Alibaba Group Holding’s online shopping platforms have experienced a surge in interest and sales of sporting goods, as Chinese consumers keenly follow the country’s gold medal wins at the Paris Olympics.
On Sunday and Monday, searches for tennis and table tennis-related products on Tmall, Alibaba’s premium shopping platform that mainly hosts established brands, surged by 300 per cent and 234 per cent, respectively, compared with the same period last year, according to data from the platform. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The interest came as Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen last Saturday became the first Asian to win an Olympic singles gold medal in tennis, while Fan Zhendong, who competed in table tennis, scooped up gold in men’s table tennis on Sunday.
The racquet used by Zheng in Paris, made by US tennis brand Wilson, immediately became the top product in the tennis category on Tmall. In the 48 hours after Zheng’s victory, the transaction volume for the same racquet on Wilson’s official store on the platform skyrocketed by more than 2,000 per cent year on year.
The trend shows how the world’s largest multisports event has boosted consumption in the world’s second-largest economy, despite a weak macroeconomic environment.
For many Chinese consumers, especially young girls, Zheng’s victory has been the inspiration for them to take up tennis.
“I started playing tennis because of Zheng Qinwen, and I’m happy to see more and more people take part in the sport,” said a Taobao user on Saturday with the handle of “Xiaoxiong”, who bought the Wilson racquet.
Other sports-related products, such as a table tennis bat-shaped doll produced in collaboration between Fan and UK toy brand Jellycat, and a pair of Crocs shoes worn by China’s “diving queen” Quan Hongchan, recorded a 1,425-per cent surge in sales and a 56-times increase in searches, respectively, during the nearly two-week period to August 4, compared with previous weeks.
French brands have also seen their popularity soar among Chinese consumers during the Olympics.
Between July 23 and August 4, total sales of French brands on Tmall Global, the Alibaba-owned cross-border e-commerce platform through which consumers in China access direct imports, increased 64 per cent year on year. Beauty brands appeared to be the most popular category, accounting for over half of the 43 French brands which achieved more than 1 million yuan (US$139,523) in sales, according to data provided by the platform.
China’s major e-commerce platforms, from established players like Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall and JD.com, to newer rivals such as Pinduoduo and Douyin, have all launched summer sales campaigns under the theme of Olympics or sports, in a bid to lure consumers with fresh discounts or other promotions.
