Preface
Crazy tens of billions, Salomon, which was once called earthy and ugly in China, has now become the favorite of the middle class, and it is even difficult to find shoes.
So how did it go from being unpopular to having a hard time finding a shoe?
Tens of billions
Once Nike, Adidas set off a wave, it was hard to find shoes, and when the wave faded, there were labels of discounts and price reductions everywhere. But the market is always changing, and when a wave fades, a new trend will emerge.
The wind of the middle class swept the market, and a series of brands exploded instantly, such as Arc'teryx, lululemon, and Salomon, which are also known as the "three treasures of the middle class".
Salomon, the second of the three treasures of the middle class, originated from a small town in the French Alps, and is an outdoor brand that mainly sells sports equipment and apparel.
It was on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management, and was later acquired by Adidas. After being acquired by Adi, the focus of its sales and design began to shift to ski boots, and strict control of quality allowed it to have a stable customer base, but its market share was still small.
In 2007 it was acquired again and became part of the Amalfen Group. But because the brand focuses on quality and ignores appearance, it has been in a state of loss in the Amalfen Group, and was even called an ugly shoe by the outside world for a time.
Even the price drop sale went unnoticed, but that all changed in 2019.
In 2019, Anta and Tencent and other companies spent huge sums of money to acquire Amalfen, and with the support of Anta, Salomon successfully entered the Chinese market, seizing this opportunity and renovating the whole to create a brand image that young people love.
With the rapid rise of the middle class, it has gone from being unpopular to having a hard time finding a shoe......
The entrances of offline stores in Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other places are overcrowded, and everyone gets up early to line up just to grab their favorite style.
If you don't have a pair of salomones among office workers, it will seem out of place, because you can see a pair of people almost everywhere, which is a representative of the urban middle class.
With the shortage of popular models, its price is also rising, but even this has not stopped people's enthusiasm for consumption, but the pursuit of it has become stronger.
In 2022, its sales reached an unprecedented high, with online sales in China alone reaching 262 million yuan.
In 2023, it will still improve steadily, and in just a few years, it has reversed its loss, won tens of billions in the global market, and achieved 146% growth in the outdoor equipment business in Greater China.
Information source: The Paper - Archaeopteryx's parent company, Amalfen Sports, went public in the United States: it lost more than $600 million in 3 years, and it sold the best in China
Obviously, three years ago, it was still disliked by Xiao Transparent, and people even complained that it was "middle-class foot fitness", but three years later, it made a lot of money in the Chinese market, why did it capture the hearts of Chinese consumers.
A lot of money in China
After Anta acquired him, it repositioned, no longer only focusing on quality, but also catering to the preferences of young people in terms of shoe design, making shoes look more fashionable, and getting rid of the original design that was big and ugly only for comfort.
Information source: Daily Economic News - Salomone out of stock, grabbing the stomach of hipsters|2023 New Youth Life Wave (7) - 2023-02-10
And in the early days, it was even more bold in color design, which also made it recognizable and uniquely aesthetic. This personalized design is a sight to behold for young people who are already looking for novelty, and they don't hesitate to take it into their pockets.
Information source: Times Finance - The wind of the middle class has blown to Salomon, the opening of the first store in Guangzhou was snapped up, and some people got up at half past five to queue up
In addition, in order to gain a larger youth market, it has joined forces with other brands to form a chain of brand effects.
Other mid-range brands Arc'teryx and lululemon have become must-haves in young people's wardrobes, and outdoor wear has become a new fashion trend, which has also contributed to the growth of Salomon sales.
In order to get more traffic, many fashion bloggers have used Salomon to match, forming a Salomon-style outfit that is more innovative and attracts the attention of young people.
Salomon has also made changes in marketing, the original Salomon is a flat state in terms of marketing, the brand hopes to attract many customers in terms of performance, but the result is that its exposure in the market is very small, and not many people know and understand it, forming a situation where no one cares.
Source: Shanghai News Network - SALOMON 75th Anniversary: Getting Closer to More Chinese Outdoor Athletes
Now Salomon pays more attention to the shaping of brand image, not only cooperating with well-known athletes but also allowing celebrities to bring goods.
The shoes worn by Rihanna at the concert were the collaboration between Salomon and Margiela, and the shoes were sold out after the concert on the same day, and people also searched for Salomon through various channels, allowing Salomon to directly enter the top few on the search list.
In addition, stars such as Ouyang Nana and Bai Jingting have also worn Salomon, which has enhanced its brand awareness and made Salomon a hot fashion item.
At the same time, Salomon is also good at using social media for marketing promotion, young people are the main users of new media channels, and a large number of advertisements attract the attention of a large number of young users. This diversified marketing strategy has allowed Salomon to gain more sales.
And the more important reason is that Salomon's shoes are not only of good quality, but also very practical.
In recent years, outdoor sports have become more and more popular, and people's requirements for outdoor equipment have also increased.
Whether it is hiking or mountaineering, it can play a fashionable role in the fashion circle and show comfort in the outdoor circle, which also further expands its influence and makes it continue to be hot in the market.
Can this kind of popularity be sustained forever?
The market is not static, and new niche brands emerge every year. In addition to the persistence behind the success of Salomon, there is also a certain amount of chance driven by the current fashion trend, but it is difficult to say how long this trend will continue. Moreover, the explosion in the short term may also cause the brand to be consumed, and whether it can continue to stick to its original intention is a test for Salomon.
Of course, from the current point of view, Salomon has shown his strong vitality in his professional field, but the needs of the public are constantly changing, and it is not easy to continue to meet the needs of the public and produce eye-catching hits.
This requires Salomon to constantly challenge itself and break through the limitations of the original design. The future is full of uncertainties, but as long as Salomon can stay true to its original intention and follow the trend, it will still show tenacious vitality.
summary
The explosion of foreign brands is undoubtedly a suppression of domestic brands, and domestic brands should think about how to improve their brand influence, make their audience more extensive, and attract domestic and foreign consumers.
We should not only give full play to our own advantages, but also learn from each other's strengths to make our brand go global and occupy a larger share in the world market.