The June 18 online shopping festival “618” has proved a hit among health, wellness and fitness-conscious consumers this year. Sales of workout tools, sportswear, and high-end kitchen equipment that simplifies cooking exceeded the levels of previous years. The shopping festival now spans around three weeks leading up to June 18. It was founded by JD to commemorate its own founding date. In the run-up to 618, transaction value of treadmills and other home-based exercise gear rose 19 times by June 16 compared with a year ago, according to data from JD, China’s second-largest e-commerce site. The sales value of indoor cycling bikes rose almost eight times, that of horizontal and parallel bars designed for toning muscles grew 200%, and dumbbells and boxing kits saw sales double year-on-year.
To enjoy early bird deals, workout enthusiasts flocked to sign up for membership of sportswear companies. Chinese brands Anta, Lining and Peak saw the number of newly recruited members of their online stores increase by over 60% during the festival period. Keep, which started out as a mobile workout training app, reported sales generated by new buyers on June 18 to be five times the daily average, though the company did not disclose exact numbers. At Tmall, which is the business-to-customer site operated by Alibaba Group Holding, sales of surfboards surged 40% year-on-year.
“The eye-catching performance of sports gear should be attributable to customers’ growing concern about health following the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Jason Yu, General Manager of consultancy Kantar Worldpanel in China. The focus on well-being has boosted the financial projections of several companies. For instance, Anta Sports has projected its net income will surge over 65% in the first half of 2021 year-on-year. Canadian athletic apparel retailer Lululemon also reported revenue of USD1.2 billion in the first quarter, a jump of 88% year-on-year and an increase of 57% over the same quarter in 2019. Lululemon’s Tmall store has sold more than 4,000 Align yoga pants priced CNY850. The brand has offered a number of discounts in June at both online and offline shops to ride the booming workout wave among China’s health-conscious shoppers. The combination steam-oven has also become popular, with sales jumping over four times compared with a year ago at JD. Those priced CNY10,000 and above saw sales rise by 300% year-on-year. Sales of refrigerators, washing machines, and dish washers with a price tag of CNY10,000 have also soared 260% year-on-year, the China Daily reports.
