More than 20 years ago, Zhu Xian, who came out of the countryside, felt that the small commodity manufacturing industry in Yiwu was very developed and suitable for ordinary people to start a business, so he plunged into the flag manufacturing industry, and Jinwei Banner was born.
Over the past 20 years, she has experienced 6 World Cups.
In the years without the World Cup, the annual sales of Jinwei Banner are in the millions. This year, with the doubled sales, the sales have also doubled.
Recently, Zhuxian Club has become more and more busy, because with the advancement of the event, the demand for flags has increased sharply.
There are many merchants like Zhuxian.
According to public information, in the official store of the World Cup in Qatar, 60% of the goods are produced in China, involving clothing, flags, trophies, mascots, etc. In the World Cup in Qatar, Chinese manufacturing can be seen everywhere, and these related products The industry has also been working overtime recently.
According to incomplete statistics, according to the consumer demand of the World Cup, merchants across China have even formed a "World Cup economic industry belt", such as Dongguan manufacturing World Cup-related toys, Shenzhen is the 3C industry belt, Foshan is the furniture industry belt, Quanzhou is the sportswear, Yiwu It is small commodities etc.
A reporter from China Business News recently conducted an in-depth interview to reveal the Chinese manufacturing behind the World Cup in Qatar.
What did the World Cup purchase?
"World Cup Sourcing" is one of the five major purchasing trends on Alibaba International Station in the second half of this year. As early as the warm-up period, the sourcing festival marketing topic has launched the World Cup-themed venue to facilitate accurate procurement for global buyers.
The data shows that during the period from September to November, football, football shoes, football uniforms, football training equipment and peripheral products related to the World Cup became the search keywords of Ali International Station. Among them, the number of global buyers of football shoes increased by nearly 100% year-on-year. Medals increased by 126% year-on-year, and football goalkeeper gloves increased by 323% year-on-year.
There are also overseas buyers with itchy hands who bought a batch of table football on the international website. From June to August alone, the number of global buyers increased by 444% year-on-year.
This World Cup is the first time held in the Gulf region of the Middle East, and it is also the first time the World Cup has returned to Asia after 20 years.
Qatar has spent 229 billion U.S. dollars for this, four times the cost of the previous seven World Cups, and is known as the most expensive World Cup ever.
What are Qataris who are so willing to spend money for the World Cup buying?
According to the data from Ali International Station, among the top ten products with the year-on-year increase in the number of buyers in Qatar this year, living room sofas and various flags are among the products that are strongly related to the World Cup, and their popularity has increased by 368% and 335%.
In addition, hair trimmers, men's suits, men's polo shirts, other exterior accessories, and other automotive interior accessories also ranked among the top ten buyers, achieving more than three-digit growth.
It is conceivable that Qatari fans have already planned to dress up to attend, and even the cars driving to the stadium must be decorated brightly.
Qataris who stayed at home to watch the football game were not idle. In addition to the sofa in the living room, the purchases of TV sets, set-top boxes, speakers, earplugs and earphones all rose sharply, and a complete set was provided.
According to data from Ali, the order volume of 3C electronic product blind boxes increased by 55% during the warm-up period of the World Cup.
Headphones, mobile phones, drones, or computers, VR glasses, foreign fans plan to use blind boxes to decide how they watch the World Cup.
The purchase of the host country Qatar can be described as purchasing from scratch to the living room.
World Cup "suits" made in China
Where there is demand, there is production. Among all the needs, the most conspicuous is the jersey.
my country is the largest production base of sportswear in the world, and 65% of sportswear in the international market is made in China.
Among them, Fujian Quanzhou and Guangdong have formed their own relatively mature industrial clusters, especially Fujian is one of the largest sports shoe export bases in China and the world.
According to the data provided by the cross-border e-commerce platform AliExpress, with the rising atmosphere of the World Cup, in the past month, almost all shoes and apparel products in the Middle East have been imported. The shoes are also sold to the Middle East market through AliExpress. In the past month, the sales of football shoes in the UAE have increased by 200%.
Xu Xiao, head of Kelme's cross-border e-commerce company, said that most of the jerseys for the World Cup are produced in China. From Fujian to Zhejiang, there are factories producing jerseys at full capacity everywhere.
In the hearts of professional footballers, Kalme has always been a famous name. The letter "K" on the sneakers is the common memory of many fans.
It was born in Valencia, the "European shoe capital", and has provided professional football equipment for La Liga, Premier League, Russian Super League and other top international sports clubs for a long time. It is a hall-level brand in the hearts of senior players and fans.
Before Adidas and Nike became global giants, local football-oriented Spanish companies like Kalme were doing well, and they could also be seen in many European leagues.
The company Xu Xiao works for was Yuanxiang Weaving, a foreign trade processing factory in Jinjiang, Fujian.
Yuanxiang is an OEM for professional brands such as Kappa, Umbro, and Carmel.
He told reporters that the OEM has been processing for a long time and is very familiar with customers.
By chance, a customer asked if he was interested in doing brand business in China. At that time, Yuanxiang also had the idea of transforming from a foundry to a brand operation company.
So in 2014, Yuanxiang acquired the trademark ownership of KELMEI in China, and three years later, it gradually acquired the management rights of KELMEI in Asia and the world.
The company believes that KELME is still an international brand, but it is now supported by the design and supply chain made in China.
"Currently more than 90% of products are made in China." Xu Xiao said.
The World Cup is a great event for fans, but also for global sports brands.
In November, the busiest month of sales in previous years, the sales of sports products increased by more than 50%.
"The World Cup can fully activate the football crowd, and it is a very good opportunity to attract new brands. On the AliExpress platform, we saw a 168% increase on the first day of Double 11 compared with the first day of 828, and a 483% increase compared with the daily increase." Xu Xiao He told reporters, “The slow logistics speed in previous years was the pain point of cross-border e-commerce. In previous years, it took an average of 15-20 days to deliver goods to many countries, and the freight was also very high. Sometimes the freight even exceeded the value of the product itself. Now through The AliExpress preferred warehouse is in the warehouse, and the countries on the special line can be delivered in an average of 7 days."
Xu Xiao said that the production chain and supply chain made in China are now widely recognized internationally, and football products made in China will definitely have a bright future during the World Cup.
China's "intelligent manufacturing" behind the mascot
In addition to the jerseys that can be seen everywhere, there is another image that has become very popular recently, and that is the lovely mascot Raib of this World Cup.
In the official store of the World Cup, Raib plush toys and figures are naturally indispensable.
They add a festive atmosphere to the World Cup, and behind these licensed products are designs and manufactures from Chinese suppliers.
"We started to cooperate with the Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee in 2015, such as the gifts used in the countdown activities. This year, we are mainly responsible for the design and proofing of Raib derivatives." Chen Leigang, general manager of Guangdong Che Che Culture Development Co., Ltd. A reporter from China Business News said.
Raib's design was inspired by Qatar's traditional costumes and flying carpet elements, but the birth of peripheral products was not smooth.
After receiving Raib's graphic design earlier this year, Cheche Culture, located in Dongguan, Guangdong, has devoted itself to a tight product design and 3D printing process.
How to make Raib spread its wings and "fly" while standing firm and showing its plump facial demeanor poses a problem for the enterprise.
After many revisions, the Cheche culture team filled Raib's face with a cotton 'nose' and a friendly smile, which immediately became vivid and finally impressed the organizing committee.
The introduction of Cheche culture, including the development of licensed products for the previous World Badminton Mixed Team Championships and Asian Men's Basketball Championships, faced with some design problems, the team can always impress the organizers through small changes in details and small designs.
"Since the beginning of this year, we have repeatedly revised eight times according to the opinions of the Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee, and formally accepted and approved production at the end of June this year." Chen Leigang told the first financial reporter.
It is understood that since July this year, hundreds of thousands of Raib plush toys have been sent to Qatar from the Dongguan factory.
As a supplier of the Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee, in addition to Raib plush toys and figures, Cheche Culture also designed hats, 3D crystal key chains and other related derivatives, all of which are manufactured by the Dongguan factory.
"In the end, we were able to win the Qatar World Cup order mainly because of our efficient execution and service capabilities," said Chen Leigang.
As one of the largest toy export bases in the country, Dongguan, Guangdong not only undertakes the design and production of Raib's licensed products, but also supplies hundreds of giant emblem sculptures, miniature versions of the "Hercules Cup" and commemorative coin packaging boxes for this World Cup. Peripheral products.
According to public data, there are currently more than 4,000 toy manufacturers in Dongguan, and nearly 1,500 upstream and downstream supporting companies, involving the entire toy industry chain such as modeling design, raw material supply, and mold processing.
According to statistics from Dongguan Customs, in the first three quarters of this year, Dongguan exported 29.41 billion yuan of toys, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%; exported sporting goods and equipment of 6.77 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.6%.
Big business for small commodities
Having seen the "World Cup Economic Industry Belt" in Quanzhou and Dongguan, and then looking at Yiwu, which gathers small commodity manufacturers, this is the well-deserved "Small Commodity Industrial Belt" of the World Cup.
Peripheral products, trophies, flags, etc. are all produced in Yiwu.
"When there is no World Cup, we have been making national flags from all over the world, because some countries can also use them on National Day. But during the World Cup, sales will double. The gross profit margin of the flag business is about 10%, which is considered the World Cup. Peripheral products have a lower gross profit margin.” Zhu Xian told the first financial reporter that since March this year, the orders for the World Cup flag have been full, and the goods were already in the rush.
"But it's not the busiest time yet. The busiest time must be after December. When the top 16 and top 8 are announced, we have to work overtime to make orders for these countries, and then send them by air. As the schedule progresses, customers will The faster the delivery, the higher the price."
During the World Cup, Jinwei Banner can produce 500,000 to 600,000 national flags a day, with a total of 5 to 6 different sizes of national flags, which requires more than 60 workers to work from 7 am to 9 pm.
Zhu Xian revealed to the first financial reporter that the flags of Argentina, Germany, Brazil and Portugal are the most important teams.
90% are exported, and the remaining 10% are sold in the Chinese market.
Right now, the source of old customers in Zhu Xian's hands has been very stable.
"We are a factory ourselves, our prices are relatively cheap, and our quality is good. The oldest customer has been cooperating with us for more than 20 years. In the early years, they came to our store directly in Yiwu and established contact. The impact of the epidemic on the banner business It has no effect at all. In the past three years, I feel that the profits have exceeded previous years." Zhu Xian said.
Trophies are also a big seller.
With the start of the World Cup, the enthusiastic performance of the fans in the stands has also become a landscape of the World Cup, especially the trophies held by the fans, many of which are made in China.
"It is estimated that tens of thousands of football-related trophies have been sold at present." Chen Xianchun, head of Yiwu businessman Jinzun Culture and Sports, told the first financial reporter that the popularity of the World Cup has made his factory saturated from September to now.
Jinzun Style is a local enterprise in Yiwu that produces and sells medals and trophies.
In the past two years, due to the impact of the epidemic, many competitions, training and other activities have been suspended, and the company's operations have been greatly challenged. In order to maintain operations, Chen Xianchun has successively increased many businesses such as masks, face masks, and red envelopes.
According to Chen Xianchun, the operating income in 2020 and 2021 has been reduced by at least half compared to before the epidemic, but as the World Cup approaches, he feels that business has returned.
Since March this year, overseas customers have come to inquire about Chen Xianchun's trophies and peripheral products, but at that time Chen Xianchun had some concerns and did not start mass production. Let it relax.
Chen Xianchun told the first financial reporter that the World Cup in Qatar has already been held, so there are not as many new orders as before, mainly due to the replenishment of customers who placed orders before, but generally speaking, after the World Cup, football-related enthusiasm will continue for half a year. The popularity of the trophy business will continue, and it will also help the business next year.
So what is the difference between this year's trophy orders and previous years?
Ye Demo, another person in charge of Jinzun stationery and sports goods company who has been in the foreign trade business of trophies and medals in Yiwu for more than ten years, said, "Because people in the Middle East prefer the color of 'local tyrant gold', compared with previous years, the colors of trophies and medals are more gorgeous. "
What makes Ye Demo even more happy is that thanks to the wind of the World Cup, orders for gifts, prizes and souvenirs have really come back this year. "The order volume in the first half of this year is already the same as last year."
and these services
In addition to clothing, small commodities, electronic products, etc., there are also some Chinese elements of the World Cup that ordinary consumers can't think of.
In June, Shanghai Woshan Trading Co., Ltd. received an inquiry on the international website. The general contractor of the World Cup decided to purchase a complete set of sewage treatment solutions for use in the community infrastructure where stars and fans live.
Woshan Trading completed the production of a complete set of equipment in 25 days, and successfully packed and shipped out from Ningbo Port in early August.
Shanghai Jiajing Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. received an order for protective fences on the international station, which will appear in the access passages and isolation areas inside and outside the competition venues to fully protect the personal safety of players and fans.
Zhejiang Putian Integrated Housing Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Merchant Zhonghui Green Construction Mobile Housing Technology Co., Ltd. received orders for thousands of mobile houses from the Qatar World Cup organizers for the construction of fan villages.
Two or three local experienced installers can install a house in just 4 hours.
According to Qatar, Chinese companies have provided more than 10,000 sets of container houses for the Qatar World Cup, mainly from Guangdong and Zhejiang.
Even cars are involved.
"As of now, the company has provided services for more than 2,000 official vehicles and buses operated by the World Cup in Qatar." On November 25, Zhu Xinran, head of the marketing department of Guangzhou Sward Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Sward") He told the first financial reporter that through the safe and orderly operation of Sward's fleet management digital solution in the World Cup in Qatar, the company is still negotiating follow-up cooperation, and the transaction amount reached in the first phase of cooperation is about 5 million yuan.
During the World Cup in Qatar, the company provided digital management solutions for official vehicles. The package includes: smart IoT services, global IoT connection platform CMP services, remote visual monitoring platforms, remote OTA diagnostic services; using full-scenario IoT smart terminals and cloud algorithms , providing fleet digital management services covering vehicle location and trajectory, driver driving safety management, personnel safety management, intelligent route planning, and software and hardware integration to the World Cup fleet management.
Zhu Xinran said that the company received an inquiry about Qatar World Cup team management from the Alibaba platform in June this year. Against the background of the continued high growth of the epidemic situation in the Middle East, the organizer of the Qatar World Cup held such a large-scale event with many people gathered. The safety requirements for personnel and vehicles are very high. Against this background, a digital fleet management solution that can remotely guarantee the safety of people and vehicles is particularly important for vehicles. To meet customer needs in detail, we understand that customers mainly want to know the real-time information of vehicles. Position and status, through digital means to effectively protect the safety of people and vehicles.
After determining the customer's needs, Sward's business team set up a special project team. Through continuous communication and negotiation with customers, the project team worked out a targeted digital management solution for official vehicles for the World Cup.
"After the customer learned about our solution, he asked us to send samples first, and then the customer went through multiple comparisons and finally chose to cooperate with Sward." Zhu Xinran said, and then the customer tested the company's hardware and platform, The first batch of orders was placed in August, followed by continuous orders from September to November.
Recently, these merchants are rushing to work in full swing, and some new orders are "flying in", and the Chinese manufacturing of the World Cup in Qatar is underway.