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After the Paris Olympics, Lei Jun has a new identity——The world's number one salesperson.

During the Olympic Games, Lei Jun gained huge traffic with his "Paris vlog", interacting with netizens while frantically promoting products.

The "big reveal of Lei Jun's suitcase for a business trip to Paris" before departure made Fanchaoyan hot sauce popular, and for a time, "Lei Jun's same hot sauce" became popular all over the Internet.

In the vlog of Su Bingtian's city walk, he took photos with the Xiaomi portable camera set, which not only shocked foreign netizens, but also set off a second wave of buying spree in China, with 780,000 people queuing up to buy it across the Internet.

In fact, Xiaomi has already released pocket printers, and the one that has become popular this time is the second-generation product. It is obviously not a new technology, so why is it being hailed as a hit this time?

The answer is that everyone has been taking Polaroid photos for a long time.

Xiaomi pocket camera became popular because it can replace Polaroid: it can produce photos just as quickly, but at half the price, and most importantly, the photo paper only costs 2 yuan per sheet.

In the past two years, with the explosion of nostalgic retro style, Polaroid cameras have also become a tool for showing off. Not only has the price skyrocketed, but even photo paper has become a financial product that cannot be bought even at a higher price on the entire Internet.

The emergence of Xiaomi pocket printer has magnified the popularity and embarrassment of Polaroid cameras to the extreme.

The cool tool in the circle of friends drives Japanese scalpers crazy

In 2014, someone asked a question on Zhihu: How to dissuade your girlfriend from buying a Polaroid camera?

Ten years have passed and this question, which attracted 1.14 million views, is still receiving responses, but there is still no valid answer.

Because Polaroid cameras are so attractive to girls, the retro style has become the focus again in the past two years. Polaroid cameras with low pixels and poor image quality have become the magic tool for girls to take photos.

Graduation photos, check-ins at popular tourist attractions, and various anniversaries are all highlight moments for taking Polaroid photos. The atmospheric photos taken casually are a great way to show off in the circle of friends.

Many macho men who had been troubled by not knowing how to take photos of their girlfriends have gradually been conquered by Polaroid cameras.

In the past Chinese Valentine's Day, Polaroid cameras were the top 3 gifts for girls. Not long after the Chinese Valentine's Day, many businesses' Polaroid cameras were sold out.

Its popularity can be seen from many online data.

The topic of Polaroid on Douyin has been played 7.3 billion times. On Xiaohongshu, any post about "Polaroid photo paper" can easily get tens of thousands of likes.

Because it is so popular, Polaroid photo paper is out of stock almost all year round. Some people specialize in buying photo paper from Japan, and many Japanese scalpers have stopped reselling Apple products and switched to reselling photo paper.

From a relic of the times to a new favorite among young people, the Polaroid camera is the most popular camera in the electronics industry."The luckiest product".

It has been 76 years since the first Polaroid camera was invented. The companies that produce Polaroid cameras have been bought and sold several times, but the Polaroid camera seems to be possessed by the emperor of Europe. Every time it is about to be discarded as electronic waste, it always becomes popular.

In 1947, the founder of Polaroid invented a camera that could produce photos in one minute in order to take pictures of his daughter. It was hailed by Time magazine as one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.

In the following 60 years, Polaroid became the darling of the film and photography circles, and appeared in many top movies.

Polaroid was on the verge of bankruptcy several times, but it survived by relying on the instant camera as a cash cow.

The process of Polaroid cameras becoming popular, falling, and then becoming popular again is also often repeated with Fuji.

In 1998, Fuji Camera produced the Instax instant camera, which became a hit once it was launched on the market, selling 1 million units worldwide in just 4 years.

Due to the popularity of digital cameras and iPhone, Fujifilm once abandoned its Polaroid product line and did not release any new products for 10 years.

Just when the Polaroid camera was about to become a relic of the times, the appearance of the Polaroid camera in a Korean drama attracted the whole nation. By 2018, Fuji's instax series had sold more than 10 million units worldwide.

Only then did Fuji begin to pay attention to Polaroid again. Not only did it launch 16 new products at once, it also changed the sales location from digital stores to daily necessities stores, attracting a large number of young people to buy them.

This department, which was once on the verge of shutting down, made Fuji a ton of money, with sales of up to 7 billion a year, accounting for 30% of Fuji's entire company's business.

The lifeblood of Polaroid,

Xiaomi has taken control of them

Polaroid photography is so popular, why is it overshadowed by Xiaomi's pocket camera?

The fundamental reason is that Polaroid cameras have two weaknesses, both of which were exploited by Xiaomi.

1. The Hermes of photo paper: purchase restrictions, stock allocation, and price increases

Ever since Xiaomi Motors went public, Lei Jun has been hailed as a "human wishing well", with netizens listing a bunch of in-demand products that they want price cuts to bring down, and Fuji has been crowned the top seed.

As soon as the Xiaomi pocket printing camera was launched on the market, some netizens cheered: Xiaomi slapped the Polaroid camera in the face on its way to firing at Porsche.

Because the love of many Polaroid enthusiasts is rejected by photo paper.

Instant camera paper has always been expensive. For example, Fujifilm Instant Camera Mini paper is officially priced at 72 yuan for 20 sheets, which averages out to 3.6 yuan per sheet. Polaroid Instant Camera mainstream paper is even more expensive, at nearly 15 yuan per sheet.

This is still ordinary white photo paper. Some color and co-branded photo papers will be more expensive, and the unit price of one sheet may even exceed 20 yuan.

A netizen shared that a box of Zootopia-themed photo paper that had expired four years earlier was sold for 429 yuan. Although the fact that it was unopened does not affect its use, the effect cannot be 100% guaranteed.

Being expensive is not its original sin, it also has a complete bug - photo paper is hard to buy all year round.

On domestic shopping platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, many Polaroid official flagship stores are showing that their photo papers are out of stock.

On social platforms, topics related to Polaroid camera paper have been viewed 930 million times, but the vast majority of notes are teaching how to buy the paper.

The premium trend caused by shortages has also given rise to a related commodity trading market, where the second-hand transaction price of some scarce photo papers may be several times higher than the original price.

On platforms such as Xianyu and Xiaohongshu, many merchants have stockpiled large amounts of photo paper, and their selling prices are much higher than the original price of the photo paper.

Some have even learned how to match goods like Hermès, requiring that they be matched with various second-hand lipsticks, bags and other small items before they can be sold.

The shortage of photo paper has enriched scalpers but hurt fans. Even Japan's "underground idols" have seen their income plummet due to the inability to buy photo paper.

In contrast, Xiaomi's pocket printing camera has a killer feature of low price. Not only is the photo paper less than 2 yuan, but it also comes with its own adhesive backing, which is very appealing to Polaroid enthusiasts.

2. The most "cheating" toy, taking photos = opening a blind box

When Lei Jun introduced the Xiaomi pocket camera during a live broadcast, he said that he was just thinking of it as "making a toy."

Little do people know that with the popularity of digital cameras and smartphones today, Polaroid cameras are seen as a fashionable toy by young people.

It takes one minute to wait for the Polaroid camera to take effect, which whets the photographer's appetite and gives them a sense of excitement like "opening a blind box".

But behind this excitement there is also a problem, which is that Polaroid cameras have a certain waste rate.

Especially when photo paper is expensive and unavailable, the scrap rate has become the biggest reason why many people leave their Polaroid cameras unused or sell them second-hand.

Xiaomi's pocket printer can use mobile phone software to edit photos before printing them.The advantage of reducing the waste rate of films is to precisely target the weakness of Polaroid cameras.

Moreover, Xiaomi's pocket printer can also upload 15-second videos and 60-second voice messages. You can play the video by scanning it, which meets the needs of many girls.

Xiaomi has once again proved that the one who defeats you may not be your opponent, but may also be a cross-border player.

The secret of the rebirth of antiques is hidden in the wind

Can Xiaomi pocket camera really revolutionize the instant camera industry?

Brother Dao thinks there is no need to be so pessimistic. After all, there are obvious differences between pocket printers and Polaroid cameras, from technology to effects.

The Polaroid camera is invincible. Digital cameras, Meitu cameras, SLR cameras and mobile phones have not been able to stop its revival. Naturally, printers will not be overthrown so quickly.

So the question is, as an antique, Polaroid cameras obviously have alternatives, so why are they always popular again?

Dao Ge thinks the key is not the product, but that Polaroid is not just a camera, but a symbol and a belief.In different scenarios and demand trends, we can always discover new functions of our own.

Young people regard Polaroid cameras as a fashion item and value their social attributes even more.

Young people today can use smartphone photos to record their lives and share them on WeChat Moments. With a Polaroid camera, they can instantly create a picture by pressing the shutter button and share the picture with friends right away, thus satisfying social needs in both the virtual and real worlds.

This kind of social interaction is reflected in the gifting of photos after taking them, as well as in the process of friends taking photos together, waiting for the image to be developed, and then passing this unique photo around to each other.

In addition, Polaroid has also spawned many new professions.

Setting up a Polaroid camera stall has become a new side job favored by slash youth. The threshold for entry is not high. Photographers only need to hang a simple but eye-catching handwritten sign, carry a camera and photo paper, and take photos wherever they go.

Popular tourist attractions, Disney and even "life places" such as the Civil Affairs Bureau are their permanent residences.

By taking advantage of the instant camera feature and seizing people's desire to preserve precious moments, you can quickly attract business and earn dozens of dollars for each photo.

Some people have even opened Polaroid photo studios that specialize in taking photos that reflect the times, attracting many young girls to check in.

Even the discarded Polaroid films have been developed into new businesses by young people.

There is a trend of Polaroid graffiti on Xiaohongshu, where people create secondary works on the original Polaroid cameras and use various tools to make the images vivid and interesting.

The handwritten calligraphy series is particularly popular on social platforms, and some bloggers make money by "revamping" Polaroid photos.

Digital photos are quickly lost and forgotten, but physical photos can be treasured and publicly displayed.

The revival of the Polaroid camera lies in its grasp of the current consumer psychology: the “fun” experience > impracticality.

Of course, it is not enough to rely solely on innovation in demand scenarios. If old antiques like Polaroid cameras want to continue to be popular, product innovation and iteration must also keep up.

The "hybrid Polaroid" that has become popular in recent years still has a lens on the front of the body, but has an LCD screen and related button area on the back, turning it into a digital camera.

There are also sound Polaroid cameras on the market. That is, a QR code is attached to the corner of the printed Polaroid photo. By scanning the QR code with a smartphone, you can watch the photo and hear the sound recorded when the photo was taken.

Of course, this wave of impact from Xiaomi also serves as a reminder to Fuji and others that if they fail to resolve the issue of photo paper production capacity, some users will really be snatched away by Lei Jun.

In fact, in the past two years, there have been quite a few cases of old antiques being transformed into internet celebrity products.

For example, Nokia's old mobile phones were regarded as Internet quitting phones by netizens and were sold out many times. The second-hand Nokia 7700 phone was also sold for over ten thousand yuan because of its sci-fi appearance.

Business comes from demand. By grasping everyone's usage scenarios and pain points, you can promote the popularity of business.

The emotional trend of nostalgia and retro is also the key to the rebirth of antique products.

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