Can you use AI for just 200 yuan? The electric fan industry is extremely competitive. What are Midea, Airmate and other brands competing for?

Did you buy a fan this summer?

The website of the National Meteorological Center shows that almost all the densely populated areas to the east of the Hu Line have entered a high - temperature state. The temperature at noon is generally above 28°C. In the Guangzhou area where Lei Technology is located, the temperature has even exceeded 32°C in recent days. In densely populated office spaces, even if the air - conditioner temperature is turned down, the stuffiness caused by high temperatures cannot be completely eliminated. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to buy a fan to improve air circulation.

(Image source: National Meteorological Center)

However, when Xiaolei opened the shopping app, he found that the fan industry is extremely competitive: You can buy products that support 3D circular air supply, mosquito repellent, and AI large models for around $200. The electric fan was invented in 1880, more than 140 years ago, making it an antique - level invention. But as long as there is market demand, there is no shortage of enterprises willing to apply innovative ideas to electric fan products.

Electric fans with fancy features: Circular air supply, mosquito repellent, AI interaction...

Searching for "electric fans" on the shopping app, you'll find that most of the recommended products have the word "circular" in them. It seems that 3D circular air supply has become a must - have feature for electric fans. Electric fans that support circular air supply are equipped with a turbo jet air supply system. The air volume is larger than that of ordinary electric fans, which can effectively increase the air flow speed. Combined with the multi - angle air supply function, 3D circular air supply can be achieved.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

The AI large model on the JD.com platform summarized the consumer reviews of the Midea GDI24FD fan. More than 70% of the buyers mentioned that the wind was strong and the gear adjustment was flexible. It can be seen that the spiral air supply volume of the 3D circular fan has been unanimously recognized by consumers.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

In addition to the air supply function, home appliance manufacturers are also actively upgrading the filters and fan blades of their products, and equipping them with negative ion generators. Through the filters and fan blades with antibacterial and bactericidal functions, the possibility of bacteria and viruses affecting users' health can be reduced during the air supply process. At the same time, negative ions that can purify the air are generated. The Midea GAI24JK indicates on the product page that the antibacterial rate of the fan blades is as high as 99.9%, and the negative ion generator can generate 20 million negative ions/cm³, far exceeding that of fresh - air areas such as suburban fields.

However, some netizens are skeptical about the bactericidal and antibacterial abilities of electric fans, believing that it is just a marketing gimmick of the manufacturers. After verification by Lei Technology, antibacterial additives such as silver ions, organic antibacterial agents, and nano - zinc oxide can destroy the bacterial cell membrane, inhibit enzyme activity, and interfere with DNA replication, thereby achieving bactericidal and antibacterial effects. Initially, it can nearly reach the effects claimed by the manufacturers, but it has no effect on bacteria and viruses in the air. It can only inhibit and kill the bacteria and viruses that come into contact with the fan blades and filters.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

As time passes, the effectiveness of antibacterial additives will weaken. Therefore, users still need to disassemble and clean the fan blades and filters in a timely manner to avoid the decline of the fan's antibacterial and bactericidal abilities due to dust accumulation.

Since electric fans are responsible for air supply, manufacturers have come up with the idea of integrating electric fans with mosquito - repellent essential oils and aromatherapy. Electric fans from brands such as Skyworth, Midea, and Haier have added aromatherapy boxes, supporting the addition of various types of aromatherapy, which can refresh the mind, help with sleep, purify the air, and repel mosquitoes. Based on the 3D circular air supply ability of the fan, the aromatherapy or mosquito - repellent essential oil can be sent to every corner of the house. It should be noted that some products only support the injection of mosquito - repellent essential oils, such as the Skyworth Q537. Consumers need to choose carefully according to their own needs when purchasing.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

Perhaps users are more concerned about whether it is cool and ignore the aromatherapy and mosquito - repellent functions. There are few comments on this function on e - commerce platforms, and they are basically just briefly mentioned. Data from Baogao Hall Network shows that the Chinese aromatherapy market has grown from 5 billion yuan in 2018 to 25 billion yuan in 2023, and it is expected to reach 30 billion yuan in 2027. Although the market scale is growing rapidly, it is still a niche market and not a necessity. Maybe in the future, when aromatherapy is further popularized, domestic consumers will start to value the combination of electric fans and aromatherapy.

The popular global AI and voice control have not been forgotten by home appliance manufacturers. In the field of electric fans, voice control is not a rare feature. In the early days of the rise of the smart home industry, many manufacturers added networking functions to electric fans, which can be voice - controlled through devices such as mobile phones or smart speakers.

The difference is that now electric fans can recognize users' commands through the built - in AI large - language model to adjust the air volume or mode without being connected to the Internet. For example, the Midea GAI24PA supports fuzzy command recognition without being connected to the Internet. There is no need to memorize fixed commands, and even the elderly and children can easily control the electric fan.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

Thanks to AI voice interaction, this electric fan does not require complex networking operations, nor does it need to be controlled by a remote control or an app. The convenience of users using the electric fan has been greatly improved. Naturally, consumers have given rave reviews for this function.

The electric fan category has a history of more than 140 years, but manufacturers have never forgotten to keep up with the times, and the products are constantly being improved according to users' needs. From antibacterial and bactericidal functions to the integration of negative ion generators and aromatherapy devices, and then to the addition of AI large models and non - networked voice control functions, home appliance manufacturers are continuously upgrading users' experience of using fans.

Leading by Midea and Airmate, the market is already a red ocean

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that as of the end of 2023, the number of air - conditioners per 100 households among national residents has reached 145.9 units. With the air - conditioner penetration rate exceeding 100%, the fan market is inevitably affected.

Fortunately, air - conditioners cannot completely replace fans. At present, high - end air - conditioners have gradually added the 360° all - around air supply function. However, the replacement cycle of air - conditioners is relatively long, and many old products do not support all - around air supply. If the room is a little larger, it is easy to have a situation where the directly - blown area is cold while other areas are hot. At this time, an electric fan is needed to assist air circulation.

Secondly, when the weather is not extremely hot, users don't need to turn on high - power air - conditioners. Electric fans can achieve a cooling effect and generally consume less power. The power of electric fans from brands such as Midea, Gree, and Skyworth is basically only a few dozen watts, and it is normal for the daily power consumption to be less than one kilowatt - hour.

The rise or fall of the electric fan market scale is highly correlated with temperature changes. Data from Aowei Cloud Network shows that from March to July 2024, the retail volume of electric fans was 43.92 million units, a year - on - year decrease of 7%, and the retail sales were 7.1 billion yuan, a year - on - year decrease of 12%. In August, as the temperature gradually increased, the electric fan market recovered. From July 29th to August 25th, the sales increased by 22.6% year - on - year, and the sales volume increased by 19.9% year - on - year.

(Image source: Aowei Cloud Network)

Data from CNR shows that due to the rapid rise in temperature this year, the sales volume and sales of electric fans have also increased rapidly. As of May 21st, the sales of electric fans increased by 26% year - on - year, the sales volume increased by nearly 9% year - on - year, and the average price increased by 16% year - on - year.

The "China Climate Change Blue Book (2025)" recently released by the China Meteorological Administration points out that from 1961 to 2024, the average temperature in China increased by 0.31°C every 10 years. The gradual increase in temperature means that the electric fan market scale will still maintain growth.

In terms of brand sales, since there is no exact data, taking the hot - selling list of electric fans on the JD.com platform as an example, the products on this list are mainly from established home appliance manufacturers such as Midea and Airmate. Only one Xiaomi product has entered the top ten, and Gree's products also occupy multiple positions in the complete top - thirty list.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

Different from other home appliance categories, electric fans are inexpensive. Products around $200 are already mid - to high - end products, and they basically have functions such as AI voice interaction, circular air supply, air purification, antibacterial and bactericidal, aromatherapy, and mosquito repellent. In the higher - end market, enterprises are starting to attract consumers through designs such as bladeless fans that improve safety and appearance. For example, the Dyson AM07 costs $2999 before national subsidies, and the price of domestic manufacturers' bladeless electric fans is generally around $500.

(Image source: Screenshot from JD.com)

The consequence of a small market scale and low profit margin is that small manufacturers find it difficult to compete with large manufacturers, especially those with design teams and factories. Taking the Xiaomi floor fan that entered the top ten of the hot - selling list as an example, compared with products at the same price from brands such as Midea and Gree, the advantage of this product lies in its deep integration with the Mi Home ecosystem, while the disadvantage is the lack of air purification and antibacterial and bactericidal configurations, and it does not support the addition of aromatherapy or mosquito - repellent essential oils.

Electric fans are not air - conditioners, and remote control has little significance for cooling the whole house. In the case where other fans have added non - networked voice control, the advantage of Xiaomi fans' deep integration with the Mi Home ecosystem is not obvious.

Leading home appliance manufacturers will launch products that better meet users' needs through market research and technological R & D. Small factories with less competitive products need to continuously explore the low - end market and win with cost - effectiveness in the market below $100, or increase their focus on foreign trade. In regions with relatively weak consumption ability and high temperatures such as Africa and India, they can occupy the market with low - price products.

No antique - level categories, only antique - level products

The lifespan of a type of product does not depend on its technical content, but on its importance to users and whether manufacturers can innovate in combination with users' needs. Cars, treadmills, and dishwashers also have a history of hundreds of years. Now, cars are almost a necessity for families, treadmills are everywhere in gyms, and dishwashers are gradually entering thousands of households. Compared with them, the structure of electric fans is simpler, but manufacturers still come up with "fancy features" to make the functions of electric fans not limited to air supply.

Judging from the product design and function development trends, the electric fan industry will continue to focus on health, appearance design, and intelligence. Limited by the price and positioning