Insights into the Segmented Markets of Professional Underwear

In the current trend of the era that emphasizes both fashion and health, underwear, as the closest clothing to people's skin, is becoming increasingly important. The segmented market of professional underwear is developing vigorously, continuously meeting the increasingly diverse needs of consumers. From the pursuit of ultimate comfort to the emphasis on fashionable design, from highlighting functionality to focusing on environmentally friendly materials, this segmented market is undergoing a profound transformation.

(I) Women's Underwear Market

The consumption demand in the women's underwear market is strong. With the change of consumption concepts and the improvement of living standards, women's demands for underwear are no longer limited to functionality, but pay more attention to quality, fashion and personalization. In 2023, the consumption demand for women's underwear in China was further released, and the market scale is expected to exceed 170 billion yuan.

In terms of the brand landscape, enterprises in China's women's underwear industry can be divided into traditional women's underwear brands that focus on the R & D and production of women's underwear products, emerging women's underwear brands and lifestyle brands according to their business models. Traditional brands are mainly listed groups, with rich product matrices and dense offline stores; emerging brands are mostly start-up brands that have emerged on the Internet in recent years. While harvesting traffic on online platforms, they are also gradually developing towards multi-category and multi-channel directions.

From the perspective of regional strategic positioning, the eastern coastal areas are economically developed with strong consumption capabilities and are the main battlefields for the competition of women's underwear brands. The market potential in the central and western regions needs to be further explored.

In terms of new trends, the women's underwear market presents characteristics such as the rise of size-free underwear, increased market opportunities under the trend of consumption upgrading, product upgrading driven by technological innovation, and sustainable development under the concept of green environmental protection. The concept of size-free bras has grown rapidly in the past two years, and the two brands with the best sales performance under the size-free concept are U and Neiwai, both of which are new underwear brands that mainly focus on online sales channels.

(II) Men's Underwear Market

The development situation of the men's underwear market is good. With consumers' pursuit of comfort and fashion, the market scale continues to grow. The consumption characteristics are that consumers' demands are gradually diversifying. They not only require comfort, but also pay attention to styles, materials and brands. In terms of purchasing behavior, online channels have become the main way for consumers to purchase men's underwear, and the influence of social media and the internet celebrity effect is also increasing.

In terms of the brand landscape, the current men's underwear market presents a pattern of multi-brand competition. Both domestic and foreign brands are involved, but the market share distribution is uneven, and no brand has yet formed an absolute leading position. International brands such as CK, Calvin Klein, Under Armour, etc. have certain advantages in the high-end market, while domestic brands such as Three Guns, Hongdou, Nanji Ren, etc. occupy a larger share in the middle and low-end markets.

In terms of brand building strategies, men's underwear enterprises should focus on product differentiation, creating unique products through innovative design, material selection and special functions. At the same time, they should strengthen the brand image, improve brand awareness and reputation, and expand the market share through precise marketing and diversified channels. In addition, they should also pay attention to supply chain management and cost optimization, and improve the competitiveness and profitability of enterprises through refined management.

(III) Thermal Underwear Market

Looking back on the development process of the thermal underwear market, from being thick and airtight at the beginning to being light and warm now, it has gone through stages such as the technology war, price war and advertising war. Consumers' demands mainly focus on warmth retention, comfort and wearability. In terms of the brand landscape, traditional thermal underwear giants such as Yu Zhaolin, Nanji Ren, Beijirong, etc. once occupied important positions in the market. Now, with the rise of brands such as Uniqlo and Bananain, the market competition is more intense.

The development measures include focusing on product iteration to match the increasingly improved consumption capabilities of the population; attempting to conduct "product replacement" education to increase the consumption volume of thermal underwear categories; when launching products in the key marketing price range, paying special attention to people aged 18 - 24 and over 50. At the same time, it is necessary to enhance the technological attributes of products, create a differentiated perception, utilize the star effect to strengthen brand influence, conduct more extensive scene expansion, strengthen scene guidance, and attempt to conduct multi-scene cross-category wearing education for products.

(IV) Knitted Underwear Market

The development situation of the knitted underwear market is good, and the market scale is increasing year by year. Its industry status occupies an important part in the clothing industry, especially in the women's market. In terms of policy dynamics, the government has introduced a series of policies to promote consumption upgrading, providing a good policy environment for the development of the knitted underwear industry. It encourages enterprises to carry out the sales mode of integrating online and offline to promote the digital transformation of the knitted underwear industry.

The main existing problems include the risks of technological update, market demand, competition and talent loss. Enterprises need to continuously update technologies and products to meet market demands, strengthen channel construction and integration, improve market coverage, and at the same time pay attention to talent cultivation and introduction to prevent talent loss.

(V) Pajama Market

The development situation of the pajama market is good. With the improvement of people's living standards and the change of consumption concepts, the demand for pajamas is also increasing continuously. The characteristics are manifested in the emphasis on comfort, fashion sense and personalization. In terms of brand analysis, there are numerous domestic and foreign brands, and the competition is fierce. Brands should focus on product innovation and differential design to meet the needs of different consumers. At the same time, they should strengthen the brand image, improve brand awareness and reputation, and expand the market share through precise marketing and diversified channels.

(VI) Homewear Market

The general development situation of the homewear industry is good. With the improvement of living quality and the increase of home-staying time, the market scale of homewear continues to expand. In terms of the market landscape, the brand concentration is gradually increasing. Leading brands such as Hongdou Homewear, Nanji Ren, Langsha, etc. occupy a larger market share by virtue of their brand influence, product quality and sales channel advantages.

The demand points mainly include comfortable fabrics, various styles and convenient movement, which can meet the diverse needs of different consumers. The existing problems include the rise in raw material prices, the increase in labor costs, international trade frictions and changes in consumer demands.

The breakthrough paths for brands include strengthening brand construction, improving brand image and value; improving independent innovation ability, strengthening technical cooperation and exchange, improving product quality; optimizing supply chain management, improving inventory management level, enhancing supply chain efficiency, strengthening cooperation with suppliers; expanding international market, understanding international market demands, strengthening international cooperation and exchange, and improving international operation ability.

• Xiamen Unitex Trade CO.,LTD.
• Website: www.unitexunderwear.com
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Tel: 0086-186 5081 3853