9 Trends in the Youth Sports Industry

The youth sports industry continues to grow steadily despite the overall macroeconomic recovery has not been as strong as expected. Though the industry has been impacted by the pandemic for three years, it has entered a new phase that has not been seen in the past.
 
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the current size of the youth physical education industry is 179.5 billion RMB. However, considering the total number of 220 million school-age children in China, there is still potential for growth. In response, the government has put in place policies such as the "integration of sports and education". The industry has a bright future with the strong support from the government and a strong population base.
 
9 trends to look ahead:
1. From “Pass By” to “Retention”: In the past, institutions focused solely on sales, and quickly lost customers. To retain existing customers, they must prioritize the delivery of educational services and fine-tune their operations.
2. “Core competence first, scale later”: The expansion of youth sports education and training institutions is largely due to increased venue availability. Establishing "replicable standards" in products, standard operating procedures, talents and digital systems is crucial. These four dimensions must be continuously empowered by the headquarters' middle platform and supervision.
3. Better “value for money”: Providing cost-effective courses and events will be the core competitiveness.
4. The types of “products” offered by the industry are far from sufficient: Most institutions only offer "sports training courses," but involving children in sports games can help them develop enthusiasm for a particular sport. This can significantly increase user engagement.
5. “Modesty at the center, bloom at the edges”: It offers opportunities not only in premium market/ first- and second-tier cities but also in mainstream market (more price-sensitive consumers).
6. Value selling will be the norm in the future: The reason customers pay is because of the value they receive, not because it's cheap.
7. From "learning" to "loving": The product is designed to achieve the goal of moving young people from "learning" to "loving" of a particular sport. "Love" not only improves young generation’s physical, mental and emotional health, but also generates profits for sports training institutions.
8. What matters is not “talent” but “talent team”: Those education service institutions with its core on sports, heavily relies on talent. Building a strong talent pool should be a priority in recruiting.
9. “Online marketing and AIGC”: Apps such as Meituan-Dianping, TikTok, RED or other private domains, have become the main channels for many institutions to attract customers. In addition, some institutions have started to use the large models of AIGC to improve operational work such as course evaluation, customer service feedback, and activity plans.