Apple "flipped", netizen: refund!

Tech 2023-11-15 16:58:36 Source: Network

The big promotion of the "rollover" is likely a self inflicted black dragon event by Apple.On November 14th, the topic # iPhone 15 Double 11 Price Reduction in the Last Two Hours # made it to Weibo Hot Search Chart 3 and received 190 million views

The big promotion of the "rollover" is likely a self inflicted black dragon event by Apple.

On November 14th, the topic # iPhone 15 Double 11 Price Reduction in the Last Two Hours # made it to Weibo Hot Search Chart 3 and received 190 million views. Some netizens claimed that Apple's official flagship store, "Double 11," violated its "promise" and reduced the price of the iPhone 15 by 200-300 yuan in the last two hours, feeling like it was being "stabbed" by Apple. According to an interview with a reporter from Beijing Business Daily, the formulation of discount strategies is a joint action of the platform and merchants. This major promotion of "rollover" is likely to be caused by Apple itself, and more importantly, the attractiveness of Apple's new phones is weakening, and marketing strategies have to be changed.

Price "back stabbing"

The Beijing Business Daily reporter learned from platforms such as Weibo that there are not a few consumers who have encountered price spikes from Apple and are calling for Apple to make up for the price difference. The customer service of Apple's flagship store, which was exposed online, responded that there is indeed a phenomenon of coupons, but they are coupons issued by the platform, not the actual discounts given by the store's products. They do not support price protection and cannot make up for the price difference.

Regarding this, a reporter from Beijing Business Daily contacted the official flagship store staff of Tmall AppleStore, who stated that they are not clear about the issue of the second price reduction. For pricing issues, please consult Tmall platform customer service. The staff of Apple's offline stores stated that the offline products are not synchronized with the online platform, and they are not aware of the price dispute on the online platform.

Subsequently, a reporter from Beijing Business Daily contacted Tmall platform customer service and learned that the discount for "Double 11" was a joint initiative between the platform and merchants. The staff stated that the promotion of "Double 11" must be actively registered by each store in order to participate, and the extent of the discount and related details need to be detailed by merchants before participating.

Tmall staff stated that during the "Double 11" promotion period, merchants have their own operating space on the basis of meeting platform requirements. Basically, the promotion methods are divided into full discount and official discount. If it is an official discount, the products participating in the activity must meet the official discount price. If they participate in full discount, they need to design their own coupons on the basis of meeting platform requirements. However, after using the coupons, This product needs to reach the lowest price in history to prevent merchants from raising prices first and then lowering them.

If there is a dispute over the price of the product, Tmall claims that the platform has a monitoring window to check the pricing strategy. If abnormal prices are displayed, the platform will provide merchants with a suggested pricing plan.

Regarding Apple's second price reduction behavior, Tmall staff stated that they are not very clear about the specific situation. However, according to platform rules, merchants do not need to list all goods at once, and can be divided into primary and secondary spot goods. However, the price of secondary spot goods cannot be higher than that of primary spot goods, and each of the two spot goods has a specified time node. The specific number of sales by merchants must also be determined during registration and cannot be arbitrary.

What is the reason for the 'second price reduction'

Regarding the system of e-commerce platforms, Mr. Huang, a distributor of digital products, told Beijing Business Daily that the reason why the platform has a policy of batch loading is to hope that merchants can boost sales at the last minute and push the atmosphere to the climax at the end of the "Double 11". Overall, it is beneficial for the platform, but the impact on merchants varies. For Apple phones, various platforms had already announced preferential plans before the "Double 11", It has attracted a large number of potential buyers, and it is unnecessary to conduct a second price reduction, which inevitably leads to consumer dissatisfaction.

From the list released by the platform, it can be seen that many consumers are indeed waiting for the "Double 11" to promote the purchase of Apple phones, which has also led to a concentrated explosion in the shipment of the iPhone 15 series. According to the list released by JD, iPhone 15, iPhone 15Pro, and iPhone 15Promax are in the top 3 of the list, with the fourth place being the Hongmi K60, and the fifth place being Apple's iPhone 13.

The price of proud achievements is a "jump off the building sale". On the Pinduoduo platform, taking the official selling price of the iPhone 15Pro 235GB version of 8999 yuan as an example, after the platform's 10 billion yuan subsidy, store vouchers, and other discounts are combined, the lowest selling price is 7998 yuan, which is more than a thousand yuan cheaper than the original selling price; On Taobao platform, the official selling price of the iPhone 15Pro 128GB version is 7999 yuan, with a subsidy of 10 billion yuan and a selling price of 7398 yuan.

In this regard, veteran industrial economy observer Liang Zhenpeng analyzed to Beijing Business Daily reporters that promotion nodes like the "Double 11" are more favorable for high-end mobile phone brands because they have greater price reduction space. In the price range of over 4000 yuan, new products released this year include the Xiaomi 14 series, OPPOFINDX6, Honor Magic5, etc. In addition, the iPhone 15 series. Compared to the starting price, only the iPhone 15 has reached over 5000 yuan, It is generally more than 1000 yuan more expensive than the first three brands, and there is also a greater price reduction.

Experts say that from Apple's own product line, the iPhone 15Pro series is aimed at the high-end market, while the standard version takes on the mission of increasing shipment volume and market share. A significant price reduction and sales increase are also in line with Apple's own strategy. However, the brand cannot ignore price consistency, and continuous price reductions in a short period of time can only make potential consumers continue to wait and see, making promotions counterproductive.

How to lower prices also needs to be learned

From an industry perspective, the previously reserved Apple's frequent promotions and price reductions are driven by anxiety about sales. According to market tracking firm Counterpoint Research, Apple's phone sales decreased by 4.5% compared to the iPhone 14 within 17 days after its release, making it possibly one of the worst iPhone launches in China since 2018. The agency stated that factors such as poor consumer confidence, lower performance improvement of the iPhone 15 compared to its predecessor, and increasingly fierce competition in the high-end mobile phone market have all brought new challenges to Apple.

In the view of industry experts, Apple's long-standing high price is supported by its unique performance and ecology. However, with the frequent updates and optimizations of Android phones, not only is the performance advantage of iPhone gradually erased, but in terms of interface design, interaction methods, and other aspects, iOS and Android are also becoming increasingly similar. In other words, consumers find it difficult to find reasons to pay a premium for Apple.

There are also increasingly similar marketing methods. In recent years, Apple not only has frequent discounts, but also has increasingly localized strategies, placing more emphasis on nodes such as "Double 11" and "Double 12".

In fact, although Apple has always had its own promotional strategy, it is difficult to hit the pain points of Chinese consumers. For example, during important shopping seasons such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Spring Festival, Apple usually launches special holiday promotions, including discounts, giveaways, or limited edition products. In addition, Apple's educational discounts are also its unique feature, which encourages students, schools, and educational institutions to purchase by offering discounts or other favorable conditions.

Industry observer Hong Shibin believes that in fact, Apple has not established a suitable sales channel in China for a long time. It is not so much that Apple is reserved and unwilling to lower prices, but rather that it does not know how to lower prices. In markets such as the United States and Japan, Apple has collaborated with operators to provide consumers with discounts and achieve large-scale shipments. Sales in physical stores are only auxiliary, but this strategy has not been successfully replicated in China.

The data also supports expert opinions. According to CIRP statistics, the number of American users who purchase iPhones through direct channels has dropped to a new low this year, only 17%. About 11% of them come from physical Apple stores, and 6% come from Apple's official website. The biggest winner is mobile operators, accounting for 79% of iPhone sales.

Industry experts have mentioned that Apple is gradually learning how to promote its products. However, apart from relying on e-commerce platforms, Apple does not have a better choice. In other words, as the leader of mobile phones, Apple also needs to "do as the Romans do" and does not have a strong voice in channels.

Source: Beijing Business Daily

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