On the evening of June 14th, I joined a live video session hosted by veteran industry insider, Odie Xie. During the session, we discussed a wide range of topics, including my professional journey, the FQC business model, the impact of 20 years of change in the fitness equipment industry on Chinese manufacturing, opportunities and challenges for brands going global, and quality management in fitness equipment.
Odie posed an intriguing question: “You have been engaged in fitness equipment procurement and technical trade services for years. Why did you decide to create FitGearHub?”
Through this article, I want to share with my peers in the fitness equipment industry the inspiration behind creating the FitGearHub, our future plans, and the insights gained along the way.
1. The Convenience Provided by FQC's Work Nature
My FQC's core business involves procurement management and technical services, primarily serving international fitness equipment brand clients. FQC itself does not engage in trade or sell products; instead, we facilitate cooperation between buyers and Chinese OEM/ODM suppliers through project management and technical services. My work allows me to access a wide array of market information and deeply understand the diverse needs of clients from different regions.
Additionally, I interact and maintain relationships with hundreds of suppliers in China, including finished fitness equipment manufacturers, component suppliers and related service providers. These clients and suppliers range from world-class big brands to regional small and medium-sized companies and startups, providing a rich source of material and different perspectives for FitGearHub’s content creation.
2. Clients’ Expectation for a Professional Information Platform
In my work, I realized that in today’s information-rich world, people are not facing a lack of information but an overload of it. The buyers have doubts about the authenticity, integrity, and delivery capability of online supplier information, particularly for non-traditional buyers or new procurement managers.
Even well-established international brand companies in the fitness equipment industry encounter new challenges when introducing new business model, new projects, developing new products, and integrating new technologies. They need objective, professional industry information and authoritative third-party perspectives to help them make decisions.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of a comprehensive, authoritative third-party information platform in the fitness equipment industry worldwide.
Yes, there are some B2B fitness industry media websites abroad, but they mainly focus on regional market sales and user services, rarely covering product knowledge, OEM/ODM know-how and industry information about the Chinese supply chain for fitness equipment sector and sporting goods sector.
Last year, an overseas client at the ISPO exhibition in Germany told me, “Roger, you’ve helped me a lot. But if you could create a platform website for fitness/sports equipment knowledge and high-quality Chinese product/manufacturer information, I would be your first registered member. I hope to find reliable, professional, and useful information on one website anytime and save my time.”
3. Personal Sharing Desire and the Need for Continuous Growth
From what I understand, many industry-specific media (whether traditional print media or new digital media) have been struggling in recent years, surviving primarily on minimal advertising revenue. More are shrinking or have already closed. For smaller medias, it is even more challenging, as the time and effort invested often do not match the economic returns.
So, why do I still invest time in FitGearHub?
a) Learning Through Output
FQC work requires me to acquire industry information broadly and promptly, and quickly learn professional knowledge. Some product knowledge and technical standards might not be thoroughly understood initially because I am not a expert for everything. So, I have to be a fast learner and find reliable information source and absorb the knowledge then also share them with my colleagues and partners.
However, the knowledge and experience gained in problem-solving processes are often scattered and unorganized, requiring further sorting and reorganizing in a way which others could understand easily.
The best way to learn is through output—researching, verifying, and communicating with other experts before expressing it in writing. This process yields unexpected rewards.
When creating FitGearHub articles, whether collecting supplier information online or consulting with fellow experts, it enhances self-improvement. For example, after writing the article on treadmill belt knowledge, I gained a deeper understanding of the manufacturing processes of running belt, quality standards, technical specification, and future market trends of treadmill running belt.
b) The Value of Sharing
My sense of value sharing comes from my working experience with NGO patient support group. In 2017, my father was diagnosed with a rare blood cancel (WM). At that time, online information was scarce, and even many doctors had not heard of this rare disease. Thus, I established a Chinese WM patient support group and an educational material website, organized educational lectures, joined international foundation (IWMF.com), and facilitated donations (over $200,000) to WM research institutions. Over six years, we helped nearly 2,000 WM patients and families to gain knowledge and assisted them in resolving medical difficulties.
As the founder of the patient organization, I could conveniently contact top domestic and international doctors for my father’s treatment meanwhile my work also helped thousands of WM families. In this process, I met many mentors and friends in NGO sector and realized that my participation of sharing made the world a little better.
In the fitness equipment industry, I started sharing industry knowledge relatively early. Around 2009, I translated part of the EN957 standard and posted it on an online website. Ten years later, my Spanish colleague found it uploaded by someone named Roger Yao while searching for European fitness equipment testing standards online. I told him: "It’s me."
Last year, in the quality department office of a fitness equipment factory in Xiamen, I saw the factory had printed and posted my "Quality Inspection Sampling Management" article on the wall as training content for their QC employees. I have to say that seeing my know-howshared and recognized by peers in the industry is gratifying!
I believe that eventually, we will all retire and leave this industry, and this world. But if we can leave behind some valuable things, it will be the most beautiful part in our lives.
4. FitGearHub’s Content and Reader Feedback
The main sections of <FitGearHub> WeChat account include:
- Market Reports: Industry analysis report and summaries.
- Industry News: Weekly global fitness industry events
- Brand Coverage: Introduction of excellent brands and quality factories
- Smart Technology: Cutting-edge technology and smart products
- Roger’s Column: My writing sharing and case studies
- Quality Management: Product quality criteria and QC/QA management
- Norm/Regulations: Interpretation norms/major national standards
- Featured Products: Introduction of innovative/Newly arrived products
- Technical Knowledge: Articles on manufacturing processes/product technologies
- Buy&Sell: Domestic and foreign buyers' procurement inquiries and cooperation intentions
Currently, FitGearHub primarily publishes content on WeChat in Chinese language while with a small amount of English contents posted on LinkedIn.com and FITQS website. Although it has been less than a year, we have received positive feedback from readers.
- Several foreign buyers at the Chengdu Sports Expo last month expressed that they are fans of FitGearHub’s “Weekly Industry News.” One buyer said, “After reading your industry news compilation, I know you well understand the fitness equipment market and products.”
- An executive from a listed company in China stated that their strategy, marketing, and international sales departments follow my market reports as material for international market research.
- The CEO of a French company mentioned that they discuss FitGearHub’s content in internal meetings because the topics I talked about are also their focus. They also hope to get more information about Chinese fitness equipment industry.
- (While writing this article) Jiangsu TV & Tencent Video’s “Warm Inn 2” program team left a message seeking cooperation in using and recommending fitness products in the show.
5. Future Outlook: FitGearHub’s Positioning and Planning
a) Positioning:
- A B2B information platform for the fitness equipment and sports goods industry
- Featuring professional knowledge sharing, serious news reporting, and genuine supply and demand information
- Aiming to be a niche, specialized industry media
b) Planning:
- Further enrich industry information content about OEM/ODM suppliers to showcase innovative products, excellent brands, and manufacturers
- Establish a global perspective to enhance international recognition; build multi-language websites, and plan to compile FitGearHub fitness equipment know-how book or print journals
6. Final Words
As a newly established industry media, I would like to share and connect in a way that benefits myself while growing together with others in fitness equipment sector and promoting industry development.
I sincerely welcome friends to follow FitGearHub and provide your valuable feedback and suggestions!
By Roger Yao (cs01@fitqs.com) June17, 2024
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