Year flies by in an instant and it was time to visit Shanghai again.
Biggest business impression about this fair this time around:
For me it is a really nice experience because I need no visa, have a direct flight to Shanghai and German made Maglev train takes me from the airport to my hotel and the fair in 8 minutes. We need to have that here, it’s an experience.
Ease of getting there is next level these days and to up the game there are so many amazing restaurants within the walking range around the fair which makes it so easy to do business there. Entrance is free and registration is extra fast. So the game of fairs has been taken to the next level and #Eurobike should study this and keep up if it wants to remain relevant.
Second interesting thing was that all days were public as well. Why is this interesting? It kept the fair full all of the time so everyone had a feeling that it was a huge success. The public people were mostly located around big brands promoting there so it was actually not a problem to do business. This allowed big brands to promote themselves not only to public but to their online audience through various TikTok and WeChat influencers being there at the sport and promoting the bikes actively. A very good synergy where online audience could see the crowds at the stands, new products, features and exclusive content. A marketing system we should think about using and bring back the big brands to the shows here as well because we miss them 🙂
Third interesting take was the teaming up of European brands with Chinese companies for distribution in China. Most visible was #Woom and #RoyalBaby exhibiting on the same booth, competitors yet somehow they found interest to work together. Then I saw #Rotor on #WheelTop booth being promoted very heavily. There were also other brands from Europe, independently or through a distributor, being represented there like #Ursus #Sapim #Buschel etc. So a good trend of two way cooperation increasing a bit.
Fourth thing I was amazed by is how big road cycling has become in China. There were so many road bikes on every booth it was eye candy for me. Almost all big brands were there and so many new ones I don’t know but with nice bikes. For me the most interesting was #VanRysel where I saw huge crowds and very strong promotion of their entire range. My guess is that China’s great infrastructure allows the road bike riders to ride on good roads and safely. This bike segment popularity should last longer than fixie and fat bike trends we saw in the past. Also thanks to this trend component makers like #LTwoo #Sensah #SRide #WheelTop started to make very nice components for these bikes. I tried some of them and they seem quite nice.
Fifth impression was that aside from usual visitors from South America, East Europe and Russia there was more than usual West and Central European people visiting. This might be biased opinion because I walked with my bike industry veteran colleague Simon C. Smith who knows so many people but that is the impression I got.
Sixth impression was that e-bike segment and halls didn’t show too much this time around. I had kind of a sad feeling when I was in the e-bike halls with some doing better than others. #Bafang had the nicest booth, #Ananda was big there, #Dapu was completely empty similar to others. It was interesting to see the new player #Gobao present on #Aventon bikes and very high end carbon frame #Quick MTB’s. I did a test ride outside and was impressed by the performance. Sadly they didn’t have any booth there. So mixed feelings on e-bike component part of the show, seems that they are still struggling.
Seventh impression is my attendance of one dinner where I was the only non Chinese guy. I saw Chinese bike industry company and personal relationships first hand. They act as one and as a family. This kind of relationships I am always trying to highlight and have here in Europe’s bike industry. We need to have more trust in each other and act as a family to prosper.
Now, the question we all want to have an answer to: Were there signs of recovery ?
I would say still No.
Chinese traders are reporting higher order volumes than last year to me with lead times increasing these days. Some people translate this as a sign of recovery but if you dig deeper we are still diving in overstocks of products which are not so sellable. The best bikes/products in our overstocks sold first and we are left with not so attractive ones. So to sell them we need to order parts for the good sellable models and produce them.
Take a moment to analyze this claim.
The capacities in China were cut down during the last two years similar to the ones here. Because of that even small number of orders will cause the lead times to get longer before the capacity builds up again. Even more difficult if they receive small series orders which kills the efficiency.
What we all need to do now is be very careful about our planning for season 2025 production. Important thing is to be proactive and aware of the capacities both from your suppliers and your own.
Looking forward to see what #Eurobike will bring in July.
Be sure to come to hall 12 so we see each other !
