China Association for Standardization (CAS) issued the first standard in the world for home appliances sets on September 25, which means the domestic market of home appliances sets will be regulated and mature, and the consumers' demand will be better satisfied.

 

According to the standard, home appliances sets refer to a series of home appliances within the same brand including "white", "black", small home appliances, kitchen and digital appliances which have unifying functional and harmonious appearances. The standard requires the unified style of the appliances, the connection and compatibility of the products' functions, and the smooth process of delivery, installation, after-service and upgrading.

 

In Beijing Gome store, a lady surnamed Li told China Youth Daily that it was very convenient to buy home appliances sets allowing simultaneous purchases of a refrigerator, LCD TV and washing machine. The customer not only saves money but also gains time in terms of delivery and installation.

 

Haier is the only appliances manufacturer which took part in the standard establishment; it also took the lead in manufacturing home appliances sets with about 10,000 kinds of sets available. "Haier's world-class charm, its extremely abundant production lines and its sound after-service system are the most powerful guarantees when Haier enters the age of home appliances sets," says Zhou Yunjie, Haier vice director.

 

Li Zhonghai, general secretary of the CAS, says that this standard indicates the direction for the development of home appliances sets, and it can also regulate package sales, and solves the problem of trivial after-sales issues. 

 

Home appliances sets become fashion for those newly married couples who live in new houses. According to the latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, from 1998 to 2005, the house selling areas increased by 25 percent yearly on average. A survey from Horizonkey of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu residents shows that 80 percent of the house buyers tend to buy home appliances sets. While living standards continue to rise, more attention is paid to the perfect match of furniture and home appliances. The home appliance sets are obviously the best choice.

 

The China Association of Social Workers' Marriage Property Report indicates that over 10 million couples marry each year in China, with expenses surpassing 300 billion yuan (about US$38 billion). Averagely, each couple spend 16,533 yuan (US$2090) on home appliances, second among expenses for newly-weds.

 

Professor Chen Ping from Tsinghua University's School of Economic Management said that home appliance sets can help reduce production and after-service costs for manufacturers, and in the meantime improve customer services.

 

(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua, September 30, 2006)