Author: Ma Ruilei
Editor: Lin Jiexin
Recently, the Paris Olympics has gained immense popularity not only among athletes but also with various related “Olympic” products, leading to a surge in searches and sales volume.
The same style of “ugly fish” slippers worn by Quan Hongchan saw a staggering 113% increase in popularity on Taobao this week. When searching for the keyword “Quan Hongchan”, the first suggestion that appears is “ugly fish” slippers.
Have you ever wondered how huge orders are always delivered on time? Taking the Paris Olympics as an example, it turns out that these orders were placed as early as the end of 2023, with merchants anticipating the popular products based on their insights.
This year, I noticed that while others online were still selling AI painting courses, Yiwu was already making a significant profit through AI.
According to The Paper, the AI foreign trade products released by Alibaba International Station in Yiwu have been ordered by 12,000 foreign trade companies, and the quantity of products released has reached one million. Additionally, in the Yiwu Small Commodity Market, over 10,000 merchants have utilized AI tools in their operations, making up 20% of the total number of merchants in the entire Yiwu market.
The editor speculated on why Yiwu merchants are so enthusiastic about AI. The first reason is the design of various souvenirs, manicures, and other small items, where AI painting has become quite mature.
But why are other businesses so keen on AI? After some research, I discovered that people are more inclined to use AI for innovative work. There are generally two forms:
1. Once a hot product gains traction, Yiwu merchants will spare no effort. If they cannot secure the first share, they will quickly iterate on product pain points. Relevant statistics indicate that after a hot product launches, Yiwu will iterate 3 to 4 times within 2 weeks, completing the upgrade and mass production of a product every 4.6 days on average. It’s a race against time; hesitance will lead them to be left behind.
2. For daily product development, there’s a strong need to quickly realize various ideas, hence the use of AI.
This article does not focus on various AI manicures or pattern designs, but rather investigates whether AI can help Yiwu merchants distinguish themselves from their peers at this stage.
We decided to start from a very small point. Is it feasible to use AI to redesign a pair of Quan Hongchan’s “ugly fish” slippers?
I spent three days testing various domestic drawing products and ultimately chose to compete with free products, making it convenient for everyone to try and learn at a low cost. I used Tongyi Wanxiang, Keling AI, SenseTime Miaohua, and the foreign DALL-E 3 for a comparison!
I will increase the difficulty gradually. I won’t elaborate further; I’ll just show the results.
Clownfish Slippers
Tips:
Open slippers designed in a cartoon style featuring clownfish, with an orange upper and white stripes. The toe has an exaggerated 3D fish mouth design, with large eyes outlined in black on both sides, and a blue sole adorned with a bubble pattern, representing a playful and unique style, with high-detail rendering, soft lighting, and fashion product photography.
The main goal here is to test the AI’s ability to meet requirements regarding color matching and shape matching.
FROM 3
DALL·E 3 faced a peculiar issue where it struggled to fulfill the product requirement of “slippers” adequately; although it was able to match the colors orange and white, and blue bubbles, it seems to understand the creation of salted fish slippers better, likely due to a limitation within the dataset.
Tongyi Wanxiang: Honestly, upon seeing the initial image, I wondered if these shoes were designed for flat feet? Although they appear unwearable, the impression was immediate. The same applies to the second image. Design elements are limited, yet the placement of the shoes makes them seem foolish.
Shangtang Seconds: The first image is decent; it’s a pair of Crocs—not outstanding, yet I’d still consider clicking the product page. However, the second pair… reminds me a bit of Cthulhu. I wonder if the third one will have conjoined twins? Perhaps it’s designed for zombie babies, allowing them to hop around while wearing it.
Keling: This one also made the same mistake as DALL·E 3, but honestly, the generated shoes are quite cute.
Lantern Fish Shoes: A Fisherman’s Must-Have
Since the clownfish slippers from various manufacturers barely meet standards, let’s explore some innovative designs. As a fisherman, isn’t it reasonable to create a pair of slippers that glow with lantern fish as design inspiration for night fishing?
Tip: Design slippers inspired by lantern fish, incorporating the light-emitting organs of the fish into the shoes.
However, the AI soon brought me back to reality through its outcomes. When I attempted to have AI generate shoes inspired by lantern fish, likely due to issues with the training set, all the AIs ended up merging the fish and lanterns together.
For instance, with Keling, I tried to attach lanterns to various areas of the shoes, indicating my efforts while ensuring the product serves as a guiding light for late-night commutes. I even thought of a product slogan: “No matter how late you work, there will always be shoes lighting your path.”
Tongyi Wanxiang even made it more engaging by placing the lantern on the toes. A closer look revealed it designed like a flip-flop with the five toes prominently hollowed out. Perhaps the lantern’s purpose is to illuminate toes left aimless.
SenseTime: This is a lantern, and this is a fish. There’s nothing wrong with merging these two to create the “caged fish” concept.
FROM 3: Made from luminous, environmentally friendly materials; scary when walking at night.
Later, I realized that the major algorithms lacked training using the label “lantern fish”, so we could only depend on text descriptions to prompt the AI to draw according to our requirements. Basically, this was a test of each company’s language comprehension abilities. To be thorough, I even researched the scientific name of lantern fish, “deep-sea anglerfish,” and optimized the prompt words based on the fish’s appearance.
To be honest, I’ve always seen cartoon images of lantern fish and thought they were ugly-cute. However, in reality, they look more like this. Fortunately, they reside in the deep sea and ancient fishing technology wasn’t advanced. Otherwise, Journey to the West might have featured an additional anglerfish. This presents another challenge for AI: how to maintain the appearance characteristics without making it look so unappealing…
First, let’s look at the prompt words:
Slippers designed with inspiration from deep-sea anglerfish, featuring a dark gray body, a wide upturned toe box with soft ‘teeth’, and a prominent ‘fishing rod’ structure on the front of the shoe: a 10-15 cm long, curved forward and upward like a question mark, with a 2-3 cm translucent luminous sphere at the tip. The base of the fishing rod should integrate smoothly into the upper. The sides should feature gill and fin textures, with dark blue fishtail-shaped soles showcasing non-slip scales and adjustable back straps resembling fins. Moreover, include comfortable insoles. Aim for a trendy street style with an underwater scene, soft white lighting, detailed textures, and a fashion product close-up.
This inquiry is deliberately aimed at challenging AI capabilities, incorporating a deep-sea anglerfish head in front, a fishing rod structure on top, gills, fins on the sides, all while adapting to the demands of a “high-maintenance, demanding client baby” (yes, I’m venting some frustrations from typical client experiences here…).
The standout here is definitely FROM 3, as it closely resembles the shape of the lantern fish while appropriately cartoonizing it, ensuring it avoids rejection due to its perceived ugliness.
Seconds embodies the spirit of AI painting. It captures the notion of hiding deeper intentions. It may not entirely grasp my abstract demands, but it at least acknowledges the question mark, hence striving to include it… or perhaps placing two prominent beads on the upper…
In comparison to the second painting, Keling retains the fish shape, although the form of the light is completely irrational. It either showcases two night pearls or some fiery aspect integrated into the shoes, perhaps indicating concerns about warm footwear for winter wear.
Tongyi Wanxiang exudes the vibe of a tech enthusiast with wires and LED lights incorporated. However, its linguistic comprehension is somewhat superior to that of Keling and Miaohua.
Shark Hand Gloves
Having tested the shoes, I now wish to assess another point concerning the AI’s ability to handle finger-related designs. In this instance, I wanted to generate shark hand gloves for fishermen. Each fingertip is designed to resemble a shark head, in line with the fishing-themed slippers, emphasizing that you will never leave empty-handed!
Tips:
Hyper-realistic shark finger gloves, each fingertip crafted to mimic a mini shark head with sharp teeth and black eyes. The fabric should be grey or dark blue, resembling shark skin texture, with fin details on the back of the hand, featuring a street style design with high detail and studio lighting for a fashionable photographic aesthetic, showing one glove from the front and the other from the back.
FROM 3 showcases good language comprehension, but there’s still an issue of laziness, as it directly resorts to a shark head mask. Additionally, among the eight generated images, a six-fingered demon appears.
Keling seems to have misinterpreted the generated request, thinking I wanted to create a hand puppet, but the second image is indeed a glove, though slightly lagging behind DALL·E 3.
Seconds: If you love it, keep it close in your palm.
Tongyi Wanxiang: Inspired by Shark Pepper.
What do you think about this round of tests? From clownfish slippers to lantern fish shoes and shark gloves, AI appears capable of accurately matching specified colors, yet it frequently encounters “accidents” while generating certain shapes.
Currently, most domestic AI painting products still falter in terms of semantic understanding, failing to meet certain specific needs of merchants.
If Yiwu Juancheng, as an international hub in China, had robust AI capabilities, just imagine how much better it could be! Clearly, AI is currently unable to match the tempo of Yiwu entrepreneurs. Merely providing some inspiration isn’t sufficient; efforts in training the manufacturing industry need to intensify.
At this moment, Yiwu serves as an excellent base for the practical application of AI painting! Developers, take note—you should adapt your product development direction according to market demands!
The onus lies with you. This stands as a real case in point; Yiwu entrepreneurs are pressuring AI to evolve. Let’s keep watch!
My author rl0209- will continue to monitor cutting-edge technological trends and startups. Feel free to add us for communication and exchange.
References:
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_26653982
(Leifeng.com(Official account: Leifeng.com))
Author: Ma Ruilei
Editor: Lin Jiexin
The Rise of Olympic Merchandise: How AI is Transforming Product Design in Yiwu
The Paris Olympics has captured the world’s attention not only due to the remarkable athletes participating but also because of a surge in the popularity of related merchandise. Recent data indicates that searches and sales for “Olympic” products have skyrocketed, particularly surrounding trending items like the “ugly fish” slippers worn by Chinese diver Quan Hongchan. This phenomenon has led to a 113% increase in popularity for these slippers on Taobao, which demonstrates how events like the Olympics can dictate fashion trends and consumer behavior.
The Magic Behind Seasonal Demand
Have you ever wondered why large orders for products related to major events like the Paris Olympics are always delivered on time? The secret lies in preemptive planning; vendors place orders as early as the end of the previous year. By analyzing market trends and forecasts, merchants can predict which products will be in high demand.
In recent years, Yiwu, known as a major trading hub in China, has seen a particular zeal among local merchants to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for enhancing their business operations. Reports from The Paper indicate that over 12,000 foreign trade companies have utilized AI-driven products from Alibaba International Station, resulting in more than one million product offerings, a clear testament to the integration of technology and commerce.
The Adoption of AI in Merchandising
AI’s adoption in Yiwu is evident through its innovative application in product design. Merchants utilize AI technologies like pattern design for souvenirs and consumer goods, taking advantage of increasingly sophisticated AI painting tools. As the AI painting landscape has matured, Yiwu merchants have become early adopters, eager to enhance their creative output and attract more customers.
Why Yiwu Merchants Flock to AI
- Speed to Market: Yiwu merchants can iterate designs rapidly, completing an upgrade to a product every 4.6 days amidst rising competition.
- Innovation: AI assists in quickly turning conceptual designs into market-ready products, allowing merchants to respond swiftly to emerging trends.
An Experiment in AI-Powered Design: Redesigning “Ugly Fish” Slippers
In a recent creative exercise, I aimed to redesign the widely-popular “ugly fish” slippers using various AI drawing tools. Over the course of three days, I explored multiple platforms including Tongyi Wanxiang, Keling AI, SenseTime Miaohua, and DALL-E 3. The goal was to evaluate their capabilities in delivering innovative product designs.
The Design Challenge
The task was simple yet creative: to redesign a pair of open slippers in cartoon style with clownfish inspirations. The requirements included:
- Color: Orange upper with white stripes
- Design: Exaggerated 3D fish mouth, prominent eyes
- Style: Street fashion elements, high detail rendering
Design Outcomes
Each AI tool yielded a unique set of design outputs:
- DALL·E 3: Struggled with the specifics of slipper design but created accurate color matches.
- Tongyi Wanxiang: Delivered results that seemed impractical but were creative.
- Keling: Presented cute designs but similar issues in understanding specific slipper form.
Innovative Concepts: Exploring Luminous and Functional Designs
Taking innovation a step further, I proposed designing slippers inspired by luminescent lantern fish for nighttime fishing enthusiasts. The design challenge was to integrate the functionality of illumination into the slipper design.
Generating Lantern Fish Designs
However, the AI tools faced challenges in distinguishing between lantern fish and traditional lamps, often merging both into impractical designs. This highlighted the ongoing need for refining AI’s training datasets to ensure better future outputs.
- Insights gathered showed that precision in language understanding remains crucial for AI’s creative outputs, influencing product design quality.
Testing AI’s Semantic Understanding
To see if advanced prompting could elicit better results from the AI, I rephrased my request using more specific biological terms and detailed descriptions. The outcomes improved, illustrating the importance of clearly defined input for optimal results.
Conclusion: The Future of AI in Yiwu Product Design
The exploratory process of redesigning slippers through AI revealed the current capabilities and limitations of these advanced tools. Despite their strengths in color matching and creativity, the semantic understanding of specific shapes and forms remains a challenge.
As Yiwu continues to evolve as an international trading hub, the integration of AI into the marketplace presents an opportunity to refine product development and capture consumer interest effectively. This ongoing journey showcases the synergy between technology and commerce, as Yiwu merchants aim to leverage AI to stay ahead in a dynamic market environment.
Moving forward, the need for enhanced AI training, focusing on industry-specific applications, will be essential for creating innovative and consumer-friendly designs. The pressure is on developers to respond to market demands and contribute to advancing the Yiwu manufacturing landscape.
References:
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_26653982
(Leifeng.com(Official account: Leifeng.com))
