Es ist nicht einfach, dass Salomon der nächste Arc'teryx wird | Business Friday

Text by | Li Xiaoxia

Edited by | Qiao Qian

Source | 36Kr Future Consumption (ID: lslb168)

In order to win the lottery for Salomon's pair of pink shoes, Zhang Lin mobilized more than a dozen relatives and friends, getting a total of more than thirty lottery codes. However, she still came up empty-handed.

The shoes are a new collaboration between Salomon and New York designer brand Sandy Liang. They are a co - designed version based on Salomon's main shoe model, the XT - Whisper, and were released before the Spring Festival.

This is not the first collaboration between Salomon and this brand. Previously, they jointly launched two models, the XT - 6 and the RX MOC 3.0, and their prices were once hyped up to over 3000 yuan.

Scarcity marketing is one of Salomon's well - practiced strategies. If you want to own a pair of Salomon's coveted items, you need to go through a fierce lottery draw. Only after getting the winning lottery number can you be eligible to purchase.

But this collaboration seems to have attracted more attention. On Chinese New Year's Eve, in the sketch "The Ideal Son - in - Law" starring Shen Teng and Ma Li, Sun Qian, an actress who appeared for less than three minutes, successfully brought the shoes into the spotlight.

Zhang Lin is an old fan of Salomon. She remembers that a few years ago, Salomon was exclusive equipment for outdoor enthusiasts and was even ridiculed by many as an ugly shoe. Now, however, it has transformed into a trendy item that the middle class likes to wear in their daily lives. People are willing to queue for hours and pay several times the original price to buy it.

The 2024 financial report recently released by Amer Sports shows that the group's revenue was $5.18 billion, a year - on - year increase of 18%. The Chinese market remained strong, with its revenue contribution ratio increasing from 19% in 2023 to 25% in 2024, reaching $1.298 billion, a year - on - year increase of 53.7%. More than a year after going public, it turned a profit, with a net profit of $73 million, a year - on - year increase of 135%.

Arc'teryx still shoulders a heavy responsibility. The revenue of its outdoor functional clothing segment was $2.19 billion, a year - on - year increase of 36%. Among them, Arc'teryx's sales in 2024 exceeded $2 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of the group's total revenue.

However, according to the group's 2025 guidance, Amer Sports' revenue is expected to increase by 13% to 15% year - on - year, a slowdown compared to last year's 18% growth rate. The outdoor functional clothing segment where Arc'teryx belongs is expected to see an income growth of about 20%, far lower than last year's 36% income growth rate.

This is seen by the outside world as a signal that Amer Sports needs the next Arc'teryx, and Salomon is showing such potential.

Looking back at Salomon's trajectory, before it was known as one of the "Three Treasures for the Middle Class" in China along with Arc'teryx and lululemon, it had already become a must - have for many European and American celebrities to create stylish looks. It was labeled as fashionable in niche circles, but outside these circles, it was still considered "ugly and tacky".

The change may have occurred in 2020. In this year, Salomon began to make efforts in the Chinese market.

One year earlier, Anta acquired Amer Sports at a high price. Amer Sports was the acquirer when Salomon was sold by Adidas in 2005. It owns several outdoor and extreme sports clothing and footwear brands such as Arc'teryx, Wilson, and Atomic.

Later, due to the pandemic, outdoor sports had a major boom, and some outdoor sports brands entered a high - growth trajectory, including Arc'teryx and Salomon.

In the past two years, although Salomon was not as well - known as Arc'teryx, it had a rapid growth momentum in the Chinese market. In 2022, Salomon executives told 36Kr that compared with the Chinese market before 2020, Salomon had achieved triple - digit growth, and shoes accounted for more than 70% of the sales.

In 2024, Salomon's footwear products alone exceeded $1 billion. As early as 2023, when Salomon's revenue exceeded $1.3 billion, it was regarded as having the potential to become the group's new Arc'teryx. In that year, Arc'teryx's revenue was $1.4 billion.

When talking about the reasons for the rapid growth in China, the above - mentioned executives said that the change in consumers' behavior and habits is one of the growth engines for the brand. At the same time, they have also been elaborating on the relationship between people and sports, encouraging more people to run.

The popularity of outdoor sports has undoubtedly contributed to this. But in the current context, like Arc'teryx, Salomon has become a symbol of identity, social currency, and fashion. When more non - outdoor people wear it, there seem to be many methods behind the brand's success.

In terms of localization, Salomon has adjusted both the fitting and size according to the foot shapes of Chinese consumers. It also provides some shopping guides for Chinese consumers of the sneaker category, which is a service not commonly found in Europe and America.

Collaborative models, limited - edition models, and scarcity marketing enable Salomon to always create topics with its scarcity. In addition, the influence of celebrities' free promotion cannot be ignored.

Like lululemon's ambassadors, Salomon has almost always chosen athletes as its brand spokespersons for a long time. However, this does not prevent many celebrities from becoming walking billboards for the brand. Rihanna, Lisa, etc. are all fans, and the star effect has been transformed into a tool to break through the niche. Even the shoes worn by Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi, will be snapped up.

As a brand with an outdoor origin, it needs to emphasize professionalism, so it is reasonable to cooperate with athletes. But when moving from the niche to the mainstream, such a strategy can become a hindrance. In 2024, Salomon broke the tradition and officially announced that the actor Bai Jingting would serve as the brand's first outdoor fashion spokesperson, further accelerating the process of breaking into the mainstream.

This strategy has proven effective among outdoor sports brands. The North Face once created a "school uniform" trend through collaborations and star partnerships, and Salomon has once again demonstrated its replicability.

Behind the explosion in the Chinese market is also a precise channel layout. Currently, the total number of Salomon stores in Greater China is close to 200. In 2025, it is expected to open about 100 new stores in Greater China, including those through distribution partnerships. At the same time, in terms of store location, Salomon is also replicating the strategy of its sister brand Arc'teryx, focusing on high - end shopping malls and strengthening the brand image through flagship stores.

Amer Sports said that with the significant increase in consumers' acceptance of emerging sports shoe brands, Salomon is expected to achieve accelerated breakthroughs. It is also expected that Salomon's products will achieve double - digit growth every year.

However, compared with Arc'teryx, Salomon may face more intense competition. Brands such as On Running and HOKA, which are also positioned for the "middle class", are accelerating their layout in China, and their customer groups and channels highly overlap.

There is still a gap for Salomon to catch up with Arc'teryx in terms of brand recognition. Fortunately, Salomon has more time to make up for this gap.

One visible trend is that after the Spring Festival, Zhang Lin noticed that suddenly more people in her department were wearing Salomon shoes. "I'm afraid it will be even harder to win the lottery in the future," she worried.

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