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On March 28, the topic of collective price increases for shared power banks appeared once again in the hot search. Mobile phone charging is a rigid necessity for everyone in the internet age, but the frequent doubling of the price of charge-sharing treasures has also left consumers unable to afford it. Experts bluntly said: “The current fast-charging technology is gradually maturing, and user adherence from shared power bank merchants is declining, and it is certainly reckless behavior to raise prices frequently right now.”
Half-hour billing price increase is hard to spot
In the face of anxiety about the cell phone battery turning red, a rented shared power bank can be described as “emergency rescue.” The shared power bank business has become almost the only seed of the “sharing economy” under the prevailing status quo of mobile phones.
However, shared power banks have quietly raised their prices recently. According to the news, special scenes like shopping districts and hospitals cost 3-4 yuan per hour, and bars and nightclubs cost 10 yuan per hour.
A reporter for the Beijing Business Daily found that the major shared power banks have started a new wave of price increases. Charge rental for small batteries is up to 2.5 yuan / half hour. After using it for 2 hours and 34 minutes at the R&F Renaissance hotel, consumer Xiao Liu pays 15 yuan. The reporter rented a street electric power bank at a snack bar in Shuangjing, Chaoyang District, at 4 yuan per hour, and after 1 hour and 6 minutes, the charge was 8 yuan; the monstrous power bank rented by a merchant near Wangfujing showed the same price as 2 yuan / 30 minutes, 28 yuan / 24 hours, capped at 99 yuan.
Regarding the reason for the shared power bank’s price increase, a Beijing Business Daily reporter contacted merchants such as Monster Power Bank, but as of press time, no response has been received.
The quiet rise in prices of power banks seems to make it difficult for consumers to know. Consumer Xiao Wang told a Beijing Business Daily reporter: “At first, the price of shared power banks was marked by the hour, but now it is marked by half an hour. If you don’t look closely, you think there is no increase. Price “.
“Price increases generally imply a delay. In addition, merchants use half-hour billing, but most consumers have the impression that they are billed by the hour, which will lead to cognitive errors and make it difficult to detect changes in prices. prices the first time., or It is true that I am eager to consume and can only force me to accept the price. But after using it a few times, I will have an experience when I see the monthly bill, and the proportion of consumers who carry their own energy banks will gradually increase, “said Zhang Kun, an expert in the fintech industry.
A reporter for Beijing Business Daily saw in comments on topics related to social media that many netizens commented: “I should bring my own power bank.” A result of a poll on Weibo on “What is the price of the shared power bank you can accept?” shows that there are 13,000 netizens choosing less than RMB 3 / hour, the number of netizens choosing 3-5 yuan / hour is reduced to 1027, and the number of netizens choosing more than 5 yuan / hour is only 205.
Zhang Kun noted: “With the development of mobile Internet, merchants often start by burning money to subsidize user habits and then increase the price once the habit develops. However, a 4-fold increase in price of shared power banks is too bare and difficult. Let consumers accept it. “
Difficult to return for various reasons.
If the rented shared power bank cannot be returned, about 99 yuan will be deducted, but the way back does not seem to be easy. Consumer Xiaowei told a Beijing Business Daily reporter that after recently renting a shared power bank at a Huaxi LIVE restaurant, upon returning it, he found that the power bank was full and could not be returned. Later, Xiaowei searched for the cargo cabinets of the same brand in many restaurants in the business district, but they were all full and eventually they could not be returned in time.
Consumer Xiao Li also encountered the above situation: “Once, to return the monstrous power bank, I visited Wanda Gold Street and they were all full. There was no way to return it. I was forced to buy it for 99 yuan later.” . Some consumers even said, “I came across a recharge after taking out the power bank, so there is no place to return it or borrow another hour.” is returned The entire machine was removed. “
In response to the above situation, a reporter from Beijing Commercial Daily called Street Power’s official service hotline and Monster Charging’s official customer service phone for inquiries. Both said that when the merchant is closed and the cargo cabinet is full, consumers are recommended to return to nearby merchants or return the next day. As for the additional costs incurred, Street Telecom manual customer service said that it is necessary to provide the order number, if the situation is true, it will be handled at its discretion. However, none of them gave a clear answer to the question of whether the price difference will be refunded.
According to statistics, the Black Cat complaints platform has 36,786 “power bank” complaints, among which there are 6,280 “shared power bank” complaints, involving companies such as xiaodian, monster charging, cloud charging, Xiaodian technology. and speed brand merchants. such as Green Power Bank and Sudian Power Bank. The focus of the complaint is mainly that after the return, it still shows that it has not been returned, the customer service cannot be contacted, and the power bank cannot be returned for various reasons, causing a billing continuous and the deposit cannot be refunded.
The rigid state of demand gradually weakened
The current 5G network is under continuous construction. The first group of friends to use 5G mobile phones are constantly looking for 5G signals, which makes their mobile phones consume more power. Mobile payment, mobile phone dramas, mobile office work … The ability of mobile phones to charge on time is naturally one of the rigid needs of people, but with the doubling of the price of shared power banks and the gradual popularity of mobile phones rapidly. charging, the stark demand state for shared power banks has started to shake.
In March of this year, the Monster Charging Program, which was only four years old, went public in the United States. According to its disclosed documents, the company’s operating income in 2020 was 2.809 billion yuan (RMB, the same below), a year-on-year increase of 38.9%; net profit was 75.4 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 54.86%.
“Today’s fast-charging technology is gradually maturing, the charging speed has increased, and the battery life of mobile phones is also gradually increasing. The once-stark demand state for shared power banks is declining, and their monetization model is relatively simple, generally rent + advertising. Shared Charge While the revenue of the treasure traders is increasing, the profits are decreasing, which also shows that the rigidity of the user is decreasing, and it is necessary to continue spending money to maintain high growth. Right now, it is undoubtedly unwise to raise prices frequently. Behavior, “Zhang Kun said bluntly.
“Huawei Quick Charge does not require a power bank,” commented one netizen. A reporter from Beijing Business Daily learned that Huawei’s mobile phones have started to support fast charge mode and activate “super power saving” mode. As long as the fully discharged mobile phone is in this charging mode, it can be fully charged in about an hour.
Independent economist Wang Chikun said that under normal circumstances, the market is determined by the two extremes of supply and demand and influences each other. When supply exceeds demand, market prices fall and when demand exceeds supply , market prices increase. At the same time, market prices affect both supply and demand. Currently, battery life charge is stiff demand and demand is unlikely to decrease due to price changes. However, market prices go up and increasing profit margins will attract a higher supply. . The supply of chargers or power banks is very convenient and inexpensive, and there are no supply difficulties or thresholds. Increasing the shared charge price will lead to a higher market supply until supply and demand balance and prices are balanced.
Wang Chikun further noted, “Charging industry dividends may push the industry to innovate again in terms of technology and business models. With the maturity of wireless charging technology, charging methods similar to traffic packets will appear, and burden sharing may face elimination. “
Beijing Commercial Daily reporter Zhao Shu commented on Lin Yuwei
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