The Intelligent Toilet Industry Welcomes a Billion-Dollar Market
Mar 28, 2024
2015 witnessed a thriving period for the intelligent bathroom industry, with a gust of wind propelling numerous enterprises into this trend.
As a vital component of the intelligent bathroom industry, the enthusiasm of Chinese consumers for intelligent toilet seats began in this year, sparked by an article titled "Buying a Toilet Seat in Japan" by financial writer Wu Xiaobo. Since then, various forces have been attracted to the market, leading to a bustling scene.
Current Market Situation: Industry Scale Maintains Steady Growth Amid Activation of Public Health Awareness Due to the Pandemic
In the past year and a half, due to the impact of the pandemic, "health" has become a focal point of public attention. Products like intelligent toilets, which promote health and hygiene, have quickly gained momentum and shown good market performance, with integrated intelligent toilets becoming one of the essential household appliances.
According to data from AVC (All View Cloud), in just the first half of 2020, the retail volume of integrated intelligent toilets reached 301,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 13.5%.
From the perspective of retail sales, the retail sales of integrated intelligent toilets in China have also shown annual growth. In 2019, the retail sales of integrated intelligent toilets were 2.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.1%. In the first half of 2020, the retail sales of integrated intelligent toilets were 1.02 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%.
In terms of market landscape, currently, high-end brands of intelligent toilets are mainly dominated by American and Japanese brands such as Panasonic, TOTO, and INAX, which have factories in China and monopolize the high-end market with their technological and brand advantages. The mid-range market is mainly occupied by traditional sanitary ware and some professional electronic appliance companies. With the involvement of household appliance companies, the industry has become a battleground.
Functional Highlights: Three Basics, Three Major Directions
Since its inception abroad, intelligent toilets have evolved from simple designs to today's dazzling technological innovations, always focusing on three fundamental functions: heating, cleaning, and flushing. On this basis, as the number of advanced functions supported by core technology increases and the user experience becomes more user-friendly, two major innovative directions for intelligent toilet products emerge.
The "three basics" functions are rich and varied in specific intelligent toilet products. Just looking at the functions of intelligent toilet products available on the market in 2016, heating, cleaning, and flushing already included many technological innovations. For example, heating not only includes water temperature heating but also seat heating. Regarding water temperature heating, there are differences between traditional heat storage heating and advanced instant constant temperature heating. Similarly, for cleaning, there are differences between water temperature control that can be adjusted timely and untimely, as well as special functions developed specifically for women's hygiene. Flushing, the most critical function, focuses on solving high flushing power while also considering water-saving performance.
The increase in advanced functions under the "three major directions" covers a wider range, including activated carbon deodorization, night light design, music playback, and even massage functions. The improvement of user-friendly experience, which consumers are most concerned about, mainly reflects in considering convenience for the elderly and children and adapting to the increasing population in households. Additionally, new intelligent toilet products have three lines of disinfection defense before, during, and after use, effectively blocking the spread of bacteria and viruses. It is expected that intelligent toilets with sterilization, disinfection, and antibacterial functions will become the mainstream of the market.
Currently, how intelligent toilet products position themselves in the market in terms of price and how consumers judge the quality and practicality of intelligent toilets are all related to these "three basics, three major directions."
Breaking the Deadlock: Industry Standardization and Increased R&D Investment Go Hand in Hand
In five years, intelligent toilets have encountered two major opportunities.
The first opportunity was the hot events mentioned earlier, during which the intelligent toilet industry seized the opportunity and entered the fast lane of development. Five years later, intelligent toilets encountered another opportunity: the pandemic raging, leading to an unprecedented height in public health awareness.
However, many people may have also noticed that various products that can make life healthier have flooded major social media platforms during this period. However, products with health attributes such as intelligent toilets were rarely mentioned on these platforms.
Regarding this phenomenon, perhaps the awareness of consumers about intelligent toilets has not reached the expected level, and issues such as product specifications and R&D investment are still the development bottlenecks faced by the intelligent toilet industry.
Currently, low-quality products from some small and medium-sized enterprises enter the market, competing at low prices just to make quick profits, resulting in uneven product quality in the industry. In response to this phenomenon, relevant departments will classify the quality of intelligent toilets, further standardizing industry product indicators. It is reported that products will be classified into three levels: third level for products meeting national standards, second level for products reaching domestic advanced levels, and first level for products reaching international advanced levels. To dispel consumer concerns, installation services are standardized, and the China Household Electrical Appliances Association Intelligent Bathroom Appliances Committee drafted the T/CHEAA 0013-2020 "Standard for Installation Services of Intelligent Toilets," which was released and implemented on May 27, 2020.
Another aspect of the industry that needs to change is the relatively low R&D investment and weak R&D capabilities of enterprises. With a small industry base and limited operating income, many enterprises are unwilling to invest more funds and manpower into research and development.
With the improvement of people's living standards and consumption capabilities, as well as the popularization of intelligent technology in household life, the application of intelligent toilets is gradually expanding to individual households. In the long run, the intelligent toilet industry has good development prospects. Whether advocating to improve the quality of life of consumers domestically or stimulating domestic demand through innovation and upgrades, intelligent toilets are consistent with the current development trend.
As a vital component of the intelligent bathroom industry, the enthusiasm of Chinese consumers for intelligent toilet seats began in this year, sparked by an article titled "Buying a Toilet Seat in Japan" by financial writer Wu Xiaobo. Since then, various forces have been attracted to the market, leading to a bustling scene.
Current Market Situation: Industry Scale Maintains Steady Growth Amid Activation of Public Health Awareness Due to the Pandemic
In the past year and a half, due to the impact of the pandemic, "health" has become a focal point of public attention. Products like intelligent toilets, which promote health and hygiene, have quickly gained momentum and shown good market performance, with integrated intelligent toilets becoming one of the essential household appliances.
According to data from AVC (All View Cloud), in just the first half of 2020, the retail volume of integrated intelligent toilets reached 301,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 13.5%.
From the perspective of retail sales, the retail sales of integrated intelligent toilets in China have also shown annual growth. In 2019, the retail sales of integrated intelligent toilets were 2.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.1%. In the first half of 2020, the retail sales of integrated intelligent toilets were 1.02 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%.
In terms of market landscape, currently, high-end brands of intelligent toilets are mainly dominated by American and Japanese brands such as Panasonic, TOTO, and INAX, which have factories in China and monopolize the high-end market with their technological and brand advantages. The mid-range market is mainly occupied by traditional sanitary ware and some professional electronic appliance companies. With the involvement of household appliance companies, the industry has become a battleground.
Functional Highlights: Three Basics, Three Major Directions
Since its inception abroad, intelligent toilets have evolved from simple designs to today's dazzling technological innovations, always focusing on three fundamental functions: heating, cleaning, and flushing. On this basis, as the number of advanced functions supported by core technology increases and the user experience becomes more user-friendly, two major innovative directions for intelligent toilet products emerge.
The "three basics" functions are rich and varied in specific intelligent toilet products. Just looking at the functions of intelligent toilet products available on the market in 2016, heating, cleaning, and flushing already included many technological innovations. For example, heating not only includes water temperature heating but also seat heating. Regarding water temperature heating, there are differences between traditional heat storage heating and advanced instant constant temperature heating. Similarly, for cleaning, there are differences between water temperature control that can be adjusted timely and untimely, as well as special functions developed specifically for women's hygiene. Flushing, the most critical function, focuses on solving high flushing power while also considering water-saving performance.
The increase in advanced functions under the "three major directions" covers a wider range, including activated carbon deodorization, night light design, music playback, and even massage functions. The improvement of user-friendly experience, which consumers are most concerned about, mainly reflects in considering convenience for the elderly and children and adapting to the increasing population in households. Additionally, new intelligent toilet products have three lines of disinfection defense before, during, and after use, effectively blocking the spread of bacteria and viruses. It is expected that intelligent toilets with sterilization, disinfection, and antibacterial functions will become the mainstream of the market.
Currently, how intelligent toilet products position themselves in the market in terms of price and how consumers judge the quality and practicality of intelligent toilets are all related to these "three basics, three major directions."
Breaking the Deadlock: Industry Standardization and Increased R&D Investment Go Hand in Hand
In five years, intelligent toilets have encountered two major opportunities.
The first opportunity was the hot events mentioned earlier, during which the intelligent toilet industry seized the opportunity and entered the fast lane of development. Five years later, intelligent toilets encountered another opportunity: the pandemic raging, leading to an unprecedented height in public health awareness.
However, many people may have also noticed that various products that can make life healthier have flooded major social media platforms during this period. However, products with health attributes such as intelligent toilets were rarely mentioned on these platforms.
Regarding this phenomenon, perhaps the awareness of consumers about intelligent toilets has not reached the expected level, and issues such as product specifications and R&D investment are still the development bottlenecks faced by the intelligent toilet industry.
Currently, low-quality products from some small and medium-sized enterprises enter the market, competing at low prices just to make quick profits, resulting in uneven product quality in the industry. In response to this phenomenon, relevant departments will classify the quality of intelligent toilets, further standardizing industry product indicators. It is reported that products will be classified into three levels: third level for products meeting national standards, second level for products reaching domestic advanced levels, and first level for products reaching international advanced levels. To dispel consumer concerns, installation services are standardized, and the China Household Electrical Appliances Association Intelligent Bathroom Appliances Committee drafted the T/CHEAA 0013-2020 "Standard for Installation Services of Intelligent Toilets," which was released and implemented on May 27, 2020.
Another aspect of the industry that needs to change is the relatively low R&D investment and weak R&D capabilities of enterprises. With a small industry base and limited operating income, many enterprises are unwilling to invest more funds and manpower into research and development.
With the improvement of people's living standards and consumption capabilities, as well as the popularization of intelligent technology in household life, the application of intelligent toilets is gradually expanding to individual households. In the long run, the intelligent toilet industry has good development prospects. Whether advocating to improve the quality of life of consumers domestically or stimulating domestic demand through innovation and upgrades, intelligent toilets are consistent with the current development trend.
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