Custom Keycaps Are Going Viral in China: Implications for Marketing Communications
For many young adults in China, it is necessary to own a quality mechanical keyboard. Like their peers from many other countries globally, millennials in China grow up with the knowledge of the Internet, mobile devices, and social media. They are especially fond of PCs because of the early introduction of personal computers around the 2000s and computer class opening in Chinese school systems. Therefore, China undoubtedly has the largest number of PC users and an insane number of PC gamers. According to a report released by game research company Niko Partners, China had around 312 million PC online gamers in 2018. By the year 2023, China will have approximately 354 million PC online gamers, which will exceed the total population of the United States (Xu, 2019).
Besides the massive revenue of $15.21 billion from in-game purchases, China’s PC gaming market closely associates with the gaming accessories market (Geene, 2017). Hardware and gaming peripherals play an integral part in creating the best gaming experience for gamers. There is a surge in demand for gaming gears, especially for those hardcore PC gamers.
People believe that keyboards are a very cheap product that they will purchase without thinking twice about how much they will cost from their weekly earnings. But probably out of everyone’s mind, they can be as expensive as a Louis Vuitton handbag. And the gadget I’m talking about here is the custom, handmade keycaps on the mechanical keyboard. Some people will call it “Artisan keycaps.”
“Artisan Keycaps”: Works of Arts
In this age of “what you see is what you get,” custom keycaps are the type of goods that require a lot of financial input and patience. Many people would consider them as works of art because they are so exquisite and rare. The material varies from resin to metal CNC.
The artisan keycaps are famous for their rarity, design, and super long producing time. Many keycaps makers do not stock up. Their business model is similar to that of artisans in ancient times: They publish advertisements and rendering images to announce their next products. Once customers have finished preordering, those craftsmen will start to make a limited number of keycaps based on the number of preorders. Customers pay full price, but they often will have to wait a long time before receiving the products.
JellyKey, a manufacturer of custom keycaps, for example, says on its website that customers can receive the products within 90-100 days. But in reality, these numbers never come close to being accurate. People often wait nine months for their products, so they give the keycaps a nickname as “the best financial product of the year.”
These handmade keycaps are rare by nature. Most producers will not reuse any of their design ideas, meaning that each series will be a once-in-a-lifetime collection. The limited number and the growing demand make custom keycaps extremely valuable on the trading platforms.
Thoughts on Marketing Communications
Buying custom keycaps from artisans is a niche activity, which is comparable to buying paintings from galleries. They are not some consumer goods that you can buy from the supermarket. Instead, social media platforms provide these producers with ample opportunities to showcase their products via multi-media methods like texts, photos, and short videos. Meanwhile, millennials, who love to play video games with a keyboard and mouth, are likely to see those keycaps’ marketing content. In other words, it is effortless for keycaps business owners to approach the target customers through social media platforms.
Nevertheless, the marketing of keycaps is still at a very primitive stage. Unlike streetwear clothing and sneakers, keycaps, as a luxurious subculture product, lack proper marketing communications. As a result, hordes of lovers do not exist, and there are currently no online marketplaces like StockX to resell these keycaps.
However, custom keycaps do contain huge business potential and growing demand for marketing communications. Unlike sneakers, custom keycaps are more creative. There is an increasing number of creators learning how to make keycaps with a better look. There are already some studios with an established reputation and brand value. As many of them are doing right now, creators could incorporate popular culture elements into their products. For example, I believe that people would love to buy stormtrooper-shaped keycaps!
References:
Greene, K. (n.d.). The Chinese Market Opportunity for Global Gaming Peripheral Brands. Newzoo. Retrieved October 9, 2020, from https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/the-chinese-market-opportunity-for-global-gaming-peripheral-brands/
Xu, T. (2019, May 15). China’s PC gamers will exceed the US population in 2023: Report · TechNode. TechNode. https://technode.com/2019/05/15/chinas-pc-gamers-will-exceed-us-population-in-2023-report/
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