Product Trends
According to the changes in the market environment in recent years and the direction of international trends, driven by the modern minimalist style, the trend of ceramic tile products has undergone the following changes:
1. Gloss: from bright to matte
"Bright" has been the main theme of the ceramic industry for many years. Polishing, glazing, microcrystal, and polishing have a glossiness from bright to high, and then to super bright and super high, which is extremely luxurious and magnificent. According to the above changes in consumer demand, the taste for products is getting higher and higher, and the market segmentation is becoming increasingly obvious.People are tired of seeing the extremely luxurious and magnificent "bright" tiles. Matt tiles, soft polished tiles, molded tiles, ceramic tile products reflect the perfect combination of vision and touch. "Matt" has gradually replaced "bright" and moved towards the mainstream.
2. Color: Warm gray has emerged
LOFT style is popular internationally, and warm gray is also increasingly favored by the domestic market. In color psychology, gray represents wisdom, calmness, and authority. Gray is called a neutral color by the design industry. It is warm when it is cold and cold when it is warm. It can coordinate a variety of messy contrasting colors in one work or space, so it is also known as a universal color.
3. Specifications: Create the concept of super-large-sized plates
From the large-sized bricks that can be seen everywhere at various industry exhibitions, it seems that large-sized bricks will definitely be a new trend in the future. However, due to the limitations of domestic production equipment, the mainstream specifications of domestic ceramic tiles in 2017 are still 600×600mm, 600×900mm, 800×800mm, 600×1200mm, etc., and the specifications of 900×900 and 800×1800mm will also gradually expand.
4. Mold: Pursue a realistic natural glaze texture
Ceramics have their own unique material properties, with super physical and chemical properties and strong plasticity. For a long time, we have been using ceramics to imitate a certain material effect, while ignoring the material properties of ceramics themselves. Surface imitation is only one aspect of the "plasticity" of ceramics. Giving full play to the material advantages of the material itself is the meaning of the existence of a material. Mold technology can better reflect the plasticity advantage of ceramics, and colorful mold products can reflect the essential effect of ceramic materials.
5. Characteristics of different types of products
Ceramic tile products have completely withdrawn from the high-end market, but still occupy a large share in the mid- and low-end markets, especially the engineering market, with their cost-effectiveness advantages;
Glazed tile products (including the higher-end Dali products) have richer process means and color performance, and will still occupy a large share in the next few years;
Polished tile products retreat to the engineering market. If a major breakthrough is made in the color expression (such as re-establishing the cost-effectiveness advantage through the combination of inkjet and infiltration glaze technology), it is possible to regain part of the high-end market share;
The process means of Yaguang brick products tend to be refined, and various new specifications (including thickness specifications), dry particle technology, color glaze technology, inkjet and mold composite process means are more abundant, and further subdivision of material expression is formed, and more Yaguang brick small categories and style brands appear;
Functional environmental protection concept products are expected to emerge, such as negative ions, anti-slip bricks, etc.
Terminal Trends
1. Consumer Groups
The era in which people born in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s dominated the consumer market is gradually coming to an end. People born in the 1980s and 1990s have emerged and are leading social construction and consumer decision-making, fissioning the terminal consumption structure.
2. Consumption Characteristics
The individual consciousness and entertainment spirit of people born in the 1980s and 1990s make consumption personalized and multipolar, and experience consumption has gradually become the mainstream. The era in which the previous luxury trend and a single home decoration plan could dominate the market has ended. The home decoration style has changed from gorgeous to modern simplicity, from luxury to light luxury, and the consumption channels have gradually shifted from offline to online.
3. Consumption Requirements
Pursue brand value, consumer experience halls, and after-sales service.
4. Market Environment
A. The rise of the Internet—multi-channels—decentralization
B. Industry maturity—industry integration—brand concentration
C. Competition saturation—profit decline and transparency—requirement for service upgrades
D. Product diversification
E. Intensified competition among channel dealers
Traditional decoration companies, Internet home decoration, brand design alliances, etc.
Trend Summary
The tile industry has entered a major and long transformation period since its development. The competition at this stage is somewhat different from the past. With the high degree of homogeneity of technology and the convenience and widespread use of OEM, the dependence of brand operation on production capacity, capital and enterprise scale has been relatively weakened.
The competition of antique tiles is more special. Compared with other categories of products, antique tiles are more differentiated and have higher added value. They are relatively less dependent on production capacity, capital and brand awareness, but have higher requirements for the accuracy of brand positioning, the differentiation and integrity of brand image, product development and design capabilities, channel targeting, service system and operation team.
This is an important reason why many big brands with advantages in production capacity, capital and brand awareness cannot do well in antique tiles. At the same time, this is also an opportunity for many modern antique brands.
