Li Xiaoliang: Follow the needs of users

Among the many entrepreneurs engaged in smart wear, Maikai.com CEO Li Xiaoliang is a wonderful person. He does not understand technology or hardware, and only has a little sense of product design. But it is such an entrepreneur who has "little knowledge" about smart wear. In the smart hardware industry, which needs tens of millions of funds at every turn, he successfully broke through with the early self-raised 500,000 yuan. During this period, he led the Maikai team to complete the R&D and sales of 120,000 smart water cups, 180,000 smart scales and 40,000 trackers, making Maikai one of the hottest smart hardware companies in China.

Kill the APP

Li Xiaoliang and his Maikai team are like a wind vane in the field of smart wearables. Every time a product is developed and promoted, it can set off a boom. In 2013, the smart water cups sold well. Maikai not only cultivated a group of loyal users, but also became famous in a short period of time, and was recognized as a pioneer in the industry. This year, Li Xiaoliang once again stepped on the market rhythm and launched the first health sensor, Here. "Killing APP" is Here's biggest ambition.

In addition to the weight and body fat data recording and analysis functions of the smart scale, Here has added a large number of sensors to measure the user's weight, fat percentage, muscle percentage, water percentage, bone content, and visceral fat. Index, basal metabolic rate, BMI and other indicators.

The real difference is that Here has a data transmission function, which allows users to throw away their mobile phones and upload data directly through Here, truly achieving sensorless interconnection. In addition, Here can actively sense the presence of people within 3 meters.

Overall, Here's positioning is not a smart scale, nor an entry-level product, but a data transmission channel. It connects intelligent hardware and the cloud, and it does not have a sense of existence, but it is essential. Just like the name Here, put it there.

In the interview, Li Xiaoliang emphasized many times the senseless interconnection: "In the future, the connection of intelligent hardware must be senseless interconnection, instead of taking out the mobile phone like now - unlocking - finding and opening the app - —The cumbersome process of clicking to synchronize. The data transmission should be uploaded naturally after the user's authorization for the first time."

In the intelligent hardware industry, Here is the first product that has both "active perception" and Products with the attribute of "non-sense interconnection". This should be the direction of future smart hardware. At the very least, Here has killed the poor experience of having to transmit data through a mobile app.

Li Xiaoliang's Maikai team is the first technology team to "open Qiang towards APP". What they need to do is to lead the future of the industry and break all the frameworks of the past. As it turns out, they did.

Follow the needs of users

Mai Kai's name comes from Me Care, emphasizing self, individuality, care, and concern. This seems to be the same as the character of the founder Li Xiaoliang. From the staff of Midea, to the owner of Tao.bao, the TP of Tao.bao, to the CEO of Maikai, he is self-sufficient and persistent in every step; he is also a very delicate entrepreneurial youth. , Although it is modest that it does not understand technology, it can accurately grasp the needs of users.

Li Xiaoliang is familiar with market rules and user needs. He firmly believes that following user needs will lead to success. Li Xiaoliang said that in the early days of Mai Kai’s establishment, there were only three people. He was only good at assigning the right positions to the right people. The stronger the team, the stronger the company. During the conversation, the author can perceive that he has rich experience in marketing and products, and is very clear about Maikai's product positioning and development ideas.

Compared to the smart hardware used by segmented groups such as smart blood pressure monitors, Mai Kai chose health-related smart hardware that most people are willing to use, such as exercise trackers and smart water cups. Maikai is aimed at a more popular group, which means a larger market space.

Li Xiaoliang said: "When we choose to launch a product, user habits are a key factor to consider. We develop products on the basis of users' existing needs and provide users with better solutions. Instead of creating demand.”

At present, Mai Kai has its own hardware design team. At the beginning of 2014, it received an angel investment of nearly 5 million yuan from Angel Bay.

1+1"2

At the beginning of this year, Mai Kai achieved remarkable results. The list of "2014-2015 Global Top Brands" was announced, and Mai Kaili won the "World's Best Smart Health Innovation" award against the most popular misfit and fitbit. The Maikai team knocked on the door of the world and gained global recognition.

Li Xiaoliang revealed that these achievements are inseparable from the efforts of the team and the strong support of partners.

When Li Xiaoliang first came to Shenzhen, he used a borrowed 500,000 yuan to set up Maikai. Not to mention the lack of funds, everyone in the team had a "little knowledge" of intelligent hardware. Maikai makes full use of the resource advantages of Shenzhen's intelligent hardware, and uses the strength of partners to develop and manufacture products, truly realizing the "1+1"2" win-win cooperation model.

Following this principle, Mai Kai found two manufacturers with "similar smells". After more than 3 years of establishment, Mai Kai handed over all the product manufacturing to them. During the start-up of the company, they gave Maikai strong support, and Maikai also brought them many new partners and business opportunities.

It is such a 1+1"2 win-win model that has helped Mai Kai come to today. According to Li Xiaoliang's plan, Mai Kai's development cannot be too fast this year. "I am particularly afraid that the team will double or even triple at once." Indeed, the rapid increase of team members will bring challenges to team coordination and operations. I believe that under the steady and steady pace of development, Mai Kai will definitely go further.

Maker Talk

Q: What is Here?

Li Xiaoliang: In the intelligent hardware industry, Here is the first product with the attributes of "active perception" and "non-sense interconnection". This should be the direction of future smart hardware. At the very least, Here has killed the poor experience of having to transmit data through a mobile app.

Q: As a start-up from a disadvantaged group, how do you choose a partner?

Li Xiaoliang: As an entrepreneur, when choosing a partner, don't try to find the biggest brand, such as Foxconn. Others won't care about you at all. What you need to find is someone who is more professional in this industry or segment. That's good. At the same time, the boss and the company culture should be more consistent with the entrepreneur, that is, the smell is similar.

Q: Jobs said, to create user demand, what do you think?

Li Xiaoliang: Maikai avoids subdivided groups, but chooses health-related smart hardware that most people are willing to use, which means a larger market space. When we choose to launch a product, user habits are a key factor to consider. We develop products on the basis of users' existing needs, and give users better solutions and approaches, rather than creating needs.