Licensed merchandise tied to Disney's blockbuster animated hit "Zootopia 2" is flying off the shelves in Yiwu, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province known as "the world's supermarket", with high-demand items already facing back orders amid surging consumer interest.
The plush toy section at the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center has become a major draw. An array of officially licensed dolls portraying characters like Officer Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are prominently displayed, attracting crowds of buyers and visitors to the world's largest wholesale hub for small commodities. "I've just seen Zootopia 2 in the theater. I'm here to buy some keychains and bags as gifts for my friends and colleagues," said Wang Li, a local shopper.
For cross-border business operators, the film's success has translated into robust export orders.
"I'm running an overseas e-commerce shop, and came specifically to purchase merchandise like Zootopia plush toys, bags and keychains. This is my fourth procurement trip here this month," said Gulinaizair Kurban, a cross-border e-commerce buyer based in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Upon learning of the sequel's production last year, Yiwu vendor Bao Niya promptly began negotiations with business partners to secure licensing rights and place advance orders.
"We've been in the licensed IP (intellectual property business) for over a decade. For a major franchise like Zootopia, we placed orders with factories four months ahead, tripling or even quadrupling our usual purchasing volume. Sales of related merchandise have risen about 30 percent compared to last month, and we now carry over 150 SKUs (stock keeping unit) across categories such as plush toys, keychains, and bags," Bao said.
E-commerce data underscores the consumption boom. On one of China's largest online platforms JD.com, searches for "Zootopia" jumped 225 percent in the film's opening week, with sales in the toy and musical instrument category soaring 670 percent week-over-week.
Huang Changchao, president of the Yiwu Cultural Goods Association, noted that changing consumer trends are driving this growth.
"Today, consumer attitudes in China are undergoing rapid transformation, with emotional value and IP-empowered products gaining particular prominence. For instance, a standard pen selling for 4 to 5 yuan (0.6 to 0.7 U.S. dollar) can yield a 20 percent to 30 percent profit increase with a popular IP. Over the past year, licensed IPs have driven over 100 million yuan in additional sales for Yiwu's cultural goods sector," he explained.
Zootopia 2 global craze fuels order surge at "world's supermarket"
