Reborn multinational giant

"Entering the high-end mobile phone field?" Fang Zhe's answer made Lei always feel a little surprised, but it made sense.

The high profit margin of high-end mobile phones is already an open secret in the mobile phone industry. Lei Zong and Xiaomi, who have been in the mobile phone industry for more than two years, have been coveting high-end mobile phones for a long time.

Nowadays, the net profit of a Xiaomi mobile phone is less than 5%. That is to say, for every 1999 yuan worth of Xiaomi mobile phones sold, Xiaomi can only make less than 100 yuan. Such a profit rate is higher than retail sales. Traditional industries such as clothing and catering are much lower, and even more worried about the Internet industry, which is known for its high profit margins.

Therefore, although Xiaomi uses the Internet model to make mobile phones, Xiaomi is currently a real mobile phone manufacturer. Unlike Internet companies such as Huizhong BAT, which are widely sought after by the market and investors, the global mobile phone industry is the only one that is The only company favored and sought after by investors is Apple!

The profit margin of iPhone, Apple’s main product, is as high as 50%. According to the latest iPhone on the market at a price of around 6,000 yuan, Apple can make more than 3,000 yuan for every iPhone sold, which is equivalent to more than 30 sold by Xiaomi. Profit from mobile phones!

What makes global investors even more delighted is that Apple has used the pricing of high-end mobile phones to sell the sales of low-end mobile phones. In just last year, Apple shipped more than 100 million mobile phones worldwide, with a net profit of nearly 30 billion dollars!

According to rough statistics from industry insiders, Apple accounts for more than 80% of the net profit of the global mobile phone industry, while the remaining less than 20% is divided by a large number of global mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Huawei, Xiaomi, Meizu, and Lenovo. This shows how profitable Apple's mobile phone business is, and how profitable high-end mobile phones are!

In the previous life, Lei and Xiaomi tried several times to attack the high-end mobile phone field, from the early Xiaomi Note to the later Xiaomi MIX, and even specially launched the Xiaomi MIX3 Forbidden City customized version, but without exception, they failed or failed. Ended tepidly.

Lei and Xiaomi’s ambitions for high-end mobile phones have never been curtailed, but the reality is like a small road full of thorns, not only the road is not wide, but also the scars.

From past life to this life, from an ordinary Xiaomi fan to one of the creators of Xiaomi today, from a bystander to a participant, Fang Zhe’s vision and pattern today summarizes the failure of Xiaomi in the field of high-end mobile phones. main reason.

The first point is Xiaomi’s genes and brand image. Xiaomi started with cost performance, and its original intention was to provide consumers with the most cost-effective mobile phones at the most affordable price. Therefore, Xiaomi’s profit margins have always been low, and this has become Xiaomi’s Core competitiveness has also become one of the image burdens of Xiaomi's entry into the high-end mobile phone field.

Because consumers in the field of high-end mobile phones, the first thing they value is not the price-performance ratio of the mobile phone, but the brand image of the mobile phone, the user experience of the mobile phone, and so on. Nowadays, Xiaomi mobile phones on the market are equal to the common values ​​of Diaosi and iPhone mobile phones are equal to tall. Most potential consumers of high-end mobile phones avoid Xiaomi mobile phones.

The second point is that several so-called high-end mobile phones launched by Xiaomi in the past did not show their high-end value. First of all, in terms of brand image and other aspects, Xiaomi's high-end phones not only do not add points but may also lose points. Secondly, several high-end phones launched by Xiaomi Mobile phones do not have the high-end features that make high-end consumers shine or like.

In other words, several high-end mobile phones launched by Xiaomi in the previous life give the impression that nothing is high except for the high price. In contrast, brands such as Apple, Huawei mate20 and even oppo are better than Xiaomi in this regard. .

Apple has been working hard to ensure that every new iphone has enough attractive new features, from siri, fingerprint recognition to faceID full screen, etc., in order to maintain sufficient attractiveness to consumers, and whenever Apple’s When the new iPhone is not innovative enough, it is also the beginning of the decline in iPhone sales and Apple's stock price decline.

Compared with the above two main reasons, other factors including fierce competition in the mobile phone industry and limited high-end mobile phone user groups are not the main reasons why Xiaomi is tepid in the high-end mobile phone field.

Therefore, when Fang Zhe decided to persuade President Lei to advance Xiaomi's entry into the high-end field as soon as possible, he mainly started from these two aspects.

The answers of President Lei and Lin Xiaobin once again confirmed their personalities: "Will it be too soon? Our Redmi 1 prototype has just come out, and it will be at least three months before the release!"

Fang Zhe shook his head and said, "Unhappy, even if we are preparing to plan high-end mobile phone brands from now on, it will be at least the second half of next year when the mobile phone is made, whether it is redesigning the body with fingerprint recognition functions or joining 4G networks. Such functions, development time and costs in all aspects will not be easier than the first generation of Xiaomi mobile phones!"

"Planning for a high-end mobile phone brand? 4G?" Lin Xiaobin asked in surprise. Everything that Fang Zhe mentioned hasn't been seen yet. No wonder he said that the second half of next year would be the fastest.

"I can understand the planning of high-end mobile phone brands, but is it necessary to join the 4G network? According to the current situation in our country, the three major operators will have to get 4G licenses in the second half of next year as soon as possible. It must be after 2014."

At this time, Mr. Lei’s thoughts are obviously still like other mobile phone manufacturers in the era of making mobile phones step-by-step. In that era, they were fighting for brand influence, advertising and mobile phone prices, even if Xiaomi relied on cost-effectiveness in the past two years. The emergence of core competitiveness is essentially price.

As everyone knows, after two or three years, the domestic mobile phone market will gradually become saturated, and the low-cost cost-effective shopping methods will become less and less lethal. The major mobile phone manufacturers that survived at that time could only work hard to learn from Apple to make high-end mobile phones. Local ideas, through continuous innovation and various novel features and gimmicks to attract consumers.

Among other things, in the previous life in 2016, major mobile phone manufacturers boasted that they would launch the first 5G mobile phones in China or even the world. However, until 2018 before Fang Zhe was reborn, there was no shadow of 5G mobile phones on the market.

Fang Zhe explained:

"My manager Lei, what we plan to make is a high-end mobile phone. Even if the three major operators do not open 4G networks, we have to make 4G functions first to seize the opportunity. Based on the average user using a mobile phone for one and a half years, He definitely has the opportunity to use the 4G network.

Besides, many developed countries abroad are already preparing to open 4G networks this year and next year. If we wait for the three major operators to popularize 4G in China before making 4G mobile phones, the daylily will be cold.

Fingerprint recognition function, the first batch of 4G mobile phones released in the world, coupled with the voice assistant "Xiao Ai" recently researched by Invoix and night camera technology, so many black technologies are integrated in Huami phones, how big do you think we are? Success rate?"

"Wait, Huami? Good fellow, you even figured out your name!" Mr. Lei said dumbfoundedly.

Fang Zhe nodded: "Huami, also with a rice character, can be associated with the parent brand Xiaomi, and it can also be well distinguished from the low-end brand Redmi and the mid-range brand Xiaomi. Red Zhonghua corresponds to Xiaomi's low-end brand. There are three brand lines in the middle and high schools, Redmi is simple and unpretentious, Xiaomi has exhausted its lead, and Huami honors China!"

Listening to Fang Zhe’s almost composing introduction, Mr. Lei and Lin Xiaobin both widened their eyes and grew their mouths. After a long time, Mr. Lei said in expectation, “Or, you are also the president of marketing. ?"