At the “Under the Dome" in Greenland Binfen City, a 1,000m2 outdoor ice rink has attracted a big crowd of skating fans to hone their skills on the ice and learn more about the Winter Olympics. Rinks with authentic ice in the urban area have become a new trendy choice.

Although snow is rarely seen in Shanghai, the spillover effect of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which has “engaged 300 million people nationwide in ice and snow sports" has nevertheless generated a booming "ice and snow economy" in China’s largest commercial city. A large number of people have made a try at skating, skiing and even niche sports like curling and ice hockey. Various new business forms and new business models have emerged. To capitalize on the new trend, domestic and foreign brands have also integrated Winter Olympic elements into their new product designs for the Spring Festival, thus setting off a "Chinese-style" fashion trend.

Shanghai ranks among top 3 in China in terms of ice and snow sports bookings

Choosing an ice and snow sport to celebrate the Beijing Winter Olympics has become a popular choice for many consumers during the Spring Festival (the Year of the Tiger). According to the exclusive data provided by Dianping, "skiing"-related searches in Shanghai has increased by 75% month-on-month since January 2022, and bookings for online ice and snow sports experience courses have risen by 4.5 times year-on-year. Novices in Shanghai are very enthusiastic about learning ice and snow sports, putting Shanghai firmly in the top 3 in China in terms of booking volume.

This is evidenced by the immense popularity of ice and snow sports at shopping malls across Shanghai. New World City is the first commercial complex in Shanghai to have an indoor rink with authentic ice. Zhang Yi, who is in charge of SNOWONE, commented that the ice rink has never been so popular as it is now since it was put into operation more than 10 years ago. With the Beijing Winter Olympic Games approaching, the ice rink has seen a significant rise in visitors, mostly young people and students. As more novice skaters flock in, Zhang Yi plans to offer many free public lectures during the Winter Olympic Games to teach starters some basic knowledge of skating movements, technical essentials and a brief guide to the Winter Olympic ice and snow sports.

Despite the rarity of snow, Shanghai does have many ice and snow sports venues. As of the end of 2021, the city had 14 fixed ice rinks, 43 indoor ski resorts, 3 curling sites and 8 curling lanes. Various ice and snow sports are distributed in 13 districts and 4 universities in the city. In Yangpu District, "Champion Rink," the first skating rink with authentic ice in north Shanghai, has recently seen a big surge in visitors.  

According to industry sources, ice and snow sports, including skating and skiing, are typical examples of the organic combination of sports and commerce. At Champion Skating Rink in Bailian YouYiCheng Shopping Mall, most customers come to learn skating on weekends, while training is regularly provided on week days. In the 15 years since it was opened to the public, the rink has contributed more than 10,000 professional skaters to various competitions.

Integrating the elements of Winter Olympics with those of the Spring Festival

The popularity of ice and snow sports has also driven up the sales of ice- and snow-related items. Statistics from all leading offline shopping malls and online platforms in Shanghai show a clear upward trend of ski outfit and ski sports equipment sales since the fourth quarter of last year. Seizing the new marketing opportunity, many domestic and foreign brands have integrated the elements of the Winter Olympics with the elements of traditional Spring Festival, thus triggering a strong trend of "Chinese-style" merchandising in the ice and snow consumption market. For example, outdoor sports brand North Face has released a limited edition down jacket with paper-cut pattern to celebrate the Winter Olympic Games. These down jackets blend Himalayan color mix, paper-cut pattern and other traditional Spring Festival elements to create trendy and comfortable jackets for the Chinese New Year. Anta has launched a new comprehensive training suit series of ski warm jackets, which feature snow patterns depicted in traditional ink painting strokes to add a distinct Chinese touch.

The development of the ice and snow consumer market has also helped to put professional equipment to the spotlight. According to the person-in-charge of the Dewu APP, the ski boards, ski shoes, ski goggles and ski fixtures of all leading brands have become the most viewed items by young people on the platform. Faction, a Swiss high-end double board equipment brand, put on sale on the Dewu APP its co-branded snowboards for the 2022 snow season. These include the double-warped all-round skateboard tailored for Eileen Gu who soared to victory in freestyle skiing and was nicknamed "Snow Princess." All the new products feature the theme color of "China Red" and have attracted the attention of numerous ski fans in China.

More trendy and fashionable elements

In addition to the sports connotations of "speed and passion," ice and snow sports have also given rise to more trendy and fashionable elements among young people in Shanghai.

In recent years, ice and snow sports have made up a sizable proportion of the new business models and formats in Shanghai. At the end of 2019, SNOW51, a Chinese ski training experience brand, opened the world's first "Hybrid" concept store in TX Huaihai, bringing in high-end ski simulator training. By combining ski training with trendy culture retail, Michelin catering and sports groups, SNOW51 has come up with a new model of snow and ice sports commerce, effectively breaking through the regional and seasonal restrictions of skiing. In the opinion of SNOW51 founder Ye Kai, when people's quality of life gradually improves, mass sports will shift from relatively simple suburb outings and mountaineering to more challenging riding, skiing and surfing sports, with young people leading the way. In the past three years since its opening, SNOW51 has rapidly expanded to 20 stores. As the Winter Olympic is about to kick start, the number of people to experience skiing is constantly on the rise. From November 2021 to January 2022, Huaihai TX Store alone achieved a 50% monthly increase in its visitors.

 

Author: Xu Jinghui, Wenhui Daily