Although the apparel industry is one of the most saturated on the planet, one brand that started out selling yoga pants has taken the world by storm in a short period of time.
How powerful is it? Even people outside the yoga circle who are not familiar with this brand may know something about it from various channels:
1 Because it is very expensive and rarely discounted, it is known as the “Hermès” of yoga.
The retail price of a pair of sports high-waisted tights in China is between 750 and 1,000 yuan. What is this concept? The tights from Nike, the industry giant next door, cost about 300 to 700 yuan.
▵Source: lululemon
Second, it is indeed very popular.
Even if a pair of yoga pants sells for 1,000 yuan, fans are crazy about paying for the high premium; not only yoga studios, It can be seen even in non-sports scenes such as offices, shopping malls and supermarkets. It once surpassed Nike and Adidas and became the new standard for the middle class. Since its establishment, it has almost never invited celebrities or advertised, but it cannot stop it from becoming the new standard for all walks of life. Private servers for celebrity outings and the new pronoun of “athletic and leisure trend”.
It is lululemon.
▵Picture source: lululemon
It was established in 1998 and went public in 2007. In the more than ten years since its listing, its market value has increased from The initial US$1.6 billion rose to more than US$40 billion, and even once left Adidas behind, second only to Nike, and climbed to the runner-up position in the sports and leisure field.
This has to be surprising. Under the dominance of Nike, Adidas, Under Armor and other major players, such a company has never How does a niche brand that has entered the yoga market segment rely on to achieve overtaking in corners? How to turn a brand into a belief and consumers into believers?
In Nike, Adidas , Under Armor was at its peak, in 1998, a small store specializing in yoga pants quietly opened in Vancouver.
The reason was that its founder Chip Wilson saw that women did not have suitable yoga clothes in a yoga class. At that time, most people wore cotton clothes to class, and some even came directly in dance clothes. However, clothes made of this kind of material were actually not suitable for hot and sweaty sports scenes.
As the saying goes, where there is demand, there is a market.
Chip Wilson, who started out as a sports equipment maker, immediately sensed new business opportunities and began to try to use the niche market of yoga as an entry point. He also analyzed the functional shortcomings of yoga clothing on the market. It adds technological elements to make improvements and joins the market of tailor-made clothing specifically for women’s low-intensity sports. The price is 2-3 times higher than in the industry.
▵Source: lululemon
As for the origin of the brand name, there is also a short story.
Wilson believes that because there is no “l” syllable in Japanese, the Japanese public will subconsciously think that brands containing the “l” sound are authentic foreign brands, so Wilson thought a lot about them. A brand name with a pronunciation of “l”; at the same time, dozens of candidate names and trademarks other than the pronunciation of “l” were also thought of, such as Athletically Hip, etc. After a final focus group vote, the name lululemon stood out.
▵Photo source: lululemon
In order to test his first product, Wilson targeted He recruited yoga teachers and students as his first customers and used their feedback to improve the product.
Because the material is comfortable and suitable for sports, lululemon quickly triggered a rush to buy among female consumers. In addition, because it takes into account the dual needs of functional and fashionable sportswear, lululemon has filled the market gap that previous sportswear lacked in popular elements. Therefore, users not only wear lululemon during yoga classes, but also wear it in extracurricular scenes. lululemon is one of the choices for daily matching.
▵Photo source: lululemon
Soon, lululemon became famous in the city, with the logo The unique “Wunder Under” series of high-waisted leggings and “Sculpt” sports vests, yoga mats, and “Speed Up” mid-waist pants designed for running have triggered the global sports craze we see today.
Lululemon has therefore dominated the sports and leisure brand markets in Canada and the United States in the shortest time, and is even recognized as synonymous with the “athleisure trend”.
Despite fierce competition from other retailers, lululemon has� Prepare at least 1,000 yuan first.
With a price difference of 10 times, lululemon does not tell you nonsense about how durable its yoga pants are. It looks good, but it puts a lot of effort into telling you about lifestyle and culture.
Many of lululemon’s stores double as yoga and fitness studios, which was inspired by Fiona, its founder Wilson’s yoga teacher.
At that time, because Fiona could not find a good yoga venue, Wilson simply suggested that she could practice in the lululemon store, because the hangers in the store were equipped with rollers at the bottom and were not open for business. It can be pushed aside during the day or when classes are held in the store, and the freed area becomes a yoga practice space for customers.
▵Source: lululemon
Whether it is a moment of ingenuity or careful consideration, what can be determined is that , this approach became one of the most critical business decisions in the history of lululemon, and has become the core selling point of the brand and continues to this day.
It directly activates lululemon’s sales. Old customers will habitually enter the store to take a look except when they are passing by. , you can also take away a few products at the same time, and you can also bring like-minded friends to take a look when you have nothing to do. So much so that lululemon’s stores are not just stores, but have evolved into communities for yoga enthusiasts.
▵Image source: lululemon
Interestingly, whether you have purchased lululemon or not at the moment products, you can participate in various yoga courses conducted by “store ambassadors”.
Don’t think that lululemon is doing charity. After all, there is no free lunch in this world. In fact, when you start the free yoga experience, you also unlock a series of assumptions: As long as I wear lululemon, I can have a good figure and live a fashionable and healthy life that is respected and desired. From this, the seeds of buying, buying and buying were quietly planted.
▵Image source: lululemon
lululemon also knows how to push its experience to the “extreme” to stimulate fans’ interest and network effects.
The brand regularly sets different themes every year and launches large-scale brand events in different cities around the world, such as the Sweat Festival in London, the 10K run in Vancouver, the “Heart in China” yoga event, Shenzhen Sweatlife festivals, sweaty beach parties and more have cemented themselves as part of the city’s culture.
▵Source: lululemon
Compared with the word games that spend a lot of ink, this The experience rules are simple and there are no language barriers. It may even inspire you to always make a new place for lululemon in your wardrobe.
▵Image source: lululemon
In addition, lululemon’s social content always revolves around Telling stories through “lifestyle”. In this way, a pair of yoga pants has been given more than just wearing it. Lululemon is not just a sports equipment store, but a synonym for sports and leisure active in global metropolises, as well as a global symbol of fashionable and healthy lifestyle.
For the brand, this is obviously very effective. Customers not only buy it, but also cultivate a large number of fanatical fans. The brand loyalty closely matches the believers’ religious beliefs.
▵Photo source: lululemon
In addition to the brand’s exclusive sales community and lifestyle bundles In addition, the high price is also the reason why lululemon stands out. A pair of yoga pants can easily cost thousands of dollars. Although it is three times more expensive than most of its peers, it has successfully kept people other than Lululemon’s ideal users out of the price line.
lululemon defines its user profile this way: aged between 24 and 36 years old, with an annual income of more than 80,000 US dollars. , a “super girl” who is highly educated, owns her own house, exercises for one and a half hours every day, and has a positive attitude towards life.
▵Photo source: lululemon
Why do you “reject” girls in their early 20s? Outside the door”? But they favor women between the ages of 24 and 36?
Because in the eyes of lululemon, the former has the youth capital that everyone envies. They look good in anything they wear, and there are too many things to spend money on besides managing their figures; In contrast, the latter is not only rich, but also eager to change his life and have his body seen. At the same time, he is also an example of a “successful person” in the eyes of most people.
▵Source: lululemon
In fact, there is no lack of breakthroughs in the field of sports and leisure, but most At that time, there was a lack of strong identity information, and the emergence of lululemon just filled this gap.
With the support of this group of “super girl believers”, today, this logo symbol designed with the “A” font in a special shape appears not only in yoga classes, but also in coffee Stores, community streets, waiting at the airport, and social media and other more public scenes.
At the same time, the subtext behind this symbol is brought out: “Look, I not only have money, I also have time to manage my body.”
He wants to live his own life and longs for his body to be seen. At the same time, he is also a model of “successful people” in the eyes of most people.
▵Source: lululemon
In fact, there is no lack of breakthroughs in the field of sports and leisure, but most At that time, there was a lack of strong identity information, and the emergence of lululemon just filled this gap.
With the support of this group of “super girl believers”, today, this logo symbol designed with the “A” font in a special shape appears not only in yoga classes, but also in coffee Stores, community streets, waiting at the airport, and social media and other more public scenes.
At the same time, the subtext behind this symbol is brought out: “Look, I not only have money, I also have time to manage my body.”</p
