Gather The Brand, Cultivate Hundreds Of Billions Of Putian Shoes Industry And Start Again

Following the approval and registration of the collective trademark "Putian Shoes", Putian City, Fujian Province, was recently awarded the title of "China's Shoe Capital" by the China Light Industry Federation and the China Leather Association. According to the industry evaluation, the cultivation, transformation and upgrading of the cohesive force brand marks the start of Putian shoe industry with an output value of 100 billion yuan (RMB, the same below).

Putian shoe enterprises realize personalized customization through rapid proofing lines. Photographed by Li Nanxuan

The footwear industry is the largest industry in Putian City. There are more than 4200 footwear and clothing enterprises, carrying more than 500000 jobs. In 2022, the scale output value of the footwear industry will be 120.74 billion yuan, accounting for 1/3 of Fujian Province and nearly 10% of the country. Although Putian shoes has a complete and mature industrial chain with sufficient production capacity and technical advantages, the lack of independent brands is still the main dilemma. In particular, affected by the rising comprehensive costs, the complex and volatile international trade environment and other factors, Putian Shoes' weakness of lacking brand competitiveness is becoming increasingly prominent.

In 2021, the epidemic hit Putian's shoe industry OEM hard. Putian's shoe enterprises, which rely heavily on OEM exports, faced a dilemma of getting in and out of the market. The loss of orders was serious, and many factories were forced to shut down; In terms of domestic sales, Putian shoes lacking brands are difficult to find accurate positioning in the market, even if they have high quality and appropriate prices and lack the support of brand power.

Since the 1980s, Putian has been OEM for international famous brands, and many international brands have gone global from Putian. At the same time, the lower manufacturing cost and excellent quality technology make "Putian shoes" quickly become the synonym of "high imitation shoes".

In recent years, Putian has been working hard to justify the name of "Putian Shoes" by cracking down on counterfeit and infringing shoes and clothing. In recent years, the Market Supervision Bureau of Putian City has included the transportation and mailing of infringing shoes and clothing into the category of intentional infringement of others' trademarks; China Post, Shunfeng and other express industries are cautious about "accepting shoes" unless the mailer can prove that "shoes are genuine"; Putian police created the "six dozen" working method of manufacturing and selling fake shoes to continuously curb the chaos of manufacturing and selling fake shoes.

The collective trademark of Putian Footwear declared by Putian Footwear Association was approved and registered in early 2022. The graphic "P" rose up and "T" extended upward, which not only reflects the characteristics of shoes, but also implies the determination and confidence of Putian Footwear Industry to cultivate, transform and upgrade its cohesive brand. Although there are more than 4200 shoe enterprises, only 21 of the first authorized shoe enterprises in Putian. Chen Wenbiao, president of Putian Footwear Association, pointed out that the collective trademark of Putian Footwear Industry has brought transformation signals to local shoe enterprises. Only enterprises with independent brands and up to standard product materials, prices, etc. can use the collective logo.

Focusing on market segmentation has become the driving force for Putian shoes to expand its own brand matrix. The market share of Putian Amusement Running Shoes reached the first in single category, and Yongsheng Shoes, shoes and shoemaking products entered the procurement system of construction central enterprises.

The reporter recently saw in the customized shoe store of Putian Shuangchi Industry Co., Ltd. that customers only need to stand on the foot type measuring instrument, and a detailed foot type report will be issued in a few seconds. According to the foot size, walking habits and other collected data, the system will generate personal customized shoe templates, and customers can choose their own styles and colors. In the store workshop, the integrated assembly line can directly carry out personalized customization, and the "fresh" shoes can be packed and taken away as soon as more than an hour.

Gu Weiming, general manager of innovation project of Shuangchi Technology Co., Ltd., said that the customized factory has a daily peak capacity of 2400 pairs of sneakers, and hundreds of orders are sent from the factory to consumers everywhere every day. At present, Shuangchi is actively iterating on the development of handheld acquisition and analyzer, mobile measurement service vehicle, AI shoe upper pattern customization mall and other system equipment to enhance the channel capacity of foot data detection services nationwide and the supply chain capacity of "double customization, 7-day delivery".

"Children are in the stage of growth and development, and the shoes on the market may not fit comfortably; middle-aged and elderly people have low physical tolerance, and they are more comfortable." Gu Weiming pointed out that new brands need to find another way to break out of the tight encirclement. Children and middle-aged and elderly people account for about 25% of the market, with large market space and high repurchase rate. This year, we will recruit partners nationwide, and the first phase plan is to expand to about 50.

Putian shoe enterprises also accelerated the merger and acquisition of international well-known brands, and took advantage of mergers and acquisitions to take a new path of brand cultivation. It is reported that Xinxiesheng Shoes has acquired the British Norman Walsh brand.

To promote high-quality development, brand building is both a "carrier" and a "booster", playing an increasingly important role. Chen Wenbiao told reporters that in the face of the complex domestic and international situation, Putian's shoe industry should rely on the huge market scale advantage and domestic demand potential, make every effort to promote brand creation, improve quality, increase varieties, and develop new brands in the subdivided fields to seize the market. "Only by truly creating a brand can we achieve higher profits, have more voice and greater ability to fight against risks, and go further." (Reporter Long Min)

(Source: China News Network)