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Park Bloggin’ by Dr Jack Samuels Do You Yiwu?
time to find out why. On the next trip I planned to explore the merchandise capital of the world and much to my surprise the Marriott Hotel I selected for my stay turned out to be right in front of the holy grail of merchandise. On arriving in Yiwu by train you must show your passport even though you
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never left China, which hasn’t happened to me in any of the 15 or more cities I’ve visited in China over the years. This is because there are so many foreigners visiting it helps the government keeps better tabs on visitors. This illustrates just how attractive Yiwu really is to visit! The main market (across from the Marriott) in Yiwu is simply astounding. You immediately get a feel of why we have trouble competing with China on many commodities. The markets here mostly focus on small commodities and I am told that 80% of all small commodities in the world are manufactured in the Yiwu area. Since finding this out I’ve found made in Yiwu stickers on a variety of products!
The main market consists of around 18 huge buildings, each of which is the size of a major convention center in the USA and the entire complex stretches about one mile. There are also three to four floors in most buildings and ample parking garages are attached to many of the buildings. Each building has thousands of merchandise stalls (many of which are just 10x10 feet (3x3 m) and most represent only one manufacturer). I visited just two buildings for about six hours one day and couldn’t even cover the two buildings completely. Additionally I am told there are satellite market buildings scattered around the town and there are two other larger market places including a jade market and an antique and art market. It is estimated that it would take you over ten days to see everything. Incredible is the only word to describe the entire marketplace and city.
n two of my recent trips to China I was introduced to the City of Yiwu. On the first trip I was told that it was the merchandise capital of the world and my colleagues teased me about it because we had no
I’ve told many individuals in the attractions industry about Yiwu, but oddly
few want to go there. They seem complacent with their domestic suppliers. I am told by some operators they are not really in the merchandise business, but in reality you are. If you use more than $200,000 worth of merchandise at wholesale, a trip
to Yiwu could save you a small fortune. Certainly Disney knows this as their large buying office is in Shanghai and I am told those folks spend a lot of their time in Yiwu…and yes, custom made products are also easy to obtain. What drives people to play games are prizes and if your prizes are better
than the competition you will win over many customers. Further, by going to Yiwu you would have known about such crazes as fidget spinners way before the market became flooded with them. It just takes an investment of time and a good guide who speaks Mandarin. Due to a relationship we have with a local University getting guides and assistance is not a problem as the University actually has a “Tourism Merchandise Institute” housed in a very large building. There is lots of other information
available on Yiwu on the internet or please do contact myself if you want to go there or have further questions. Trips can be combined with other industry related sightseeing.
Many products require case lot purchases (For example: a case of 40 of the latest GoPro type cameras with every accessory known to mankind went for about $800 total…I saw the same product being sold at a trade show here in the USA for $80 each!). Other products are cash and carry. I purchased punk leather jewellery that would sell in a park or tourist attraction for an average of $10 for just $.165 and watches that would sell in a $10 shop for just $1 that were nicer than the $10 shop watches! There are ample shipping companies present to assist in gathering together a container of stuff for you or you can carry back some stuff in your luggage that would more than pay for the trip.
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Dr. Samuels has written over 150 articles for the amusement, theme park and entertainment industries. He provides diverse consulting services in general marketing and market research, facility development, customer service, safety, crowd, and event management and promotional activities programming such as birthday parties. He can be reached at
samuelsj@mail.montclair.edu.
SEPTEMBER 2017
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