Research on Consumer Purchasing Demand for Household Humidifiers in China Market

Abstract

Household humidifiers are gaining increasing popularity among consumers. In order to study the creative design strategy of household humidifiers for consumers, this paper analyzes the operating principles and environment, materials, functions, physical appearances and colors of household humidifiers. The purchasing demand of consumers was surveyed. Based on the online questionnaire survey of and site interview with household humidifier consumers in Beijing, this paper analyzes competitive brands in the market, defines the consumers’ purchasing demand for household humidifiers and summarizes the elements for creative design of household humidifiers needed by consumers so as to provide a reference for creative design of household humidifiers. Keywords—User research, humidifiers, market research, design strategies I. OVERVIEW AND CURRENT RESEARCH OF HOUSEHOLD HUMIDIFIERS A. Development of the Household Humidifier Industry With the improvement of people's living standards and development of heavy industry, indoor air has become a common concern of the public [1]. Like air temperature, air humidity is an important factor of ambient temperature. It has a significant impact on people's living and working environment [2]. Some medical experts indicated that the most comfortable ambient temperature is about 25°C; that the most comfortable ambient temperature is 45 to 70RH; and that a proper value of relative humidity makes us comfortable, keeps us fit and improves our working efficiency [3]. However, for the northern region of China, its dry air makes it difficult to reach the reasonable air index. Thus, it can be seen that household unifiers play an important role in keeping consumers health, either physically or mentally. According to the survey conducted by chinabaogao.com, China has witnessed a slow growth in the sales amount of humidifiers in recent years. As of the end of 2017, the total sales amount of the humidifier industry has reached RMB 1.63 billion yuan, an increase of 20 million yuan. Throughout China, the northern regions remain the major market for humidifiers. Retails account for 45.5% of the total sales in the market. The eastern, central and northern regions witnessed a rapid growth on a year-on-year basis, typically eastern regions, accounting for 18.8% of the domestic market; and the southern and western regions showed a year-on-year decline. With the effective promotion of air quality measurement and products in northern and northeastern regions, the number of humidifier consumers is growing year by year in the north. So, there is still a huge space for humidifiers to develop in China. From the perspective of innovative drivers (Table I), in order to facilitate the development of household humidifiers, in addition to environmental applicability and market promotion, we should further product quality and produce the products that are needed by consumers. Thus, the market survey on the household humidifiers of China can provide strategic guidance for further improving the design of household humidifiers on the one hand and promote the development of household humidifiers in the market, thus promoting social and economic growth. TABLE I. DRIVERS FOR HUMIDIFIER INNOVATION