Outdoor Demand Outgrew the Brands Serving It
Category momentum carried specialists past mass-market rivals in the first half of the sale.
Tmall’s outdoor store ranking placed Camel, The North Face and Pebble first through third, while Salomon and Helly Hansen each passed 100 million yuan in cumulative first-round sales, growing at a high double-digit rate and by more than double respectively. Sub-categories moved faster than the brands inside them: softshell jackets rose 130%, outdoor leisure wear 70% and trail running shoes 90%. China now counts more than 500 million outdoor participants. The implication for brands is that category demand, not brand loyalty, is doing the work.
