After the epidemic was brought under control, the number of people going to gyms every day increased dramatically, and so did sales of fitness clothing. According to the survey, sweatshirts and tank tops are the two most popular segments of the fitness wear market and are expected to grow the most by nearly 4% between 2022 and 2032. 

China leggings are a strong supply for this market. The global penetration rate of light sports 2 has increased in the face of the epidemic, and there is great room for development in China. According to GWI's Global Sports and Fitness Economic Report, the global sports market has declined in the wake of the pandemic, but the penetration rate of static sports (mainly light sports such as yoga, Pilates, and ballet) increased from 3.78% in 2018 to 5.25% in 2020. However, in 2018, the penetration rate of static motion in mainland China was only 7.1%, which still has great room for improvement in European and American markets (15%+).

What is light exercise?

The definition of "light exercise" refers to the collection of simple and easy exercise methods with a small load, low intensity, and low energy consumption, including jogging, yoga, Pilates, dancing, cycling, skateboarding, Frisbee, and other medium and low-intensity exercise items. More and more urban residents have been exercising through "light exercise" to adjust their physical and mental state.

Women's demand for sports has risen, and science and technology plus the epidemic have boosted the development of light sports

For many young women, getting fit is a sign of professionalism and confidence: On the one hand, the tailoring design of fitness clothing is more suitable for sports (for example, leggings allow women to avoid embarrassment and strengthen support when squatting and hard pulling, while sports underwear changes the disadvantages of traditional underwear highlighted by deputy's breasts and supports more women to run and jump with confidence). On the other hand, the point of fitness clothes is to encourage more beginners to start exercising.

Women's spending power has increased and they are more willing to pay. According to the "2021 Public Fitness Behavior and Consumption Research Report", female sports consumption has increased significantly in recent years. In 2021, the average annual consumption of females reached 6,362 yuan, an increase of nearly 50% (while the average annual consumption of overall sports participants increased by 35% to 5,670 yuan in the same period). Specifically, they are significantly higher than men in purchasing gym memberships and private classes.

Sports technology promotes the family and community of fitness consumption scene: sports apps and intelligent equipment are gradually improved, and the user scale of sports fitness apps continues to stabilize at more than 200 million. Technological update drives the fitness industry to develop towards all-channel, intelligent and digital development. Sports technology provides more diversified sports scenes through the linkage of online and offline technologies.

At the same time, in the post-epidemic era, the trend of online sports and fitness continues to strengthen, and light exercise has become the first choice for live classes. The use of sports and fitness apps is more frequent: according to CBND ATA's "National Sports and Health Trend Report", 76% of people think they pay more attention to and are more willing to exercise after the epidemic. During the epidemic period, the monthly active scale of sports and fitness apps increased by 1.9 times, and the use time increased by 2.5 times.

The retail scale of China is about 4.1 billion yuan, and the sales volume of other new light sports brands is less than 300 million yuan). In North America, light sports brands are bigger.

Fitness habits gradually spread to lower-tier cities and are expected to become a long-term lifestyle. The awareness of fitness will be strengthened with the increase in residents' income level, and the overall life pressure and rhythm of people in lower-tier cities are relatively relaxed, so they have more time to participate in fitness. Unlike some short-lived fads, "fitness is almost always rewarding," and people get constant positive feedback throughout a sustained workout, motivating them to make it a long-term habit.

China activewear has advantages in the global market and is the first choice of brands With the advantages of the supply chain of apparel products, the DTC channel and e-commerce platform will be the foothold of the rapid growth of the global fitness wear market in the future. In addition, to the research and development trend, fitness equipment manufacturers are introducing new and innovative technologies to their products to meet the current market demand for smart wearable products. In terms of materials, smart nanotechnology fabrics will be the trend of the future.