Why are these young people addicted to swapping "shells" when there are over 200 cases for four mobile phones?

On September 16th, China News Agency (Li Xiaoxuan) - Every year, new mobile phone products spring up like mushrooms, and various "X", "Pro", and "Mate" models are dazzling. The speed of updates and upgrades is surprising, and many netizens joke that changing phones also requires a "cooling off period"

On September 16th, China News Agency (Li Xiaoxuan) - Every year, new mobile phone products spring up like mushrooms, and various "X", "Pro", and "Mate" models are dazzling. The speed of updates and upgrades is surprising, and many netizens joke that changing phones also requires a "cooling off period". At this time, many young people responded by changing their phone cases: you self "innovate", I self "remain steadfast", spending the least money to buy the greatest happiness.

Why are these young people eager to change their shells? Is the phone case business really that good?

The phone has not been reserved yet, and the case is ready

The mobile phone industry also has its own "golden nine silver ten". Recently, mobile phone brands such as Huawei, Apple, and Xiaomi have launched new products, especially the Huawei Mate60 series and iPhone 15 series, which have received much attention. The new phone has not yet arrived, and many consumers have already prepared their phone cases in advance, rubbing their hands and waiting for the opportunity to make a snap purchase.

Only in the minutes or hours when a new phone is unpacked, it is in its most primitive and unprotected state. It curls up in various' shells' at other times, making it very safe. "This year, Xiaodi (pseudonym), a male born in the 1990s from Beijing, plans to trade his iPhone 14 ProMax for the latest Apple phone at a discount and additional money. Before booking a new phone on the 15th, he had already placed an order for four 15 ProMax phone cases on the shopping platform two weeks in advance, spending a total of 126 yuan.

Previously, I watched a science popularization video and said that when a new phone is opened, the edge of the phone is smooth and it is very easy to fall off. Therefore, every time I change the phone, I hold the new phone in both hands and admire it for a few minutes, take photos, and then install the phone case as soon as possible. "Xiaodi said that if the phone screen is broken and repaired, it is too expensive. Without the case, it always feels like" running naked "and it is particularly easy for my hands to slip.

On the afternoon of the 13th, Zhongxin Jingwei searched on shopping platforms such as Taobao and JD.com and found that Huawei Mate60 series and iPhone 15 series phone cases have been sold by many merchants, with materials such as leather, silicone, and plastic available, mostly priced between 20 and 80 yuan. Taking Taobao platform as an example, it was found thatThe most expensive one is the iPhone 15 series carbon fiber phone case, which reaches 1034 yuan. The Huawei Mate60 series phone case, which is the most expensive, reaches 924 yuan. Both phone cases are from the same store, with the Huawei model already sold in single digits and the Apple model showing a temporary shortage.

Comparison of the Most Expensive Phone Case Prices between iPhone 15 Series and Huawei Mate60 Series Source: Taobao Screenshot

According to Apple's official website, the appointment time for the iPhone 15 series is 8pm on the 15th. Why hasn't the new phone been released yet, and the related phone cases on shopping platforms are already selling like hot cakes?

Regarding the above question, Zhongxin Jingwei consulted a Taobao merchant, and customer service responded, "It is indeed a one-to-one real machine measurement, with accurate data. If it is not allowed, it will be returned for free." When asked again where the "real machine" comes from, the other party will no longer reply.

Previously, there were media reports that in order to control the risk of potential design changes for Apple products, some phone case manufacturers specifically considered some minor changes in their design. For example, there will be larger speakers, cameras, and keyholes to reserve adjustment space for possible design changes on the new iPhone.

But this is not foolproof either. According to Xiaodi, when I bought the 14ProMax last year, I also bought several phone cases in advance. However, when the new phone arrived, I found that two of them were not very suitable and the reserved size space for the camera was not suitable. Later on, I was too lazy to give it back to a friend who used 12ProMax, but I found that the shell was perfectly matched with his phone

In 10 years, I replaced 4 phones and bought over 200 phone cases

Some people describe the rapid update of mobile phone models every year, just like in a high school math class. With the effort of bowing your head and wandering, you can't keep up at all. But compared to fast and expensive phones, for young people, the freshness and cost-effectiveness brought by changing phone cases are the highest.

In the hot topic on Weibo # Young people don't change their phones to change their phone cases #, many netizens responded as to why they don't change their phones and only change their cases: "Of course, it's because they don't have money. Phones can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan, and phone cases only cost a few tens of yuan." Some netizens also said that phones are now durable, and buying a better one can last for three to five years, so there's no need to follow the trend.

According to the social media platform Zhongxin Jingwei, many netizens claim to have dozens or even hundreds of phone cases in their photos.

Netizen Show Phone Case Source: Xiaohongshu Screenshot

Xi Xi (pseudonym) told Zhongxin Jingwei that she is approximatelyI change my phone more than once every two years, but I buy more than ten phone cases every year. In 10 years, I have replaced four phones, but I have used almost 200 phone cases.

Usually it's replaced less than a month, some of it's broken due to quality issues, some of it's faded or discolored, but most of it's just because I'm tired of it and just want to replace it

She said that most of the phone cases she used up have been thrown away, and there are very few styles she particularly likes that will be kept for collection. In her own words, "Maybe one day it will look good and be used again. Xie Ming said that sometimes she may encounter buying too many phone cases, resulting in a new phone that cannot be adapted. In this case, she usually chooses to package it at a low price and hang it on a second-hand platform, or simply give it to a friend with the appropriate model for free.

At present, there are still seven or eight new cases on hand that are useless, but the best thing to look at is always the next one. "Xi Xi believes that young people are enthusiastic about changing cases because their aesthetics change over time, and every time they change a phone case, it brings a sense of freshness. Some cases feel very beautiful when bought, but after using them for a short time, they will feel mediocre and want to replace them. She said,Anyway, the price range of the phone case I bought myself is not high, and the most expensive one does not exceed 30 yuan. This low-cost happiness cannot be obtained by changing the phone, but changing the phone case can.

Different from Mei Mei's idea, Xiao Di buys a mobile phone case simply to protect the phone. He sometimes buys several identical cases to replace them because of the good quality or feel of the case. Others may think that I've been using a shell for several years, but in reality, it's not

Unlike most people who are passionate about exchanging affordable phone cases, some people prefer to pursue trendy new products. Some high-end phone cases are often in the hundreds, with prices approaching those of affordable phones.

Zhongxin Jingwei found in its official flagship store that the store mainly sells Apple peripheral products, as well as a small portion of Huawei and Samsung phone cases,The average price of three brand phone cases is four to five hundred yuan, with sales mostly ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands. The cheapest one is the iPhone 11 Phantom Butterfly Mirror Case, priced at 289 yuan, with a cumulative sales volume of over 10000 yuan. The most expensive one is the NEBULA-ARSHAMSTUDIOXCASETIFY co branded phone case, which is compatible with iPhone 14 ProMax,The price is 1389 yuan, according to incomplete statistics, this is also the most expensive Apple phone case on the Taobao Tmall platform at present.

In addition, luxury brands such as LV, Burberry, and Gucci have also released corresponding skyrocketing phone cases. For example, LV has launched a phone case priced between 38500 and 42000 yuan, with the most expensive gold crocodile skin case priced nearly 7 times higher than its compatible phone iPhone 7Plus.

According to the analysis of the "2022-2027 China Mobile Case Industry Market Deep Research and Investment Strategy Prediction Report" by Zhongyan Puhua Research Report,Mobile phone cases are becoming increasingly a necessity, and their user stickiness is high, with over ten million users purchasing them more than 12 times a year. Based on the median selling price of phone cases of $15, the market may reach an annual scale of $22.5 billion (approximately 157.5 billion RMB).

Is selling phone cases a good business?

On major e-commerce platforms, the variety of phone case products ranging from thousands of yuan to a few yuan is dazzling. According to the Tianyancha App, as of September 14th, there are nearly 27000 phone case related enterprises in China, of which nearly 50% were established within the past three years.

The huge profits of mobile phone cases were envied by even the founder of Hammer Technology, Luo Yonghao. He once stated at a press conference, 'A phone priced at 1499 yuan has little profit, a small profit of 1799 yuan, but it's not as profitable as selling phone cases and protective cases.'.

Although young people are enthusiastic about changing phone cases, the business of phone cases seems to be not as good in recent years. This can be seen from the performance of JMT, the "number one mobile phone case company", in the past two years.

On August 29th, Jemet disclosed its semi annual report, which showed that in the first half of 2023, the company achieved a total operating revenue of 244 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 32.22%; The net profit attributable to the parent company suffered a loss of 27.3406 million yuan, compared to a loss of 16.3820 million yuan in the same period last year; Deducting a loss of 49.2053 million yuan from non net profit, a loss of 36.928 million yuan from the same period last year.

From a product perspective, in the first half of 2023, the company's main business revenue from smartphone protection products was 187 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 29.85%, accounting for 76.80% of the operating revenue.

Jemet explained in its financial report that the decline in profits was mainly affected by various factors. The sales of downstream mobile intelligent terminal products in the company's industry continued to decline globally compared to the same period last year, and the company's ODM/OEM business and private brand business were affected to varying degrees; At the same time, due to intensified industry competition, the quotations for some important customer orders have been lowered, further affecting the overall gross profit margin of the company.

According to the data, Jemet was founded in 2006, and its revenue mainly comes from smartphone protection products. In 2020, JMT was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange's ChiNext board and is known as the "number one mobile phone shell stock in China". However, its stock price has fluctuated and fallen in the past two years, and has been in a state of breaking for a long time. Performance has also been declining year after year. From 2020 to 2022, Jemet's net profit was 106 million yuan, 28.2163 million yuan, and -116 million yuan, respectively, with net profit continuously declining to losses.

At present, the competition in the field of mobile phone cases has become increasingly fierce. In addition to companies focusing on segmented tracks such as JMT, CASETIFY, Shanmo, Beisi, and Pinsheng, some mobile phone brands with their own peripheral products are also vying for market share. In addition, the high priced mobile phone case market is not yet mature, and low cost costs are gradually compressing, resulting in fierce competition, which may also force relevant enterprises to adjust their business direction and strategies.

Ma Jihua, founder of Darui Consulting and a telecommunications and internet analyst, believes that the mobile phone case industry is becoming increasingly difficult to make money due to three main reasons. The first is that the decline in mobile phone sales has led to a decline in the shipment volume of mobile phone cases. The quantity has decreased, and revenue is bound to shrink; Secondly,Due to the severe homogenization, competition is now very fierce, with prices being squeezed among various manufacturers and consumers having more choices, resulting in a suppression of overall profit margins; Thirdly, with the continuous emergence of new and innovative smartphones, including the appearance of irregular phones such as foldable screens, many manufacturers have also innovated in the protection and reinforcement of their phones, and the demand for phone cases from users is also decreasing.

With regard to the future development and prospects of the mobile phone case industry, Ma Jihua said, "The mobile phone case market has emerged because of smart phones, and will eventually change because of the development of smart phones. Enterprises should continue to innovate and make breakthroughs in materials and design, or attach some applications that can bring real value to users on the mobile phone case, so as to drive the overall sales." (Zhongxin Jingwei APP)

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Editor in charge: Luo Kun, Chang Tao

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