Overseas ‘heat wave’ is about to arrive, sunscreen and cooling products are becoming popular trends

Overseas heat wave coming, sunscreen and cooling products popular

Article by Vicky

Climate scientists in the European Union have stated that the global average temperature may reach a new high in 2023 or 2024. As of now, the hashtag #summer on TikTok has been viewed over 120.6 billion times, while the newly established hashtag #summer2023 has already accumulated 1.5 billion views.

Recently, eBay Ads Germany released a “2023 Summer Shopping Report”. The report shows that demand for summer products in Germany has significantly increased since April 2023. As overseas temperatures gradually heat up, this summer shopping trend is evident in various European and American countries. On Amazon’s US site, fans rank 29th in the keyword search list, making it the most popular household appliance product among the top 50 keywords. Many consumer trends indicate that summer cooling products are becoming popular alongside the weather.

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Heat waves are coming, overseas demand for cooling products is surging

Data from TikTok’s summer trend and insight report shows that the number of users expecting summer promotions this year has increased by 1.4 times compared to last year, and 47% of users say they will plan their summer-related shopping at least a month in advance. In fact, overseas consumers have already started stocking up on Chinese cooling products in larger quantities than in previous years. According to data on consumption trends from Alibaba’s international website, from March to May this year, overseas buyers’ demand for air conditioners increased by more than 50% compared to the same period last year, and their demand for fans increased by more than 30%.

According to Google Trends, the search volume for the keyword “cool down” surges every year from June around the world, and as a result, the demand for cooling products overseas also increases. In last year’s “Insight into the European Market Opportunities in July” released by AliExpress, due to the high temperatures, the demand for cooling products, home swimming pools, mosquito repellent products, toy water guns, outdoor sports equipment, sunglasses, and swimsuits among European consumers increased significantly after entering July. In the next few months, Europe and America will continue to heat up. Against this backdrop, Morketing Global has summarized the trends of best-selling categories in summer sales for cross-border sellers, and explored high-heat products to cater to the “heat waves” in overseas markets.

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Both cooling and energy-saving are needed

Innovating traditional cooling home appliances

Alibaba International Station stated that this year in the overseas market, new products that have innovated on traditional cooling appliances are very popular. For example, the “self-power generating air conditioner” that combines photovoltaic and energy storage systems is very hot. In addition, the floor fan that adds a solar panel for direct power supply, and the desk fan that adds a water tank to achieve water cooling and temperature reduction are also very popular.

For many European and American households, the cost of installing air conditioning in old buildings is relatively high. Therefore, in terms of home decor products, consumers prefer products that are energy-saving, cost-effective, and have strong practicality. Last year, the demand for solar-powered home decor and energy-saving air conditioners in the Spanish market both increased by 25% year-on-year. The overall transaction volume of floor fans, air conditioning fans, desk fans and other products increased by 188% year-on-year. Similarly, in the Japanese market, the call for energy-saving and emission reduction has also been growing for a long time. In the 2023 summer product release of Amazon Japan, energy-saving summer cooling appliances were highly favored by consumers.

As a relatively conventional product category, the addition of new energy elements and differentiated design has added new impetus to the fan market. In last year’s AliExpress summer promotion (Overseas 618), the Xiaomi energy-saving fan sold out twice in the Spanish market, and the transaction volume of ceiling fans also increased 12 times. This year, some sellers on Alibaba International Station have stated that orders for fans from Europe have been fully booked since the end of last year.

In addition to basic summer cooling appliances, ice makers are also very popular among consumers in the overseas market this year. The top 5 positions in Amazon’s home appliances hot sale recommendations are all occupied by ice makers. It can be seen that the demand for cooling home appliances by overseas consumers is mostly based on energy-saving and cost-effectiveness, and these products that integrate innovation will become one of the highlights of summer shopping.

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Continued Growth of Outdoor Products Market

Pet Cooling Products to Become a New Trend

Summer is the peak season for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, mountaineering, cycling, and water sports. In recent years, there has been a rising demand for water sports outdoor products globally. It is predicted that the global market for water sports outdoor products will continue to grow from 2022 to 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.47%.

In countries such as Europe, America, and Japan, swimming and surfing are the main summer sports, with a large number of related products catering to a wide audience. Data shows that the global market for swimwear and beachwear is expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% from 2020 to 2027, reaching 27.6 billion U.S. dollars. Japan’s compound annual growth rate is 2.72%. In addition, sales of other summer leisure products are also strong. As the peak season for tourism in Europe and America, there is a surge in demand for outdoor and vacation products, such as beach towels and beach toys. In addition, due to the high temperature, sales of cosmetics and sun protection products also increase. At the same time, summer is also the peak season for leisure and entertainment, such as picnics and camping, and sales of related products will also increase. Many consumers are also paying more attention to cooling products for their pets when shopping for themselves. The overseas pet market is relatively mature, and the pet market is gradually shifting from the cat and dog food market to more vertical service-oriented areas. Many cross-border sellers have stated that pet cooling products double in demand every summer, and this trend is even more pronounced under the backdrop of continuous high temperatures globally. Last summer, the demand for pet cooling ice pads in the European market increased by more than 200%.

Searching for “pet summer cooling” on social media, it can be seen that besides common pet ice pads and cooling mats, pet mini fans, frozen toys, and cooling clothes have become alternative options for pet owners to cool down their pets during summer. Many brands have launched pet frozen toys to meet pets’ cooling needs while also serving as daily chew toys. This two-in-one benefit for buyers reflects the market demand to some extent.

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Conclusion

Recently, AliExpress released a global market strategy for the 618 shopping festival, providing stocking suggestions for key countries’ markets. In Western European countries, summer goods such as mosquito repellents, sunshades, summer home textiles and bedding, sunglasses, and sun protection clothing are in high demand among consumers. The American market’s summer trend categories revolve around beach vacations, garden parties, water sports, etc. The Japanese and Korean markets also focus on outdoor sports and camping-related products, which show good trends.

June marks the beginning of the hottest and most humid month of the year. The demand for cooling products overseas provides an opportunity for cross-border sellers to expand and innovate their product categories beyond traditional cooling products, which may become a major trend for this summer.

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