What Makes The Grocery Shop Muji Become A Boutique In China?

After entering the mainland market for 10 years, Muji has opened 128 stores in 10 years since it opened its first store in Nanjing West Road, Shanghai. It has covered 38 cities (up to the end of July 2005), making China the largest number of overseas stores with the largest number of Muji shops, and contributing 10% of its total global sales.

Matsuzaki Kyo, Minister of overseas affairs of Muji and chairman of China region, travels abroad more than 200 days a year, busy with site selection and shop inspection.

"Starting in 2015, we will speed up the opening of stores in China every year. newly opened store 30 to 35. There are already two shops in the city. We will add one or two stores, and we will add five stores to the cities where there are no shops. " MUJI, Minister of overseas affairs and chairman of song Kong, chairman of China region, told the financial world.

The reason for Muji's confidence in the Chinese market is obvious. It has a "fan base" beyond imagination. From business elite to literary youth, from the returnees, designers to the middle class, a large number of followers can be seen everywhere. Moreover, they do not necessarily live in those 38 cities, or even necessarily buy a Muji product -- clothing, stationery, cosmetics, household goods... There are more than 7000 kinds of products in Muji, and the design concept of "no print children" has been summarized as "Emptiness" by MUJI art director.

In the 2015 China Fashion Forum, Yuan Yan said that Muji has displayed the material in people's daily life in a new design language, Visualize and awaken. "Products are like fruit on trees, so we usually pay attention to fruits, but the energy of products is not concentrated in fruits, but also in soil. The quality of soil is equal to the quality of desire, and desire is related to the education of ordinary consumers.

"I am a fan of Muji, and my family has many of its products." "Light speed and vibration," said Mi Qun, partner of China venture capital.

"I like some products without printing, such as a milk pot. The technology level in Japan is very high, and the details will make you feel good." Chuang Song Li, founder of sculpture Time Cafe.

A Muji fan cried in WeChat's circle of friends: "I lost my Muji box!" there are six small spaces inside the kit, which are suitable for placing three doses a day. The reason for her distressed is, "because it's MUJI."

There is no stopping the medicine. The fever is still spreading. Simplicity has become a high-end consumer, but slow life has been expanding enthusiasts. Like many famous foreign brands in China, the Life Style Store faces five big "out of control" styles: the cool style is exciting, the minimalist is not cheap, claiming that "break off" but want to have more; no label has become the biggest label; minority personality is mainstream. MUJI is like a mirror, showing the dislocation of quality consumption in China.

　　 The way of life that can not be questioned.

"Frigidity" brand "Seemingly joking, but the image depicts a product style represented by Muji. Their main characteristics include: black, white, gray, material cotton, linen, wool, simple design, desalination brand, high cold literature and art, asceticism, neglect body lines, and low environmental compatibility.

Yamamoto Teruji, a famous Japanese fashion designer, asked for "color and design of clothes to conform to the concept of Muji, while combining with asceticism". Several generations of designers have expressed the idea that "drinking fruit juice will soon be annoying and drinking water will never be enough." After eating the steak and the goose liver, I feel that tea is really tasty, which is the feeling of Muji. The pursuit of Muji is not "the best", but "this is good". It contains moderation, reason and concession. "The highest state of things is that people can not leave for a moment, but they can not feel their existence, that is," invisible "," appropriate "and" intimate ".

It is such a simple idea that Muji has aroused consumers' fascination and fanaticism.

A few years ago, Japan's circulation News Agency conducted a brand consumer preference survey for Japanese groups aged 29 to 32. The results show that Muji has become the first place in the brand sense of goodwill, up to 51.1%, because it provides consumers with a sense of comfort, a sense of popularity and a reasonable price. When Hongkong was evacuated from the city in 1990s, it also triggered a frenzy of panic buying and hoarding of Hong Kong people.

Yamamoto Teruji's book "making clothes" has rarely been publicly questioned. "Some people think that wearing designer clothes seems too self expression and stupid. They don't care much about brands, so they derive a brand name, as long as the quality of consumer demand...... At first I thought it was a great idea, a clever brand. But after that, I felt like other brands. "

Unlike European and American boutique brands, Muji is rarely promoted through advertising. In 2006, in order to promote the new brand image as soon as possible, Muji launched its first advertising campaign in TV and magazines. The promotion cost of this year was 2 billion 800 million yen. But the move caused great controversy within Muji, which may not be consistent with the concept of Muji.

"In the process of entering China, Muji uses the way of brand penetration from top to bottom, and most of Chinese young designers have admiration and admiration for Fukazawa Naohito, Yuan Zai and others." Ye Qingbo, an independent home designer. From the rise of industrial design in China, many textbooks of design school were translated from Japan. The generation of design students was deeply influenced by Japanese culture, Muji, especially the typical case. Through organizing design competitions, exhibitions, lectures, etc., Muji has been keeping frequent exchanges with people interested in design and hobbies, and this group of people has become the best user and communication circle of the brand.

In the first half of 2014, the fourth MUJI Award (Muji Award) was printed in China for the first time, and the first three activities were held in Japan. Wang Wenxin, general manager of Muji China, told the "financial world" weekly that the purpose of the design competition is to pay tribute to the long life culture of Chinese people and inspire outstanding Chinese designers. There are two works that won the gold prize, one of which is "the book of collection", which is written by a young designer in Hongkong, ye Zhi Quan. He himself is a loyal fan of Muji. After graduation from design major, he tried to enter the work of MUJI Hongkong company, but failed.

People often complain on the Internet: "why is Muji still not in my city?" the first independent Street store in Tokyo, Japan, and the Qingshan store opened in 1983 (known as "shop No. 1"), has long been a tourist attraction, and a "pilgrimage to the Holy Land" by fans all over the world.

MUJI has also had a great impact on the Chinese business community. Xiaomi and Jia Jia mobile phones have publicly expressed their intention to be "Muji" in consumer electronics. Li Wanqiang, co-founder and vice president of Xiaomi company, is a famous "Muji powder". He likes to spend time at the Muji shop on weekends. He thinks Muji's advocacy of "reasonable cheap", that is, quality and reasonable price, will be the future direction of millet.

Wang Wenxin was not surprised to hear these stories. She herself was one of them. About 20 years ago, Wang Wenxin, who was still in University, went abroad for the first time. He went to Japan to know Muji. At that time, her hometown, Taiwan, China, did not have this brand. "When I entered the shop, I liked the brand very naturally. I became a manager of Muji in China."

By visiting all parts of the country store Speaking with corporate philosophy, Wang Wenxin realized that about 90% of employees in China decided to join the company because they liked to have no print before. Harry (alias), which is responsible for the display of stores in the Beijing market, is one of the few people who like to have a Muji after they work. "Everyone who comes to the interview will say they like MUJI, but to really understand MUJI, it takes a long time to understand its concept." Now, Muji is a "safe way of life" for him.

The Chinese market is not a special case. The internationalization of Muji began in 1991. It has entered Europe, Hongkong, Taiwan and other markets as early as mainland China, and later landed in North America and Australia. At present, it has opened stores in 25 countries and regions around the world. "We can see that both the white race and the yellow race can accept such a development logic of life and commodities from Japan." Wang Wenxin said.

In order to further "return to the essence of life", Muji launched the "Found MUJI" project in 2003. It collects long necessities of life in the world and integrates the concept of Muji to redevelop commodities. Wang Wenxin said, "in the industrial age, many old handicrafts will be forgotten." finding Muji "is the hope to excavate the wisdom of ancestors. Our designers have visited around the world and visited three times in China, most frequently, to places like Beijing, Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Jingdezhen.

In September 2014, the latest Found MUJI exhibition was held in Shanghai. Some of the objects that had been used and disappeared gradually were displayed in beautiful ways. After Fukazawa Naohito's speech, a young man sighed, "why can't such a thing be done by Chinese people, but by a Japanese enterprise?"

When forced to lead vanity and ideas become shields, it seems very difficult to fight and question, otherwise it will be regarded as "wood with taste". In the discussion of Muji, the question of "how to sell a bench to 1000 yuan" has aroused the most attention. Many people mocked the price of the "long wooden stool", which was unattractive in their own backyard.

At MUJI's flagship store in Chengdu, Wang Wenxin introduced a set of solid wood furniture. The oak table with a length of about 1.5 meters and a width of 1 meters is a classic product of the Real Furniture series. The surface of the whole table is coated with a transparent tung oil without any other carving. The texture on the log is clearly visible. "The price of this table is relatively high, but its concept is" furniture that can be handed down ". I have a table like this in my home in Taipei for more than 10 years. Over the years, you will find this table more and more beautiful because of the charm of time... "

　 Plain will not feel inferior in the presence of luxury.

Compared with the average income level in China, MUJI products have a high overall price, especially for young consumers. In the column of "life good research institute" of China's official website, there are often customers who wish to make prices cheaper.

Although foreign brands come to China, prices tend to be more expensive, because in addition to costs, tariffs, marketing, logistics, and so on, the price is really troubling China.