Recently, Tayaa Co., Ltd., whose main business involves the R&D, production, and sales of midsoles for sports shoes, announced that it plans to invest in building an RAX outdoor sports brand project through a wholly-owned subsidiary. The estimated investment is 46.4988 million yuan, including 6.38 million yuan for software and hardware facilities and 40.1188 million yuan in working capital.
Around the same time, Longde Group, which has its roots in foreign trade processing, gathered dozens of partners from across the country under the banner of its newly established outdoor equipment brand for discussions, also aiming to shift its focus toward the domestic outdoor equipment market.
The simultaneous optimism of Tayaa Co., Ltd. and Longde Group about the outdoor sports market is not a passing whim. As early as June this year, Tayaa Co., Ltd. released a report titled “Outdoor Products Market and Tayaa’s Competitive Analysis,” which pointed out that China’s outdoor market is on a steep upward trend, with the outdoor sports equipment market growing at an annual rate of 50%, and the potential market size exceeding 10 billion yuan.
Although there is significant variation in sales scale among individual companies, China’s outdoor sports market is growing at a rapid rate of 30% per year, and both investment and consumer groups in the domestic outdoor sports market are expanding quickly. As a result, the sales gap between outdoor sports brands and traditional sports brands will gradually narrow, indicating vast future growth potential for the outdoor sports market.
It is understood that in 2001, the size of China’s outdoor sports goods market was only 40–50 million yuan. By 2006, it had reached 2.6 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of over 100%. Data shows that outdoor product sales in 2010 reached 6–8 billion yuan, and this figure is expected to increase to 10 billion yuan in 2011.
Not limited to the adult market, children’s shoe companies in Quanzhou, such as Katu and Mingwei, have also begun venturing into the outdoor market, targeting the niche segment of youth outdoor gear, hoping to quickly establish their brands through this specialized area.
Against the backdrop of transformation and adjustment, outdoor products are beginning to become an option for some sports brands.
Gradually becoming mainstream
Although outdoor sports were introduced to China in the late 1980s, it wasn’t until the early 21st century that they began to take shape, gradually moving from being a “high-end leisure activity for a privileged few” to becoming more mainstream.
According to incomplete statistics, China has over 3 million participants in organized outdoor sports activities each year, with nearly 7,000 retail outlets for both professional and non-professional outdoor gear. A complete industry structure has emerged, including brands, distribution channels, media, exhibitions, and professional associations. Several localized outdoor sports brands, such as Toread, have also emerged.
With the hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, along with the in-depth promotion by professional organizations like ISPO China in recent years, China’s outdoor sports industry has seen significant maturity and growth. According to ISPO, 12 European specialized outdoor brands—including mountaineering brands Mammut, Klattermusen, and Haglofs, as well as sports and leisure brand KETTLER—collectively entered the domestic market in 2011.
China has a consumer base that is the envy of the world. Its huge population base indicates enormous potential in the outdoor sports market. At the same time, China boasts abundant natural tourism resources that can be utilized and developed, providing an excellent foundational basis for the growth of outdoor sports in the country.
Unlike traditional sports aimed at competition, outdoor sports are not just a physical activity but also a manifestation of a healthy lifestyle, reflecting a shift in people’s needs from material pursuits to spiritual fulfillment.
“Xinjiang has abundant tourism resources, and I’ve had a deep love for this land since childhood that others might find hard to understand. I often gaze at the pure white and mysterious Bogda Peak, imagining the day I climb to the summit and unveil its mystery. I also often let my mind wander through the vast deserts, captivated by their beautiful curves and golden hues,” says outdoor enthusiast Wang Xinxin.
With continued economic growth and people’s increasing pursuit of a healthier, more natural, and more personalized lifestyle, outdoor sports are bound to gradually become one of the main forms of travel and leisure. These trends seem to indicate that the spring of China’s outdoor sports industry is truly arriving.
“In June 2010, Wild Outdoor was established,” Wang Xinxin explains. In previous years, he led trips frequently and made friends of all kinds through outdoor activities, many of whom trusted him deeply. As a result, business was booming from the start, with sales climbing steadily. “My Wild Club also insists on organizing weekly activities such as hiking, mountaineering, and camping. At the same time, I periodically hold limited-time auctions for certain products on group-buying websites. These promotions have received great praise from customers and have brought me satisfactory sales.”