Craftsmanship entails a reverence for embodied perfection in the Internet era
Updated: 2016-04-07 10:34
By Hou Xianhui(chinadaily.com.cn)
|
||||||||
A watchmaker works on a Swiss timepiece. [Photo/IC] |
When craftsmanship is mentioned, what immediately comes to mind is the Swiss watchmaker, French handbag designer and German car makers. In the last two years, the concept of "the spirit of the craftsman" has been often heard from the lips of businessmen. Among them is Luo Yonghao, the famous founder of Smartisan, a Chinese technology company, who sees himself as a good craftsman. His tale of crafting Android-based phones has been widely disseminated in the media thanks to clever marketing.
Hou Xianhui |
Craftsmanship, as far as I see, is a natural, enduring human impulse, the deep inner satisfaction that comes from work perfected for it own sweet sake, an attitude to craft high-quality products based on customers' benefits.
In the Internet era, the spirit of the craftsman could be demonstrated in the production process and manufacturing principle.
To start with, a craftsman always specializese in a certain field and strives for perfection. Consumers prefer an exquisite and exclusive product available to them rather than being limited to the homogenous design and low-quality items manufactured by a faceless and perpetual assembly-line. Some handicrafts are so exquisite that they bring one to tears. A piece of craftsmanship may take the artisan a decade or even his whole life to hone his craft.
Secondly, for a craftsman, the pursuit of the perfect customer experience never ends. A wonderful user service makes sure that customers and the target market think of you and your brand first when they are on the Internet looking to purchase what you are offering. Taking a metaphor from the mobile phone industry, when people want to buy a smartphone for less than 2,000 yuan, Xiaomi will undoubtedly immediately come to their mind. To have greater brand recognition comes from striving for perfection.
Last but not the least, a craftsman builds a reputation by word of mouth. As China's social media and promotion methods boom, customer word of mouth has become the first reference when customers are ready to buy. When people have had an excellent meal, played addictive online games or bought gorgeous-looking home supplies, they will share the information with their friends and gradually a good reputation is established. The formation of a good reputation is always attributed to the patience, concentration and perfection of the craftsman who may make a significant contribution to process and product.
All in all, in the Internet era, craftsmanship is a spirit that was born in nature, is obsessed with perfection and care. Craftsmen enjoy crafting their products and are not ambitious about making a fortune, yet are ambitious to see their products being widely-used for generations to come.
The author is a senior Internet worker and founder of sanjieke.com.
- More cities take bonus and penalty in air pollution
- Shanghai police release list of 36 drivers banned for Life
- Police relax rules impeding delivery drivers
- Official's photos an unusual attraction in Chinese village
- 438 Chinese police officers die on duty in 2015
- Chinese 'parachute kids' flock to US schools
- Xi: Talks 'only correct way' for China, ROK
- Xi to Obama: Disputes should be managed
- Cypriot court remands in custody man suspected of hijacking EgyptAir flight
- Govt eyes luxury tourists amid concerns over safety
- Sleep tight and don't let sharks bite at Paris aquarium
- Aung San Suu Kyi appointed as Myanmar's new foreign minister
- Top Chinese leaders attend voluntary tree-planting in Beijing
- Zhouzhuang water town viewed through artistic eyes
- 8 trends of major price movements gauging China's economy
- Migrant workers back home with their family
- Microsoft embraces artificial intelligence
- Yao Ming introduced to Hall of Fame
- The world in photos: March 28 - April 3
- Discover beautiful China in spring blossom (V)
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Anti-graft campaign targets poverty relief |
Cherry blossom signal arrival of spring |
In pictures: Destroying fake and shoddy products |
China's southernmost city to plant 500,000 trees |
Cavers make rare finds in Guangxi expedition |
Cutting hair for Longtaitou Festival |
Today's Top News
Marriott unlikely to top Anbang offer for Starwood: Observers
Chinese biopharma debuts on Nasdaq
What ends Jeb Bush's White House hopes
Investigation for Nicolas's campaign
Will US-ASEAN meeting be good for region?
Accentuate the positive in Sino-US relations
Dangerous games on peninsula will have no winner
National Art Museum showing 400 puppets in new exhibition
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |