Spikeball
WPIC launched Spikeball in China with a 5-star e-commerce store on Tmall. We’re now running various marketing campaigns to spread the word about this new sport in China!
Sharing Spikeball-playing moments with consumers in China
The opportunity for Spikeball in China
Spikeball is a game played by two teams of two players. The object of the game is to hit the ball into the net so that the opposing team cannot return it.
Launched in 2008, Spikeball has already amassed 4+ million players, with 150+ tournaments taking place every year. Its ambition is to become “the next great global sport”, so conquering China is a must!
Chinese consumers have traditionally favoured sports that are more technically demanding, like table tennis and badminton. Because, Spikeball is a game that requires a similar level of control and precision, it lends itself well to the Chinese market.
- China has a population of 1.4 billion people, so there are millions of potential players
- The sports market in China is worth over $55 billion USD and is expected to grow annually by 5.4%
- Since reopening from COVID-19, many sports leagues in China have been fully subscribed to
- Interest in sports is expected to accelerate further since the conclusion of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, just as it did in 2008
Health, wellbeing, and fitness are central to people’s lives in China, so the opportunity for any sports or physical gaming brand is huge. Spikeball hopes Chinese consumers will see this sport as a substitute for table tennis, frisbee, volleyball, and other park and beach games.
DETAILS
How WPIC activated China for Spikeball
E-commerce
WPIC designed and built Spikeball’s e-commerce storefront and provided translated and localized content. Tmall was chosen because sports products are popular on the platform and the Tmall marketplace is responsible for close to 60% of China’s annual e-commerce market.
Over the past 15 years, Spikeball’s popularity has quickly spread throughout North America, but the sport was not initially known in China. As such, videos, tips, and instructions on how to play Spikeball feature throughout the store — including on product pages to assist with conversions.
Chinese consumers are incredibly curious when it comes to learning about new products and brands. With new sports, they want to be educated on the activity to understand how they can improve their performance. This has been core throughout all of our work with Spikeball.
Teaching China how to play Spikeball
Marketing
WPIC worked with Spikeball to formulate a marketing plan that would drive consumer awareness through the roof. That plan encompassed:
- Livestreaming
- Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) — i.e., influencers
- Grassroots campaigns and offline marketing activities – across schools and sports teams
- Social media campaigns across Weibo, WeChat, Douyin (TikTok in China), and Xiaohongshu — encouraging consumers to share Spikeball-playing moments with free Spikeball giveaways
The results
Spikeball’s Tmall has been a huge hit with consumers. The store has a 5-star rating and performs highly across all of Tmall’s customer service indicators. Chinese consumers rely heavily on customer reviews, and so a high store rating is critical to success.
On Tmall, customers can provide feedback across three areas: product description (i.e. whether or not the product description accurately matched the delivered item), customer service, and delivery time.
The omnichannel marketing campaigns that WPIC is running for Spikeball are continuing to build brand awareness — sales are constantly growing.
Can we unlock China for your organization?
WPIC is a 5-star Tmall partner. With over 18 years of experience and 700+ brands launched across the Asia Pacific region, you won’t find a better one-stop-shop to take your brand to market.
If you have your sights on the world’s largest consumer markets, please feel free to get in touch.
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