For a long time, everyone seems to have a misunderstanding: large companies are good companies. No matter what industry they are in, entrepreneurs always hope to be the next Jack Ma, Liu Qiangdong, and Dong Mingzhu.
But in fact, it is very difficult to build a large-scale enterprise at this stage. Since it is impossible to be big and comprehensive, can being "small and beautiful" with precision and specialization be the way to develop an enterprise?
Small is beautiful, "small" does not mean small market
To take the path of "small but beautiful", you must first understand what "small but beautiful" means. First of all, "small" here does not mean small market, but has two levels of meaning:
First, small and medium-sized enterprises.
"Small but beautiful" is a concept proposed by Jack Ma in 2009. He regards small and medium-sized enterprises as the driving force of the future of the world economy. He believes that the consumer-oriented business system will become the future and small and medium-sized enterprises will become the commercial society. main body, and asserted that the next 20 years will belong to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Jack Ma places small and medium-sized enterprises in such an important position, not because Alibaba’s purpose is to serve small and medium-sized enterprises, but because no matter what industry it is in, no matter what kind of oligarchy economy and leader the industry has formed Enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises still account for the majority of the industry. It is impossible for an industry to rely solely on a few "big and powerful" and "large and comprehensive" companies to sustain its success. Most large companies are also developed from small businesses. If you don’t believe me, look at it. Among the big companies in the ceramics industry today are Weimei (Marco Polo), Dongpeng, Nobel, New Pearl, etc., which one didn’t start from a “small” one?
Second, niche market segments.
As we all know, the classification of ceramic tile products is complex. According to the production process and characteristics, it can be divided into glazed tiles, full-body tiles, polished tiles, vitrified tiles, etc.; according to product size, it can be divided into large plates, medium plates, thin plates, thick bricks, etc.; According to space application, it can be divided into exterior wall tiles, interior wall tiles, square tiles, floor tiles, etc. Therefore, the "small" here can also be a concept of market segmentation. No matter which subdivided category it is, it can become a large market, and it may even become popular and mainstream in this category.
In recent years, market competition and price competition in the ceramic industry have become increasingly fierce. Categories such as antique bricks, large slabs, and medium slabs have emerged rapidly, bringing new markets. Whether it is the market effect of "no big boards, no big brands" caused by "big boards" in recent years, or the wave of market craze brought about by "Morandi color", these are the world of big brands and the companionship of small brands. Run game. The scale and production chain of small brands cannot match that of large brands, and they do not have an advantage in competition. Often, the wrong development direction will put small businesses in a difficult situation, or even become cannon fodder.
After experiencing something like this, small and medium-sized enterprises should have understood that blindly learning from big names is simply unrealistic and unnecessary. There is no need to worship the so-called industry giants and leaders too much, because they are all different in terms of physique, strength and appearance. Even if you copy other people’s ideas, copy other people’s strategies, copy other people’s products, it will not be the same. Nothing can be done.
Although the ceramic market is saturated, there is still a large space for some niche markets, and competition is relatively less fierce, such as in the field of exterior wall tiles and square tiles. Because of the particularity of outdoor space, whether it is the paving of square floors or the decoration of building facades, this part of the market has long been monopolized by materials such as stone, metal, and glass. However, due to the scarcity of stone resources, national supervision of stone resources, and light pollution caused by glass and other materials, consumers urgently need a new material to fill this vacant market.
As far as Zhongtaojun knows, there is a company in the ceramic industry called Weige that has been committed to making "thick bricks" since its inception, targeting the outdoor areas of commercial buildings and high-end residences. Weige has successively launched 2cm and 3cm thick brick products because of theirWith excellent bending resistance, wear resistance and anti-corrosion properties, it just fills the gap in the outdoor decoration material market. After years of research and development and product optimization, it currently occupies a certain share in the outdoor decoration market.
Therefore, for ceramic companies, it is necessary to broaden their horizons and not rush to where they are saturated. At present, there are still many vacancies in commercial space and niche markets. Enterprises can launch a new round of layout for personalized markets based on their own development conditions and advantages. This idea will never be wrong.
Small but beautiful, "beauty" is the key
In the concept of "small but beautiful", "small" defines the scope, while "beauty" is an important condition for screening and stratifying this part of the enterprise. "Beauty" not only refers to the good appearance of the product, but also refers to achieving the ultimate product quality and characteristics and taking a differentiated route by meeting the individual needs of consumers. It can move users through the creation of details, and create the best customer experience from multiple dimensions such as products, marketing, and services.
When scholars discuss industry changes, they often mention the term "consumption upgrading", but whether its explanation is that consumers can buy better products with more money, or that consumers can use less Buying more and better products at a lower price is not enough to describe the current consumption concept of consumers.
Because in the current era of serious homogeneity, consumers prefer not so-called mass brands. No one wants to go out and wear the same clothes as others. Consumers' needs are more refined and picky. They will choose products according to their own needs. If there is a brand that can meet their personalized needs, they are willing to pay a higher price for consumption.
This is the spring of "small but beautiful" enterprises. Faced with the current industry situation of thousands of bricks and tiles, "small but beautiful"; There is still hope for the rise of enterprises. This requires "small but beautiful" companies to find accurate positioning, segment users, conduct precise marketing, and enter the hearts of consumers in a subtle and silent way. Just like "choose Head and Shoulders for dandruff removal" and "choose Bawang for hair care", this is how consumption comes about.
How "Small and Beautiful" can stand firm in the market
Because we are making niche products, we of course need different methods and approaches in the process of entering the market.
Choose your user groups accurately.
“A carrot and a pit.” In fact, many consumer behaviors can be said to be two-way choices between enterprises and consumers. Big brands have high thresholds and objectively choose users with similar incomes, levels, and values; high-end consumers, with high income levels and high consumption levels, naturally prefer high-end brands.
But for niche products, consumers cannot simply be divided into high-end, mid-range, and low-end levels. Instead, they should be classified according to the differences in consumer needs. For example, the product he needs happens to be what I mainly produce. products, then he is my main consumer, and then I provide personalized services according to the needs of consumers.
Use commercial space wisely.
Due to national policies, rough housing is gradually being canceled in various places and replaced by finely decorated housing. However, because the finely decorated houses are facing a mid-to-high-end customer group, there are certain standards for the selection of decoration materials, and the suppliers are required to be big brands and have the strength to advance funds. For some niche brands, they may not be qualified to enter the finely decorated housing market, and their development in this area may hit a wall.
It is of course difficult for niche brands and popular brands to compete for markets such as finely decorated houses. However, in markets such as villa space, commercial space, catering space, and office space, there is still good room for development of niche products with full personality and high cost performance.
High-quality output visual applications.
In the ceramic industry, products such as background walls and tiles are niche products and are very personalized. The output and landing of this part of the product cannot be output as a single product like other types of ceramic tile products. Enterprises should provide distinctive design solutions, export them to designers and consumers, and impress users with high-quality application design and visual effects. This kind of output method makes it more convenient for users to use these products.
In addition, because niche products pay more attention to personalization and differentiation, there is more creative space for designers, and they can further develop through the designer channel.
At present, in the ceramic industry, everyone is suffering and no one is doing well. Since "frying" and "boiling" are both ways to achieve delicious food, "stewing" is nothing more than refining gold in the ceramic industry.
Whether it is "small but beautiful" or "big but complete", there is always a way out if you master the heat.
