|
▶ Video account attention cross-border navigation I have heard cross-border sellers say: The road to e-commerce is long, and product selection accounts for half of it. This shows the importance of product selection in cross-border e-commerce operations. Faced with a multitude of complex product categories, it is no surprise that clothing categories with high profit margins and low barriers to entry have attracted an endless stream of sellers to join the market. Among them, the most eye-catching is the wedding dress category, which once dominated the cross-border market with its advantages of high quality and low prices. Back to 2013, Lazada , which started out as a wedding dress company , had been making great strides in its cross-border business and was successfully listed, which excited many cross-border export sellers of wedding dresses and ushered in a big boom in the market. But after 2014, perhaps following the law of everything that rises must fall, due to problems such as lack of innovation and uneven quality, cross-border exports of wedding dresses gradually fell from grace. Even the pioneer Lazada changed direction in this major reshuffle. However, things change unpredictably. As time comes to 2022, various data show that the overseas wedding dress market seems to be turning around again. According to the China Business Times, in the first quarter of this year, under the pressure of "outflow" of orders from foreign trade enterprises, the growth rate of China's clothing exports slowed down, but the export of wedding and social clothing such as wedding dresses and suits showed a counter-trend growth. According to Chaozhou Customs data, Chaozhou's wedding dress exports in the first quarter of this year reached 180 million yuan, an increase of more than 116% year-on-year . Relaxation of overseas epidemic control boosts the growth of wedding dress market With the rapid economic growth, the wedding industry in China has become a new and promising industry. Among them, wedding dresses are undoubtedly the largest wedding industry project in China. Various data show that China is the world's largest exporter of wedding dresses, and nearly 90% of the world's wedding dresses are produced in China. Currently, with the relaxation of epidemic control, the number of overseas weddings has risen again. In 2022, 2.5 million couples will be married in the United States, setting a record high since 1984. In the same year, France is also expected to hold about 250,000 weddings, more than 200,000 in previous years. The relaxation of epidemic control and the rising number of overseas weddings have brought a significant boost to the wedding dress market. In April this year, CCTV Finance reported that with the increase in weddings held in various countries, many Chinese export companies have already scheduled orders until August and September. Relevant suppliers also said that the number of wedding dress orders has skyrocketed and has been scheduled until 2023. Research and Markets predicts that the global wedding dress market will be worth about $ 61.1 billion in 2022 , growing at a compound annual growth rate of 3.9%, and is expected to reach $ 69.9 billion in 2026. The size and growth rate of wedding dress markets in various countries are also considerable: - The United States is still the largest wedding dress market, accounting for 44.16% of the global market. If inflation continues, the US wedding dress market will reach approximately $27 billion in 2022.
- The Chinese wedding dress market is expected to reach US$6.8 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.8%.
- In Europe , Germany is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 3.7%, and the rest of the market will reach $1.9 billion in 2026.
- Other notable ones include Japan and Canada , which are expected to grow by 3% and 3.6% respectively between 2022 and 2026.
From the above, it can be seen that there is still room for growth in the global wedding dress market in the future. For cross-border sellers, if they want to seize this market opportunity, in addition to avoiding product problems such as lack of innovation and infringement risks, it is also necessary to pay attention to the trends in the wedding dress market . Generation Z becomes the main force, new changes in wedding dress consumption trends Statistics show that Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2000) now accounts for one-third of the world's population. At present, Generation Z, who are at the right age for marriage, have become not only the main force in marriage, but also the main force in the global consumer market. It is worth noting that with the change of people's dressing concepts and the emergence of Generation Z as a large force in the consumer market, new consumption trends have emerged in the wedding dress market. Personalized, Chinese style As Generation Z, whose trendsetters are novelty and fun, enter the consumer market, personalized customization has become a new consumer trend in the wedding dress market, and the design and sales of wedding dresses have become a hot spot pursued by many companies. Data shows that in the fourth quarter of 2021, searches for personalized wedding dresses on Etsy increased by 47% , and searches for customized wedding gifts increased by 170% . In addition, according to the China Business Times, wedding dresses, as traditional Western clothing, have created new sparks after years of integration with domestic production and design. At present, the "Chinese style" has gradually been integrated into wedding dress design, and traditional crafts such as "cheongsam collar" and "bead embroidery" have also become popular in overseas wedding dress design. Various data also show that after 30 years of rapid growth, China's wedding dress industry is facing an important period of transformation and upgrading and has entered an era of brand competition. Sustainable and e-commerce According to Pinterest's search analysis of 430 million users, influenced by the concept of sustainable development, American consumers of Generation Z are beginning to advocate environmental protection and frugality when holding weddings . Data shows that since 2022, searches for "thrifty weddings" on Pinterest have tripled, and searches for "second-hand wedding dresses" have doubled. Second-hand resale giant Poshmark also said that consumer demand for second-hand wedding dresses has reached an all-time high, especially wedding dresses priced at $500 , which are more popular among brides. At the same time, considering the rising costs, in addition to buying second-hand wedding dresses, overseas consumers have also turned their attention to the online e-commerce market where sales prices are more affordable. Data shows that in April this year, sales of Amazon's wedding dress category increased by 18% year-on-year. Among them, Amazon's well-known wedding dress brand WaterDress's revenue this year increased by 176% year-on-year , and Clothfun's revenue increased by 105% year-on-year . Plus-size wedding dresses, inclusive needs With the awakening of women's self-awareness, consumers of Generation Z are no longer confined to the traditional aesthetic of "paper people". The call for freedom of clothing is getting louder and louder, and the plus-size women's clothing market has ushered in spring. At the same time, plus-size wedding dresses have also received attention from the market. Luxury bridal shoe designer Charlotte Mills mentioned: The way the bridal industry works is that bridal boutiques only buy samples of one or two gowns, which makes their sizing very limited. In this regard, McReynolds, vice president of David's Bridal, one of the largest bridal boutique chains in the United States, believes that the bridal industry should be more inclusive so that any bride can feel confident and represented in a store. At a time when demand for plus-size women's clothing is strong, the market segment of plus-size wedding dresses, which can meet the core demands of consumers, is bound to become one of the vertical tracks that clothing sellers should consider in the future. According to an Etsy survey, bright and colorful weddings are becoming the main trend in 2022. This year, more designers have emerged who use colorful fabrics to make wedding dresses, such as wedding dress brands Andrew Kwon, Francesca Avila and Watters. Blue wedding dresses or blue decorations will be the new fashion trend in 2022. Removable sleeves are also a new selling point, and bows will become bigger and bigger. Metallic wedding dresses, fringe and disco elements popular in the 70s and 80s, as well as sequins paired with plunging necklines and sexy satin slips are making a comeback. Europe and the United States: In 2022, the simple style of "tulle" is popular among brides. Transparent tulle and lace, soft satin and chiffon wedding dresses have replaced the ivory white wedding dresses of the past. Russia: brides tend to choose long-tailed mermaid wedding dresses with lace and sequins. Retro and exquisite bohemian wedding dresses are also popular with brides because of their retro drapery at the bottom, one-shoulder and V-neck design. Middle East: brides prefer "heavy-duty" and complex wedding dresses, that is, wedding dresses with many gorgeous decorations. It is learned that in general, the peak wedding season in the United States is during the transition between spring and summer (May-June) and the transition between summer and autumn (September-October), when the weather is pleasant and cool. Therefore, the demand for this category will start to heat up in April and reach its peak in June. eBay also stated that the next wedding season from summer to autumn will trigger a new wave of wedding supplies shopping. As the main market for the bridal industry, the peak wedding season in the United States is undoubtedly the peak sales season that bridal dress sellers are eagerly looking forward to. It is learned that the Met Gala red carpet has led the new trend of wedding dresses in 2022. Analysis of Google search data shows that a few hours after American TV celebrity Kylie Jenner appeared at the Met Gala wearing an Off-White dress, online searches for Off-White wedding dresses soared by 733% . The gown was inspired by the late Virgil Abloh’s AW22 collection and featured a tiered ruffled skirt and mesh bodice. The veil, combined with a baseball cap, also led to a 655% increase in searches for wedding veils. According to data from Google Trends and Pinterest, celebrity brides are leading wedding search trends and will bring in a lot of traffic. At present, under the background of consumption upgrading, consumers of Generation Z pay more attention to spiritual needs, and the sense of ritual and emotional expression are increasingly valued. Personal consumption of wedding dresses is in its early stages, and the market growth potential is still huge. But for now, China's wedding dress exports still face problems such as fierce competition, uneven quality, high return rate and low recognition. As Tian Haolin, the founder of Suzhou Paypal, said: After the exponential growth from 2012 to 2014, the wedding dress industry is now in a bottleneck period . If you can break through the bottleneck, you can continue to rise, but if you can't break through, you can only decline and transform. Lanting also took the path of multi-category when the industry peaked at the end of 2014, and no longer focused on wedding dresses. Therefore, if cross-border sellers want to seize this opportunity and successfully expand overseas, in addition to paying attention to the trends mentioned in the article, establishing brand awareness and enhancing industry competitiveness are important hubs for standing firm in this market. |
