From subculture to the public, the "two-dimensional" derivatives market is becoming a blue ocean. According to data released by iResearch, the scale of China's "two-dimensional" industry will increase by 27.6% in 2023, reaching 221.9 billion yuan.
The "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Chengdu's Digital Cultural and Creative Industry" proposes to encourage animation enterprises to integrate upstream and downstream resources of the industry, develop brand licensing and image marketing, develop films, theme parks, stage plays, and launch toys, clothing, stationery, food, etc. Expanding the emerging consumption of "two-dimensional" derivatives and promoting the integrated development of digital cultural and creative industries, Chengdu's animation industry is developing towards the "whole industry chain" and "all ages". Chengdu, an open and inclusive city, is also becoming a new highland for the animation industry in the west.
"Save" the old mall
On an afternoon at the end of June, an excited crowd surged on the zebra crossing in front of Exit D of Chengdu Metro Tianfu Square Station. Most of these young people are in the company of friends or three, some of them wear colorful wigs and specific outfits, play their favorite anime characters, and some of them have backpacks full of anime merchandise. They are known as "two-dimensional" enthusiasts. At the other end of the zebra crossing is the destination for most of them – Chengdu Tianfuhong Shopping Center.
Since the second half of last year, "ACG saves the old mall" has become a hot topic on social media. When "ACG" consumption is increasingly coming offline, these "ACG" peripheral stores, which are nicknamed "upgraded versions of small shops at the school gate", are bringing new breath and new opportunities to traditional commerce.
Walking into the mall, take the flying ladder to the fourth floor, a "millet shop" ("millet" transliterated from "Goods", referring to the "second yuan" peripherals) at the elevator entrance is crowded with young faces who choose anime and game peripherals, some people are buying for friends through video calls, and from time to time there are out-of-town consumers pushing suitcases hurriedly passing by. The reporter observed that there are 20 "millet shops" of various colors on this floor, and there are many customers in each store. In some stores, birthday parties are being held for anime characters, and many fans are signing graffiti and taking photos on the background boards in the stores.
This is an actor dressed as an anime character at the exhibition. Photo by reporter Shen Bohan
"At present, there are pan-ACG formats from the first basement to the six floors above ground, of which the fourth and fifth floors are the floors with the highest 'ACG concentration'." According to the relevant person in charge of Tianfuhong Shopping Center, there are currently more than 50 "two-dimensional" stores in the mall, accounting for more than 40% of the total number of stores. In addition to "millet shops", figure stores, card stores, animation bookstores, DIY stores, etc., IP catering, capsule toy machines, game halls, cultural and creative product stores and other pan-two-dimensional categories are also very complete.
Zhang, a Ph.D. student at Sichuan University's School of Architecture and Environment, recalled: "When I came here a year, there were still some empty shops with closed doors and relatively few people, so I didn't expect it to be so popular now. ”
"The second yuan saves the old mall" is turning from a joke to real money. Before the opening of Chengdu Tianfuhong in September 2021, the building was a traditional department store on the verge of closure. From January to May 2024, the sales of Chengdu Tianfuhong increased by more than 150% year-on-year, of which the sales of weekends and holidays increased by more than 200% year-on-year, and the year-on-year increase of more than 200%. Jason Animation, which specializes in cards, chose to open its first store in the country here, and many new products have also tested the waters here. "After more than half a year of operation, the revenue has far exceeded expectations." Mr. Li, the owner of the shop, said.
"Read" young people
In the face of the vigorous development of online retail, at a time when many physical supermarkets are seeking breakthroughs in transformation, offline consumption of ACG derivatives has sprung up. "In the past three years, ACG stores have shown strong resilience and vitality, and sales have risen instead of falling." The relevant person in charge of Tianfuhong Shopping Center recalled that these old stores attracted more "ACG" stores, and also made them more determined to choose the "ACG" format.
"Millet shop" hides many characteristics of new consumption, reflecting the transformation of new retail to traditional business logic.
The new model of experiential consumption and interest consumption is a major feature of the "two-dimensional" peripheral consumption. Xiao Li, a senior college student who was drawing the blind box, told reporters: "I came offline to experience the immediate surprise and satisfaction after opening the blind box, which cannot be given by online shopping." Many industry insiders said that the interest-driven consumption decision-making characteristics of "ACG" derivatives consumers are significant, and obtaining emotional value is one of the strongest psychological driving factors, and different needs such as socialization, companionship, nostalgia, and solitude can be met in "ACG" consumption.
In order to enhance the sense of experience, user orientation has become a key word in management. Tama Manshiya is mainly engaged in "second creation peripherals", which refers to derivatives of the secondary creation of IP images by artists. Zhang Bolun, the person in charge of the store, told reporters that based on market feedback and customer big data needs, they will cooperate with some artists to carry out research and development of second creation. In Tianfu Hong, makeup rooms, dance studios, and "stitch-and-needle" rest areas have been opened up; In order to understand the real needs of the "two-dimensional" group, employees should regularly participate in "special tests": in addition to basic business knowledge, "professional topics" such as matching animation characters with names and animation work companies also appear.
The increasingly segmented "two-dimensional" consumer market is stimulating and leading new demand. Anthracene Cocoa is a one-stop shop that sells "pain packets" for DIY, millet and drinks, and has a transparent soft leather shell that is specially used to collect and display "pain packets", which has recently become very popular among "two-dimensional" enthusiasts. "In the DIY shop, you can not only shop, but also enjoy the atmosphere of interacting with your friends. "The differentiation of stores has amplified the demand for personalized consumption, and the owners of several ACG stores said that they will introduce richer categories in the future and strive for more IP copyrights.
"Two-dimensional consumption" is also developing new scenarios for offline commerce. The Tianfu Square Jinzhan Shopping Center, which is connected to an underground passage in Tianfuhong, is a commercial entity inside the subway station, and this underground world is also the "base" of Chengdu's "two-dimensional" enthusiasts. Focusing on "culture + business", random dances, animation carnivals and other activities are organized from time to time to create immersive consumption scenes, and about 10 two-dimensional derivative stores are gathered in a small area.
The reporter noticed that the decoration here pays attention to the "two-dimensional concentration", and some open spaces are placed for "punching in" popular IP stands, and some two-dimensional enthusiasts are practicing dance and shooting on the side. Cosplay enthusiast Xiao Ji told reporters: "We generally don't leave after shopping, and a good atmosphere and decoration will make us willing to stay in the mall longer." Huang Na, the relevant person in charge of Tianfu Plaza Jinzhan Shopping Center, said that she hopes that more two-dimensional formats will form a linkage and work towards jointly building a characteristic business district.
"Feed" the industrial chain
Convenient transportation, good atmosphere, rich categories, and many like-minded people, these keywords are not only the reason why fans choose Chengdu Tianfu Red and Tianfu Square Jinzhan Shopping Center for shopping, but also a glimpse of the rapid development of Chengdu's "two-dimensional" market and even the entire digital cultural and creative market.
"Yingman has been established for more than ten years, and this year we entered the southwest region and chose Chengdu because the urban atmosphere and cultural atmosphere here attracted us." Huang Feifei, founder of Yingman Bookstore, which specializes in animation publications, said.
"Chengdu has formed a certain scale of animation industry cluster, which has attracted a lot of talents. The animation market is also rich in types, including not only traditional animation and comics, but also emerging fields such as VR and AR. In terms of works, Chengdu's animation industry has a high degree of integration with traditional culture and local culture, and many works have traditional elements of Chengdu, forming a unique art style. Zheng Hanling, business manager of Chengdu Kate Century Animation Production Co., Ltd., said.
"Nezha's Demon Boy Descends to the World", "Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang'an", "Jiang Ziya", "Wind Whispering Spell", ...... In recent years, among the excellent animation works in China, Sichuan animation companies have frequently appeared. Zhang Juan, Dean of the School of Film, Television and Animation of Chengdu University, said that Chengdu's animation film industry is currently experiencing a key breakthrough stage from production to originality, from scattered to systematic, and from subordinate to dominant.
In Chenghua District, Chengdu, Tianfu International Animation City, which has attracted the attention of "two-dimensional" lovers, is stepping up construction. In the future, it will become an animation innovation and entrepreneurship industrial park and an urban animation-themed tourist destination with the animation industry as the core, integrating animation innovation and entrepreneurship, animation-themed tourism, and animation-themed life.
In recent years, with the goal of building "China's most suitable city for digital cultural and creative development", Chengdu has encouraged the development of seven key areas such as digital animation, e-sports games, and digital film and television, expanded the emerging consumption of the digital cultural and creative market, and promoted the integrated development of the digital cultural and creative industry. At the same time, it is clearly proposed to improve the quality and efficiency of the animation industry, create a number of Chengdu animation brands, and promote the development of the "whole industry chain" and "all ages" of animation.
With cultural heritage, policy guidance, industrial clusters, and talent gathering, Chengdu's animation industry is embarking on the fast track of high-quality development, and new growth points of the digital cultural and creative industry are emerging.
The hot derivatives consumer market is also feeding back the upstream animation and game production end. Zheng Hanling said that the consumption of animation derivatives not only brings more economic income to the IP creation industry, but also facilitates producers to conduct market analysis and adjustment of creative direction, and the extension of the industrial chain can also provide more employment opportunities.
With the increasing popularity of domestic animation and game peripherals due to affordable prices and more localized IP, more production capacity and IP continue to join. "Everyone's consumption power and enthusiasm for Guoman IP are rising,We will also focus on the production of excellent Guoman IP derivatives in the future。 Zhang Yangting, the person in charge of the well-known "millet shop" Mengmeng Tianfu Red Store, said.
At the same time, this fast-growing market is also facing many problems such as uneven product quality, hot IP piling up, and piracy. Industry insiders said that at present, the whole industrial chain of domestic "two-dimensional" derivatives with content as the core has not yet been fully constructed, the field of IP development is limited, and the operation capacity of the whole industry chain is still not strong. The reporter visited a number of "ACG" derivatives stores and found that there is still room for improvement in the richness and sophistication of domestic "ACG" derivatives in terms of product richness and sophistication. "Enhancing the competitiveness of Guoman's IP itself is the key。 Comic fan Zhang said.
Zhang Juan pointed out that Sichuan has abundant game resources, and if animation companies and game companies can jointly develop IP and create core value of products, the Sichuan animation film industry will truly have momentum and potential, and it can also provide space for those animation companies with insufficient hematopoietic capacity to survive and grow. Zheng Hanling believes that the animation industry should actively introduce and apply new technologies such as VR, AR, AI, etc., improve the production level and user experience of animation works, and create more original animation works with local characteristics and international competitiveness. (Reporter Zhou Yihang, Dong Xiaohong, Li Chenxi, Tang Wenhao)
Source: Economic Information Daily