As the market wanes and pain points become more pronounced, every player in the mother and baby industry is seeking an opportunity to reverse the trend. This is especially true in the children’s outdoor clothing market,
where children’s outdoor clothing trends are becoming increasingly critical to brand success.

To precisely identify the most recent developments in the mother and baby sector and clarify category opportunities, CBME Insight and Chan Mo Fang launched a new series. The series is called Interpretation of Maternal and Baby Industry Data. It selects high-potential categories in the industry every month, offering data-driven, visual insights as decision-making tools for both brands and distribution channels.

In this first issue, the focus is on the children’s outdoor clothing category, particularly the surge in high-performance outdoor wear for kids. The following article will elaborate on the specific data and analysis in detail.

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The core segment of children’s outdoor clothing

Year-on-year sales growth reached 227.06%, with noticeable seasonal fluctuations in sales revenue.

In 2023, the children’s outdoor clothing segment experienced robust growth. Chan Mo Fang reports that annual sales in this category neared 2.5 billion yuan, marking a substantial increase of 227.06% compared to 2022. This reflects rising demand for high-performance outdoor wear for kids among modern parents.

A noteworthy observation: The sales of children’s outdoor clothing exhibit a strong seasonality pattern. Data indicates that during March to May and August to October each year, there is a significant surge in sales. In contrast, the sales figures dip into negative territory in the periods preceding and following these two peak seasons. These patterns are shaping new children’s outdoor clothing trends that brands must watch closely.

In terms of item count, throughout 2023, the monthly item count of children’s outdoor clothing showed an overall upward trend. In January 2023, the value was nearly 4,000, and in December 2023, the value was over 14,000, an increase of over 280%.

In addition, the average transaction price for kids outdoor clothing was at $54.14 for the entire year of 2023, reinforcing the market’s focus on durable, high-performance outdoor wear for kids.

Which items sell well?

The sales revenue for children’s waterproof jackets is the highest, while the market size for products featuring fleece lining is the largest. Both are key examples of high-performance outdoor wear for kids that meet seasonal and functional demands.

By category, in 2023, children’s rushing clothes have the highest sales, with more than 500 million yuan in sales, accounting for nearly 30% of sales, followed by children’s skinsuits/sunsuits, children’s fleece jackets, and children’s quick-drying pants.

In terms of selling points, according to the order of market size, goods containing “padded” selling points had the largest market size in 2023, with sales close to 300 million yuan and a year-on-year growth rate of 122.17%; followed by “breathable”, with a market size of more than 260 million yuan in 2023 and a year-on-year growth rate of over 419%; and “leisure”, ranking third with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 565%. These attributes reflect ongoing children’s outdoor clothing trends, where comfort and function dominate consumer preferences.

It is worth noting that among the Top 10 selling points, the keyword “loose” had the fastest year-on-year growth rate of over 854%, followed by the keyword “thin”, suggesting parents are increasingly interested in lightweight yet high-performance outdoor wear for kids.

Price band distribution, 10-50 yuan products, sales accounted for the highest, nearly 60%, followed by the price band in the 50-100 yuan products, accounting for 27.94%.

Which brands win the hearts and minds of the people?

The brand BOBDOGHOUSE boasts the highest sales revenue across its categories, while the growth rate of BANANA UNDER has been the most robust year-on-year, fueled by their offerings in high-performance outdoor wear for kids.

Cicada Magic shows that, in order of category sales, BOBDOGHOUSE had the highest category sales for the whole year of 2023, followed by Turbo Kids, moodytiger, BANANA UNDER, SNOOPY, Hush Puppies, Disney, and so on.

It is worth noting that among the Top 10 brands in terms of category sales, BANANA UNDER had the strongest year-on-year change in sales growth rate of 113,315.55%, followed by BOBDOGHOUSE, with a year-on-year sales growth rate of 9,900.31%. These brands successfully adapted to evolving children’s outdoor clothing trends, offering both style and substance.

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What should brands do?

Live streaming contributes significantly to the main sales revenue.

In 2023, live broadcasting became the main source of children’s outdoor clothing sales, contributing sales between 1 billion and 2.5 billion yuan, accounting for 79.2%; followed by merchandise cards, contributing sales of 250 million to 500 million yuan, accounting for 13.36%.

On the distribution of Jitterbug’s carry channel, the sales contributed by Darren’s cooperative number was the highest in 2023, reaching 500 million-750 million yuan, accounting for 43.65%, followed by merchant’s self-owned number and brand’s self-owned number, and the latter two accounted for nearly the same proportion.

In addition, the share of these three carry channels is basically the same as the distribution of the share in 2022.

Where are the target users?

Consumers in Guangdong Province exhibit the strongest purchasing intent, with the age group of 31-40 becoming the primary force driving consumption.

In 2023, the geographical distribution of the TOP15 is topped by consumers in Guangdong with 13.65%, followed by Henan, Shandong, Hunan and Jiangsu provinces.

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In the distribution of age groups, people aged 31-40 years old are the main consumers, accounting for 49.25%, followed by consumers aged 24-30 years old, accounting for 32.25%.