More than 100,000 people took part in an Adidas event called Republic of Sports within six weeks across four cities Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou recently. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Opinion leaders

Shoppers are now greatly swayed by social media, so-called key opinion leaders and young celebrities, and the brands are taking full advantage of their own social media accounts, as well as those of athletes, influencers, artists and key opinion leaders, he says.

"In addition to building highly technical gear, we focus on consumer touch points such as grassroots events and social media to communicate directly with our core consumers."

The brand also provides customers the chance to interact with top sportsmen and sportswomen with events such as the Stephan Curry Tour, the 2016 Michael Phelps China tour and the 2017 Tom Brady China Tour.

Kolon Sports has signed Tang Wei and Song Joong Ki as brand representatives to reach out to the young generations. The brand is also looking for collaboration with designers.

Puma has worked with the singer Rihanna, and industry observers say she has added zest to the brand, its collection Fenty X Puma with whose marketing the singer was closely associated, becoming one of the most sought-after products on the market.

Wearable devices have become sales winners for international brands, too. Last year Nike put on the market its Hyper Adapt Trainer 1.0, billed as the first shoes that can tie themselves up. Puma also has its own self-lacing sports shoes, called Autodisc, and Decathlon has developed sports underwear that can detect the wearer's heart beat.