Do you ever feel a sudden urge to exercise?
Maybe it’s after seeing the various health indicators
marked as exceeding normal levels in your medical report,
or when your child’s teacher informs you
that there will be a parent-child sports day next week at kindergarten,
or perhaps it’s because you received a digital scale as a gift
on Valentine’s Day.
So you set yourself a fitness goal—
it might be running a marathon or going on an island adventure,
losing 20 pounds or getting visible abs,
finding a partner or simply pursuing a more active lifestyle.
And all the preparation and training
you undertake to achieve these fitness goals
can be called sports training.
How can you integrate sports training into every aspect of your life? How can you train more scientifically?Mr. Jeffrey Zhou Ziyao, Senior Marketing Director of Garmin China,was interviewed by ISPO.
Jeffrey Zhou Ziyao, Senior Marketing Director of Garmin China
Photo credit: Garmin
As a brand with nearly 30 years of expertise in the field, Garmin will once again partner with ISPO and occupy a space inthe ISPO Beijing 2019 Sports Training Zone,to be held at theChina International Exhibition Center (New Venue, Beijing)ISPO Beijing 2019 Sports Training Zonefrom January 16-19, 2019.
%? Professional technology + rapid response = the comprehensive GARMIN
Garmin booth at ISPO Beijing 2018
Image source: Garmin
Most consumers first become familiar with Garmin through wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, but Garmin’s business in China spans five areas: aviation, marine, smart wearables, handheld GPS, and in-car navigation. The high performance of its wearable devices is closely linked to its technical expertise in aviation and marine fields, with product accuracy being of utmost importance.
This achievement stems from Garmin’s engineering team, which pursues quality with extreme dedication. They do not easily release a product to market, but any product that does make it to market will “deliver on its promised performance, and you can expect the pleasant surprise of exceeding those expectations,” said Jeffrey.
Image source: Garmin
Having entered the Chinese market in 2008, Garmin saw rapid growth in performance starting in 2015, thanks to the Chinese public’s increasing focus on health, the gradual upgrading of sports categories, and the maturing of the sports industry. People start forming running habits with 3km or 5km runs, gradually getting involved in marathons; enthusiasts who have tried marathons and are not satisfied with the challenge move on to higher-intensity activities such as trail running and triathlon; and their passion for running also helps them develop interests in other sports such as skiing and diving. Jeffrey specifically mentioned: “Sports are expanding horizontally and deepening vertically. Garmin needs to respond quickly, covering more sports such as running, triathlon, skiing, diving, and golf to meet users’ diverse needs.”
Image source: Garmin
“As a vertically integrated company,Garmin controls everything from R&D and manufacturing to sales and services ourselves, so when a product requires a certain feature, we can respond quickly.Horizontally, we have technical intercommunication—for example, technology from the aviation field can be applied across marine, diving, and wearables. The five major product categories can share technologies, and cutting-edge innovations in any one field can benefit the others,” Jeffrey summarized.
%?Sports + Life = Multi-scenario Coverage
Image source: Garmin Tmall Flagship Store
Nowadays, sports are not just a means to pursue health. In terms of social aspects, Garmin’s sports app collaborates with professional fitness coaches and institutions to help users achieve their fitness goals. Some professional workouts can be imported into the watch via the app—for example, if today’s lesson is to learn heart rate regulation, the watch will alert the user whether their heart rate is on target at different segment distances. Users only need to follow the prompts on the watch to complete the workout instructions. “It’s likethe watch becomes the runner’s personal coach,” Jeffrey explained.
Not only that, users can also share and compete with fellow runners in the cloud, and their running routes can be shared in the form of short videos on social media. While achieving a social function, it also continuously boosts motivation, deepens interest in sports, and eventually turns it into a habit.
Beyond sports,Garmin is also placing increasing emphasis on developing life scenarios..
With business-casual designs and interchangeable straps; enhanced music and payment functionalities, Garmin helps users seamlessly transition between different scenarios. Especially with the payment function, it not only meets the need to put the phone away and purely enjoy sports, but also handles potential payment situations. Equipped with the UnionPay payment system, a single watch can be used for shopping, taking public transportation, and more.
Image source: Garmin Official WeChat
“Follow Your Passion, Chase the Peak—The KPL x Garmin Limited Edition Watch is Now Available.” When marathon enthusiast Mr. Zhang first saw this news push, he was extremely excited. After all, Garmin and Honor of Kings take up all his leisure time outside of work and sleep.
Regarding the collaboration with KPL to create a co-branded watch, Jeffrey explained Garmin’s thinking: “Through our partnership with KPL, on one hand, it allows esports players to understand their physical condition through heart rate management, develop exercise habits beyond enhancing skills and mental ability, and improve their physique; on the other hand, through the esports platform, Garmin becomes known to a younger audience, entering a wider field of vision, and helping people understand that Garmin can assist users starting from basic fitness development.”
%Balancing Online & Offline = Sustainable Business
Image source: ISPO Beijing 2018 Garmin Booth
During a certain trail running event, Garmin assisted its users on-site by importing the event map into their watches, comprehensively monitoring their performance during the activity. In case of emergencies, users could also more accurately report their coordinates and quickly receive rescue. “Many users only learned through such events that Garmin has such thoughtful features.” By participating in offline events such as marathons and camping gatherings, Garmin communicates face-to-face with every consumer, maintaining user stickiness and reaching out to more potential customers..
In addition, Garmin concept stores also independently organize events such as Garmin City Run, setting up supply or meetup points within the store where runners can interact with each other or receive guidance from the store’s professional staff, explore features they haven’t tried before, and deepen their understanding of the products. New customers visiting the store are recommended the most suitable products for them and enjoy corresponding services centered around those products. “Concept stores can train users, while also listening to user feedback on the products and conveying it to the design and R&D team to develop better products,” Jeffrey believes this is the importance of offline stores: serving as a bridge that connects the brand with users and potential users. Since opening its first concept store in December 2015, Garmin now has over 60 stores, with operations performing increasingly well.
Image source: Garmin
“Mainland China is a very large place,Therefore, online remains the fastest, most direct, and most effective channel to reach customers. But the essence of professional products needs to be explained, and offline shopping offers more warmth.” said Jeffrey. The quickest way to help more consumers quickly understand the brand and make convenient purchases is through online sales. But as products become more specialized, it’s hard for online channels to fully showcase brand characteristics, which led to the breakthrough attempt of opening physical stores. “Both online and offline businesses are equally important to us and complement each other. When there are special offers online, our physical stores also participate. All of this helps the brand serve customers better, fosters loyalty and engagement, and achieves the goal of sustainable business.”
ISPO Beijing 2018 Garmin booth on site
Image source: Garmin
Expanding sales channels through exhibition platforms is also one of Garmin’s strategies for development in the Chinese mainland market. “ISPO itself is a highly influential platform with an audience that is very open to new things. Garmin can present new products to users here as soon as they’re launched, while also quickly gaining insights into the latest trends, technologies, and developments in China’s sports industry, enabling fast connections with users,” Jeffery noted.
Pre-registration for ISPO Beijing 2019 via WeChat is now open. Scan the QR code belowwith WeChatorclickhere to complete pre-registration,and you caninstantly save 50 yuan on the admission ticket！