In the crowded monuments and scenic spots, Hanfu lovers in fluttering clothes travel together, rolling up a wave of dressing trends, but also allowing Hanfu merchants to share the traffic dividend. With the development of the Hanfu industry, a series of businesses such as clothing sales and leasing, photo shooting and editing, and makeup and props have been born and expanded. At the hottest time of the market, the number of Hanfu experience halls in Beijing once reached more than 50, but now it has shrunk to less than 10. An investigation by a reporter from Beijing Business Daily found that 10% of them were newly opened stores in the past six months. At the same time, the average unit price of customers who experience Hanfu once has also increased by 30%-<>% compared with before. Under the environment and market competition, some merchants who failed to accumulate a stable customer base fell before spring, while those who maintained their operations began to plan diversified operations and complete quality upgrading.

Fittest

50% reduction in number of Beijing experience centers

Hanfu, which once lived in niche circles, is embracing the consumer market. Hanfu lovers traveling together can now be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys, and when the popularity of Hanfu is rising, the Hanfu experience hall and Hanfu shooting market in Beijing are also heating up.

iMedia consulting data shows that from 2015 to 2022, the market size of Hanfu has achieved rapid growth from 1 million yuan to 9.125 billion yuan.

Although the Hanfu market has entered the era of tens of billions that the industry has been waiting for for many years, and has extended to the production and sales and rental of clothing, photo shooting and editing, and the resulting Hanfu Experience Hall has also been opened in scenic spots and business districts, the survival status of merchants has undergone many changes in the years of development.

An investigation by a reporter from Beijing Business Daily found that the number of Beijing Hanfu Experience Centers in the glory period once reached more than 50, and now there are less than 10, of which <>% are newly opened stores in the past six months.

At the end of 2022, Annie Yu endured the pain of closing the Hanfu Experience Hall that had accompanied her for three years, she told the Beijing Business Daily reporter, "When I was still doing simple Hanfu rental and sales, researching makeup and panting for customers, and only three or four supernumerary photographers as long-term partners, many competing stores in Beijing were already integrating rental, selfie studio, script killing hall, and a professional photography team." In addition, the opening of the door is intermittent and the income is unstable, but the store rent is very stable to pay, and it is unrealistic to expand the scale, but if it does not keep up with the pace of the market, it will be eliminated by the market."

Investment analyst Gao Jia pointed out that Hanfu as an emerging market, the short-term heat climb has produced an industry bubble, under the oversupply, with the long-term demand reduction, the bubble will burst, some of the core competitiveness of the weaker part of the entrants will be eliminated by the market, this does not mean that the market is cold, is to enter the cooling-off period after the reshuffle.

According to Tianyancha data, up to now, with "Hanfu" as the search keyword, there are 7222 affiliated enterprises, 1045 enterprises established within one year, and 1000 enterprises with a registered capital of 157 million yuan.

Under the heat of the market, the Hanfu market has also attracted the attention of capital. Among them, Hanfu brand "Thirteen Yu" affiliate Nianyu (Zhejiang) Culture Technology Co., Ltd. completed a round of financing of hundreds of millions of yuan in 2021 between Zhengxin Valley Capital, Bilibili and Bubble Mart.

Quantity decreases and quality increases

10%-30% increase in customer unit price

According to incomplete statistics from the Beijing Business Daily reporter, compared with the same period in 2021 and 2022, the unit price of Hanfu Experience Hall has increased, with a range of 10%-30%.

"Around 2019, the Hanfu Experience Hall in Beijing was still a novelty store, with a small number, and now the pressure of competition is increasing, and there are more and more stores." The owner Qingfeng revealed that in fact, the basic expenses of clothing maintenance, rent, water and electricity in the store have not changed much, but under the travel boom, the market demand for photographers and makeup artists has increased significantly, so labor costs have risen sharply. However, Qingfeng also said that the current price increase is still reflected in the shooting package or makeup package, and the clothing rental still maintains the original price.

On weekdays and weekends, Beijing Business Daily reporters visited a number of Hanfu experience halls, and at different times, the consumption situation in stores showed obvious contrast. The person in charge of Xunluge Hanfu Experience Hall introduced that customers are mainly concentrated in holiday mornings, and the schedule of makeup artists and photographers during this period is also very full. In addition to the close correlation between store traffic and holidays, since many consumers demand to wear Hanfu to take themed photos at scenic spots, in-store business will also decrease whenever attractions are closed. It is precisely because of this that the previous restrictions on the flow of attractions will also lead to a decline in consumer demand for entering stores.

"Since the blossom viewing boom this spring, the flow of the store has recovered a lot, but you can still book a weekend shoot on Monday. But in previous years, when the mountain peaches and cherry blossoms bloomed, photographers and makeup makers needed to make an appointment at least half a month in advance. The person in charge said.

In addition, in order to gain an advantage in the competition, each Hanfu experience hall has invested a lot in spontaneous business innovation. "In the past, customers came to the Forbidden City, Nanluo, and Summer Palace, but now the niche photo spots taken outside are constantly being discovered, and the theme scenes and props filmed in the studio are constantly changing, and customers make requests, and if we don't try our best to meet them, we will lose to other stores." Qingfeng said.

"I think the number of people wearing Hanfu in Beijing has increased significantly in the past two years, especially in antique scenic spots such as the Forbidden City and Taoran Pavilion." For the price increase of the experience hall, consumer Shu Yuan expressed understanding, the more people like it, the price will naturally rise, but also feel that now Hanfu writing is really approaching the ordinary realistic style, hoping to increase the price at the same time to find a style suitable for Hanfu and improve the quality of the film.

Consumption upgrades

The market landscape changes again and again

"What can be felt is that it is not that consumers do not like Hanfu culture, but that with the deepening of their understanding of Hanfu, the requirements for quality are higher." Shop owner Wei Wei said that previously, Hanfu was on the social platform with a high degree of topic, and the idea that a few sets of clothes can start a business brushed the screen, attracting a large number of entrepreneurs to enter the market, and when the demand is high, you can get a piece of the pie, but once the demand decreases, it will bear the brunt. From the perspective of the entire industry, well-known old stores are still operating, and new and old customers are coming to the market, but some small stores have gradually withdrawn from the market.

A reporter from Beijing Business Daily also noticed that Hanfu clothing, which is closely related to the Hanfu Experience Hall, also showed a polarization trend. According to public information, in 2022, old Hanfu merchants such as Yijin Jiudu and Capital Nanzhuang announced the closure of stores; In the same year, the single product "Yao Meets the Divine Deer" with more than thirteen Han elements reached 238.<> million yuan in a single month.

"As the market landscape changes again and again, we can only adapt to changes." Wei Wei added that the rapid development in the past few years has also made the business of Hanfu Experience Hall almost saturated, and it is necessary to come up with new business highlights to find new customers and let old customers come back again.

iMedia consulting data shows that the Hanfu market still has a large upside in the future, and is expected to reach 2025.191 billion yuan in 1.

Duan Hui, a researcher in the cultural and creative industry, said that in addition to combining derivative businesses such as Hanfu script killing, Hanfu Experience Hall can also try to create original brands, extend the in-store business to the overall Hanfu industry chain, and tap a larger customer base with the blessing of branding and chaining. In addition, it can also integrate technology to create an immersive studio and optimize the experience business.

Duan Hui further pointed out that any new thing has to go through the process of survival of the fittest, and the seemingly cold phenomenon such as closing stores is actually a reshuffle of market quality upgrading.

Beijing Business Daily reporter Lu Yang Han Xinyuan/Wen Zhang Xiaoyan/Photo