The following is the useful information shared by Chen Qinxian, marketing assistant to the president of Oppein Group!
Drucker, the father of modern management, mentioned in the book "The Future Has Already Happened": Today is especially an era of rapid change. We need to make early diagnosis and we should not predict the future. Slate has developed to this day, with the popularity in 2018 and the continuous fermentation in 2019 and 2020. Will the future be "disabled", or will it usher in a more advanced era? We all think, but how do we think? Here, I will use Drucker’s words to talk about the slate—the future that has already happened.
/ Happened /
Let’s talk about “what happened” first. After rapid development in recent years, what is the current situation of rock slabs? What has become of the slate market? What do the executives here from the ceramic industry think of slate? First of all, it is undeniable that slate has entered an important stage of "replacement". Rock slabs have the opportunity to replace ceramic tiles. Because slate is better than ceramic tiles from the inside out, it can even be sold at a higher price than ceramic tiles at the sales end. Secondly, slate can replace stone. Due to the similarity between stone and slate, many stone agents have entered the slate industry, and the prices they offer are also very competitive. As a result, slate has now begun to enter a price war. The third alternative should be wood veneer. With the continuous introduction of 3mm rock panels, many wood veneer panels may eventually be replaced.
The second "happened" status quo is: the current sales of rock slabs are gradually moving towards F2B. This B is not the ordinary dealer we usually think of, but a stone agent or even a stocker, etc.
Another thing that deserves more attention is the number of lines and the price war. Many companies think that they are Sun Wukong. As long as they invest in the slate industry, they will definitely be able to create a world in the ceramics industry. But is that really the case? In fact, it may be that no matter how noisy you are, you are still in Tathagata's Five Fingers Mountain. Many companies, including so-called agents, have enough money to find companies to make some rock slabs, thinking that they can get a share of the blue ocean of rock slabs. But in fact, putting the production line into operation is only a superficial matter. What really matters is winning the rock.Ultimately, the market share of rock slabs must be refined and deepened. This is something that cannot be achieved by just casting lines.
Being unable to solve the problem of Shenzhen Development Bank, some friends started to use their brains, trying to drain the slate dry and "disable" the slate - desperately driving the price to death. Last year, and even starting from the year before last, many companies sold rock slabs at prices close to or even lower than the cost in order to deal with the rock slabs that were on hand, unsellable, and difficult to throw away. This approach made consumers interested in the slabs. There is a misunderstanding that the production cost of rock slabs is very low, and the price of rock slabs can also be made very cheap. Here is my advice: This is not the right way, and no industry can let unhealthy trends affect its development.
/ FUTURE /
After talking about "what has happened", let's talk about "the future". What are the future and realistic challenges? I think rock slabs have reached their second era, and we must cherish them and protect them. Originally the rock slabs were in a state of wild growth, but now the rock slabs have slowly entered a more standardized and orderly growth cycle after being washed away by the waves. I think a systematic design and installation service system is needed to serve this stage.
I remember when I participated in a slate event in 2017, I said that to truly make slate well, it must be well designed, installed and processed, and even provide services that are close to consumers. And I also suggest that the top 10 companies in the ceramic industry can build rock slab processing centers. If there are really 10 companies doing processing, they can consider setting up a joint venture company to set up processing plants in prefecture-level cities across the country. Consumers within 100 kilometers of the processing plant can receive processed slates. Finished product. At the same time, we also need supporting installation and processing services within 1 kilometer.
If the service is in place, can the slate slabs be sold well? Obviously not, we still need to have finished product thinking. As is more common nowadays, if you build a unique iron or wooden frame and put a rock slab directly on it, will it mean that it is rock slab furniture? Can such a finished product be sold for 10,000 yuan or even more? To make rock slabs more expensive, we must make the finished rock products more beautiful, designed, and even artistic. This is the right way.
/ The future that has happened /
"What has happened" has been talked about, and "the future" has also been talked about, so what exactly is "the future that has happened"? I think it is necessary to protect the slate of "what has happened" and "the future"."Be proud of the ceramic industry. When we find a treasure, we must not do it without caring about the consequences. To make the "future that has happened" have a future, I think we need to do the following.
We believe that rock slabs have entered a decisive era in surface technology. To truly make slate irreplaceable, it must be better than other decorative panels, with better surface effects, brighter colors, and superior physical properties. It also needs a new superposition process that cannot be added to ensure it, so I It is believed that rock slabs have reached an era of decisive victory in surface technology, which is one of the reasons why Oppein established a high-end slab division. In addition, since the building ceramics industry has inherent advantages in the creation of surface technology, we should do better in surface technology.
The core competitiveness of rock slabs is led by design. In the terminal consumption scenario, consumers can see many finished slate products from the moment they enter the door - dining tables, cabinets, walls and floors... But will the large quantity allow customers to place an order? Definitely not. What ultimately makes a customer place an order must be something that touches him. We need to have a strong enough design so that when consumers see your design plan when they come in, they will scream, rather than being bland or even disgusted. Slate has become a product for all fields, that is, it can be used in a person's home whether it is used for wall paving or cabinet countertops. Full-field products place more emphasis on design dominance, transcending product thinking into space thinking, and even into design and art thinking. Turn the rock slab into a product with beautiful appearance and strong practicality.
Comprehensively establish new channels and form a design-driven marketing gene. As more and more young people born in the 90s and 2000s become the main consumers, consumption has become a matter of appearance first, ease of use second, and functionality third. At the same time, with the continuous spread of fine decoration and complete decoration, the customers who visit the store are either mid-to-high-end customers who have requirements for their own homes, or they are the group of people closest to the designers. Therefore, we need to establish such a channel that is driven by design. The dealers themselves must have design thinking, and the stores must also have systematic design service capabilities. Only in this way can we better fit this era and meet the needs of consumers.
The essence of business is customer thinking. Taking the example just mentioned, most consumers of slate know about slate, but do not understand it. Therefore, from the first moment the customer enters the door, he must feel that not only the slate can be used in the world, but more importantly, it can meet his needs, whether it is finishes, design, service, etc., so that the customer's great satisfaction Some needs can be met, and value can be maximized. Many manufacturers don't understand the needs of their customers, they just blindly build their products behind closed doors, and they even come back and tell me that slate is not easy to make. Did I say you really respect your customers? Can you ensure that the products you produce maximize customer value?
Product portfolio strategy is the king and the eternal way. The extensibility of rock slabs allows it to be used in many situations, and applications in different scenarios require rock slabs to embrace other materials and be combined. wood,Metals, non-metals, etc., we must embrace materials from all over the world, only then will rock slabs become the king.
All victories are victories with consistent values. Today has become an era of individual power, and everyone should truly respect consumers. What is the foundation of marketing? I think there are three points. The first is demand management. Regardless of new marketing or old marketing, the ultimate goal is demand management to meet demand and make it convenient for consumers. The second is to establish differentiation. Regardless of any brand or industry, no matter how you play, you are establishing differentiation. The same goes for people. Third, establish a sustainable trading venue. Whether we engage in agents, engineering channels, or assembly channels, we are all aiming to create sustainable channels.
Finally, I hope everyone can feel this sentence together, "All victories are victories with consistent values." Thank you!
