Paris Olympics: online sales of tennis, other sporting goods surge as Chinese celebrate gold haul
- The trend shows how the world’s largest multisports event has boosted consumption in the world’s second-largest economy, despite a weak macroeconomic environment
Alibaba Group Holding’s online shopping platforms have experienced a surge in interest and sales of sporting goods, as Chinese consumers keenly follow the country’s gold medal wins at the Paris Olympics.
On Sunday and Monday, searches for tennis and table tennis-related products on Tmall, Alibaba’s premium shopping platform that mainly hosts established brands, surged by 300 per cent and 234 per cent, respectively, compared with the same period last year, according to data from the platform. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The interest came as Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen last Saturday became the first Asian to win an Olympic singles gold medal in tennis, while Fan Zhendong, who competed in table tennis, scooped up gold in men’s table tennis on Sunday.
The racquet used by Zheng in Paris, made by US tennis brand Wilson, immediately became the top product in the tennis category on Tmall. In the 48 hours after Zheng’s victory, the transaction volume for the same racquet on Wilson’s official store on the platform skyrocketed by more than 2,000 per cent year on year.
The trend shows how the world’s largest multisports event has boosted consumption in the world’s second-largest economy, despite a weak macroeconomic environment.
