A total of 526 exhibitors and 655 brands presented the summer sports trends of the coming season at ISPO Shanghai from July 5-7.

More than 14,500 trade visitors, four percent more than at the previous event, learned about new products in the segments of Running, Health & Fitness, Outdoor and Water Sports at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).

The sports market in China is growing in all categories. Half of the Chinese population – approximately 700 million people – buys sports products. 

“China is on its way to becoming the largest market for sports articles in the world. The growth in demand is reflected in the outstanding results of ISPO Shanghai,” said Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München.

The areas offering growth potential for the international sporting goods industry became evident during the four days of the trade fair. One of them is digitalization.

China is the world’s largest e-commerce market. Seventy-five percent of Chinese consumers already purchase sports products online.

Finding the right partner is decisive for business success in the Chinese trading market.

Elena Jasper, exhibition director of ISPO Shanghai, on the new e-commerce matchmaking program: “We bring exhibitors and visitors together with China’s main e-commerce providers and department stores. This is the ideal network platform for making new business contacts and establishing new business models.”

All in all, a total of 150 meetings took place between exhibitors, visitors and potential partners.

The extent of interest in digital possibilities was demonstrated by the full rows of seats at the ISPO Shanghai Digitize Forum.

 Experts and representatives of major brands such as Peak, Toread, and Under Armor highlighted the opportunities offered by digital transformation, for example how it helps brands to position their messages.

The strategic cooperation between ISPO and Tmall, China’s largest B2C platform, was successfully continued at ISPO Shanghai in the form of a joint fashion show. Well-known brands such as Columbia, Fjällräven, and Jack Wolfskin presented their latest collections – both offline and online. While the trade visitors experienced the event at first hand, consumers outside the exhibition grounds watched the fashion show via a live broadcast at the ISPO’s Tmall flagship store. They also were able to buy the products online at the same time. The live stream clocked up more than 340,000 views and 3.4 million likes.

Fitness studios are booming, new sports facilities are being built and European sports are gaining popularity in Asia.

A passion for sport is on the rise in the world’s most populous country – as the growing demand for functional clothing and sports equipment demonstrates. Brands are increasingly seeing women and children as significant target groups. Although women do less sport than men, they spend more money on sportswear. And the enthusiasm for sports is growing amongst aspiring young Chinese athletes, so more and more is being invested here, too.

The next ISPO Shanghai will take place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) from July 5 to 7, 2019.