2024 is about to enter the second half. This year, there is no disruptive technology in the industry. Most tile products are optimized on the basis of past processes. It is worth noting that compared with the hot trend of plain and light-grained products in the past few years, the share of 1:1 marble tiles in the market has been gradually expanding since last year.

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01. What is 1:1 marble tile? Why is it popular again?

1:1 marble tile, as the name suggests, is a tile product launched by ceramic companies to replicate marble raw stones. 1:1 marble tiles were popular in the industry earlier, but they have gradually become popular in the past two years.

At present, there are mainly two types of 1:1 marble tiles on the market: bright surface and soft light. The brightness of bright surface 1:1 marble tiles is above 90°, and the brightness of soft light 1:1 marble tiles is mostly between 15-30°. The brightness of natural marble is mostly around 40-60°. According to Yi Shiwei, director of R&D of Lion Tile, the soft light 1:1 marble tiles developed by manufacturers are mostly lower in brightness than the original stone.
The most critical reason why 1:1 marble tiles have expanded their market share in the past two years is the fierce competition among conventional products. “There is basically no technical threshold for plain and bright tiles, and homogeneity is serious, so competition is fierce, and it is difficult for the terminal to maintain sales profits.” Mr. Wu, an industry insider in the Zibo production area, commented.
Homogeneity has caused market involution, and some brands that have deployed 1:1 marble tiles in advance have reaped “unexpected surprises”. Youmi has been deploying marble tiles since the beginning of 2023 and will launch them on the market in mid-2023. According to Wang Zhaozong, general manager of Youmi Tile Rock Board, these products connect the needs of dealers and design companies, and have achieved good results so far. “If the development and promotion of marble-related products are not deployed in advance in 2023, sales pressure will be felt this year.”

02.1:1 marble tiles are popular, but there is a certain entry threshold

The essence of 1:1 marble tiles is to replicate the original stone, but the texture of the original stone has a sense of depth and the texture color is heavy, but many current 1:1 marble tiles look like they are floating on the brick surface in terms of texture performance. “The heritage of replicating marble is the research and development focus of current manufacturers.”

Industry insiders believe that in order to make 1:1 marble tiles, the first thing is to choose the original stone or file, which to a certain extent determines whether the product can achieve a good market response. But whether to buy original stone or file, it means that the brand needs to invest a lot of cost.
It takes a lot of effort to choose original stone and file. Product development must not only meet customer demand for products, but also cannot completely break away from the customer’s cognitive circle. “Otherwise, customers think it is too advanced and will not be optimistic about the market prospects of the product.”
In addition, the original stone is non-standard and naturally formed, so it often has flaws and spots, while 1:1 marble tiles appear to be more perfect. Mr. Wu said that marble tiles would also reproduce the flaws of the original stone before, and finally received feedback from dealers and consumers in the market and gradually corrected it.

03. Bright and soft surface combination, mother-and-child brick matching

Personalized demand gives birth to professional platforms

After solving the production problem, the difficulty faced by 1:1 marble tiles is how to break through in the market. The solution of some excellent companies is: bright and soft surface combination, mother-and-child brick matching.
Some customers like bright surfaces, some like plain and elegant, and some like to have the whole house covered, so companies need to allocate the product architecture. It is precisely because of this that some shared platforms/brands have emerged in the current industry to provide product selection and matching services for companies, such as Gongchuangshe, Liuhao, Jianye 198, Paloma, etc.

In 2024, when the economy is not very prosperous, companies should adjust their product structure according to their own brand characteristics. Some high-quality dealers at the terminal need differentiated products to enter their sales system, and soft light 1:1 marble tiles can play this role. In addition, judging from this year’s sales data, bright tiles still occupy the absolute mainstream, so bright tiles are also indispensable.

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This is also the idea of ​​some current brands to develop 1:1 marble tiles. While doing a good job of matching traffic and profit, they will also take into account products of different glossiness.