China Sportswear: Online Sales Tracker (Apr 2026) – persistent demand softness

Research evidence excerpt

China Sportswear: Online Sales Tracker (Apr 2026) – persistent demand softness

Deutsche Bank

Research

Asia Industry Date

China 18 May 2026

China Sportswear

Consumer Industry Update

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury

Goods

Online Sales Tracker (Apr 2026) –

persistent demand softness

Sammi Xu

Note: Our monthly China Sportswear Online Sales Tracker covers top-selling sports

Research Analyst

brands in mainland China and their sales on Taobao, Tmall, and Douyin. The data +852-2203-5415

covers: (1) industry data: sports footwear, sports apparel, outdoor and hiking, yoga,

gym and other accessories; and (2) brand data: all categories. Data in this report

represents end-market online GMV (sell-through), taking into account returns/

refunds, while store-/platform-wide subsidies are not factored in for Taobao and

Tmall. Sell-through data shown in this report does not represent brands' revenue.

Data in excel is available upon request

Apr-26 review: prolonged demand softness in Apr, following a Mar slowdown

China's online sales cooled down following robust Chinese New Year (CNY)

performance in 2M26, indicating that the demand outlook remains uncertain. The

earlier 2M26 rebound was likely driven by the later timing of CNY, which shifted

holiday purchases from 4Q25 into early 2026. Following a post-holiday moderation

in Mar, Apr data continues to be very soft.

In Apr-26, overall online sales increased by 9% YoY, compared to 2% in Mar, 21%

in 2M26, and 14% YoY in December (Figure 3). While all segments maintained a soft

trend, the Douyin channel improved MoM, whereas Taobao and Tmall remained

weaker. Sports apparel outperformed footwear, posting strong growth of 26% YoY

in Apr 2026. This domestic sportswear trend mirrors global demand, where apparel

growth has outpaced footwear in 2026.