"Chinese artifact"! Germany, Japan, Singapore all love it

"It's popular among young people in China to use 'lazy artifacts', but are they worth the money?" Singaporean media have recently paid attention to the consumption trend of young Chinese people and reported on it. Umbrella clips, mobile phone remote controls, lazy glasses and lazy hair dryers are popular among young people. Not only that, but consumer interest in products and services such as home nail art, pre-made dishes, and smart home appliances is also growing. According to the report, this trend is rising in the context of China's growing "lazy economy", which caters to the pursuit of efficiency and productivity in Chinese society, and also relieves the pressure of daily life.

Your day-to-day helper

"It's a big trouble to turn off the lights in the dormitory every time, and no one wants to get out of bed, so we bought a light off artifact together, as long as you stick it next to the switch, you can control the switch of the dormitory light with the remote control." Lin Jing, a junior college student, told the Global Times that in the past three years of college, she has become a follower of the "lazy artifact", and under the recommendation of social media, she loves to buy some small utensils to "try it". "For example, in the summer, it was hot outside, and I didn't want to lift the fan, so I bought a halterneck fan; Because I didn't want to hold my phone to play with before going to bed, I bought a lazy phone holder and a refractor; I even bought a takeaway artifact, which is a long rope with a buckle, but it didn't work well. She said.

Singapore's Straits Times analysis said that many young people were born during a period of rapid economic growth in China. When they begin to live independently, they will find ways to maintain or even improve their comfort in life, which fuels the "lazy economy" and the demand for "lazy artifacts". Whether on a college campus or in work and life, the "lazy artifact" has become a daily right-hand man for many people. The "Global Times" reporter searched for "lazy artifact" as a keyword on the shopping platform, and found that the top sales of related products such as lights-off artifact, neck fan, mobile phone holder, blending cup, umbrella clip and other related products exceeded 10,000, and the sales of refractors and takeaway artifacts also reached thousands of orders.

Yiwu small businesses export overseas mobile phone holders. Photo courtesy of the interviewee

Wang Lin, who operates a mobile phone holder related business in Yiwu, told the Global Times reporter that the mobile phone holder is very popular, and domestic consumers have put forward more and more requirements for the design and function of the mobile phone holder.

In addition to this kind of simple and delicate "lazy artifact", in recent years, the "lazy economy" has begun to cover a wider range of products, including smart home devices. Automatic shoe washers, fruit and vegetable disinfection machines, etc. once became popular on the Internet. The popularity of the "lazy economy" has also given rise to related new occupations and new formats, such as storage and finishing specialists, door-to-door nail technicians, dog walkers, etc., involving takeaways, housekeeping, beauty, prefabricated dishes and other fields.

Dai Fei, who has been working for four years, ordered a variety of pre-made dishes for her parents in her hometown before the Chinese New Year, she said: "There are many relatives in the family during the Chinese New Year, and in order to entertain them, my parents are often busy from morning to night, and now the pre-made dishes can help them save a lot of time." ”

According to the statistics of China Research Institute Puhua, the target consumer groups of "lazy economy" are mainly white-collar workers aged 28-45, middle school students and above, and tourists, who have higher requirements for quality of life and are willing to pay a certain fee for convenience and efficiency. The market size of the "lazy economy" has continued to grow in recent years, from 21.25 billion yuan in 2014 to 54.85 billion yuan in 2020, and is expected to continue to grow at a growth rate of 12.8% in the next few years.

Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, believes that the "lazy economy" reflects the acceleration of the pace of modern life and consumers' pursuit of efficiency and convenience. The real appeal of these consumers is to save time, energy, and resources by purchasing services or products, so that they can better devote themselves to work, study, or entertainment, such as what they think is more valuable. They expect to be able to simplify their lives and enjoy a more relaxed and comfortable lifestyle.

How the "artifact" does not become a "beautiful waste"

Although this kind of "hands-free" consumption behavior is called the "lazy economy" by many media, Zhou Nan, secretary general of the Household Appliances Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, told the Global Times reporter that as far as the category of small household appliances is concerned, its main customer group is not the lazy people who "like to work hard", but the young group who pursue intelligent and efficient life concepts and life attitudes, which reflects the upgrading of their consumption structure and consumption level.

From smart robot vacuums to one-click cooking devices, these products have greatly simplified people's daily lives. But with that comes a lot of problems. Several interviewees told reporters that some "lazy devices" have paid an "IQ tax", which is not only of little use, but also takes up space and is thrown aside after a period of time.

Liu Mengqi, who has just returned from studying in the UK, told the Global Times reporter that in order to eat the Chinese food she wants at any time in the UK, she specially carried an automatic stir-fry machine, "I just want to throw the ingredients in, stir-fry with one click, and wait for more than ten minutes to eat fragrant food." But I never expected that the most troublesome thing about stir-frying is not the process of stir-frying, but the preparation, washing, cutting, and finally having to brush the pot, the automatic stir-fry machine is more difficult to brush than the ordinary pot, and the pot can only eat ashes in the corner in the end. ”

"Lazy devices" have attracted a large number of consumers with their convenience, but how to make these products participate in consumers' lives for a long time and be "reused" is one of the issues faced by enterprises and businesses.

Zhou Nan told the Global Times: "When some smart home appliances were first launched, they were hyped as concepts, but if you want the product to increase penetration in the market and occupy a 'place' in consumers' homes, the requirements are relatively high, and the product should not have blind spots." For example, many consumers have used a 'shoe washer', and they initially bought it out of novelty, but if they want to use it as a regular household appliance such as a refrigerator, it should not make consumers feel that it is useless. ”

Zhou Nan mentioned that the "lazy economy" is also related to the changes in the domestic population structure and consumption structure. "The domestic small household appliance market has slowly changed from an incremental market to a stock market. If you want to stimulate the stock market, you must rely on the update of products, especially the improvement of product performance, so behind the 'lazy economy' is actually an innovation, which is more convenient for consumers to experience. ”

Jiang Han also said that for merchants, it is necessary to carry out product innovation to avoid being eliminated by the market. First, they need to have a deep understanding of the needs and preferences of their target consumers to ensure that the direction of product innovation is in line with market trends. Secondly, continuous technology research and development and innovation are required to maintain the competitive advantage of products. This includes, but is not limited to, improving product features, improving product quality, optimizing user experience, and more. In addition, businesses should also focus on communication and interaction with consumers.

E-commerce platforms help "artifacts" go global

The "lazy artifact" is not only popular in China, but also loved by consumers in other countries. Rouschmann is one of the largest grocery supermarkets in Germany. A special reporter from the Global Times observed that in the past year or two, there have been many "lazy artifacts" made in China on the counter. For example, pet automatic feeders, garlic, pepper and other spices chopper, mixing cups, etc.

Germany's largest electrical appliance chain "Wonder City Electric" also has a lot of Chinese-made "lazy equipment". The air fryer is one of the most popular products, and it has become a bestseller thanks to its good looks and price of around 10 euros. The clerk of "Wind City Electric" told reporters that sweepers and cordless vacuum cleaners made in China are very popular. Compared with European and Korean products, Chinese products are smarter, more fashionable in design, and cheaper, but brand awareness needs to be improved.

Of course, the most convenient way to buy a "lazy artifact" is through Chinese e-commerce platforms, such as Temu, AliExpress and Shein, which are all household names in Germany. The German newspaper Bild reported that Temu and Shein send hundreds of thousands of packages to Germany every day, including all kinds of "lazy artifacts". For example, when summer comes, many people buy USB fans, ice cream machines, etc., and the price of these products is mostly a few euros to a dozen euros.

In Singapore, the recent "lazy artifacts" related to cooling include various mini fans, as well as fast cooling cups, which have become popular with consumers. In addition, simple and convenient multi-functional small appliances have become kitchen artifacts, including air fryers and sandwich makers, which have found their way into many Singaporean homes. A special correspondent of the Global Times in Singapore, a neighbor has a sweeping robot from a well-known Chinese company. According to neighbors, this robot vacuum can be easily activated with voice control and is dexterous.

The Japanese have long been known for providing convenient, delicate gadgets, such as heated eye masks. Therefore, some "whimsical" "lazy artifacts" are also loved by the Japanese. For example, it is the rainy season in Japan, and a "quick-drying stick" made of diatomaceous earth has become a popular new product. According to local consumers, there is no need to drain the kettle for a long time after washing, and it only takes a few minutes to absorb all the water by inserting the quick-drying stick into the bottle.

Today, many of these "hands-free" artifacts on the Japanese market are made in China. Open e-commerce platforms such as Temu, from small tome hairpins with anti-bangs splitting hairpins for tens of yen, to microwave oven steamers for hundreds of yen, and convenient small electrical appliances for tens of thousands of yen, all of which are produced in Chinese factories, and there is no shortage of feedback from user reviews on Chinese products from doubts to "obsession".