After Li Ning launched “Ning Coffee”, another well-known sports brand Xtep is also actively applying for the “Special Coffee” trademark. Cross-border coffee production by enterprises is nothing new. Central enterprises such as China National Petroleum Corporation and China Post have already laid out coffee tracks. Many people believe that the coffee circuit is already crowded enough, why should sports brands join in the fun again?
If the core advantage of companies such as PetroChina and China Post in the coffee business lies in the huge network scale of post offices and gas stations, then sports brands such as Li Ning and Xtep may be trying to test the coffee business. It’s not about wine,” but about the main consumer group behind coffee – young people. The survey shows that domestic coffee lovers are currently mainly urban middle-income groups aged 20 to 40. Coffee consumption has gradually become a cultural symbol of the younger generation, and has become a daily and urgent need. From this point of view, the sports brand's coffee business is not simply a side business. It is likely that it hopes to establish connections with young people through the social attributes of coffee, break consumers' stereotypes about the brand, and explore new ways to rejuvenate the brand.
Shanghai Wukang Building Post Office opens a cross-border cafe. Photo by Wang Gang (China Economic Vision)
Sports brands sell not only coffee, but also services. In recent years, in response to the impact of e-commerce, offline stores have come up with clever ways to improve their service quality and optimize customers' purchasing experience. Today, young people’s shopping needs are not just “buy, buy, buy”, but also attach great importance to consumption scenarios. Sports brands selling coffee in offline stores can meet the extended needs of young consumers for shopping and enhance the shopping experience. Therefore, expanding the coffee business can be seen as an innovative attempt by sports brands to improve the retail terminal consumption experience.
Selling coffee is also a useful exploration of sports brand traffic operation strategies. Since the debut of "Ning Coffee", many young people have used Li-Ning offline stores as online celebrity check-in places, and it has become fashionable to post a cup of "Ning Coffee" on social platforms. As an effective marketing tool, coffee enhances the topicality, communication and attention of the brand.
As “Generation Z” becomes the main force of consumption, more and more brands are constantly exploring the path of rejuvenation. In recent years, domestic sports brands have shown a trend of becoming younger, and the password is to capture the consumer psychology of young people. However, we must also realize that although the aroma of coffee can attract young people, what really makes them stop and stay is the eye-catching product.
In fact, young people are more willing to pay for the professionalism of sports brands. Sports brands should also further increase investment in research and development of cutting-edge materials and professional technologies. In recent years, domestic sports brands such as Li Ning, Anta, and Xtep have made breakthroughs in new product development and building innovation platforms. However, compared with internationally renowned sports brands, there is still a big gap. If domestic sports brands want to move towards the high-end market, they must work intensively in aspects such as professionalism, functionality and reliability, and continuously improve product competitiveness.
Sporting goods should strengthen their ability to capture trends. The reason why Nike and Adidas became popular all over the world back then was not only because of their excellent quality, but also because their design concepts were trendy and more in line with the aesthetics of young people. In the past few years, domestic sports brands have seized on the national trend and combined product design with traditional culture, resulting in some popular models. However, if the brand wants to have lasting vitality, it needs more connotation support. It must strengthen market research and research, constantly introduce new products, so that products can not only display oriental aesthetics, but also actively absorb the essence of world trends. Only by being open and inclusive can it capture the hearts of young people.
As a sports brand, if it does not pay attention to the sports that young people like, it will be abandoned by consumers sooner or later. Nowadays, niche sports such as skateboarding, skiing, and Frisbee are favored by young people. The equipment market for many of these new projects is mostly occupied by small manufacturers. The reason is that the product line layout of well-known brands is generally two years in advance, and it is likely that they will not catch up with the latest market trends. trend. To catch up with market trends, you don’t have to be busy “selling coffee”. Only by focusing on the demand for sporting goods, responding quickly, and adapting to the ever-changing market with efficient and flexible development strategies can domestic sports brands win the continued favor of young people.