This traditional niche sport has not only broken the circle and become the hottest outdoor event at the moment, but also ignited the wind of "burning money".
Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Tan Che editor Wang Jinyu proofreads Zhao Lin
During the May Day holiday this year, camping has become an outdoor "top trend".
A tent, a folding chair, a canopy, an open space, with all these, you can basically start a "camping" where you just want to go.
On various social platforms, photos and posts related to camping have long been swiped, and on a certain lifestyle sharing platform, there have been more than 2 million posts about "camping".
In fact, as early as the Qingming Festival, "camping" was undoubtedly one of the hot topics.
Driven by the "camping fever", the consumption of related products is rapidly gaining popularity.
Within a week, the sales volume of canopy tents on the Tmall list alone reached 45,000 pieces. Catering companies such as Haidilao are also experimenting with semi-finished barbecue takeaways and deploying outdoor dining.
Today, camping has opened the era of light luxury.
There are reports that camping has crushed games such as room escape and script killing, and has become a favorite of the post-95s generation.
This traditional niche sport has not only broken the circle and become the hottest outdoor event at the moment, but also ignited the wind of "burning money" - before, players usually only carried tents and sleeping bags, but now they drive to a more comfortable environment, and even some Ambient lights, coffee machines and other relatively petty items.
Popular with young people, Deng Li (pseudonym), who spent nearly one million yuan to build a campground in 2015, began to receive frequent orders.
Almost every weekend, her campsite is crowded with players from all over the world.
Deng Li told reporters that the unit price of campsites is about 1,000 yuan, the repurchase rate is 30%, and the highest frequency can reach more than ten times.
But soon, their own camp equipment could not match the needs of young people.
"Young people have more refined requirements for camping and equipment."
What is the charm of camping?
Behind the boom, is the campground operation really as easy as imagined, and is it a good nugget?
The influx of Generation Z: Enjoying nature while socializing
In an outdoor campsite near Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Lin Jing (pseudonym) excitedly pitched a tent, her friend placed tables and chairs on the grass beside her, and her boyfriend kept rolling the skewers from the barbecue.
When everything was in order, the long-awaited camping trip officially began.
"The first time I went camping was on National Day, and I didn't expect to fall in love with this kind of life immediately." Lin Jing told reporters that every time she watched a camping video, she always yearned for the comfortable life of the UP master in the outdoors, but work The reason is that there are few opportunities to contact camping at ordinary times, and now it is rare to have a vacation to fulfill my wishes, so naturally I will not miss it.
"Playing on the grass with three or four friends, listening to music at night, eating skewers, drinking beer. When you sleep in the tent, you can look up to see the moon, and if you are lucky, you can see the stars, and enjoy leaving the hustle and bustle of the city. peaceful time." Lin Jing said.
Xiaoque (pseudonym) born in 1995, who is also keen on outdoor life, told reporters that he was becoming more and more dissatisfied with just watching the camping videos shared by others on the screen, and decided to experience it as well. . Now almost every once in a while I'm pulling my friends over to go camping."
There are not a few young people with the same idea.
Camping, the "closest to nature" leisure method, has quickly become a popular vacation choice for the current Z generation group.
"The people who come to camp are obviously mainly young people, usually accounting for more than 80%." Deng Li, who runs a camping business around Chongqing, told reporters that every holiday, she will see young figures playing on the grass.
According to the data of the "China Camping Market Industry Analysis Report", the age of the camping population is mainly distributed in 20-50 years old, and the type of crowd is also mainly the group of ALICE lovers who love outdoor activities, but also includes couples, families and individuals who are keen to travel and play. .
The popularity of the market continues to rise with the influx of young people.
The latest data from Qyoyou.com shows that the popularity of camping has increased by 303.5% in 2020.
According to Xiaohongshu data, in the first three days of the May Day holiday in 2021, the search volume for "camping" on the platform increased by 230% year-on-year, and more than 290,000 related notes appeared.
During the National Day, the number of related notes increased by as much as 1116% year-on-year.
"Camping can not only relax the body and mind, but also meet many friends that are impossible to meet at ordinary times." In fact, the social nature of camping makes young people even more tempted.
It was through a camp that Xiao Que and her boyfriend met, and after that, they went to each other for several camping trips, and the two came together naturally.
According to the "2021 Generation Z Camping Social White Paper", young people can have sincere communication in a stress-free environment, and then build high-quality social relationships.
At the same time, it is easy to find friends with the same interests during the camping process.
Among the people surveyed, 78% of the post-95s said that the new friends they made during the camping process stayed with them longer.
"In the natural environment, it is easier for everyone to open up and communicate with friends." Lin Jing said that although she has only been there twice, she has met many new friends, which has greatly helped her to expand her social circle.
Among the new three favorites of "bankrupt consumption"
Buying a complete set of camping gear doesn't come cheap.
On Lin Jing's shopping list, every expense was recorded in detail, including tents, canopies, folding chairs, sleeping bags, Cass furnaces and other equipment, which cost about four or five thousand yuan.
If you include the round-trip toll and venue fees for the camping trip, you will have to pay thousands of yuan more.
"These are only relatively cheap for entry, and many old players' equipment can easily cost tens of thousands of yuan."
Camping has become popular, and outdoor equipment has risen.
A reporter from Shell Finance logged on Taobao platform to search with the keyword "camping" and saw that there are about hundreds of shops selling related products. Among them, tents, sleeping bags and other equipment are priced from a few hundred yuan to several thousand according to different materials, brands and functions. The price of overseas brands is more expensive, and there is no shortage of nearly 10,000 yuan.
The price of other supporting equipment mostly ranges from tens of yuan to thousands of yuan.
"Since 2020, business is obviously much better than before." Liu Fei (pseudonym), who runs an outdoor equipment store in Sichuan, said that the store initially sold some tents and other goods, but gradually found that it could not meet the needs of current consumers. .
In addition to buying essential supplies, many new players will also buy a lot of peripheral goods.
Liu Fei told reporters that the previous camping tended to reload outdoor projects on foot. Players usually only carry tents and sleeping bags for physical reasons.
Nowadays, new players prefer the light luxury camping style. They drive to a more comfortable environment and prepare relatively more items, even more petty items such as atmosphere lights and coffee machines.
"Every time I choose camping equipment, although I know that some things are not necessarily practical, I can't help but go and look at them, and then place an order with the idea of 'it may be used'." Xiaoque told reporters that these years I bought 20,000 to 30,000 yuan of outdoor equipment, and every time I go out for camping, I feel like I'm moving.
It has to be admitted that it is the influx of these new players that has driven the explosion of the camping equipment market.
"Compared with the same period of the previous year, the number of orders received has increased by 80%." Dahua (pseudonym), who works in an outdoor equipment production factory in Zhejiang, told Shell Finance reporter that the rise of the domestic market in the past two years has caused the factory's sales to explode. You can receive orders from the campsite almost at any time. From August 2020 to May 2021, the factory's sales will exceed 100 million yuan. "According to the market development trend, production and sales may explode even more."
According to Tmall's 6.18 consumption big data in 2021, "camping, fishing and surfing" have surpassed the "hands, blind boxes and e-sports" of the home, and become the new three favorites of "bankrupt consumption" of the post-90s generation.
According to the big data of Suning.com, in the first three days of the National Day, the sales of camping equipment increased by 76% year-on-year. Among them, the sales of "sky curtain" tents, which are popular with players, increased by 178% year-on-year, and the sales of picnic mats also increased by 58% year-on-year.
According to the "2021-2025 China Outdoor Camping Industry Market Monitoring and Future Development Prospect Research Report", the market size of the outdoor camping industry continues to grow and may reach 15 billion yuan in 2026.
Benefited from the market, companies in many industries have been able to develop rapidly.
Taking the A-share listed company Mugaodi as an example, according to media reports, its domestic sales channel revenue from 2018 to 2019 was around 150 million yuan, but in the first half of 2021, its revenue reached 123 million yuan, a sharp increase of 86.53%.
Catering to the "light luxury" needs of young people, extensive camping is "not fragrant"
According to Deng Li (pseudonym), the trend of camping is indeed getting bigger and bigger.
As early as 2015, Deng Li, who likes outdoor sports, and her husband spent nearly one million yuan in their hometown to rent an open space with an area of 20 acres to build a campground business.
"At that time, there were not many sites dedicated to camping in China." Deng Li recalled to the Shell Finance reporter that although outdoor camping has emerged in China many years ago, the initial stage was subject to objective factors such as site, weather, and equipment, and many people Give up after a try or two.
Shell Finance reporter learned that most of the early camping places were in the mountains or beside streams.
The conditions are also relatively backward, and there are often various conditions due to weather changes.
Deng Li was deeply impressed. Once when she and her friends were sleeping soundly in the tent, she suddenly heard a loud noise from outside. After she woke up, she realized that the campsite was hit by a sudden rainstorm. The rainwater wet all the camping items. Pack your bags and drive home.
"Although camping has emerged in China as early as possible, the market really broke out in 2020. Affected by the epidemic, young people realized the importance of family and life, and began to choose to accompany friends and family back to nature during holidays." Deng Li said that this Awareness brought the camping business to a climax.
Being favored by young people, Deng Li and her colleagues began to receive orders frequently.
The unit price of the campsite is about 1,000 yuan, and the repurchase rate is 30%. Many customers camp more than four or five times a year, and the highest frequency can reach more than ten times.
"If the holiday is longer, customers will consult and place an order early. In late August 2021, the order for the National Day has been received, and it was fully booked in mid-September."
However, Deng Li found that the equipment in her camp could not match the needs of young people.
"Young people have more refined requirements for camping and equipment. They are no longer simply regarded as outdoor sports, but more inclined to outdoor leisure. When camping becomes popular, the previous extensive model will gradually be replaced by a refined model. "
A reporter from Shell Finance learned that young people who are trying camping for the first time hope that the venue operator can provide various equipment to achieve the effect of "check-in with a bag".
There are even some players who say that they don't want to live in tents at night, but just use similar scenes to take pictures and punch cards.
"I went to experience more extensive camping before. The conditions were relatively difficult, not to mention the hot weather, and there were many mosquitoes in the wild, so I couldn't bear it at all." Xiaoque told reporters, and now this is more like enjoying life. Comparing the two, Definitely choose the latter.
In order to meet the needs of this group, Deng Li built a wooden house on her ranch, and also bought a few abandoned RVs to give players more accommodation options at night.
At the same time, in addition to basic tents, sleeping bags, barbecue grills and other equipment, she also purchased wireless audio, astronomical telescopes, shower rooms and other equipment. "The camp is equipped with facilities, players do not need to prepare anything, everything is served by the campsite. provider.”
"The campsite must abandon the traditional and simple equipment, and instead create a refined and complete environment, which may attract more new players." Liu Fei said.
Benefiting from the market boom, campsites have also become a favorite.
According to the company’s data, there are currently 21,000 campground-related companies in China, with 7,933 newly registered companies in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 331.6%, and 6,957 new registrations in the first five months of 2021, a year-on-year increase of 286.5%.
The cost of investing millions of yuan, is camping a good business?
"In the past, most of the practitioners were outdoor enthusiasts and professional equipment manufacturers, but now I heard that real estate companies and car companies have also begun to cross-border. Everyone hopes to profit from it." Deng Li told reporters.
According to media reports, the hot market for camping has attracted many entrants.
In addition to homestay and restaurant owners, tourism giants such as BTG and Kaiyuan Tourism have also developed campsites by taking advantage of their resources.
At the same time, in order to extend and close the industrial chain, RV companies have entered the campground design and operation industry one after another, and even Sunac, Vanke and other real estate companies have begun to deploy in this market.
There are data estimates that my country's camping market is developing rapidly. The market size has grown from 8 billion yuan in 2015 to 43 billion yuan in 2020, with an average annual compound growth rate of about 40%. It is expected to reach 150 billion yuan in 2026.
But it's not easy to run a campsite well.
"Although the industry has been developing for many years, the drawbacks still exist for a long time." Deng Li told reporters that there is a "weekend economy" similar to the hotel industry in camping camps. There are often vacancies. After a long time, there will still be anxiety in the heart, worrying that if the business is not good on weekends, it may lose a lot of money.”
A reporter from Shell Finance learned that camping is a seasonal activity, and the golden period of the market is mainly concentrated in April, May, October, and November, spring and autumn. At other times, few players visit due to weather.
"Building a campground requires a huge initial investment. Usually, the price of purchasing equipment for a single camp is around 400,000 yuan. If you add tens of thousands of rent, staff expenses, and infrastructure such as water, electricity, and toilets. The cost of a single campsite requires millions of yuan." Deng Li said that these costs can usually only be earned from the income during the golden period, and the income during other periods is basically ignored.
Deng Li has also tried to carry out slightly lower-cost activities on weekdays.
She has held bonfire parties, parent-child activities and outdoor movies, but the effect is not obvious.
On the other hand, difficulties such as serious homogeneity and a single profit model have also become issues that campground operators need to consider.
Xiaoque told reporters that he had been to several campsites and found that the overall style of these places was roughly the same, and he did not particularly give himself the idea of "not living in this place".
"After a long time, I don't have many requirements for the choice of camping sites, it just depends on the cost and distance."
In fact, many practitioners admitted in interviews that the business model of campgrounds is still in the exploratory stage.
Compared with more mature markets such as Europe, America and Japan, the current domestic market is not stable.
And camping, despite its momentum, isn't guaranteed to benefit everyone.
Although the current operation is not easy, Deng Li still has confidence in the camping market.
"There are still problems in the camping industry. The explosion of the market and the growth rate of customers may make it a 100 billion-level market in the future. Besides, as long as people yearn for nature, then there is an opportunity for camping to continue to explode." Deng Li said.