"Without Yiwu, Santa Claus may lose his job!"

As the world's largest Christmas supplies distribution center, Yiwu exports more than 20,000 kinds of Christmas supplies to more than 100 countries and regions every year, accounting for nearly 80% of the global Christmas supplies market.

Yiwu Customs data show that in 2023, Yiwu Christmas supplies exports reached 4.67 billion yuan, an increase of 17.6%.

From January to August 2024, Yiwu's Christmas supplies exports reached 3.35 billion yuan, up 2.9% year-on-year.

Figure source: Yiwu Index

01 Christmas industry gathers in Yiwu, propping up the global Christmas dream

The Christmas supplies industry in Yiwu market started in the early 21st century. After more than 20 years of development, there are about 800 market operators, including about 500 in International Trade City, about 80 in Futian Professional Street, and about 200 in other markets in Yiwu. The business mode of relevant merchants is mainly factory production, distribution and wholesale.

From the main categories, Christmas pendants, Christmas lamps and Christmas wreaths accounted for nearly half of the business. According to the Yiwu Index classification system, Christmas supplies include 15 categories: Christmas dress, Christmas top hat, Santa Claus, Christmas gift box, Christmas socks, Christmas snowman, Christmas pendants, Christmas wreaths, Christmas lamps, Christmas stickers, Christmas shoes, Christmas trees, Christmas balls, Christmas snowflakes and other Christmas supplies. All categories, tens of thousands of Christmas supplies in Yiwu market everything.

 

Data source: Yiwu Index

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www.ywindex.com

Where to celebrate Christmas, Yiwu's products are exported to where

"At present, Yiwu market occupies an absolutely dominant position in the Christmas supplies industry, nearly 80% of the world's Christmas supplies come from Yiwu market, of which South American countries, Russia and the United States are the main markets for Yiwu Christmas supplies exports, especially South American countries," said CAI Qinliang, vice president of Yiwu Christmas Supplies Industry Association.

According to the analysis of export country data of "Yiwu Index", the export of Brazil market accounts for the largest proportion, accounting for 12% of Yiwu Christmas supplies business; Russia came in second with 10%; The United States ranked third, with 7 percent.

Data source: Yiwu Index

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www.ywindex.com

According to the visit, the overall performance of Yiwu Christmas supplies exports in different countries and regions is different.

In Latin America, thanks to the huge population base and cultural atmosphere, the export volume of Yiwu Christmas supplies has increased significantly in 2024. Relevant merchants said, "This year, the sales of the entire South American region increased by about 20% year-on-year, such as Brazil, Argentina's order growth is particularly obvious, each order is basically thousands, tens of thousands of pieces of goods."

In Southeast Asia, countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, due to steady population growth and the increasing popularity of Christmas culture, have promoted the demand for Christmas supplies.

In North America, the United States is an important market for Yiwu's Christmas supplies exports. Affected by Sino-US trade frictions, a large number of Christmas supplies produced in Yiwu entered the US and Canadian markets through Mexico and other Latin American countries.

In Europe, Spain and Italy are important markets for Yiwu's Christmas supplies exports to Europe. With the introduction of new environmental protection standards by the European Union, Yiwu market keeps up with the pace to meet the new needs of European buyers, and Yiwu's export orders to Germany, France and other countries have increased significantly this year.

In addition to Christmas trees, Christmas hats, Christmas gift boxes and other essential Christmas supplies, customer procurement preferences vary in different regions.

Southeast Asia's Christmas supplies market favors small decorations, ornaments with Christmas elements, such as reindeer antlers, hair bands, headbands, etc., are very popular in Vietnam, Thailand and other places.

"Interactive products" are gaining popularity in North America this year. Santa Claus toys that integrate electric, optical fiber and sound effects are more popular with North American consumers because of their excellent quality, environmental protection and energy saving, and their sales have increased significantly.

Plain decorations, lighting and other goods are highly respected in the European market. "European customers like simple and natural Christmas trees, so we can decorate green cedar trees with snow and ornaments with gold and silver bells," said a market manager.

Yiwu International Trade City District 1 merchants operated Christmas pendants Source: Yiwu Index

This year's shipping season is "earlier, more prosperous and longer" than in previous years.

According to Yiwu Index monitoring, since 2021, the Christmas supplies prosperity index has increased year by year, and the average Christmas supplies prosperity index in 2024 is as high as 1552.61 points, with a steady increase in year-on-year growth.

Data source: Yiwu Index

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www.ywindex.com

According to the market visit, Yiwu 2024 Christmas procurement season opened ahead of schedule, and orders and foreign investors came earlier than before. In previous years, European and American merchants usually come to Yiwu one after another in April and May to see samples and place purchase orders for Christmas supplies that year, but this year's situation has changed - affected by the sea freight increase and the shortage of shipping capacity brought about by the Red Sea crisis, European and American merchants worry that goods can not arrive in Hong Kong on time, and have been looking at samples through wechat videos since November 2023. In February this year, I came to Yiwu market to confirm the products and pay the deposit. On the whole, the peak of Christmas supplies orders in Yiwu market this year appeared in mid-March, more than one month earlier than in previous years.

Orders for Christmas supplies increased and the shipping season was extended. Relevant merchants said that this year's order volume increased by about 15% compared with last year, the overall production period was extended accordingly, and the shipping season ended later than last year. After the merchant receives the order, the factory successively produces, successively ships from April to July, and intensively ships from August to October. In October, the annual Christmas supplies export season officially ended, the domestic sales season opened, Yiwu merchants through Chinagoods, 1688 and other e-commerce platforms to meet the needs of the domestic market.

From the point of view of the type of goods, the Christmas tree is still the just need of Christmas supplies; Christmas pendants, Christmas hats, Christmas gift boxes and other disposable consumer goods a year, less affected by market changes, sales are stable.

Yiwu market Christmas supplies map Source: Yiwu Index

Global manufacturing look at China, and Chinese manufacturing look at Yiwu

As the sales window of Christmas supplies, Yiwu has a complete supply chain, and the gathering degree of relevant merchants has increased year by year, which has an absolute leading industrial advantage in China, forming a unique Christmas supplies industrial belt. More than 90% of domestic Christmas supplies exports come from Yiwu.

In recent years, due to the rising cost of land and employees in Yiwu, some Christmas supplies production factories have gradually moved to surrounding cities and provinces, such as Wenzhou, Taizhou, Jiangxi and other places, forming an industrial chain of Yiwu sales and surrounding production.

Data source: Public data collation

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www.ywindex.com

Combining multiple advantages, Yiwu market lights up the global Christmas season

Yiwu Christmas supplies market, which started in the early 21st century, has occupied about 80% of the global Christmas supplies market after nearly 20 years of development, becoming the world's largest "Christmas supplies factory". Yiwu market Christmas supplies industry also uses its various advantages to light up the global Christmas season.

In terms of product transportation, CAI Qinliang, vice president of Yiwu Christmas Supplies Association, said, "This year, a lot of Christmas supplies are transported by China-Europe freight trains and 'card air' (that is, truck land transport, the use of large trucks for international logistics transport) to complete the delivery of goods for overseas customers, which was rare in the past." According to the data of Yiwu Customs, from June to August this year, there was a significant increase in Christmas supplies transported by the China-Europe Railway (Yiwu), mainly covering Europe, five Central Asian countries, Russia and other countries and regions jointly built by the "Belt and Road"; The normal operation of China-Russia-Qatar Airlines will quickly deliver Yiwu's Christmas supplies to Moscow, the fastest only more than 10 days.

In terms of product prices, Yiwu Christmas product line covers from high-end electric Santa Claus to affordable Christmas colorful balls to meet the needs of different levels of global consumption. Some businesses aimed at the high-end product line, the relevant operators said: "a Christmas carousel in my store, export wholesale prices are thousands of dollars, in the United States supermarket is sold to 499 dollars, domestic supermarkets sell to more than 2,000 yuan."

Data source: Yiwu Index

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www.ywindex.com

In terms of product innovation, Yiwu Christmas Supplies Market integrates festive elements into life by providing customized Christmas products, such as T-shirts, socks, jigsaw puzzles and personalized tote bags, to meet consumers' needs for personalization.

In terms of materials, Yiwu merchants have launched more environmentally friendly wood art, cloth art, iron art, and even high-end acrylic products, and the painting process adopts EU or Japanese standards to improve the environmental performance of products.

02 Look at the development trend of Christmas supplies at home and abroad

China is the world's largest exporter of Christmas products, with a stable export performance. Although affected by global economic fluctuations, changes in the trade environment and other factors, 2023 Christmas supplies exports fell from the previous year, but in the long run, the global Christmas supplies demand rose steadily, China's Christmas supplies exports are expected to maintain a steady growth trend. From January to September this year, China's Christmas supplies exports reached nearly 40 billion yuan, an increase over last year. According to Yiwu Index data, it is estimated that China's Christmas exports will account for about 90% of global Christmas exports in 2024.

From the perspective of the global consumer market, the market size of the global Christmas supplies industry has continued to grow in the past few years. According to Yiwu Index data, the global Christmas supplies market share in 2023 is as high as 7.8 billion US dollars, and the Christmas supplies market size is expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% in the next three years.

Data source: Yiwu Index

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www.ywindex.com

Europe and the United States are still the main consumer markets for Christmas supplies, and the import demand is large.

American market

The US market is the world's largest consumer of Christmas products and the largest importer of Christmas products. According to Yiwu Index data, the US Christmas goods market in 2024 will show steady growth, and its import value is expected to exceed 3.5 billion US dollars, of which about 92% of Christmas products come from China.

From the perspective of consumer spending, according to local consumer surveys, the average American family Christmas expenditure in 2023 is $1,171, of which more than 30% is used to buy Christmas supplies. American consumers spend a variety of Christmas supplies, in addition to commonly used Christmas trees, decorations, unique appearance, festive personalized, customized Christmas supplies to buy a significant increase in proportion.

British market

The British market is the most important consumer market of Christmas supplies in Europe, and also the largest importer of Christmas supplies in Europe. According to Yiwu Index data, it is estimated that the UK's Christmas imports in 2024 will exceed $400 million, of which about 85% of Christmas supplies from China, the rest mainly from Denmark.

From the perspective of consumer spending, according to local consumer surveys, the average expenditure of British families at Christmas in 2023 is 740 pounds, of which more than 55% is used to buy Christmas supplies. British consumers are more inclined to buy plain decorations and handmade decorations for Christmas decorations, and the proportion of consumers who buy energy-saving and environmentally friendly products has increased significantly.

Brazilian market

The Brazilian market is the largest Christmas market in Latin America, with significant growth in demand. According to Yiwu Index data, Brazil's Christmas imports in 2024 will exceed 40 million US dollars, of which about 88 percent of Christmas supplies from China. From the perspective of consumer spending, according to local consumer surveys, the average spending on Christmas supplies for Brazilian families in 2023 is about 300 reais (about 377 yuan). Brazilian consumers are more inclined to buy basic Christmas trees, Christmas lights and Santa hats.

Yiwu's Christmas supplies exports to Brazil have increased significantly, and Brazil has become one of the most important exporters of Yiwu Christmas supplies. The huge population size and strong Christmas atmosphere promote the growth of demand for Christmas supplies in Brazil, and it is expected that Yiwu's exports of Christmas supplies to Brazil will further increase.

03 Yiwu design, define the global Christmas trend

Countries and regions with large population base and strong Christmas atmosphere have brought a huge market for the export of Yiwu Christmas supplies. Yiwu market Christmas supplies not only meet the needs of overseas consumers, but also lead the development of the global Christmas supplies industry. According to the analysis of Yiwu market visits, the Christmas supplies industry mainly has the following trends:

Trend 1: Seasonal just-needed supplies, the overall market development is stable

Europe, the United States and Latin America market is the main consumer market for Christmas supplies, thanks to the huge population base, Christmas trees, Christmas hats, Christmas gift boxes and other Christmas just need goods demand, the market development is stable. And with the rise of emerging markets, the demand for Christmas supplies in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions is also gradually increasing. Overall, the global Christmas supplies market will show a steady upward trend.

Trend 2: Personalized, customized Christmas products trend is obvious

Unlike in previous years, the proportion of foreign customers purchasing DIY or customized products has increased significantly this Christmas, and consumers are willing to experience hands-on production of unique Christmas products. Personalization and customization are becoming the key driving force of the consumption trend of Christmas supplies, and more and more Yiwu Christmas supplies industry operators provide customized services to meet the needs of consumers in overseas markets, and improve the competitive advantage of stores and sales.

Trend 3: Increasing demand for environmentally friendly and energy-saving Christmas products

In the context of increasing global attention to environmental protection, more and more European customers in Yiwu market to purchase Christmas supplies put forward the demand for environmentally friendly materials, Yiwu Christmas supplies operators also launched a series of environmentally friendly, energy-saving Christmas supplies, such as the use of degradable materials made of ornaments, in order to meet the environmental needs of European and American customers.

Sum up

Industry: Christmas supplies as the evergreen category of Yiwu market, the market scale is stable, and the industry prosperity is growing steadily.

Market: The US market dominates the consumption of Christmas supplies, the Latin American market has grown significantly, and the development speed of emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East cannot be ignored.

Category: Customized, environmental protection and interactive product demand is strong, cost-effective Christmas trees, Christmas hats, Christmas gift boxes and other basic Christmas supplies are still the mainstream demand.

In general, Yiwu market covers the advantages of the full link of the Christmas supplies industry from design, production and processing, sales to trade and transportation, injecting a steady stream of vitality into the global Christmas supplies market.

Christmas supplies made in Yiwu are lighting up the Christmas season in every corner of the world with their extraordinary creativity and influence.