Financial Observation: Ski Suits Usher In The Peak Sales Season

As the popularity of ice and snow sports continues to rise, ski clothes are in peak season.

According to the 2024 New Year Shopping Cart Atlas for Young People released by Tmall, during the end of the year consumption season, the turnover of ski clothes increased by more than 50% year on year, and the "dopamine color" (meaning bright and bright) ski clothes are favored by young people.

On November 23, 2024, ski enthusiasts ski in the Beidahu Ski Resort located in Jilin Ice and Snow Economy High Quality Development Pilot Zone (UAV). Photographed by Yan Linyun, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency

On the social platform, topics related to ski clothes attract much attention. On Xiaohong's book, there are more than 80000 notes about # how to wear snow clothes #, and many netizens are asking for links to buy snow clothes in their posts; In dithering# The new battlefield of 00TD (today's clothing) is the ski resort # # The ski resort is the show resort # and other topics are on the hot list.

What changes have taken place in consumers' demand for ski clothes, from unnecessary ski equipment to "snow clothing" with snow clothing as the core shape? How can ski clothes become a "trendy" business from sports equipment?

On December 26, 2024, tourists ski at Lvcongpo Ski Resort in Badong County, Hubei Province. Photographed by Wu Zhizun, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

?? "Enthusiasts" value professionalism, "Xiaobai" care about cost performance

"This suit (jacket and trousers) cost about 7000 yuan in total," ski enthusiast Geng told reporters. In his opinion, ski clothes, as sports necessities, can be accepted even if the price is higher. After all, the quality of equipment may directly affect the sports experience.

"I didn't just come up and spend so much money. At the beginning of skiing, I also rented ski clothes at the ski resort." Mr. Geng said, "But the ski clothes rented at the ski resort are usually wet, and sometimes the size is not complete. I still think it is more convenient to wear my own clothes when I come here more often."

According to Mr. Geng, we now buy our own snow clothes, snowboards, snow mirrors, snow shoes, etc., which is about 40000 yuan. With the improvement of personal skills, if you want to challenge more difficult movements, the equipment will be updated accordingly. "Just snow suits, I have changed four sets," he said.

There are many skiing enthusiasts like Geng who are willing to invest in equipment.

According to the data of Jingdong Institute of Consumption and Industry Development, 48.7% of ski "enthusiasts" (who have snowed for more than 5 years) are willing to buy professional equipment "from head to toe, from inside to outside"; 38.2% have a variety of ski clothes in different colors and styles, and 56.6% of ski "enthusiasts" spend more than 5000 yuan on ski equipment and clothing.

Photo source: Jingdong Institute of Consumption and Industrial Development

Unlike skiing "enthusiasts" who are willing to spend thousands of yuan for "hard core" equipment, skiing "Xiaobai" pays more attention to cost performance.

"The price of my ski suit is about 2000 yuan, which is an entry-level model." Ms. Tang, who has just completed one year of snow, told reporters, "I care more about the style, functionality and cost performance of my ski suit than about the brand."

According to the data of Jingdong Institute of Consumption and Industry Development, 71.8% of novices (about one year old) pay more attention to cost performance when purchasing ski equipment. More than 50% of new skiers said that they were willing to spend less than 3000 yuan on skiing equipment and clothing in each snow season.

In addition to cost performance, new skiers also pay attention to the professionalism of equipment. 69% of new skiers pay attention to the waterproof, breathable, warm and other functions of ski clothes.

This is a ski suit taken at the 2023 International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo on September 15, 2023. Photographed by Ren Chao, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

?? Domestic ski clothes come to the fore

In the past, the domestic ski clothing market was dominated by overseas brands.

"Skiing has developed early overseas, and many professional ski clothing brands have emerged in the process of development. These brands have gained high popularity after years of accumulation, and are favored by consumers in terms of professionalism and functionality." The industry analyst said.

The reporter observed that most of these brands are priced at more than 1000 yuan, and some high-end products are priced at more than 10000 yuan.

"With Beijing's successful bid for the Winter Olympics, the construction of ski facilities in China has accelerated, and the ski population has grown rapidly. Skiing has moved from a 'niche high-end sports project' to the mass consumer market," said Wu Bin, vice chairman of the Beijing Skiing Association.

In this development trend, there is a huge market demand for junior high school skiing equipment.

During Tmall's "Double Day" reception season, the turnover of domestic brand ISEE MIGGA increased by more than 500% year on year, and awka 3L ski suits sold more than 2000 pieces a day. Among the top 10 brands in the Tmall ski clothing sales list (as of December 31, 2024), 7 are domestic brands.

"On the one hand, for experiential skiers, the pursuit of functionality is weak, and they pay more attention to the color matching and style of ski clothes." Wu Bin said, "On the other hand, most ski resorts in China are around cities, not alpine ski resorts, and there are a large number of indoor ski resorts, which do not need ski clothes with strong functionality."

"Domestic brands will design ski clothing styles according to consumers' preferences, which is more in line with the aesthetic of Chinese people. At present, China's ski population is still dominated by beginners and intermediate skiers, which brings relatively large development space for domestic brands." Wu Bin said.

On December 22, 2024, tourists ski at Yuehai Ski Resort, Yinchuan, Ningxia. Photographed by Wang Peng, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

?? How to get into daily life

With the popularization of ice and snow sports in China, skiing has changed from a niche competitive sport to a lifestyle for many people, and consumers' demand for ski clothing is also changing.

For example, some brands try to make the tops of ski suits into two detachable sets of vest and sweater. It is not only suitable for taking photos on the ski resort, but also for daily commuting.

"We will make ski clothes more life like and daily, and even add more warm materials. In normal winter, we can also use ski clothes as ordinary casual clothes, so that this clothing can get more application scenarios." Zheng Yuansen, partner of Senbo Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., said.

The development of the life scene of ski clothes makes it hard to avoid comparing it with the explosive submachine suit before.

"The development trajectory of ski suits and sportswear is different. There are many application scenarios of sportswear, and the market demand is relatively large. The application scenarios of ski suits are relatively limited, and the application scenarios emphasize more professionalism and functionality," said Zhang Yi, CEO and chief analyst of iMedia Consulting.

Wu Bin also believes that the vast majority of ski suits are still designed for skiing, and there are few daily wearing scenes, so it may be difficult for the ski suit market to be as popular as the outdoor jacket market.

For the future development of ski clothing industry, Wu Bin believes that the key lies in how to make more experienced people become lovers.

According to the Research Report on the Development of China's Ice and Snow Industry (2023), more than 70% of the skiing population are experiential consumers who ski less than three times, about 20% of the population are professional enthusiasts who often participate in skiing, and only about 10% of the population are professional skiers.

"If it is impossible to let these experienced people settle down, it is difficult to achieve sustainability in ski consumption. Only by improving the conversion rate can a virtuous circle be formed, and all aspects of the ski industry will benefit, including ski clothes." Wu Bin said.

Zhang Yi believes that in addition to constantly expanding the ski population, the ski clothing industry should also focus on technological innovation and be close to the living needs of consumers.

"The competition in the ski clothing market will be further intensified in the future, especially in the high-end market." Zhang Yi believes that design innovation, material innovation, multi-functional use innovation and other aspects deserve the attention of all brands. (Participating reporter: Guo Yanting)

(Source: Xinhuanet)