This is a data report based on telephone interviews and in-person discussions conducted with 93 retail stores and department stores across China. The interviewees were all relevant managers from the marketing and purchasing departments of these venues. This report was completed by the Kastone Sports project team over the course of one month, providing an in-depth analysis of the “women’s sports goods consumption trends.”
China’s vast sports goods market and consumer base—excluding areas related to competitive sports—hold tremendous potential in both the everyday leisure sports goods market for women and the specialized sports market with female-oriented features. International sports giants have already begun to focus on developing this sector, and it is time for Chinese domestic enterprises to seriously consider the potential of the women’s sports market.
Zhu Qinghua, a researcher at China Venture Capital Consulting, analyzed and concluded: “Many companies are still adopting a wait-and-see attitude and are not willing to act rashly. ‘Consumer needs vary in different periods, and it is only in the past two years that the demand for women’s sports has truly emerged. Unlike foreign brands rushing into the women’s sports market, domestic sports brands are more in a wait-and-see state when it comes to opening women’s specialty stores. It is very likely that other sports brands will follow suit only after early adopters show relatively good performance.’”
Mr. Cai, Business Director of Nanjing Suning Universal Shopping Center: “Women’s sports is indeed a new trend. Setting up a dedicated store area for women is a very new concept. This market segment requires joint exploration and excavation, and setting up a women’s specialty store could also be considered.”
Mr. Wang, Merchandising Manager of Golden Eagle International Group (China) Co., Ltd.: “Currently, there haven’t been any major changes in sports brands. If new major brands or creative concepts are introduced, they would indeed enhance the appeal of a department store.”
Mr. Huang of Shenzhen Maoye Department Store: “Currently, there is no dedicated shopping mall for women’s sports and fashion in the Pearl River Delta region. Women’s sports model stores have always been a new shopping experience that many domestic sports brands are exploring and planning. We urgently need a professional platform that provides sufficient market data to serve as a basis for our next step in creating offline model experience stores. The Asia Ladies 2017 exhibition positioning fully aligns with the aspirations of many of our brand owners regarding the women’s sports market. We see the upward trend in the women’s sports market, but no one has acted rashly yet. We can go to the exhibition then, communicate with women’s brands, and jointly explore the potential niche markets for women.”
Ms. Li, Head of the South China Merchandising Department at Rainbow Department Store: “We also want to create something distinctive, to add vitality and energy to the department store, such as introducing women’s brands and setting up a women’s department store. Exhibitions focused on women’s sports and fashion provide a platform for department stores to gather women’s brands, allowing us to interact with more women’s brands through such platforms and explore mutual cooperation opportunities.”
As of October 14, 2015, Nike’s revenue from its women’s product line for that year reached $5.7 billion. Nike’s goal is to achieve $11 billion in annual revenue from its women’s product line by the 2020 fiscal year, which would account for one-fifth of its total annual revenue. Adidas has also sensed the huge business opportunity in the women’s sports market, having just established an “X-shaped” pop-up concept space in Victoria Park to offer free fitness training experiences for young women. Unlike foreign brands rushing into the women’s sports market, domestic brands are more in a wait-and-see state when it comes to opening women’s specialty stores or women’s department stores. The main reasons are: the sports boom in China came later than in other countries; additionally, among the sports exhibitions currently held in China, almost all are comprehensive sports exhibitions, with no specialized exhibitions focusing on the women’s sports market. As a result, brands cannot predict how big the business opportunities in the women’s sports market really are.
The Asia Ladies (The Asia Ladies) is a women-themed exhibition exclusively created by Shenzhen Kastone Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd. It is China’s only professional exhibition dedicated to women’s sports and lifestyle, and will grandly open at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center from February 24 to 26, 2017. Moving beyond the low-end concept of “trade fairs,” the exhibition creates highlights through four major thematic sections: “the most marvelous original designs in women’s fashion and sports,” “the coolest women’s sports trend culture,” “the most cutting-edge interactive experiences with women’s lifestyle products,” and “the most elegant women’s sports communities and health management,” enabling seamless connections between brands and malls.