High-Level Forum Review | Understanding Major Outdoor Trends from the Rise of Vertical E-commerce New Retail

The development of an industry is closely tied to the growth of its supporting sectors. Products cannot exist without sales, and traditional sales models have become outdated. With changes in people's lifestyles, e-commerce—marked distinctly by the internet era—has rapidly emerged as a key battleground across industries. The two magical and ever-evolving words, "e-commerce," hold the lifeline of every brand.

As the saying goes, he who wins e-commerce wins the world. So, what impact does the rise of new retail, represented by e-commerce, have on the outdoor industry?

Let’s revisit the 14th Asia Outdoor Exhibition in 2019—specifically, the Asia Outdoor High-Level Forum—where Ms. Meng Fanling, Co-founder of Xingzhuang, shared her insights in the presentation titled “Understanding Major Outdoor Trends from the Rise of Vertical E-commerce New Retail”!

Speaker: Meng Fanling, Co-founder of Xingzhuang

Ms. Meng Fanling mentioned: The Chinese outdoor market is one with huge future potential but is still in a growth phase today. This means there are great opportunities, as well as many challenges.

There is a notable pain point and issue in the Chinese outdoor market: the supply and demand sides are not well connected. Currently, China has an increasing number of entry-level outdoor enthusiasts. However, when they want to go out and play, they often face a common problem—they don’t know whom to go with, where to go, or what gear to bring.

According to relevant statistics from Xingzhuang in 2019, the majority of Xingzhuang’s customers are aged between 25 and 65, showing a relatively young demographic. However, especially among entry-level outdoor enthusiasts, there is a lack of outdoor experience and professional gear knowledge.

At present, many club leaders—especially those in lower-tier clubs located in remote third-, fourth-, and fifth-tier cities—have very rich route resources and extensive experience in using equipment in various scenarios. However, they struggle to adapt to the fast-developing internet. A common issue is that these clubs rarely have their own official websites, and their route guides are often poorly done. Additionally, they face a scarcity of gear supply sources. Although they are directly exposed to market demand through daily team outings, they are unable to access a wide range of gear supplies.

In its early days, Xingzhuang established a basic strategy: to empower the industry. Through Xingzhuang, clubs can have their own official websites, publish activity routes, and distribute gear.

 

As a B2B gear distribution platform, Xingzhuang also now provides supply chains for high-quality routes. Currently, Xingzhuang operates three business segments.

Xingzhuang Mall is the earliest service segment launched, focusing mainly on gear. It currently partners with over 540 brands and is the largest professional gear distribution platform in China. It helps connect club leaders with gear products.

Xingzhuang Club is a one-stop activity operation platform exclusive to clubs, providing operational support to team leaders.

Yuntu Special Line is a high-quality route supply platform with the strictest quality control. It enables clubs to publish routes via this platform to attract customers, create their own travel notes, and foster connections among members.

Since its launch three years ago, Xingzhuang has partnered with over 20,000 registered clubs and works with more than 40,000 club leaders. As of last month, it has accumulated 15 million members. Over these three years, Xingzhuang has conducted no promotional campaigns—the 15 million professional members have all been acquired through word-of-mouth by clubs. It is the largest socially-driven outdoor e-commerce platform in China. Looking ahead, Xingzhuang hopes to expand the Chinese market and involve more people through these three segments.

From the perspective of market demand, Xingzhuang aims to be a transporter of only high-quality products in the future. We strive to offer meticulously selected items. What are the criteria for determining a good product?

First, from the perspective of demand—market and user demand—the product should be something everyone needs and can afford, rather than something overly niche or personalized.

Second, it must be a high cost-performance ratio product—you can compare prices for the same quality or compare quality for the same price.

Third, from a branding perspective: big brands for prestige, small brands for sales. This refers to two operational strategies. Big brands are used for value positioning—highlighting the intrinsic value of international premium brands, encouraging users to look beyond just price. Small brands follow a straightforward sales-driven approach.

In fact, the most valuable resource in the mobile internet era is people. At Xingzhuang, each person represents not just an individual but a club and a team. Most are our club leaders who can share content materials to drive conversions. In this way, brands can achieve low-cost promotion and high-efficiency conversion.

 

Besides club promotion, there are also professional media outlets with which we’ve formed strategic partnerships. For example, Sina Sports provides brands with significant exposure, often inviting celebrities and influencers to events.

In addition to Sina, we have strategic partnerships with major media such as CCTV, Travel Satellite TV, People’s Daily Online, as well as other specialized media. These resources will be provided free of charge to brands in the future.

Having reviewed the wonderful content shared by Ms. Meng during the forum, you likely now have a new understanding of vertical e-commerce new retail. With the passage of time and the rapid development of the internet, the outdoor industry also needs to evolve.

In the future, the Asia Outdoor Exhibition will explore the field of new retail, integrating online and offline traffic. By examining layout, marketing, and other dimensions, it will uncover the core needs of specific target groups, improve supporting industry services, and support the new development of the outdoor industry.

June 18-20, 2020: The 15th Asia Outdoor Trade Show continues to meet you at Nanjing Xinzhuang National Exhibition Center

Asia Outdoor Expo & “Ziranpai” Outdoor Carnival – Tai’an Station, now open for exhibitor applications!

Date: September 5-8, 2019 

Venue: Tai’an International Convention and Exhibition Center

T: 025-85262696

E: asiaoutdoor@outdoorigin.com

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