FC Bayern
FC Bayern’s Chinese fans: the genuine article
China has welcomed FC Bayern like rock stars for their Audi Summer Tour China 2015. In every airport, at every hotel, and at every practice session and friendly match, there are mobs of adoring fans screaming for their favorite German team.
Given the success FC Bayern has had over the years, it’s no surprise that their popularity extends as far as China. But what did come as a surprise is how many Chinese fans – which number in the thousands – are already wearing the team’s new home jersey. It’s only been available for about two months in China on the FC Bayern flagship store on Tmall Global. DHL eCommerce shaped the platform and provides logistics services.
“It’s our top seller,” said Christian Grosse, senior project manager at DHL eCommerce, of Bayern’s newest home jersey. “I see them on my way to work in the subway, and they're wearing a jersey. I know it comes from our shop.”
FC Bayern’s China following
FC Bayern had exactly that phenomenon in mind when they opened the shop, and when they decided to come on the Audi Summer Tour China 2015. It was a chance to reach out to their fans in China and bring the team a lot closer than it normally would be.
The fans welcomed the team with open arms.
“My fan club and I have been preparing for three months for this,” said Zhang Wnjie, head of the Beijing chapter of the FC Bayern fan club in China. “We’ve made very detailed plans for the whole trip, including plans for cheering for the team, getting tickets, meeting the team at the hotels and airports, and wishing them farewell when they leave.”
Despite being quite soft-spoken, Zhang’s passion for FC Bayern shines through whenever he speaks about his favorite team. He’s particularly thrilled to have FC Bayern in China after he missed their last trip.
“Such a bummer!” he said. “During FC Bayern’s China trip in 2012 I had my university exams. Really a shame that I missed it.”
A lasting relationship
While the team will eventually go back to Germany at the end of the trip, Zhang and the rest of the Bayern fans in China now have a much stronger and much more permanent link to FC Bayern. Through the online shop on Tmall, fans can get authentic fan merchandise without having to go through the very big hassle of shipping it from Germany.
“Up until two or three months ago, the only way for a Chinese consumer to order a Bayern Munich jersey online was to go to the German market shop, and that was a bit complicated,” said Thomas Kipp, CEO of DHL eCommerce, at a joint press conference with FC Bayern in Shanghai.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Executive Board Chairman of FC Bayern Munich, took it a step further.
“I think it was nearly impossible,” he said.
This is important for fans, as Zhang will tell you: “It’s a real honor to wear the jersey of your favorite player.”
With DHL’s Hong Kong warehouse well-stocked with FC Bayern’s new home jersey (and a special flocking machine for adding the players’ names and numbers), there’s an excellent chance that many more Chinese fans will be honoring their favorite team and favorite stars by the team’s next trip to China.
FC Bayern Munich’s Audi Summer Tour China 2015 reaches its thrilling conclusion tomorrow with the Volkswagen Cup Guangzhou against FC Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao – stay tuned to InMotion for all the latest!
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