Authoritative data shows that in the field of washing machines, after 10KG products occupy the main sales position for nearly 5 years, 12KG products are rapidly increasing in 2024. In this rapidly rising market, the veteran players Little Swan, Haier, Midea, and home appliance upstarts Rock Technology and Xiaomi are all seizing the time window to "land on the beach".

In fact, Roborock (688169.SH) has long predicted this trend.

"The development of 12KG washing machine is the general trend of the industry", this is the judgment of Lin Chenghu, senior engineer of Roborock washing machine BU, as early as when the Roborock washing machine project was established.

Today, Roborock's Z1, H1 Air, H1 Neo and H1 have become 12KG washer-drying products with high market recognition.

According to the annual report, Roborock's "other smart electrical products", including washing machines and floor scrubbers, will earn revenue of 1.07 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 93.13%.

12KG Cleaning and Care Market Quantity Key: Lower Price, Better Design

It is worth noting that the 12KG washing market, which has been silent for many years, will begin to increase rapidly in 2024.

GFK data shows that in 2024, the ultra-large capacity segment of the washing machine market will continue to expand, and the proportion of retail sales of 12KG products in the dual-line channel will increase significantly, with the retail sales in the online market increasing by 149.3% year-on-year, and the retail sales in the offline market increasing by 20.1% year-on-year. THE MARKET OF 10KG DRUM WASHING MACHINE IS ACCELERATING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE DIRECTION OF ULTRA-THIN (≤565MM), AND THE TREND OF ADVANCING FROM BODY EMBEDDING TO FLAT EMBEDDING IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE OBVIOUS. The proportion of washing and drying integration in the 12KG drum market continues to increase, and the growth momentum is strong, and the technology of the ultra-large capacity segment above 12KG is developing towards the heat pump all-in-one machine.

Why is the user acceptance of the 12KG washing market gradually heating up?

Part of the reason is that the national subsidy has flattened the price difference.

One of the more representative categories is the online wave washing market. According to the data of Aowei cloud network, in the case of national subsidies, from August to December 2024, the difference between the online price of 12KG washing machine and 10KG washing machine is only 179 yuan (of which the average online price of 12KG washing machine is 1615 yuan, and the average online price of 10KG washing machine is 1436 yuan).

In contrast, when the national subsidy was not implemented, that is, from January to August 2023, the average price difference between the two was 713 yuan (the average online price of a 12KG wave wheel washing machine was 2,361 yuan, and the average price of a 10KG wave wheel washing machine was 1,648 yuan online).

In addition to the national subsidy factor, in order to cope with market competition, some manufacturers took the initiative to reduce the price of 12KG washing machine products, which further flattened the price difference with 10KG washing machine products.

According to data from Aowei Cloud Network, the average online sales price of the online 12KG drum washing and drying machine will drop from about 11,000 yuan in the first quarter of 2022 to around 3,000 yuan in the third quarter of 2024.

"Traditional home appliance manufacturers have reduced prices to enter the 12KG washing market, and directly compete with emerging manufacturers such as Roborock and Xiaomi." The above-mentioned analysts in the field of household appliances told reporters.

On the whole, under the "involution" of the industry, the terminal price has declined, which directly benefits users.

The form innovation of 12KG washing machine products is also an important reason for the increase in the penetration rate of this category.

Under the industry trend of home appliance integration, washing machines further pursue smaller volume, space embedding and flush embedded cabinets to achieve better home aesthetics. Thinner fuselage has become the main solution, including TCL, Hisense, Skyworth, Meiling and other brands have launched ultra-thin drum products. For example, TCL's T7H, the body thickness of the 12kg large-capacity version is 570mm, and the thickness of the body of the 10kg version is only 530mm, which is lower than the common 600+mm in the industry, and can better adapt to the embedding of mainstream standard cabinets with a depth of 600mm.

The popularity of "ultra-thin flat inserts" has also allowed more washing machines to enter the balcony or kitchen from the traditional lavatory space, giving them more options in terms of installation and placement. At the same time, corresponding to the "slimming" of the volume, the overall decoration design of the washing machine has also become more concise, such as the function buttons are replaced by touch screens or knobs, and the panel is changed from curved to flat.

Compared with the above-mentioned products, Roborock's "ultra-thin flat embedded" products are even better.

For example, Roborock's Z1 series of molecular sieve washer-dryer launched in 2024 has an ultra-thin flat embedded body: this series adopts an ultra-thin flat embedded design, and the thickness of the body without doors is only 59cm, which can perfectly fit the common 60cm cabinet depth and is suitable for embedded installation. This design not only saves space, but also adapts to a variety of home decoration styles, such as modern simplicity, new Chinese, European, etc.

The product also has an invisible hatch and a large-screen touch screen, equipped with a GloScreen invisible hatch and a full-color UI touch screen, the operation interface is intuitive and easy to use, and it has a high degree of integration with the home environment.

To sum up, the lower price and better product design have made the 12KG ultra-large capacity washing machine products recognized by more users.

Roborock still faces many challenges from competitors

Different from the traditional 10KG washing market, emerging home appliance companies such as Roborock and Xiaomi occupy a pivotal position in the newly emerging 12KG washing market.

According to the data of Aowei cloud network, in 2024, the overall sales of online 12KG washing and drying machines (excluding Douyin channels), Roborock and Xiaomi are in the forefront, in addition, traditional home appliance manufacturers, Little Swan, Haier and Midea also maintain a strong share in the market.

In terms of specific products, Roborock's Z1, H1 Air, H1 Neo and H1 are all 12KG integrated washing and drying products with high market recognition.

In addition to the Z1 mentioned above, Roborock H1 Air series is positioned as a cost-effective washer-dryer with a price of 2999 yuan. The product probes the high-end garment protection experience of 10,000 yuan to the 3K level, which provides a low-temperature drying effect comparable to that of a heat pump dryer in the 3K range, filling the gap in the market and providing consumers with a very cost-effective choice.

In addition, Xiaomi's 12KG washer-dryer with a model of XHQG120MJ202 is also widely recognized by the market for its large capacity, efficient washing and drying, intelligent control and energy-saving features. Little Swan's 12KG washer-dryer, that is, the market recognition of the D120V618T water cube is also high, the model achieves a more efficient washing effect through three major water flows (kneading water flow, penetrating water flow, surging water flow), this technology can reduce clothing wear and tear, and improve the washing ratio, especially suitable for wool, down jackets and other special materials of clothing.

It is worth mentioning that among all the hot-selling 12KG washing and drying models, only Roborock's models use molecular sieve drying technology. Molecular sieve is a material with strong hygroscopicity, and its internal pore size is similar to that of water molecules, which can directly adsorb moisture in the air. Roborock uses a molecular sieve to absorb moisture on the clothes, while the reduction air path discharges water and restores the water absorption capacity of the molecular sieve. This process does not require high-temperature heating, so low-temperature drying can be achieved.

The upstarts have the latest technology at their fingertips, while the traditional players who have been in the market for a long time occupy a larger market share and user mind. It is foreseeable that in the 12KG washing market, this game between new and old players will continue.