Core conclusions:A factory that makes Hanfu and performance costumes in Cao County, Shandong Province used to rely on wholesale outlets and domestic sales by e-commerce, and overseas orders were scattered and fragmented. we usecustoms dataThe imported wholesalers of European and American festival performance costumes were screened out, and they cooperated with the content of independent stations to create a "source factory + quick proofing" positioning. The export volume reached 3.7 million yuan in 15 months. The European and American festival channels and the Malaysian Chinese festival channels were two lines parallel, and the peak monthly shipments in the peak season were three times that at the beginning of the year.
1. Customer background
Cao County is a well-known Hanfu and performance apparel industry belt in the country. This factory has been manufacturing stage costumes, Hanfu and festival performance costumes for nine years. Domestic sales account for 90%, mainly through stalls and e-commerce platforms. Factory proofing ability is strong, complex embroidery and digital printing return cycle is about a week shorter than peers, is one of the few industrial belt can accept small quantities of customized single factory.
The direct motivation for the boss to want to go to sea is the domestic price war: the e-commerce price of the same Hanfu model is getting lower year by year, and the factory's profits are being suppressed to the point that they can only rely on quantity. In fact, he has several overseas scattered customers-Malaysian Chinese temple fair costumes, European and American Halloween costume traders-but they are waiting for the door, there is no system development, let alone how big the plate behind these customers is.
2. Problem diagnosis: With good proofing capabilities, why can't I go out
- Misplacement of channels:The boss mainly hangs Hanfu keywords on Alibaba International Station, and the competition is all squeezed into retail traffic, competing with AliExpress sellers for prices; while the main buyers of European and American performance apparel are festival import wholesalers and stage drama suppliers. The purchases are B2B inquiries and exhibitions, and they hardly look at the retail platform.
- The information cannot tell the buyer's heart:The English materials only write "Hanfu, good quality" and there is no minimum order quantity, proofing cycle, or peak season delivery commitment. Festival clothing is a typical seasonal business. The first thing a buyer asks is whether delivery can be made before Halloween. If the information cannot be answered, inquiries die in the first round.
- No access channel:The factory does not have any proactive development actions, and the scattered customers waiting for them are all sporadic traffic. The quantity is small, the requirements are complex, and the repurchase is unstable, which cannot form a basic market.
- Compliance and certification gaps:Europe and the United States have labeling, flame retardant (especially children's performance costumes) and other requirements for textiles, but the factory is unaware of them. The buyer asked about the label specifications the first time he sent the samples.
The conclusion after the diagnosis is very clear: there is no shortage of product capabilities, but what is lacking is the reorganization of customer acquisition and data according to the procurement logic of the festival apparel industry. This type of buyer has a short decision-making chain, quick orders, and repurchases depend on the rhythm of the season. The style of play should focus on "pushing backwards during the peak season."
3. What have we done?
- Customs data was used to identify 74 European and American wholesalers and 12 Malaysian festival supplies importers that imported festival performance costumes from China in the past two years. They were divided into three categories according to import frequency and amount, with priority being given to 27 companies in Class A.
- Redo English product information: Reorganize the product line according to scenes (Halloween costumes, stage drama costumes, Han costumes and national festivals, temple fair parade costumes), and each line is marked with the minimum quantity quantity, proofing cycle, latest next day in peak season and delivery promise. Make it a page for buyers.
- Set up an independent station and do content: I wrote two rounds of articles and Short Video scripts around "How to Choose the Source Factory for Performance Clothing" and "Halloween Procurement Schedule" to undertake search traffic and cooperate with customs data development letters.
- Completing compliance: Compiled up the list of European and American textile labeling specifications and children's clothing flame retardant requirements, and conducted labeling and testing according to the specifications during the proofing stage. The pass rate of one sample delivery has been significantly improved.
4. Execution rhythm
Months 1-3: Screening buyers, grinding materials, opening Malaysia first
First, we should make a solid data and quotation system, and simultaneously send development letters to 27 European and American buyers in the A-class category. The hit rate is not high-buyers have no time to look at new suppliers during the peak season. The adjustment strategy first targeted Malaysian Chinese channels: demand for temple fairs and festival costumes was scattered throughout the year, and buyers made quick decisions. The first batch of 3 trial orders were sold within two months, totaling 110,000 yuan, completing the process of quick return of small orders.
Months 4-6: Follow the rhythm of the peak season in Europe and America
Starting from September, it was transferred to the European and American Halloween stocking window (buyers placed orders from May to July). The factory completed proofing and quotation in April to May, catching up with the tail of the window that year and won trial orders from two American wholesalers. The key to this batch is not the low price, but the fast proofing: the buyer requires three revised samples to be produced within 10 days, and the factory delivers all of them on time.
Months 7-10: Re-purchase amplification, independent standing capacity
Customers with trial orders entered the repurchase cycle, with Halloween sales better than buyers 'expectations, and two American customers tripling their orders for the next year. Independent website content began to have natural inquiries, with an average of 8-12 requests per month. The quality is more stable than development letter clues. Malaysian channel repurchase is stable, and monthly shipments form a basic market.
Months 11-15: Dual channels are parallel, and the momentum ends
The European and American lines entered the second full peak season, locking in orders from 3 old customers in advance, and introducing a new Canadian stage drama supplier through customer referrals. By the end of the 15th, the cumulative export volume exceeded 3.7 million yuan, of which European and American festival channels accounted for about 60% and Malaysian channels accounted for 40%. The two channels were misaligned during the peak season, and the fluctuations in the production line throughout the year were significantly smaller than during the pure domestic sales period.
V. Outcome data
Taking 15 months of cooperation as the statistical criterion:
- Cumulative export volume:3.7 million yuan
- Deal overseas buyers:of 14(There are 9 European and American festival wholesalers and 5 Malaysian channels)
- Effective response rate for development letters:11%(Class A buyer's caliber)
- Average monthly inquiries from Independent Station:8-12 strip, 18 peak seasons
- Proofing to return cycle:7-10 days(Generally, peers have more than 15 days)
- Transfer and repurchase rate of trial orders:57%(Proportion of trial order buyers placing second orders during the year)
6. Which factories can this method be replicated to?
The first category is factories in the festival, performance, and party supplies industry belt: Yiwu party supplies, Xiong County balloons, Shenzhen stage props, etc. The buyer structure and festival costumes are highly similar-seasonal, quick decision-making, and re-purchasing depending on the schedule. The core action is the same: reverse the development rhythm according to the peak season, and the information states clearly that "the peak season is the latest next single day." This is much more effective than price reduction.
The second category is sub-category factories with outstanding proofing capabilities and small batch customization: Cosplay clothing, cos props, Hanfu and national customs, etc. This type of buyers value the most about proofing speed and revision compatibility. The combination of customs data screening buyers and independent station content and grass planting can clearly define the position of the "source factory" and avoid competing with trading companies for prices.
7. Common questions
Q: Do anyone really buy products with strong cultural attributes such as Hanfu overseas?
A: Yes, but it depends on the channel. Overseas demand for Hanfu is concentrated on Chinese festivals, national style enthusiasts and stage performance scenes. The main buyers are Chinese channel merchants and performance suppliers, not European and American mass retailers. Finding the right person according to the channel, cultural products are instead barriers to differentiation.
Q: Festival business is concentrated during the peak season. What should I do about the off-season production line?
A: Choose a market combination with a misaligned peak season. Orders for Halloween and Christmas stalls in Europe and the United States are concentrated from May to September, while orders for temple fairs and Spring Festival costumes in Malaysia are placed from September to December. After the two lines deviate from peak, the fluctuations in the off-season and peak seasons of this factory have narrowed significantly. Domestic sales fundamentals continue to be retained as a buffer for production lines.
Q: Small factories do not have a foreign trade team. How to start this method?
A: First, get the information and buyer list right. You can develop letters and follow up by one person. The lightweight solution for independent stations will be launched first, and the content can be updated one per week. Wait until the trial orders are transferred to repurchases and run through, then add people to expand channels, and the rhythm is not reversed.
