China Sports T-Shirts Q3 2023: Yoga and Running Gain Ground

Newer data: China's Online Sportswear Sales Hit CN¥ 168.3B in 2025

Executive Summary#

Online sales of sports T-shirts on a leading Chinese marketplace were almost flat at CN¥ 1.99 billion for the Moving Annual Total ending August 2023. Average selling prices rose, which we believe shows consumers trading up even as the category as a whole came under pressure. Growth moved towards purpose-built categories, with yoga T-shirts up 16.2% and running T-shirts up 8.1%, as consumers accepted higher prices for specialised performance, while the much larger training sub-segment came under pressure. We believe brands whose product strategy follows this shift towards functional specialisation are best placed to grow in the category.

Overall Market Size and Growth#

Sports T-shirts on a leading Chinese marketplace generated CN¥ 1.99 billion in sales from September 2022 to August 2023 (MAT2023), almost flat on the previous year, and 12.97 million units were sold. Average selling prices rose as consumers traded up, and this pattern of rising prices in a market under pressure recurs throughout the data.

Total sportswear sales on the same marketplace held essentially flat at CN¥ 19.44 billion (+0.2% YoY). This suggests that the pressure on sports T-shirts is specific to the category, as spending moved towards other apparel such as sports pants, outerwear and technical athletic gear. Sports T-shirts represented approximately 10.2% of total sportswear revenue in MAT2023.

Seasonal demand is highly concentrated. The June peak, driven by summer temperatures and the 618 shopping festival together, generated approximately 27% of annual sales across all gender segments in a single month. The March-to-August window accounts for roughly 50% of annual revenue, which makes the timing of inventory and marketing a core competitive requirement.

Gender Segment Performance#

The three gender segments, men's, women's and unisex, moved in different directions in MAT2023, and women's sports T-shirts were the only segment to post positive revenue growth.

Men's: The largest segment, at CN¥ 1.04 billion, came under pressure during the year. Short-sleeve training T-shirts make up most of the product mix, and June generated CN¥ 308.3 million from men's alone. The segment's average selling price of CN¥ 142 sits well below those of the women's and yoga categories, which indicates that price sensitivity and functional basics matter more to men's purchase decisions than premium features. Sleeveless styles grew their share from approximately 6.0% to 8.1% of men's peak-month sales as demand for running vests and training tanks expanded.

Women's: The most resilient segment grew 2.1% to CN¥ 720.2 million, and its share of total market revenue rose by 1.5 percentage points, from 34.7% to 36.2%. We believe women's growth rests mainly on the expansion of yoga as a category and on the strength of premium yoga brands, and within women's functional demand training and yoga account for approximately 55% and 30% respectively.

Unisex: The smallest segment, at CN¥ 230.8 million, also came under pressure, as consumers moved towards performance-focused and fashion-led styles.

Sub-Market Dynamics: The Shift Towards Functional Specialisation#

The three functional sub-markets, training, yoga and running, show most clearly where China's sports T-shirt category is heading.

Training (CN¥ 1.46 billion) remains the volume anchor at 73.4% of total market revenue but came under pressure during the year. Within training, the CN¥ 400+ price tier grew its share from approximately 16% to 25.3%, which confirms that consumers are trading up even in this segment.

Yoga (CN¥ 350 million, +16.2% YoY) was the strongest performer, and its share of total market revenue rose 2.8 percentage points to 17.6%. Revenue growth of +16.2% far outpaced volume growth of +0.5%, which points to strong premiumisation. Brands such as VFU, ACKDCS and Sangruo (桑若) compete in the CN¥ 79-180 mid-price range of the yoga sub-market, below its premium end.

Running (CN¥ 179 million, +8.1% YoY) follows the same premiumisation pattern as yoga. The CN¥ 200-300 price segment recorded the fastest growth at +39.2% YoY, while the sub-CN¥ 100 segment, which is the largest with 52% of the sub-market, was almost flat.

Brand Strategies: Premium Function and Fashion Positioning#

Brand strategies in the category follow the same split along price lines that the sub-market data shows. Lululemon (露露乐蒙) has built its position on premium yoga, while DESCENTE (迪桑特) also sits at the premium end of the market. MLB has relied on trendy sportswear aesthetics and a wide choice of colours across its SKUs, and Under Armour (安德玛) has built its range around its HeatGear compression platform. Domestic brands such as ANTA (安踏) and Li-Ning (李宁) compete at value price points. We believe brands without clear functional or aspirational differentiation will find it harder to hold their place between the premium and value ends of the market.

Consumer Sentiment: What Buyers Are Saying#

E-commerce review sentiment on the marketplace shows broad consumer satisfaction with sports T-shirts, and overall impression generated the strongest positive signal, with a 14:1 positive-to-negative ratio at a 13.3% positive mention rate. Product fundamentals such as comfort, fabric quality and on-body appearance are well-established category expectations.

The main pain point is sizing and fit, which recorded the lowest positive-to-negative ratio among all review dimensions (2.2:1), and this indicates that uncertainty about sizing online is the biggest source of purchase friction. Brands can address it through detailed size charts, fabric stretch specifications and AI-powered size recommendation tools, which can reduce return rates and improve conversion.

Key Takeaways#

• Online sales of sports T-shirts on a leading Chinese marketplace were almost flat at CN¥ 1.99 billion in MAT2023, while average prices rose, a sign of premiumisation in a category under pressure
• Women's sports T-shirts (+2.1%) were the only gender segment to grow, and women accounted for 36.2% of total market revenue in MAT2023, up 1.5 percentage points YoY
• Yoga (+16.2%) and running (+8.1%) sub-markets are the main sources of growth, while the much larger training segment came under pressure
• Premium price tiers are growing within training and running, which shows consumers paying more for specialised performance
• June accounts for about 27% of annual sales, so brands need their range and marketing in place for the 618 festival and the summer window

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering Q3 2023.

Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce platforms. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete Sports T-Shirt Market whitepaper.