Can Dong Mingzhu's Gree washing machine break the Gree mobile phone curse?

Just as the hype about Gree mobile phones died down, Gree, led by domineering female boss Dong Mingzhu, started selling Gree washing machines without stopping.

The official website of Gree Mall shows that the cheapest 7kg Gree drum washing machine is priced at 3,999 yuan, and the most expensive 8kg drum washing machine is priced at 4,899 yuan. The official website shows that 80 to 216 units have been sold. Is Gree's entry into the washing machine market a way to save the situation under the ceiling of Gree air conditioners, or is it a concept hype that is still not enough? What is Dong Mingzhu up to?

Last year, Gree mobile phones were very popular, and Dong Mingzhu herself often praised her own Gree mobile phone products in public, saying that they beat Xiaomi mobile phones in minutes, etc. From praising the first generation of Gree mobile phones to the second generation of Gree mobile phones, from the billion-dollar bet with Lei Jun to shooting air conditioner commercials with Wang Jianlin, Dong-style marketing can be said to be brilliant and successful.

However, the terminal sales and market performance of Gree mobile phones in the past two years do not seem to be that good. Although netizens are very enthusiastic about watching Gree and Dong Mingzhu, many people are still hesitant when it comes to spending money to buy Gree mobile phones. In addition to the price factor, the perception that Gree mobile phones are "unreliable" is also a major factor.

Of course, Dong Mingzhu also has her own explanation for the market performance of Gree mobile phones. Last year, Dong Mingzhu, chairman of Gree Electric Appliances, said that the mobile phones were not available in the market because "we don't really want to sell them publicly."

Gree air conditioners are the national leader and have already sold out, but Gree mobile phones are not very popular, and Jinghong refrigerators and Dasong rice cookers are not Gree branded. Is this the reason why Gree washing machines suddenly came out and went on sale in 2017?

In fact, Gree's diversified layout of home appliance products is much later than that of its peers Midea Group and Haier Group. Midea Group acquired Little Swan washing machines more than ten years ago, and Haier Group has acquired home appliance manufacturers in Japan, New Zealand and the United States in the past decade, and also launched the high-end washing machine brand Casarte. Gree has only started to make washing machine products now, which is a bit behind the times and market development.

More importantly, the current home appliance market is a far cry from the era of rapid growth of enterprises with home appliances going to the countryside and energy-saving subsidies. Even if Gree intends to cultivate the washing machine category, such as joining hands with JD.com to expand the presence of Gree's washing machine e-commerce platform, it lacks an incremental market and faces pressure from giants such as Haier and Midea if it wants to grow and develop.

Industry analysts pointed out that the market situations faced by Gree washing machines and Gree mobile phones have many similarities. For example, both the smartphone industry and the washing machine industry have formed a stable brand structure. Both markets are highly competitive industries with many big names and clear market positions. As a new brand in this industry, Gree washing machines have done very well to survive in the fiercely competitive market environment.

Of course, Gree washing machines also have their own channel advantages, that is, Gree stores all over the country. The matching degree of Gree washing machines and Gree air conditioners is much better than that of Gree mobile phones and Gree air conditioners. The key lies in whether consumers who come to Gree stores to buy Gree air conditioners will also recognize Gree brand washing machines. This is the biggest problem of Gree washing machines.

If consumers only recognize Gree air conditioners and not Gree washing machines, and there is no market for them over time and the products cannot be sold, Gree dealers will be the first to back off. Losing the channel basically means losing the future. Then, Gree washing machines may just be a replica of Gree mobile phones, which are fresh for a while but become boring over time and forgotten by users and the market.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.