Gifts / Sports & Toys

In recent years, outdoor sports have flourished in many parts of China. Aiming at the growing market demand, many enterprises have deeply promoted the supply side structural reform, constantly innovated products, and accelerated the growth of outdoor sports equipment industry.

Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation reported that in the first half of this year, China's sales of camping curtains, portable tables, chairs and beds, and ski equipment increased by 331.8%, 123.1% and 72.7% respectively. Why does the outdoor sports equipment industry become popular and what new opportunities will it bring to the market?

Both supply and demand are booming: product sales are booming, and production demand exceeds supply

Wang Runqiu, a citizen of Kunming, Yunnan Province, has been camping once since. He wants to go there every week. Driving an SUV out of the downtown of Kunming and stopping at a camp in the suburb, Wang Runqiu put up a tent and set up tables and chairs. In front of him, there was a blue lake and a white sky. It was very pleasant. He said: "It cost more than 3000 yuan to purchase related equipment. Many friends have bought it. They enjoy camping together."

Look to Beijing, more small outdoor sports are "out of the circle". The CBD Culture and Sports Plaza, located in Beijing International Trade Center, is full of frisbee activities from morning till night. "I teach at least five times a week." The partner of a Frisbee Club said that playing Frisbee is popular with young people because of its large amount of sports and low antagonism.

Ge Tan, a canoe instructor, became a rowing instructor. He often goes to the water bases in Wenyu River, Yanqi Lake and other places in Beijing: "Paddle boarding is a very comfortable sport. I have obtained my coach certificate. This year, more and more people are learning paddle boarding."

Nowadays, outdoor sports are more and more popular. According to statistics, there are 130 million outdoor sports enthusiasts in China, and a new consumer market is growing rapidly. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.

"Folding chairs can be sold 40 a day, and small pullers can be sold out of stock directly." At the Beijing Century Jinyuan Store of Pathfinder, the clerk told the reporter that many customers bought a complete set of goods every day, from the sky curtain, tents to tables and chairs, and small pullers. On the JD platform, in the first eight months of this year, the turnover of outdoor campers, tents and mats, paddle boards, and road bikes increased by 450%, 340%, 237%, and 155% year on year respectively.

The busy production also confirms the hot demand. "In the first half of this year, the number of camping tent orders more than doubled over the whole year of last year, and the production schedule was extended from one month to more than four months. Some umbrella factories and fishing tackle factories also began to make tent skeletons." Liu Haohai, head of the Technical Project Department of Toread Group, said. "The frisbees and gloves we produced sell very well. In the past three years, the company's annual average performance growth has reached 150%, and last year's sales reached 60 million yuan." Said Xu Yingfeng, founder of the Winged Kun Frisbee.

While the sales volume is higher, there are more and more types and styles of outdoor sports equipment products. Frisbees with different designs and colors, tents with cartoon images, and costumes with unique shapes... Conform to the new needs of personalization and fashion, and new products from major businesses emerge frequently. When entering Kaileshi Beijing Heshenghui Store, the new equipment was placed in a prominent position. According to the salesperson, the newly launched "Dapowang" mountain running shoes this year look like an off-road vehicle, have good resilience, strong wrapping, and are also equipped with sand covers. They are not afraid to walk in the sand, and are very popular with customers.

Accelerated development: strong industrial support and accelerated upgrading

Under the current downward pressure on manufacturing enterprises, why can the outdoor sports equipment industry grow against the trend?

On the one hand, strong market demand provides development opportunities.

According to the industry report released by the China Industrial Textiles Industry Association, from January to July this year, the operating income and total profit of enterprises above awning and canvas scale in China increased by 10.5% and 36% year on year respectively, showing a good growth momentum. At the same time, the industrial coated fabric of tarpaulin and sunshade cloth in China has become the largest export product in the industrial textile industry, with an export volume of 3.02 billion US dollars, up 30.4% year on year.

According to Kong Fanyong, general manager of Kaile Stone, China's outdoor sports equipment has entered a period of rapid growth, with huge growth potential

China's outdoor equipment is also increasingly recognized internationally. "The company's performance has increased by more than 60% for two consecutive years." Kong Fanyong introduced that the export volume of outdoor equipment of the company has nearly doubled in the past two years. Winged Kun Frisbee has also become popular overseas, and has been exported to more than 60 countries and regions.

On the other hand, the complete industrial system provides strong support for the rapid transformation of enterprises.

"China is the world's largest producer of industrial textiles." Zhang Qing, vice president of Shanghai Textile Research Institute, believes that China's outdoor equipment production already has a perfect industrial chain

The promotion of industrial digitalization and digital industrialization has further enhanced China's industrial chain supply chain advantages. Han Ye, vice president of brand of Toread Group, introduced that the company cooperates with rhino intelligent manufacturing, and uses big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies to upgrade production scheduling, manufacturing, logistics and other links, which can accurately insight into consumer demand and help launch more new products.

Looking closely at the composition of outdoor sports equipment industry, there are many traditional manufacturing enterprises such as textile, clothing, footwear, furniture, etc. Driven by the good supply and demand, outdoor sports equipment enterprises accelerated the upgrading. For example, the one-piece down jacket of Kellogg Stone can withstand the extreme cold of mountains above 8000 meters above sea level, while the hard shell jacket can maximize rain resistance while maintaining breathability. Another example is the tent canopy produced by Pathfinder, which covers an area of more than 20 square meters. It can be built in 10 minutes with only 6 wind ropes and 2 pillars. "The reason why it is so convenient is that the floor nail has a patented technology that can grip the ground more firmly. The wind rope structure can quickly adjust the length, and the support rod uses a carefully designed tenon and mortise structure, which can be quickly assembled and disassembled." Han Ye said.

In Zhang Qing's opinion, in recent years, the domestic camping tents have made significant progress in both quality and design. "Compared with the tents with single shape and old style, the camping tents now have fashionable appearance and diverse functions. The materials have also been improved. The former tent cloth was very thick, but now it is not only thinner, but also flat without wrinkles, and the weaving process has been greatly improved."

Seize the opportunity: strengthen R&D innovation and deepen brand culture

According to the observation report of Huacheng import and export data, nearly half of the 47000 camping product related enterprises in China have been established within one year, and more than 7200 have been added from January to April this year alone.

"In terms of quality alone, China's outdoor products are not inferior to the international brands, but the brand premium is worse." According to Han Ye, some foreign brands started earlier, have deep cultural accumulation and more experience in developing market segments. The relevant person in charge of outdoor brand Kelong Sports also believes that at present, domestic camping products are more homogeneous, and only by making the brand stronger and better can it stand out. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.

Many enterprises interviewed believe that China's outdoor sports consumption is generally good. If domestic brands want to win long-term competition, they still need to work hard on innovation and operation to continuously enhance market competitiveness.

——Strengthen R&D innovation and improve technology content.

In the workshop of Zhejiang Yuli New Materials Co., Ltd., a new type of mesh clip cloth for inflatable tents is being trial produced. Zhang Yudie, the chairman of the company, said that in the past, inflatable tents were mainly covered with soft film, which was easy to crack in use. "The pain point of the market is the business opportunity of enterprises. We have spent nearly a year developing more powerful and lightweight sandwich cloth materials, and many customers are negotiating mass production."

"Only relying on innovation can we master more discourse power." Han Ye introduced that the scientific researchers of Pathfinder now account for 1/3 of the total number of employees of the company. The company also set up a special "Polar Bionics Technology Platform" to strive to achieve import substitution

——Promote sports culture and expand brand influence.

"The outdoor sports equipment industry should not only make products, but also manage sports culture well." Xu Yingfeng introduced that in order to create a good Frisbee sports ecology, the company has made great efforts in sports promotion. "In addition to sponsoring professional events, we have also strengthened cooperation with the Frisbee enthusiast community, which has been promoted in more than 30 cities."

"Community operation is one of our main marketing strategies. By organizing offline activities, we can enhance consumers' sense of experience, and by conducting outdoor sports guidance, we can improve the brand's professional image." The person in charge of Kelong Sports said.

Zhang Qing believes that in the long run, China's outdoor sports equipment industry still has a lot of room for improvement