We all know that China is a political and economic powerhouse, and when it comes to sports, this could not be any different.
I know you might think that in a country of approximately 1.4 billion people, the odds of producing elite athletes are high. But believe it or not, that is not the main reason.
Over the past few years, Chinese culture has become a strong advocate of a healthier, fitness-oriented lifestyle. The key drivers behind this shift are both the government — which recognizes the health, socioeconomic, and above all patriotic benefits — and consumers themselves, who are seeking a healthier way of life.
These reasons are enough to make you wonder: who is feeding this insatiable market? At the end of last year, China's leading travel agency, CTrip, announced a ¥100 million (R$ 55.2 million) subsidy for ski activities. Coincidence or not, this aligns with the boom in traveler searches for ski activities following Beijing's announcement as host of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
The meteoric global tech rise, ByteDance, also announced in November 2018 a partnership with the NBA. Unlike previous deals between other tech companies and the world's top basketball league, the company will deliver exclusive content personalized for each user across its main platforms: Douyin, Toutiao, and Xigua.
The biggest news in China's sports world was Alibaba's announcement of what Jack Ma called the "MoneyBall" of e-commerce. The Chinese giant aims to make individual performance data available to users through its "analytics" capabilities, as well as to improve the way sporting events are managed — which will undoubtedly influence the purchase of products and services.
The company, which owns numerous brands offering everything from nutrition and sports equipment to travel for sporting events and treatment for injured athletes, is undoubtedly well-positioned to understand its customers' preferences.
Finally, I ask you: what do all these initiatives have in common? The answer is simple — the efficient use of data to analyze consumer tastes and habits. A China Skinny study released at the end of last year showed that sports & fitness is the sector with the highest demand for personalization, and companies must recognize that the growth of sports participation, and the way athletes and fans are engaging with "digital China," are fundamental.
Source: Startse