Young people are obsessed with ice! Automatic ice-making refrigerators are seeing a surge in sales this summer.

Young people are obsessed with ice! Automatic ice-making refrigerators are seeing a surge in sales this summer.

With the increasing trend of homemade coffee and iced drinks, and the pervasive culture of ice usage, demand for refrigerators with ice-making functions is rising. Li Qiang, President of Marketing for Rongsheng Refrigerator, stated that the hot summer months fueled rapid sales growth, with nearly all new high-end products now featuring this feature.

Last year, Rongsheng observed an increase in search terms for "ice-making" and "iced drinks" and quickly launched new products, resulting in rapid sales growth since June.

In addition to Rongsheng and Hisense, several other brands, including Casarte, have also focused on this segment this summer, releasing new products. From January to July, the penetration rate of refrigerators with ice-making functions in high-end refrigerator online channels reached 37.7%. These users are primarily young people, often single or from small households, who enjoy iced drinks, reflecting a shift in demand from "basic freshness preservation" to "experience upgrades."

However, ice-making refrigerators are still in the early stages of market expansion, facing issues such as slow ice-making speed, moldy water storage containers, and poor ice quality. Ice-making efficiency and cleanliness are key technical challenges for manufacturers. Xiao Yunxuan said that the market prospects are broad, but the functional premium is high. Refrigerators with ice-making functions are 1,000 to 2,000 yuan more expensive than ordinary refrigerators. Prices are expected to fall in the future and the penetration rate may further increase.