Taking household central air conditioners as the long - term growth engine, Midea has launched the industry's first dual - air - outlet indoor unit to meet the needs of all scenarios | The Frontline

Author | Huang Nan

Editor | Peng Xiaoqiu

As the home appliance industry as a whole enters the era of stock competition, the consumption upgrade trend in the air - conditioning market has opened up new growth opportunities for the industry.

For a long time, the domestic air - conditioning market has been characterized by typical stock competition. On the one hand, white - goods, as durable consumer goods, have a relatively long iteration cycle, and users replace them less frequently. On the other hand, the traditional split - type air - conditioning market is approaching saturation, and the new demand is limited.

However, with the iterative upgrade of modern lifestyle concepts, which is reflected in the structural change of users' purchasing preferences, people are paying more and more attention to the overall comfortable experience of the home environment. This change in demand is reshaping the pattern of the air - conditioning market. Many families are now prioritizing household central air - conditioners during home decoration.

The shift of household central air - conditioners from high - end niche products to essential quality items is particularly evident among the young generation. As the emerging consumption force, young users not only focus on the basic cooling and heating functions of air - conditioners but also pursue the overall coordination and scenario - based experience in multi - space environments.

Among them, the home design schemes such as open - plan kitchens and integrated living - dining rooms, which are favored by many young users, have led to obvious differentiated characteristics in their air - conditioning needs. They need to meet the personalized temperature control requirements of different functional areas such as the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, while also maintaining the aesthetics and intelligent linkage of the overall home.

Product image of Midea household central air - conditioners

This trend is also confirmed by market data. Li Jianfeng, the person in charge of multi - connected unit development at Midea's household air - conditioning division, told 36Kr that according to Midea's sales data during the 618 period, the performance of household central air - conditioners in terms of energy - saving, comfort, and intelligent interconnection has become a key consideration for users' purchasing decisions. Their demand for air - conditioners has shifted from a single temperature - control function to a systematic pursuit of the overall home experience.

Meanwhile, there has been a generational change in the purchasing method. The traditional purchasing process of household central air - conditioners often involves multiple steps such as in - store consultation, on - site survey, customized solution design, and air - outlet selection, which is complex and time - consuming. In contrast, young users prefer to obtain integrated solutions through online channels.

For example, Midea recently launched an "all - inclusive price" service, which integrates all the costs of the central air - conditioner from consultation, design to installation into a unified package price. There is no need to pay additional fees such as high - altitude operation fees and basic pipe - extension fees, simplifying the purchasing decision - making process and providing more standardized and transparent services.

Product image of Midea household central air - conditioners

Li Jianfeng pointed out that the penetration rate of central air - conditioners in China is still not high. The overall household air - conditioning market presents a dual - track pattern with split - type air - conditioners leading and central air - conditioners accelerating. In the short term, split - type air - conditioners, with their mature industrial chain advantages, affordable price, and flexible installation characteristics, continue to dominate the mid - and low - end markets, maintaining a high penetration rate of over 95%.

Relying on the release of quality - of - life demands such as energy - saving and environmental protection, the penetration rate of central air - conditioners is expected to increase from the current about 20% to over 30%, becoming the main growth driver in the next decade. Leading manufacturers, including Midea, also regard household central air - conditioners as one of their long - term growth engines.

Recently, Midea will launch the industry's first "dual - outlet indoor unit" for household central air - conditioners. This solution can be applied to ductless multi - split systems and other household central air - conditioning products. Through three intelligent air - supply modes, it can meet users' different cooling and heating needs in various scenarios.

Midea's industry - first "dual - outlet indoor unit" for household central air - conditioners

In the integrated living - dining room scenario, to address the temperature difference problem between the near and far ends after the open - plan living room and dining room are connected, the dual - outlet design enables the upper and lower air outlets to work together to achieve uniform cooling effects at different distances. Its air - supply structure uses a fluid design similar to a faucet nozzle, which can extend the air distance and cover the entire area of the living room, dining room, and open - plan kitchen for temperature control.

For the experience defect of traditional central air - conditioners, which are usually installed at a high position and tend to cause a "hot head and cold feet" feeling during heating, the dual - outlet structure is designed with a lower air outlet to direct hot air directly to the ground, providing a comfortable experience of warm feet. This not only replaces the traditional floor - heating system but also effectively saves installation costs.

To meet the segmented needs of different groups in the same family, Midea also provides a variety of matching indoor unit types, including indoor units for the elderly that can remove bacteria and formaldehyde, indoor units without wind sensation for children, and quiet indoor units for noise - sensitive users, forming a solution matrix covering all scenarios.

With the emergence of a new generation of users and the differentiation of demands, users' experience requirements for the home environment are shifting from basic function satisfaction to scenario - based and personalized solutions, which requires enterprises to accurately address users' pain points with differentiated products.

Through its four brands, COLMO, Midea, Welling, and Little Swan, Midea's household air - conditioning division has completed the construction of a product matrix covering all consumption levels. By operating through multiple online and offline channels in a coordinated manner, it can deeply cover users' needs. Currently, in the ductless air - conditioner segment, Midea has exceeded a 50% market share with products such as the "Cool and Power - Saving" series, firmly ranking among the industry leaders.