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Why does China love Dyson so much?
Dyson attracts China’s middle-class spenders with sleek designs, impressive technology and online influencers
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
It’s unusual for the maker of vacuum cleaners to have its own fandom, even in China. But Dyson is beloved in the country.
During last year’s Singles’ Day shopping event, Dyson’s newly released Airwrap hair curler reportedly sold out within three minutes on Alibaba’s Tmall and just 15 seconds on JD.com. During the same event this year, Dyson was reportedly one of 84 brands that reached 100 million yuan (US$14.25 million) in sales… within an hour.
(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba, operator of Tmall.)
Tmall is Alibaba’s answer to Amazon in China
Dyson entered the Chinese market in 2012. Three years later, the company’s sales in the country increased 244 per cent. Dyson’s cord-free vacuum cleaners have been especially popular, with sales surging 343 per cent in 2016.
State-owned newspaper People’s Daily reported that Dyson had 61 per cent of China’s vacuum cleaner market in 2018. China Market Monitor, a Beijing-based research firm focusing on home appliances, estimated Dyson had 39.9 per cent of China’s offline vacuum cleaner market and 18.8 per cent online. Either way, Dyson is China’s biggest vacuum cleaner brand, an impressive feat for a premium brand.
Dyson’s vacuums don’t come cheap, but they’re considered best in class. The latest V11 Fluffy model sells for about US$650. Past models are cheaper, but still cost hundreds of dollars. While China is known for embracing some premium brands -- like Apple -- home appliances are rarely the subject of enthusiasm.
“[Chinese consumers] want to embrace new technologies and are fairly open to disruptive products,” Dyson CEO Jim Rowan told China Daily last year.
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