Gifts / Sports & Toys

In recent years, outdoor sports have become a new choice for leisure and vacation. In addition to traditional projects such as cycling, skiing, and mountaineering, the rising camping, rock climbing, kayaking, diving, and sailing also attract many consumers to participate. According to Watson & Band Import and Export Data Observation Report, by the end of 2021, the number of people participating in outdoor sports nationwide has exceeded 400 million.

A few days ago, the "Outdoor Sports Industry Development Plan (2022-2025)" jointly issued by the State General Administration of Sport and other eight departments pointed out that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, my country has entered a new stage of development, and the outdoor sports industry will usher in new opportunities for development.

Outdoor sports contain broad consumption prospects

Xiao Wang, a Beijing citizen, has recently become obsessed with cycling and rides 2 to 4 times a week. "There are many cycling enthusiasts around me. Influenced by them, I also fell in love with this sport. On weekends or small holidays, what I do most often is to cycle around the city." Xiao Wang said.

The success of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics has made skiing one of the most popular outdoor sports. Xiao Liu, a citizen of Changchun, told the reporter of International Business Daily that in recent winters, she would go to the ski resort with friends to enjoy a carnival of ice and snow. "Now skiing is one of the things my friends and I look forward to most in winter."

According to Watson & Band Import and Export Data Observation Report, in recent years, more and more consumers have participated in outdoor sports such as cycling and skiing. Statistics show that by the end of 2021, the number of people participating in outdoor sports nationwide will exceed 400 million, and outdoor sports enthusiasts will reach 130 million.

According to Watson & Band Import and Export Data Observation Report, this data will continue to expand. On the one hand, the urban population, the main group participating in outdoor sports, is increasing; on the other hand, major social apps are also helping outdoor sports. Taking the camping project as an example, the total number of mentions related to it on Weibo this year exceeded 58.42 million, an increase of over 1402%.

The high enthusiasm for outdoor sports has also greatly promoted the consumption of outdoor sports products. Xiao Wang's bill for cycling expenses includes a total of 14 pieces of equipment such as bicycles, glasses, helmets, and stopwatches. It is roughly estimated that the total consumption is about 20,000 yuan. "Spending like mine belongs to the middle level. In our circle, people often buy high-end bicycles and more comprehensive equipment that cost tens of thousands of yuan." Xiao Wang introduced.

According to Watson & Band Import and Export Data Observation Report, in the first half of this year, sales of outdoor sports equipment such as camping canopies, portable tables, chairs, beds, and ski equipment in my country increased by 331.8%, 123.1%, and 72.7% respectively. During the "Double 11" promotional activities, the sales of outdoor products under thousands of brands on major e-commerce platforms rose across the board, and the turnover doubled year-on-year in just 10 minutes after the promotional activities started. This shows the broad development prospects of my country's outdoor sports market.

Relevant enterprises will embrace a new track

The broad prospect of the outdoor sports industry has opened up a new track for related enterprises. According to Watson & Band Import and Export Data Observation Report, as of now, there are more than 204,000 outdoor sports-related enterprises in my country, of which 56.9% have been established for 1 to 5 years.

Although the scale of the outdoor sports market is constantly expanding, as pointed out in the "Planning", my country's outdoor sports industry is still in the early stages of development, the market potential needs to be further released, and there are still some shortcomings and weak links. The industry believes that there is still a gap between the goal of "the total scale of the outdoor sports industry exceeding 3 trillion yuan by 2035" in the "Planning", and there are opportunities and challenges.

Going deep into the outdoor sporting goods market, it is not difficult to find that the high-end market is still occupied by overseas companies. "Taking cycling equipment as an example, domestic outdoor sports brands are relatively cost-effective, but cyclists who pursue high-end quality tend to choose foreign high-end brands." Xiao Wang concluded based on his observations of cyclists around him As above conclusion.

In Xiao Liu's view, domestic ski products also have the same problem. "Although the products are cost-effective, there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of professionalism and innovation."

In addition, compared with overseas companies that have been deeply involved in the field of outdoor sports for many years, domestic outdoor sporting goods companies started relatively late, and their brand awareness and influence need to be further improved.

In view of the problems existing in the outdoor sporting goods industry, the "Plan" proposes the task of cultivating the main body of the outdoor sports market and accelerating the transformation and upgrading of the outdoor sporting goods manufacturing industry. The "Plan" pointed out that by 2025, a group of leading outdoor sports enterprises with independent brands, innovative capabilities and competitive strength will be cultivated. At the same time, strengthen the application of new materials, advanced technology and equipment in the field of outdoor sports equipment manufacturing, continuously improve the R&D and manufacturing level of outdoor sports equipment such as ice and snow, water, aviation, etc., and create a Chinese smart brand.

Wang Xueli, director of the Sports Industry Development Research Center of Tsinghua University, believes that outdoor equipment manufacturers should refine their products in terms of product design, quality, and experience, constantly enrich product categories and product functions, and satisfy different consumers' individualization of outdoor sports. Demand, "Only by creating innovative and distinctive products can we capture the hearts of consumers."