Economic benefits of Olympics: Made-in-China products walk onto international stage
This year is a big time for sports. Most of the jerseys, sports equipment, cheering sticks, and other items that were often seen at the recent Olympic Games carry the "Made in China" label.
"The effect of the Olympics and this year's successive major international sports events on 'Made in China' is not to be underestimated, and the number of visits to our store on the cross-border e-commerce platform Alibaba.com has increased by 30 to 50 percent." Lin, a general manager of a clothing company in Guangzhou, revealed that with the help of digital means, foreign traders have also opened up overseas markets through cross-border e-commerce platforms with lower thresholds.
From the UEFA European Championship in July to the Paris Olympics in August, the sports events held this year have led to rapid growth in exports of the entire sports goods industry.
Data released from the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games showed that 80% of mascot peripheral products were from China. In addition, the scope of the Olympic-related economy includes not only sports goods but also peripheral souvenirs, department stores, and even home appliances, building materials, commercial equipment, and other industries.
Merchants on Ali's international website export over RMB 7 billion
Before the Olympic Games even started, the Olympic-related economy began to rise.
As a partner of the Olympic Games, the online export turnover of merchants in the Olympic-related industries on Alibaba's international website, Alibaba.com, has exceeded RMB7 billion since January this year.
Qiu, general manager of Alibaba.com in South Guangdong, introduced that as early as March this year, the online export of sports goods to France on Ali's international platform had begun to surge.
Specifically, the export volume of hot commodities such as tennis uniforms, customized sportswear, training helmets, outdoor sportswear, sports cameras, golf bags, etc. has more than quadrupled.
The year-on-year growth rate of sales was 60% or more. Local French buyers mainly purchased sports and entertainment equipment and even construction materials for entertainment venues, such as yoga and Pilates equipment, large-scale outdoor recreational equipment, swimming pools and accessories, and artificial turf.
Rush to make jerseys!
Lin has turned his unrealized soccer dream into selling sportswear overseas by providing high-end customized sportswear for more than 3,000 professional sports groups worldwide.
He said that customers inquire extensively on Alibaba.com, select a group of qualified companies, and then choose the right company to make samples, which makes communication with customers, quotes, and sampling extremely critical. "It's not just about making good products, it's also about being responsive," he noted.
"Originally, our industry had a starting quantity of about 500 to 1,000 pieces for one type/color, and we have two different seasons for clothes making, too."
According to Lin, after they provided flexible customization options to customers, although the order quantity per customer's single order became lower, the total number of orders they placed in a year increased by more than 10 times compared to before. This has given Lin the confidence to increase the company's sales from RMB100 million to RMB1 billion in three to five years.
Lin shared his experience of the UEFA European Championships that ended last month, "We watched the semi-finals while working with our European clients to design and develop the jerseys of the winning teams. By the time the semi-finals were over, we had spent three days redeveloping the apparel of the two teams that made it to the finals. Before the champions were decided, the company had already started producing the jerseys of the champion teams."
He added that since the semi-final match was played on Saturday, the company used Sunday daytime to finish the jersey samples, then bring them abroad through their clients. As soon as the results of the UEFA Europa League final match were announced on Monday, the client released the pre-sale information of the champion's clothing on the Internet, which was so popular among fans that the retail price of the clothing in Europe reached about 10 times of the factory price.
Such speed made Lin's company competitive in the market and brought higher added value. The first order from the aforementioned European customer was a total of US$144, and now the two sides have a long-term relationship, with the annual order amount reaching more than US$500,000.
Taizhou chair became popular
"Even though we knew at the end of last year that our products would be used in the Paris Olympics, it was still very exciting to see our products in the live broadcast of the Games," said Wang, general manager of a furniture store in Zhejiang, China.
It is reported that these chairs are specially provided for the Olympic Games after 100,000 fatigue tests to ensure their comfort and durability while also focusing on green environmental protection. Even if they're no longer used as seats, they can also be recycled.
At the Paris Olympics, 4,200 chairs and 400 tables provided comfortable resting spaces for athletes, coaches, and referees, from the table tennis court to the badminton and diving areas.
This is the first time the company has provided support services for a major international event such as the Olympic Games, so it strives to do its best in every aspect, Wang said. After delivering 3,400 chairs in January of this year, the company was able to place an order for an additional 800 chairs.
Padel tennis fever: 700,000 orders in three days
Padel tennis has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world in recent years and is expected to be an official sport at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
"Originally from South America, padel has become a global phenomenon. It became a trend in 2023, and it's expected to stay hot for another three years. When we are busy with this now, we can't even keep up with the inquiries... for example, last year we had RMB1 million in monthly sales, now we can do more than RMB6 million." Wu, general manager of an artificial turf company, said.
As early as 2022, Wu realized that many customers were inquiring about Padel tennis-related products. After analyzing the back-end data on Ali's international website and seeing that the product had many inquiries but few merchants could provide a source of goods, she decided to enter the market. The "padel tennis court" product has surpassed artificial turf and become the company's main product, with a more than 60% growth rate for two years in a row. The product's share of the company's turnover has reached 80%.
She also disclosed that a new company salesman had successfully received an order for Padel tennis courts worth RMB700,000 in just three days. They later found out that the buyer was Laurent Koscielny, a retired French international footballer who used to play for the Premier League team Arsenal. He has invested in a club in Thailand and plans to build a padel tennis court and soccer pitch.
The product, "Padel tennis courts," is worth about US$10,000-plus per set, which is a relatively low-cost investment. This product has also helped the company expand from its main focus on the Middle East market to South America and Europe. Currently, more and more businesses are integrating customized cricket courts. To cope with the competition, she registered her own brand and completed the whole system of WPT certification; at the same time, she insisted on not playing 'price wars' and providing high-quality products and services.
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