When Celebrity Products Favor Drum Technology, How Can Wave Wheel Washing Machines Break Through?

Currently, the Wave Wheel washing machine is in an awkward position, as if the elderly brother is slightly cramped in the new trend.
On the one hand, the washing machine still holds a large market share, and on the other hand, its market share is declining year by year. From both the perspective of "functionality" and "aesthetics", it seems that the wave wheel washing machine has fallen behind the current mainstream trend of demand upgrading, and among the current star products of the brand, the wave wheel washing machine is rarely seen. So, will the wave wheel washing machine gradually become a product of the past? What role will it play in the coming period?
The decline has slowed down, and there are still a large number of precise consumer groups in the wave wheel market
According to data from Aowei Cloud Network, in recent years, the three pillars of wave wheel, single washing drum, and washing and drying drum have emerged, accounting for 97% -98% of the market retail volume. From 2019 to the first half of 2023, the retail sales of washing machines in China accounted for 42.6%, 38.1%, 34.9%, 32.8%, and 32.2%, respectively. As of November this year, the online and offline retail sales of washing machines accounted for 26.1% and 11.8%, respectively.
"The increase in market share of drum machines is still the main trend," said Ni Zijian, an analyst at the Industry Online Home Appliance Business Unit. However, from the above data, it can be seen that the downward trend of the market share of wave wheel washing machines is slowing down. In the current situation where home appliance companies mainly promote products that tilt towards the drum, wave wheel products still maintain a large market share. This shows that they have the core advantage of directly hitting consumer pain points and also to some extent demonstrate the stability of the market fundamentals.
"Through continuous friction between clothes, wheels, and bucket walls, a wheel washing machine can achieve a washing effect similar to hand washing," said Changhong Meiling Wheel Business Manager Chang Gaojie. The drum washing machine often requires a larger barrel diameter and longer time to improve cleanliness through the principles of spraying and throwing. He said that aside from the heating function of the drum, the washing effect of the wave wheel is not inferior to that of the drum, so it is easy to gain some users' recognition of the cleanliness. In addition, the features of the wave wheel washing machine, such as simple function setting, no need to bend down to pick and place, easy to add clothes at any time, and shorter time consumption, make it more popular among traditional user groups with discounted prices.
On the other hand, some of the inherent pain points of the wave wheel washing machine have also become obstacles to its development. Not only are the characteristics of clothing knotting, significant wear and tear, and high water consumption all contrary to the current consumption trend, but there are also many limitations in upgrading mainstream products such as sets, integrated washing and drying, and embedded systems. Data shows that in November this year, the average prices of drum washing and drum drying increased by 3.5% and 3.3% in the online market, and there was also a slight increase in the offline market, while the wave wheel showed a decline of 0.8% in the dual line market. "Wave dryers are difficult to stack with independent dryers to form a washing and drying set, and for manufacturers, wave dryers generally have lower average prices and gross margins, less acceptance by mid to high end users, which also makes them less likely to be a star product for manufacturers to vigorously promote and channel traffic investment." Ni Zijian said.
Recently, the China Quality Association organized a user satisfaction monitoring of the washing machine industry. Based on monitoring data from 10 mainstream washing machine brands with a market share of over 90%, the user satisfaction score of the washing machine industry in 2023 was 84 points, maintaining a high level. Among them, the user satisfaction score of the wave wheel washing machine was 82 points, lower than the average level, while the satisfaction scores of the washing and drying set and the washing and drying integrated were 88 points and 85 points, respectively. It can be seen that high-end products can better meet the current consumer demand for washing machines.
Currently, brands such as Haier and Panasonic have attempted to launch high-end products with flat embedded wave wheel washing machines, but due to the appearance characteristics such as the flip cover on the wave wheel washing machine, its experience is poor and difficult to popularize. In addition, Gao Jie also stated, "Currently, some high-end products of the Wave Wheel have been matched with functions such as intelligent and integrated drying and protection. However, due to the focus on cost-effectiveness of the Wave Wheel, it is still difficult to gain market recognition and increase sales."
Currently, the online market and the sinking market are the main driving forces of the wave wheel washing machine. According to data from Aowei Cloud Network, during this year's National Day and Double Eleven promotion period, the sales volume of online market washing machines accounted for 53.7%. Currently, among the top 10 best-selling washing machines on JD.com, 8 of them are wave wheel washing machines. In addition, a local dealer of TCL brand told China Home Appliance Network that currently, in the lower tier markets such as towns, the sales of drum washing machines account for very little, and the majority are wave wheel washing machines.
Ni Zijian believes that the washing machine market is already very mature, and the market share of Bolun washing machines is expected to continue to decline slightly in the future. In recent years, the market space released by the wave wheel washing machine has been divided up by two other major forces. According to data from Aowei Cloud Network, from 2019 to the first half of 2023, the market share of drum washing increased from 31.2% to 39.8%, and the market share of washing and drying drums increased from 22.8% to 26.1%. As of November this year, the offline market sales of drum washing had reached 50.4%.
Powerful small and composite machines, complementary drum market
Although there is relatively little marketing volume on the current market for washing machines, some industry insiders have told China Home Appliance Network that mainstream enterprises still attach great importance to washing machines. Gao Jie also stated, "Wave washing machines will still be the mainstream choice in the market now and in the future, and there is still a lot of room for exploration in the existing sinking market." He also shared Changhong Meiling's positioning in the field of wave washing machines: "The corresponding user group is the middle-aged and young age group, rental group, semi-automatic upgraded to fully automatic, and large family users who are more concerned about convenience, washing strength, and cost-effectiveness in the market."
On the other hand, the wave wheel washing machine still needs to be continuously upgraded in terms of products. Gao Jie stated that the current upgrade of the Wave Wheel washing machine mainly includes several aspects: firstly, functional upgrades to enhance the user experience, such as clear UI interface and simplified operation; The second is capacity refinement upgrade, which can be upgraded synchronously from the mainstream 10kg up and down, up to 12kg and down to 1kg; The third is the upgrading of washing intensity. With the increasing demand for washing and drying intensity from users, the wave wheel is gradually breaking through and upgrading with the goal of stronger washing force and better cleaning effect.
In addition, the increasing emphasis on health among users has made sterilization and mite removal almost a standard feature in recent health care upgrades. On this basis, higher dimensional sterilization methods such as silver ion sterilization and blue oxygen sterilization are also matched. In terms of appearance, the upgraded high box body in the Wave Wheel market in 2021 is more popular among young consumers due to its thinner head, more aesthetically pleasing body proportions, and smaller footprint compared to traditional platforms.
Currently, in addition to the three major trend wheels, single washing drum, and washing and drying drum, there are also many innovative forms in the washing machine market, such as shoe washing machines The second and third washing machines include mini washing machines, wall mounted washing machines, etc. In addition, as the consumer group iterates towards the post-80s and post-90s generations, the demand for refined living and fine parenting among consumers has increased, and the growth rate of duplex washing machines, maternal and child washing machines, etc. is relatively fast. Currently, TCL, LG and other brands are laying out partition washing models that combine wave wheels and rollers.
It can be seen that the development of future wave wheel washing machines is not limited to traditional forms, but is constantly exploring more possibilities. For the trend of washing and caring for small models, Gao Jie believes that from a technical perspective, the implementation of the wave wheel is stronger. Whether in design or production, the efficiency of the wave wheel is faster, the cost perspective is more controllable, and it is easy to meet consumers' demand for good quality and affordable prices. "The refined washing and care market is still thriving. With the unique development trend and characteristics of the wave wheel, mini washing machines, mother and baby washing machines, portable washing machines, and dehydrators have shown a preliminary layout trend. In the future demand innovation market scale, they can complement each other with drum washing machines, providing personalized and customized washing and care services for different groups of people."
In addition, it is worth noting that although the domestic sales recovery of washing machines this year is not as expected, there is an explosive growth trend in exports. According to industry online data, the export volume of washing machines in China increased by 34.9% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2023. Among them, although the export volume of washing machines increased the least, it still reached a year-on-year growth rate of 19.7%. It can be seen that the demand for external orders is still strong, especially in Africa, where the export volume of washing machines has doubled. In the first three quarters of South America, the export volume of washing machines also increased by 89% year-on-year.
Regarding the future development of wave wheel washing machines, Ni Zijian said, "It is expected that the product structure of washing machines will become more complex in the future, with more segmented scenarios and integrated products entering the track. The innovation and upgrading of wave wheel technology may combine AI intelligent control or new inner cylinder materials to reduce the wear and tear on clothes and improve the energy efficiency of the wave wheel itself."