During the 618 period, the sales volume of VR glasses increased by 23498%. Are you scared?

During the "618" e-commerce festival, a piece of news was forwarded crazily in the circle of friends. JD.com announced that "the relevant sales data during the 618 period (June 1-18) in 2016 showed that the overall sales of 3C products exceeded 36,006,909 units, among which the largest increase was in VR headsets, which increased by 23,498.21%."

JD.com posted the so-called "report card" and everyone was shocked by the data. After being surprised, the real situation behind the numbers can be roughly guessed. In the 618 period, the age of users mainly covered 19 to 55 years old. Facing this consumer age group, especially the middle-aged purchasing group between 19 and 35 years old, the main consumer group for VR purchases is concentrated in this age range. It is understandable that the desire of young people to buy under the stimulation of trying new things has led to a significant increase in VR sales.

Is the increase of 23498.21% hype?

Analyzing the reasons behind this percentage of numbers similar to pi, it is not difficult to see that the hype methods of e-commerce are getting more and more sophisticated. Just like Tmall’s official Weibo after the Double Eleven that year, it boasted that 2 million pairs of underwear were sold, and if they were connected together, they would be 3,000 kilometers long. Too much meaningless data does not reflect the real situation of the current market. Everyone just uses it as a topic of conversation after dinner.

In the information released by JD.com, we can see the specific data of sales of mobile phones, games, etc., but only the VR part has the growth rate for reference. We don’t know how many VR shipments there are, and how many VR buyers there are compared with before. For example, before "618", the sales volume was 1 unit, and on the day of the festival, more than 300 units were sold, and the growth rate exceeded 300%. According to this ratio, it is not impossible to achieve 23498.21%.

Looking at the situation of VR in recent years, this lion has indeed developed at a rapid speed, from various IT giants launching VR ecological platforms to the dazzling array of VR experience areas appearing in shopping malls, everyone is "doing VR". In fact, the number of people who know the industry is still the same.

At present, as VR is at a critical juncture in its development, VR equipment manufacturers should pay more attention to the scope of the groups that purchase these devices and how users feel about wearing them. Improving user stickiness is the key to the development of VR manufacturers. The so-called sales volume or some increase in value is just a highlight for e-commerce companies to attract customers. Consumers should keep their eyes open.

The hardware is sold, then what?

The surge in VR consumption has also led to a large number of practitioners switching to the VR industry. There are also voices in the VR industry that the entry threshold for VR is low and anyone with a little technical knowledge can switch to VR.

Such a statement, one has to ask, is it really so?

In fact, the development of content is the main driving force to attract consumers to buy VR glasses. From an international perspective, Sony and HTC are trying to make some efforts in VR content, and some other large game companies have also launched VR businesses, trying to gain a foothold in the VR market in advance. Back in China, Baofeng Mojing released a content platform APP, iQiyi is creating IP movies in VR, and Huajiao VR live broadcast platform was released, all of which are in the VR field.

Sony's PS VR game "Farpoint" attracted much attention at this year's E3 conference, and the outside world hoped that Sony could bring changes to the industry. Overall, the graphics of this game are not amazing, the details are a bit rough, and the frame rate is relatively stable. At least it is qualified in the VRization of FPS. However, for the sake of anti-dizziness, the recoil of this game is zero, and there will be no shaking from the crosshairs to the screen. In addition to the ammunition limit, the weapon will "overheat", which is also a regret of this game. Even as a global game production company, Sony is also lacking in the production of VR games, so it is not easy for other development teams to create excellent content.

Industry insiders have pointed out that if VR is to be accepted by the public, it must be driven by content. VR content is the support point, and hardware devices are the platform to support the realization of content effects. In fact, the industry has not yet produced any blockbuster VR content that can capture the appetite of consumers.

Judging from the current consumption data, the latest forecast of market research institution IDC this year shows that the shipment of virtual reality (VR) hardware will increase greatly until it gradually stabilizes in 2020. It is expected that 9.6 million VR head-mounted displays will be shipped this year, and the total shipment will soar to 64.8 million in the next four years. Compared with the so-called increase of 23498.21%, such figures are more convincing.

As for those users who have already bought VR devices, they may not care about these wildly growing numbers. The key is how to use these devices to experience more and better content in the future. Otherwise, the cheap devices purchased by users on impulse will only end up gathering dust.

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.