Blue Whale News, July 7 (Reporter Tang Shiyun Wang Hanyi) "Now I basically can't buy balls below 100 yuan", a badminton enthusiast told the Blue Whale reporter. Since the beginning of this year, several major domestic badminton manufacturers have raised their prices many times, and some models have increased by more than 60%. At the same time, the consumption of badminton is booming, and the volume of social media has risen significantly.
The collective price of badminton has increased by more than two or three percent, and the official websites of the head brands are all out of stock
In the consumer environment of price wars, the successive price increases of badminton are particularly eye-catching.
At the beginning of July, badminton manufacturers such as Yonex, Double Happiness, Lingmei, Victor, Chaopai, and Yashilong ushered in a new round of price increases. So far, the price increase of domestic head badminton manufacturers is generally two or three percent higher than last year, and the price increase of some models is as high as more than 60%.
Taking the badminton "price king" Yonex as an example, the retail price of its mainstream high-end AS-05 badminton rose from 210 yuan/play before April to 225 yuan/play, and the price soared further after July, reaching 275 yuan/play. A 20-year-old senior badminton enthusiast told the Blue Whale News reporter that there will be discounts if you buy more, and more than two years ago you got the goods from the wholesaler as long as 95 yuan / dozen, last year's price was about 100 yuan to 110 yuan per dozen, and it rose to 130 yuan some time ago, and the latest price has risen to 160 yuan.
The flip side of the price increase is the stockout. The Blue Whale reporter inquired and found that taking Yonex, the head brand of badminton, as an example, all 6 natural badminton balls in its Jingdong self-operated store have been sold out; There is only one ball on sale in the Tmall flagship store, the AS-40EX for 340 yuan a tube - this ball is positioned as a ball for international competitions, and it is not the most commonly used model for ordinary enthusiasts.
JD.com's customer service said that the shortage of badminton has lasted for almost a month, and the shortage is due to the manufacturer's lack of production capacity, and it is not yet clear when it will be re-shelved.
However, some of the aforementioned brands can still be purchased in dealer stores. An online dealer of Yonex told the Blue Whale reporter, "At present, the balls are in short supply, and the current batch of goods is stockpiled before, and it is estimated that they will be sold out in the next two days, and they are not sure when they will arrive." ”
Badminton is a consumable, and a ball can only be played for a few hours, so there are many complaints among enthusiasts. In the badminton community, some people pointed out that the atmosphere of price increases was brought bad by a certain brand; There is also a view that this is a joint monopoly of several big brands in the market.
The Blue Whale reporter learned from industry insiders and senior enthusiasts that the soaring prices in this round are mainly due to the imbalance between supply and demand of wool sheets, which are the core materials. And those "wool dealers" who control the resources have made more money this year than they have earned for a long time in previous years.
The badminton boom brings fire to the sparring team, and the venue is in demand and needs to be booked one week in advance
The imbalance between supply and demand in the industry partly reflects the growth of domestic badminton enthusiasts. Although it was originally a national sport, badminton has indeed become more popular in recent years.
Perhaps the most obvious manifestation is the sought-after booking of venues. The Blue Whale reporter found through the "Fun Sports" inquiry at noon today that the venues of the surrounding badminton halls on the weekend have been basically snatched up, and there are not many reservation places left for weekdays in a few days.
Badminton enthusiast Xigua said that the prime-time venue fee near the Pudong World Expo where he lives is basically more than 100 yuan/hour. It's hard to grab on weekends and weekday nights, and it's generally about a week in advance; If you think about it temporarily, you can only pick up the morning or meal, and there are relatively few people who grab it.
As the number of people participating in badminton increased, more stadiums and clubs emerged.
Badminton equipment blogger Chen Zui mentioned that the city where he lives in Chengdu as an example, in the past three years, the number of stadiums within 3-5 kilometers of Chengdu has increased from 1 to 4. "There are some more macro data that can confirm Chen's feelings - according to the data provided by the Chengdu Badminton Association, the number of people in Chengdu who have been practicing badminton fitness for a long time exceeds 500,000; There are more than 440 venues (venues) with 4 or more badminton courts.
Badminton enthusiasts usually form games with friends, participate in scheduled matches organized by the badminton community, and some people will look for badminton "partners" on social networks. Since the second half of last year, badminton sparring has become more common. They can usually provide escort or coaching services, and the fee is generally between 30-200 yuan per hour.
Sparring partner Xiaobai told the Blue Whale reporter that she found that novices and girls were not easy to match, so she began to do sparring. At the beginning, the price was only 80 yuan an hour, mainly because I wanted to play by myself without spending money, and the fee was just enough for the round-trip fee; Gradually, now I can make a ball of money. Xiaobai revealed that she now receives at least 2 hours of sparring every day on weekdays, and can be full on weekends.
Peter, a part-time coach with many years of badminton experience, is a bit busier, with almost 1-3 matches a day. Peter revealed that among his partners and students, there are people of all ages and different levels of badminton, and the span and breadth of the crowd is beyond his imagination. To some extent, this is the most direct proof of the current popularity of badminton as a national sport.
Is national sport badminton as popular as egg-hunting?
According to the Survey Report on the Status of National Sports by the General Administration of Sports of China, badminton is the sport with the largest number of participants in China, with a population of 250 million. As a national sport, badminton is gaining a significant amount of popularity on social networking sites.
There is a popular saying that the end of fitness is state-owned badminton. Many online posts even refer to badminton as "the first sport in the system", and leaders and colleagues love to play. Therefore, there is a view that the popularity of badminton is the same as the egg, which is a social need to expand the network in the workplace.
Sparring partner Miao Miao told the Blue Whale reporter that this statement is not very accurate, in fact, it is more likely that badminton is a relatively easy sport to play and everyone has learned and practiced when they were students. And compared to basketball, it is significantly better to organize games and be more routine.
Part-time coach Peter expressed a similar sentiment. He believes that the rise in the popularity of badminton is related to the exposure of various enthusiasts and Internet celebrities on social platforms. More importantly, badminton itself is a relatively elegant and independent sport without physical contact and strong confrontation, which is more suitable for urban white-collar workers who need to relieve work pressure.
Internet celebrity sports such as frisbee and Lu Chong once attracted countless attention, but now the craze has receded, leaving behind a more daily and people-friendly badminton.
Peter believes that badminton is generally a less expensive transport, and rackets, shoes, etc. are very durable equipment. The price increase of badminton as a consumable may dissuade some beginners, but the impact on organized golfers and the operation of clubs will not be too great. Because the size of the club is generally hundreds to thousands of people, bulk purchases can get a relatively low price.
On the other hand, the material of the shuttlecock may change, and its cost and selling price will not be high forever. Peter said that with the gradual improvement of the texture and craftsmanship of imitation balls, badminton will also develop in a more sustainable direction.
"For example, the current natural badminton is more susceptible to wind interference outdoors, and if badminton develops in the direction of outdoor sports in the future, then the badminton ball is not very suitable. Therefore, the future of badminton depends to a certain extent on what the ball looks like in the future. ”