MUJI Has Launched Home Improvement Services In China To Try To Save The Chinese Market.

After so many years of "Japanese Aesthetics" market education for Chinese consumers, Muji has finally come to the scene to decorate itself, and by the way, all the products such as boxes, lazy sofa, pots and pans and so on should be stuffed into the consumers' homes.

Recently, Muji has announced on its China official website that it will provide MUJI INFILL home improvement services in China from December 21, 2019 onwards. "From the ground, walls, roofs to storage, kitchens, sofas, beds, showers, bathtubs, bathrooms, the basic scenes of life, MUJI INFILL provides a one-stop service from planning adjustment to design and construction, creating a living space that exactly meets user needs."

As early as 2000, Muji launched the MUJI HOUSE program in Japan, not only directly selling houses but also providing home decoration services to consumers. MUJI INFILL 0 pushes the existing life to the original point, retaining only the housing framework and windows; MUJI INFILL + services is responsible for configuring furniture and door furniture for the whole family, and editing the layout of life freely. This time, the MUJI INFILL with dual services will also enter the Chinese people's home from Japan.

At first glance, what Muji wants to do is no different from IKEA. The difference is that IKEA is trying to pick up people's yearning for a better life in the shopping mall. The MUJI products in the mall do not have much room to play. So it had to show its way of life by opening a hotel. In January 2018, MUJI opened in China's First House Hotel in Shenzhen, and then opened second or three stores in Xicheng District, Tokyo, Ginza, Beijing.

MUJI products are mainly used for daily life, from clothing to cosmetics to kitchen and household appliances. And commodity types are becoming more saturated, forcing Muji to find new growth strategies.

In recent years, Muji has begun to develop in depth to the service, and rearrange the main commodities according to the different consumption scenarios. MUJI to go entered the major airports and stations to customize the goods for travellers; MUJI Cafe & Meal cooked dishes on the shelves and put them on the table directly; MUJI Hotel moved home products into the hotel, bought a one-time experience from the "lifetime" and created a new revenue path.

For Chinese consumers, Muji has been a representative of Japanese aesthetics. With its simple and exquisite home style, it has harvested a large number of fans in China, especially among young white collar workers. In recent years, popular Japanese dramas and sun shadows have also done enough publicity for Japanese homes. Whether it's the traditional cottage in the little forest or the modern villa in the Quartet, it gives people a taste of the beauty of Japanese style homes. With the expansion of Japanese film fans, Chinese consumers' acceptance of Japanese style of home improvement is improving step by step.

Inevitably, as a representative of the most populace lifestyle, Muji has also attracted a group of competitors who are good at following.

NetEase, established in 2016, has chosen the electricity supplier as the main selling channel, deeply implementing the concept of "good life, not so expensive", and offering products similar to Japanese aesthetic tonal at lower prices. Some of the goods came from the "Muji supplier", which is the main gimmick of the online selection.

As for Taobao furniture brand, it is almost half the Nordic wind and half the Japanese style. The former emulates IKEA, while the latter emulates it.

Take Lin's wood industry, which is the champion of double eleven residential furniture sales for 7 consecutive years, for example, double eleven in 2019, the Taobao store's single day sales exceeded 980 million. Log, modern, Japanese style and small family size are the high-frequency words of Lin's wood products page, which can almost correspond to Muji furniture.

Behind the rise of local brands is the Muji's middle age dilemma. According to the financial report data released in the first half of 2019 issued by the parent company's "good plan", since the first quarter of 2018, sales of Muji have started to grow negative in China. This situation has improved in the second quarter of 2019, but it has only increased by 2% compared with the previous period.

This undoubtedly makes Muji feel the crisis. In March 2019, Muji announced the "price change review" for China, which is the eleventh time the brand has cut its price in China in the past 5 years. This change is mainly focused on bedding, widening the original product size to make it more in line with Chinese usage habits, while the price has also been reduced by nearly 1/4.

The launch of MUJI INFILL home improvement service is another way for Muji to try to save the Chinese market. On the basis of the original sale of household products, the design and construction services are added to the product, which is more customized and more competitive for the products.

MUJI has brought the simple aesthetic enlightenment to Chinese consumers, and this visual elixir is no longer shining in the gradually sinking Chinese consumer market. It is not yet clear whether the upcoming MUJI INFILL will restore the hearts of Chinese consumers. But it is certain that the changes made by Muji in China will not stop here.