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interface news reporter | shi yiying

interface news editor | ren xuesong

at the beginning of september 2024, as the northern hemisphere enters autumn, outdoor sports in autumn and winter, mainly skiing, have become the focus of sports consumption.

at the end of august, taobao tmall released the "2024 autumn and winter taobao tmall sports outdoor industry trend autumn and winter white paper", in which as many as 81% of the respondents tried new outdoor projects different from last year and consumed new outdoor sports equipment, thus demonstrating the rise of outdoor sports participation and equipment consumption.

this white paper focusing on the trend of outdoor sportswear shows that, like the overall clothing consumption trend in sports, outdoor sports also show a consumption direction of blending functional advancement with leisure trends in clothing consumption - jackets, sports outdoor down jackets, sports hoodies and sports shoes are the four key categories, among which sports hoodies have brought new growth points to the market.

sports sweatshirts are highly representative functional and lifestyle items, both in the sports consumption market and in the outdoor sports consumption market segment.

according to the white paper, 41% of female consumers prefer sports sweatshirts with balanced neutral colors, 32% of female consumers choose sports sweatshirts in soft pastel colors; 37% of male consumers prefer sports sweatshirts with classic brand elements, and 34% of male consumers are keen on choosing sports sweatshirts with brand alliance ips.

catering to the needs of the consumer market, tmall also pointed out that new brands on the merchant side have entered the trend of outdoor sports consumer market. in terms of brands, high-growth brands of outdoor shoes and clothing include helly hansen and panda outdoor. among them, panda outdoor’s predecessor was the yunzhang socks and shirts factory established in 1896. the sweat shirts produced by this socks and shirts factory were sold to southeast asia and were one of the earliest industrial products exported overseas by my country. after the century-old domestic brand transformed into the outdoor industry, as an independent sub-brand of camel, panda outdoor mainly focuses on new mountain-style outdoor clothing, with an annual growth rate of up to 500%.

the high-growth emerging brands in the cycling field, such as lampada and igpsport, the running field, brooks and qinkung, as well as gregory in the sports trend and ruiwu in the skiing category, are either emerging brands founded in china or old sports brands that have returned to increase their investment in the chinese market.

take brooks as an example. the brand is one of the world's top four running shoe brands. it returned to the chinese market in 2024. in mid-august, the brand's first offline store in the chinese market was opened in kerry city, pudong, shanghai.

according to tmall's internal algorithms and external data, the 2024 autumn and winter outdoor sports trends are divided into four categories: urban indoor, urban outdoor, urban suburbs and the wild. among them, outdoor sports in the suburbs and the wild include skiing, mountain climbing, cycling, camping, fishing and hiking.

among them, in the coming autumn and winter, domestic and foreign sports brands are also stepping up their layout and marketing promotions on the ski track, which is the main outdoor sport.

currently in the domestic skiing consumer market, the descente brand under the anta group has obvious advantages in the snowwear category, while the salomon brand under the amer sports group, which was acquired by anta, has both snowboards and snowwear products.

as a high-end professional sports brand, descente focuses on three professional sports in the chinese market: skiing, triathlon and golf. the brand's revenue exceeded 5 billion yuan last year and is aiming for 10 billion yuan this year, which also reflects the rise of outdoor sports, especially the skiing market in autumn and winter.

however, there are many international brands targeting the skiing market. the north face, which focuses on outdoor activities, is also consolidating its rock climbing and hiking product lines while also entering the snowwear market. helly hansen, known as norway's national treasure brand, is also increasing its investment in the chinese market. however, the brand also mentioned in its strategy that it will "focus on the field of high-end outdoor sportswear, create professional-grade jackets and ski suits, and develop high-performance jackets and softshells for urban light outdoor scenes."

in the outdoor sports consumer market, jackets are the most competitive item. from arc'teryx to the mid-to-high-end brands such as descente, salomon and peak performance, the north face in the middle, and the camel brand in the sinking market, with arc'teryx becoming a must-have for elite men, jackets have also become "school uniforms" in the outdoor sports market.

the white paper also highlights the growth trend of all price ranges of jackets, especially the high-end price range which is heading towards the blue ocean market. "the core transactions of the category are mainly in the mid-to-high range of 400-600 yuan. in the past two years, the high-priced range has led other price ranges. with the upgrading of user consumption, high-performance and high-value jackets have attracted attention, and the number of transactions for products in the high-priced range of 1,000-1,500 yuan and above has increased rapidly."

data from international analysis agencies show that the global winter sports equipment market will reach us$17 billion in 2028.

for domestic sports brands and international brands focusing on the chinese market, understanding the consumption trends in the outdoor sports market, finding entry points and creating "explosive products" will be the key to competing for market share.