Sales of warm products are heating up rapidly, and new national standard down jackets are being put to the test

Sales of warm products are heating up rapidly, and new national standard down jackets are being tested

The new national standard down jacket is put to the test

At the beginning of December, the strongest cold wave this winter swept across our country. Most areas across the country experienced a cliff-like drop in temperature. Sales of various types of thermal insulation products increased rapidly, and down jackets became the first choice for consumers to keep out the cold. In April this year, the new national standard for down clothing was officially implemented, fully replacing the 2011 version of the old national standard. After the implementation of the new national standard, down jackets have been redefined: only down jackets with a down content of no less than 50% can be called down jackets. Now is the first peak sales season after the implementation of the new national standard. What are the new trends in the down jacket market this year? Reporters were investigated.

Cold air promotes “warm economy”

Coinciding with the “Double 12” promotion season, down jacket sales have reached a small climax. “This down jacket is a new product this year. According to the new national standards, the down content is 165 grams. It is made of high-count and high-density fabrics and diamond-shaped plaid quilting thread. It is fluffy and warm without losing velvet. The color is stain-resistant and easy to take care of…” In a certain In the down jacket brand’s online live broadcast room, the anchor showed off the upper body effects of different styles of down jackets while taking the trouble to answer various questions that floated across the screen. Bai Fan, an office worker from Xi’an, bought himself a short down jacket worth 420 yuan. “The price is moderate and the style is neat. It can be worn for commuting and shopping. It is very versatile.” Bai Fan told reporters that she also plans to buy another mid-length down jacket during the big sale.

A survey by iiMedia Research shows that among Chinese netizens in 2021, 68.3% of consumers own 2 to 3 down jackets, and 27% of consumers own 4 or more. Yao Xiaoman, chairman of the China Down Industry Association, said that my country’s down jacket market has a large consumption base, large ownership and high penetration rate. “As the best thermal insulation material in nature, down is naturally green, sustainable, and cost-effective. It can meet the needs of people of all ages to keep warm and cold, and is an indispensable item for consumers in winter.” Yao Xiaoman said.

Data released by the China National Garment Association shows that from 2015 to 2021, the size of my country’s down jacket market increased from 76.7 billion yuan to 156.2 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of 12.6%, higher than the overall clothing market. It is expected that in 2022 this year One figure will reach 162.2 billion yuan. “High-pile, light luxury and large velvet”, “global gold velvet production belt”, “light and warm thermal storage and anti-static”… The reporter searched on major e-commerce platforms and found that as The most popular clothing category at the moment, the down jacket market has attracted many brands vying for gold. The various promotional selling points are dazzling, and the prices range from a hundred yuan to a thousand yuan, and the price of some high-end down jackets can reach tens of thousands of yuan. Among them, there are traditional down jacket brands represented by Bosideng and YaYa, as well as mass fast fashion brands such as Uniqlo and Heilan House, as well as brands such as Adidas, Moncler, and Arc’teryx that have entered the field of down jackets from the sports and outdoor track. .

“As the world’s largest producer, exporter and consumer of down and down products, China has four major advantages: resources, processing, price and market.” Yao Xiaoman introduced , 97% of the world’s geese and 74% of the ducks are produced in China, and more than 80% of down clothing and down bedding of well-known foreign brands are produced in China. Coupled with the cost advantage of self-produced and self-sold products and a vast consumer market, China has become A veritable “down country”.

New national standards promote good quality

This winter, down jacket products under the new national standard will undergo market inspection for the first time. Recently, reporters visited the Uniqlo store in Fengtai District, Beijing. In the down jacket sales area, the down jackets marked “new product” are all based on the new national standard. Some old down jackets that implement the old national standard are labeled with discount labels such as “value selection” and “limited time premium”. The reporter noticed that the old products participating in the promotion were generally reduced in price by 200 yuan to 600 yuan, and the obtained price was about 30% to 50% off the tag price. The reporter’s random interviews found that consumers’ attention to changes in down jacket standards has increased significantly.

“Compared with the old national standard, the biggest change in the new national standard is that it requires better down quality, stronger ability to prevent hair loss, and easier washability of down jackets.” As one of the main drafters of the new national standard, the Down Jacket Branch of the National Clothing Standardization Technical Committee Secretary-General Cao Zonghua said that the thermal performance of down jackets is mainly achieved by down, and the new national standard replaces “down content” with “down content”, eliminating ingredients such as velvet that have poor warmth retention and are easy to run off, and squeeze out the “down content”. The concept of “moisture” in the “amount” concept allows consumers to make their purchase at a glance.

A major pain point faced by consumers is that down jackets are easy to wear but not washable. The reporter checked the washing labels of many down jacket products and found that most manufacturers marked the washing method as hand washing. Zhao Qiao, a consumer from Shunyi District, Beijing, told reporters that because she is worried that it will not be washed clean and will become less warm the more she washes it, she usually sends the whole family’s down jackets to a laundry for professional cleaning, which is not a big deal. expenditure.

“With the implementation of the new national standard, the era of hand-washing down jackets is over.” Cao Zonghua introduced that the new national standard stipulates that all down jackets must be suitable for washing. It is especially recommended to use a drum washing machine to wash, and special assessment will be conducted on the changes in appearance after washing. , such as fabrics of different colorsThe connected style does not allow staining due to washing, which reflects the concept of the new national standard that is oriented to consumer needs.

It is worth noting that while the new national standard improves the overall quality of down jackets, it also drives up the cost and selling price of down jackets. Tmall clothing statistics show that the average price of down jackets this year has increased compared with last year, with an increase of nearly 10%. Among them, goose down jackets priced between 1,400 yuan and 2,500 yuan are particularly popular with consumers. Zhao Qiao said: “Compared with price, I pay more attention to hard indicators such as down filling, fabric material, and lining hardware. Compared with low-quality down jackets that pill after being worn twice, are not warm but are cheap, I prefer Spend more money and buy something with good quality and long-lasting wear.”

The person in charge of Bosideng’s brand department said that after the implementation of the new national standard, Bosideng’s newly launched products have been implemented in accordance with the latest standards. The new national standard has higher requirements for down raw materials and will guide companies to further improve quality management levels and product quality. Sun Su, general manager of Tmall Women’s Wear, revealed that since it is still in the replacement stage of the old and new national standards, some of the old national standard products produced last year are still online. In the next step, the platform will conduct random inspections to implement different standards for the new and old national standards.

“In general, considering that the new national standard has significantly improved the quality and use experience of down jackets, the overall cost performance of down jackets has been improved, and consumers’ money spent on down jackets is more valuable.” Cao Zonghua emphasized that the new national standard It is of great significance in promoting the industry to shift from low-price competition to high-quality, cost-effective competition and better integrating with the international market.

High technology unlocks new scenes

With the popularity of outdoor sports such as skiing, camping, hiking, and mountaineering, consumers’ demand for down jackets has become increasingly diverse. On social platforms, sharing posts such as “How to choose outdoor down jackets”, “Must-have camping down jackets” and “Ski clothing with both functionality and appearance” have remained popular.

Zhang Haiyang from Beijing is a senior ski enthusiast. After work, with 15 years of skiing experience, he likes to go to major ski resorts to experience the joy of flying over ice and snow. In his view, with the popularity of ice and snow sports, down filling and fluffiness are no longer the only criteria for measuring thermal performance. Factors such as functionality, design, and lightness are all important factors that affect warmth under outdoor conditions. Zhang Haiyang told reporters that unlike daily wear, outdoor sports emphasize dynamic warmth, which requires taking advantage of different materials and accessories such as down, fleece, cotton, composite liner, reflective lining, and suspended foam structure. The specific design takes into account the need for sweat wicking, breathability and windproofing while keeping the down dry, thereby locking in temperature and reducing heat loss.

The reporter searched on the e-commerce platform and found that the sense of technology is a highlight of this year’s down jacket market. Wide windproof and highly breathable features have become the “standard features” of outdoor down jackets. Selling points such as light warmth and heat storage, century-old fabric, and seamless craftsmanship have also attracted many consumers to place orders. In addition, the materials of down jackets are also constantly innovating. By combining them with leather, wool, fleece and other fabrics, down jackets get rid of the traditional impression of being bloated. The diverse layout designs of windbreakers, shirts and other styles make down jackets easy to control for commuting, business and leisure. , travel and other life scenes.

“From the search point of view, in the past, consumers mainly used ‘brand’ and ‘material’ as the core keywords. This year, consumers pay more attention to ‘style’ and ‘design’, which reflects that consumers no longer regard down jackets as Pure cold-proof clothing.” Sun Su also observed that as Four Seasons fashion brands enter the down jacket market, windbreakers, shirts, national style and other designs are becoming newfashion trends. The relevant person in charge of Bosideng told reporters that consumers of different ages, occupations and interest circles have different requirements for down jackets. For example, consumers aged 20 to 30 are more pursuing fashion and trends; urban consumers aged 25 to 40 have different requirements for down jackets. White-collar workers pursue fashion but pay attention to cost-effectiveness; outdoor people aged 35 to 50 prefer technological elements and pay more attention to details.

Yao Xiaoman said that the expansion of consumption scenarios has opened up new market space for the down jacket industry. By focusing on subdivisions and developing diversified products, down jacket companies have broken the restriction of “wearing only one season” and not only complemented traditional products, but also extended The sales cycle has also led to a significant improvement in product quality, technical processes, and design levels, thereby accelerating the transformation and upgradingand innovative development.