If you are a serious sneaker fan, then you must be in Shanghai on the weekend of May 18th, because Sneaker Con finally came to China for the first time. For shoe fans, this is a "pilgrimage" that cannot be missed.

Sneaker Con is known as the world's largest sneaker exhibition, providing a place for offline communication and transactions for sneaker suppliers and enthusiasts. Since it started in a comedy club with only 200 square meters in New York in 2009, it has gradually landed in more than 40 cities around the world, attracting millions of people.

Taking advantage of the recent boom in China's sneaker market, it is very meaningful to launch this world-class sneaker feast in Shanghai. Not only can sneakers be traded on site, but you can also see many celebrities and trendy icons present. The most important thing is that you can personally come into contact with many rare shoes that are rarely seen on ordinary days.

It is reported that the investment cost of this Sneaker Con is in the tens of millions, and the ticket revenue has reached one million yuan. Sneaker Con also allows us to intuitively feel the strong purchasing power of straight men. Men’s pursuit of sneakers is as crazy as women’s enthusiasm for cosmetics and bags. After all, this is their simplest “showoff capital” and “social currency” .

In recent years, with the inclusion of national sports and fitness into national strategies, the awakening of public health awareness and the improvement of sports supporting facilities, the sports shoe industry has entered a new growth period with fierce market competition. The market size has reached 100 billion yuan in 2017. So how is the online performance of the sports shoe industry?

We crawled and analyzed the sales data of 11 sports shoe brands including Nike, Adidas, Anta, Li Ning, Puma, New Balance, 361°, Xtep, vans, Converse and Onitsuka Tiger on Taobao and Tmall platforms in 2017 and 2018. How do these sports brands make money online?

1. Online sports shoe sales grew rapidly in 2018, with Nike ranking first

The overall sales of online sports shoe brands grew rapidly in 2018, with Nike, Adidas and Li Ning ranking among the top three. In terms of growth rate, although Onitsuka Tiger’s sales volume is small, its annual growth rate is 57.59%. It may be a dark horse that changes the market structure in the future. Converse’s annual growth rate is 52.76%, and PUMA’s annual growth rate is 45.95%, both leading the industry.

As the second largest brand of sports shoes in the United States, New Balance's online annual sales decreased by 22.58%, and the market performance was weak. For a long time, too many famous brand companies in China have suffered from copycats, and New Balance has always been the hardest hit area. The counterfeit NB brands that can be purchased for only 150 yuan on the street, as well as large-scale price cuts, have greatly reduced the enthusiasm of loyal consumers for New Balance.

Sales volume and annual growth rate of sports shoe brands on Taobao platform in 2017 and 2018

Bar chart of sales of Taobao sports shoe brands in 2017 and 2018

2. The average price of online sports shoe brands generally increased in 2018

Compared with 2017, the average price of sports shoe brands sold online in 2018 generally increased. Among them, the average price of Onitsuka Tiger increased by 22.48%, the average price of Converse increased by 14.51%, the average price of VANS increased by 9.83%, and the average price of Nike and Adidas increased by 3.48% and 2.81% respectively. With the popularity of the sneaker market, the popularity of various co-branded models, as well as the increasing sense of technology in sneakers, have continuously reduced consumers' sensitivity to the price of sneakers.

Comparison of average prices of sports shoe brands sold online in 2017 and 2018

Not all brands are seeing an increase in the average price of goods sold online. The average price of New Balance's online products dropped by 12.18%, and the average price of PUMA's online products dropped by 7.85%, which was a relatively large price reduction.

3. The premium difference between domestic brands and lower-end price positioning

By counting the proportion of sales of each brand in different price ranges, it can be found that the price range of 0~500 yuan is the mainstream among sports shoes sold online, and sales in the price range > 1,000 yuan account for a small proportion. The price range of 500~1,000 can represent the brand’s price positioning to a certain extent. Brands with the highest proportion of sales in the price range of 500 to 1,000 include VANS, Onitsuka Tiger, Converse, etc., while more than 90% of the online sales of domestic brands such as Anta, Li Ning, 361, and Xtep come from the price range of 0 to 500. Brands The price premium is poor.

Comparison of price distribution of sports shoe brands sold online

4. Table tennis shoes and baseball shoes grew rapidly, while football shoes and badminton shoes declined slightly.

In terms of categories, the top three sales categories in 2018 were sneakers/casual shoes, running shoes and basketball shoes. Sneakers/casual shoes that can meet fashion needs have the highest sales, and running shoes, which rank second, have become the popular choice, coinciding with the marathon craze in recent years.

In terms of sports items, basketball shoes, football shoes, and tennis shoes have a large sales volume, while badminton shoes, table tennis shoes, baseball shoes, and volleyball shoes are slightly niche. However, it can be found that online table tennis shoe sales increased by 93.04% year-on-year, and baseball shoes increased by 68.08% year-on-year. It shows that in recent years, as sports enthusiasts’ requirements for professional sports equipment have increased, these niche sneakers have more and more development potential.

Sales and year-on-year growth of various categories of online sports shoe brands

5. Foreign sneakers mainly focus on brand characteristics, while domestic sneakers need to increase brand building.

Product titles can, to a certain extent, reveal a brand’s main selling points and brand features. By segmenting the product titles of the top 100 sales items of foreign brands such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Converse, we can clearly feel the tonality of these brands: Nike prominently endorses sports stars such as Irving, George, Paul, etc.; Adidas highlights the technological sense of shoes, such as hollowing, breathability, shock absorption, lightness, etc.; New Balance highlights the positioning of retro, casual, fashionable and jogging shoes; Converse highlights the characteristics of canvas shoes, high tops and retro.

Through the product titles of domestic brands such as 361° and Xtep, we can find that the characteristics of domestic sports shoe brands are relatively ordinary, only highlighting the functionality of the shoes, but the brand positioning and core selling points that distinguish them from other brands need to be further strengthened.

Online sports shoe brand title segmentation and words

As market competition becomes increasingly fierce, local sports shoe companies must continue to pursue technological breakthroughs and continuously introduce new materials and new processes into sports shoe manufacturing. Only products with high-tech content can further meet and guide consumer demand and effectively enhance the product's credibility and brand image. At the same time, we continue to add fashion elements to provide comfortable and fashionable sports shoe products for ordinary sports enthusiasts. I hope that domestic sports shoe brands will develop better and better!

If you are interested in the 11 sports shoe brands analyzed in this article, the ranking of the top 100 sales items on Taobao and Tmall in April, follow the public account "Magic Mirror Market Intelligence" and reply to "Sports" in the background