Swimwear has become a new trend in cross-border e-commerce, and what are some popular trends worth paying attention to?

PART 01: Global Swimwear Market Development Trends

With the arrival of the holiday season, the "seaside/beach economy" is experiencing a sales boom, with swimwear performing particularly well. In May 2022, Amazon's search volume for swimwear products on the US website exceeded 800000, an increase of over 81% compared to April.

According to Euromonitor International, the global swimwear market size exceeded $16 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to $21.4 billion by 2025.

Statista data shows that the global swimwear market size will increase to around $29.1 billion by 2025, indicating a more optimistic forecast for the swimwear market.

According to research data from kbv research, the compound annual growth rate of the swimwear market in North America (including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other regions) will reach 4.9% between 2019 and 2025; The United States is the world's largest market for swimwear and beachwear.

PART 02: The swimwear market is more inclusive and diverse

1. The 'beach figure' is gradually weakening

With the transformation of consumer awareness, "beach figure" is no longer sought after because consumers understand that it is people who wear clothes, not clothes that wear people. The diversification of aesthetic demands has driven sellers to add large-sized models to showcase the freedom of swimwear size, which has invisibly driven the development of swimwear markets around the world.

2. The aesthetic appeal of swimwear is open and diverse

After the epidemic, consumers' demand for vacation has shifted from tourism and leisure to seeking new experiences. Consumers have become more bold in choosing swimsuits and are more willing to try new styles and patterns. Some consumers have also expressed their hope that swimsuits can become clothing that can be worn on the streets. Therefore, the diversification of swimwear and scenes has become a bargaining chip for the swimwear race.

Part 03: Inventory of Popular Trends in Swimwear Category

According to the summary of market trends in 2021, American female consumers prefer bikinis and split swimwear, and are also willing to try some innovative designs such as fashionable printed swimwear with leopard prints and flowers, as well as unique designs such as asymmetric designs, ruffles, and bubble sleeves.

In the male consumer market in the United States, camouflage, navy style, and Hawaiian style swim trunks are more popular, while flat angle, low rise, and long swim trunks are highly competitive in the market.

Emerging categories such as children's swimwear and family swimwear sets also have great potential for sales in the swimwear market. Cross border sellers can select products or develop products for specific market segments.

According to the Technavio report, the popular trends in swimwear in 2022 focus on the following three points:

1. Long sleeved swimsuits are highly popular among consumers

Summer sunshine is very strong, and prolonged exposure to the skin may lead to problems such as sunburn, sunburn, and rash. Therefore, to protect skin health, long sleeved swimsuits are popular among consumers because they can block direct sunlight exposure.

2. High demand for innovative intelligent swimsuits in the market

The high attention paid by consumers to skin health has led to the development and promotion of innovative intelligent swimsuits that can protect consumers from UV damage.

3. Comfortable fabrics are an important factor in purchasing

In the US market, consumers consider the comfort of the fabric as an important factor when choosing swimsuits.

Part 04: Chinese swimwear dominates the cross-border e-commerce market

China is a major global swimwear production country with three famous swimwear production bases, namely Xingcheng in Liaoning, Jinjiang in Fujian, and Yiwu in Zhejiang. It produces 420 million swimwear annually and employs nearly 200000 people. With its high-quality products and mature industrial chain, China's swimwear is highly popular in the international market. According to WWD reports, 70% of global swimwear production comes from China, ranking first in market share among various platforms, with exports concentrated in Europe and America.

As the top player of Chinese swimwear brands going global, CUPSHE is highly favored by American and even global consumers. Its DTC website has a monthly visit of 1 million times and became the most downloaded swimwear shopping app in the United States in 2021. The successful launch of the CUPSHE brand not only relies on its strong comprehensive strength, but also on DTC marketing and strong content strategy. Through efficient operation and maintenance of social media, it continues to accumulate high-quality potential users, with 70% of its sales coming from independent websites. According to Similarweb data, 5.91% of CUPSHE's official website traffic comes from social media, with Facebook accounting for 51.03%, while YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram account for 34.33%, 7.46%, and 2.94%, respectively. This shows that, Facebook is the main battlefield for CUPSHE to layout social media marketing.

Brands that have achieved great success overseas have certain commonalities in their development strategies, such as focusing on enhancing brand power expression and optimizing the supply chain's ability to respond to popular trends.

When positioning the brand or market, we will identify segmented needs and optimize products and services based on the actual situation of the local market; At the same time, we will also focus on the layout of social media platforms and establish closer connections with overseas consumers.

For Chinese brands currently planning their overseas business, referring to the successful experience of "predecessors" and standing on the shoulders of "giants" can lead to a faster and more stable journey to the sea.