Fragmented ordering is becoming the most notable structural shift in Keqiao's autumn market. Since mid-to-late September, China Textile City has seen a steady increase in walk-in buyers, yet the average transaction size has shrunk noticeably. Downstream apparel and home textile brands are validating styles through trial orders, resulting in rising volume, stable prices and scattered demand. This means the traditional model of relying on large orders for production scheduling is being replaced by small-batch quick replenishment, and both factories and fabric merchants need to adjust their stocking strategies accordingly.
Demand Side: Autumn/Winter Stocking Moves Earlier
Cooling temperatures combined with the approaching National Day holiday have pushed autumn/winter apparel fabrics and home textile products into a concentrated stocking period. Thermal fabrics, woolen, stretch knits and brushed fabrics have become hot categories in trading zones, with buyers comparing color cards on site, sending samples and finalizing small orders at a noticeably faster pace.
The home textile section is equally active. Demand for minimalist solid-color bedding, wedding series fabrics and sofa fabrics is rising steadily, with many customers stocking early for fourth-quarter home decoration consumption. For buyers, this means the window for fabric delivery and process confirmation is narrowing. Completing sample dispatch and locking in technical parameters before the holiday is essential to ensure smooth production after factories resume.
Merchants report that since mid-to-late September, dozens of color cards are sent out daily, with online inquiries and offline inspections happening simultaneously. The pre-holiday period is seen as a critical node: buyers need to catch the autumn/winter apparel launch, while suppliers must complete sample dispatch and process confirmation before the break. Some factories are already fully booked.
Supply Side: Raw Material Volatility Forces Product Upgrades
Upstream chemical fiber and cotton yarn prices have recently fluctuated upward, with cost pressure transmitting along the supply chain to the fabric end. Merchants are more cautious in taking orders, generally insisting on case-by-case negotiation to control risk. For factories, uncertainty on the raw material side means shorter quotation validity periods, requiring more precise coordination between price locking and material preparation.
Under this pressure, the room for pure low-price competition is further compressed. Many operators are proactively reducing stock of ordinary commodity fabrics and shifting focus to new materials and processes. Functional fabrics such as waterproof-breathable and anti-static varieties, along with recycled polyester and eco-friendly dyeing and finishing fabrics, are becoming differentiated products for exploring overseas markets.
Foreign buyers show a clear preference for eco-friendly recycled and functional fabrics, which command stronger bargaining power. The exhibition-market linkage model continues to work, with merchants shifting from passively waiting for customers to actively connecting with trade shows and overseas buyers. Online and offline customer acquisition channels are now integrated, and Keqiao fabrics continue to reach markets around the world.
Livestreaming has become one of the mainstream trends in the market. Many merchants host online fabric livestreams from their storefronts, showcasing texture and patterns on camera and serving remote customers, breaking geographical limits. Online traffic drives offline sample viewing, allowing fabric selection and communication to be completed efficiently even when customers cannot visit in person.
Circulation Side: Services and Logistics Ensure Pre-Holiday Operations
To ensure orderly pre-holiday trading, China Textile City management has continued to optimize the business environment, handling environmental cleanup, fire safety and logistics support. The logistics area sees frequent vehicle traffic, with packing, loading and shipping working overtime to send rolls of fabric to apparel factories nationwide and export ports.
From an industrial belt perspective, the core contradiction in Keqiao's peak season lies not in total demand but in order structure and cost transmission. Rising volume with stable prices indicates genuine downstream purchasing intent, but fragmented orders place higher demands on supply chain flexibility. Those who can respond faster to small-batch, multi-frequency, short-lead-time demand will gain the upper hand during peak season.