Air purifier overpriced profits up to 300%

It is understood that China's air purifier market has been tepid before the end of last year's PM2.5 since the end of this year so that the market quickly warmed. It is predicted that the demand for air purifiers by China's affluent groups is expected to expand. The size of the air purifier market in China will expand to two to three times this year. At present, not only TCL, Leica, Emmett and other domestic companies are beginning to enter this field, but also foreign brands are just around the corner, coveting this huge market cake.

According to industry insiders, "The cost of an air purifier is up to 800 yuan, and the profit space is up to 200%-300%. At present, the market price of domestic air purifiers is generally too high."

Japanese companies such as Toshiba aim at China's air purification market Sharp's sales of air purifiers in China this year are escalating by about three times last year, and its Shanghai plant has begun to increase production. Panasonic also just increased the operating rate of the air purifier production line at its Guangdong plant to one-and-a-half times. Toshiba has decided to enter the Chinese home air purifier market in April and launch an air purifier that was originally manufactured and sold in Japan. It is reported that the price of this product in Japan is about 40,000 yen (about 2600 yuan).

Japan’s “Sankei Shimbun” recently reported that under the background that Chinese people are increasingly concerned about the impact of PM2.5 on health, the demand for air purifiers by wealthy groups is expected to expand. Toshiba and other Japanese companies are aiming at the Chinese air purification market. It is predicted that the size of the Chinese air purifier market will expand to two to three times the original (about 1 million units) this year, and sales will be very hot.

Experts said that they don’t need to buy an air purifier for 5,000 yuan. Recently, home appliance consumption networks visited the appliance sales areas of Shanghai’s home appliance stores and department stores. It was found that the price of air purifiers for Japanese, European and American companies was basically started at 3,000 yuan, while the high price was tens of thousands. Yuan is more expensive than air-conditioners and color TVs. Statistics from Suning Gome and other home appliance chain stores are that the best-selling brands are Panasonic, Philips, and Sharp. The mainstream price is between 3,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan.

In February of this year, the vice president of Sabour Trading (China) Co., Ltd., Sakai Koizumi once told the media that Sharp air purifiers had expensive air-conditioners and LCD TVs. First, as a new product, the propaganda cost for the initial investment was high. The second is to enter the Chinese market requires a lot of certification procedures, pay more and increase the cost.

However, the industry does not agree with this explanation. Observers from the home appliance industry indicated that black and white power of Sharp, Matsushita and other foreign-funded enterprises are in a loss state, and small household appliances such as air purifiers are a few profitable products. Therefore, companies hope to take the opportunity to transfuse other departments; they are increasingly severe and Concerned air quality issues are difficult to cure in the short term, but also make consumers have no choice.

"The core components of the air purifier are only three, one is a filter, the second is activated carbon, the third is an ozone generator or net ion, negative ion generator, and the cost is low. If we buy filters and activated charcoal ourselves, use a blower or blower Once it is blown, it can achieve the effect of purifying the air. The manufacturers are fancy to the current consumer mentality, so they have sold a very high price."

Recently, Qian Hua, a senior engineer at the Shanghai Institute of Environmental Sciences, admitted that consumers do not need to purchase an air purifier that costs more than $5,000. "Air purifiers, which are sold at a higher price, will also need to replace the filter cartridges in three to five months."

Panasonic Sharp and other air purifiers may be harmful to the human body. In mid-March, Guangzhou Daily cooperated with a third-party testing agency to test air purifiers and found that the PM2.5 removal rate was 98%. Air purification was used by Panasonic and Philips brands. The device measured only 40%. Some experts also pointed out that the air purifier generates ozone when it is running. If the concentration exceeds the standard, it can cause cancer.

It is understood that Japanese media have also questioned the effectiveness of air purifiers using ozone and ion functions to sterilize and purify air. Recently, the Japanese media "Business Journal" wrote that high concentrations of ozone would be harmful to the human body, so when choosing an ozone decontamination air purifier, we must pay attention to the ozone value is not in line with the standard.

The article also pointed out that the mechanism of ion sterilization function is: the active acid released from the ion generator is attached to harmful substances and bacteria in the air, removes the hydrogen element in its protein components, makes it acidified, and reduces its activity. However, the active acid in medicine is also one of the causes of aging and many other diseases. Although the proportion of active acid released from air purifiers is negligible compared with the number of air molecules in the home, many manufacturers are not selective about the selective aphasia that is harmful to active acid. It is understood that the air purifiers that Sharp currently promotes in the Chinese market use ion functions.

In response, Matsushita Air Purifier responded that although it will produce trace amounts of ozone, the products have been tested by institutions officially recognized by the state and the performance is safe and reliable.

However, industry insiders questioned that Panasonic air purifiers need 8 hours to play, clearly playing word games. "Panasonic and other foreign brands can't advertise the 'ultra-high purification rate' in large fonts and enjoy high profits, while quietly writing the promise of 'inside the lab for eight hours' is written in fine print, and consumers are fools."

In Shanghai's home appliance market, it was found that some European and American imported air purifiers were marked with "International Ozone-Free Certification" and "International Safety Certification". Sales staff said that these logos are barely visible in brands such as Panasonic and Sharp.