美女陪玩、年入过亿 这个曾经的“暴利”行业又复活了

Overview: The internet cafe industry is recovering. New internet cafes have upgraded into esports arenas, esports hotels, and esports hostels, selling space and services.

1. Industry data: In 2025, there were 122,600 internet service business entities nationwide, up 12.68% year on year; revenue reached RMB 101.68 billion, nearly double the RMB 59.32 billion recorded in 2023.

2. Store changes: Decoration benchmarks star-rated hotels and high-end KTVs; hardware includes high-end graphics cards, high-resolution monitors, esports chairs, and mechanical keyboards; room types range from open-hall seating to two-person pods, multi-person pods, and guest rooms; internet fees range from just over RMB 10 to more than RMB 20 per hour.

3. Customer acquisition practices: Female gaming companions' personal accounts, brand blue-V accounts, and top KOLs form a local-city matrix; videos link to store POI and group-buying offers; new customers pay RMB 19.9 to receive RMB 88 in internet credit plus facial care, or RMB 39.9 for RMB 150 in internet credit plus a buffet.

4. Retention practices: Add customers to WeCom private domains and post recharge campaigns on Moments; members who recharge RMB 200 receive RMB 330, and those who recharge RMB 500 receive RMB 1,000; taxi fares to the store are reimbursed up to RMB 30 and converted into internet credit; member days, tournaments, and Chinese-style festivals lock in customers.

Overview: Brand competition has shifted from selling internet hours to selling experience, service, and emotional value; internet cafe brands need to rethink positioning, products, pricing, and traffic.

1. Brand positioning cases: Wangyu Esports builds esports communities and esports hotels, with more than 40 million global members across over 80 cities; Mofei Esports offers value-for-money esports hostels, where buying water comes with free internet access; X-GAME operates high-end esports clubs, with 15 self-operated and affiliate stores and annual revenue of over RMB 100 million.

2. Product development: Food and beverage have become a major focus: free buffets for members, three meals a day, and made-to-order drinks bars; the Shandong brand Yi Wang Yi Jia generates RMB 150,000 in monthly food revenue. Stores also provide showers, laundry, pajamas, eye masks, blankets, and female assistant coaches.

3. Pricing and channels: Internet fees range from RMB 10.8 to RMB 38 per hour; group buying targets first orders from new customers; space tiering and companions raise average ticket size, with companions charging RMB 158–318 per hour; Douyin POI group buying, livestreaming, a female KOS matrix, blue-V accounts, and KOL store visits drive local traffic; private domains and recharges lock in repeat purchases.

4. Consumer trends: Young people are willing to pay for environment, social interaction, tournaments, and companion-play experiences; the industry is moving toward premiumization, chainization, and regional consolidation.

Overview: The internet cafe recovery creates a growth market, but opportunities are concentrated in premiumization, chainization, and mixed-use formats. Sellers should learn traffic and customer-retention tactics while guarding against asset-heavy involution.

1. Market opportunity: In 2025, industry revenue reached RMB 101.68 billion, with 122,600 business entities, up 12.68% year on year; consumer demand has shifted from internet access to integrated eating, drinking, entertainment, and play, with food, accommodation, companions, and tournaments all adding revenue.

2. Actionable tactics: Douyin group buying drives first-order acquisition through RMB 19.9 and RMB 39.9 packages for new customers; female companion personal accounts plus brand blue-V accounts plus top KOLs form a local-city matrix; POI-linked group buying, prime-time livestreaming, private-domain WeCom accumulation, recharge retention, taxi reimbursement, member days, and offline festivals improve repeat purchases.

3. Cooperation and expansion: Wangyu Esports Hotels has expanded franchised cities to 98; Ai Esports has grown from 30 to more than 400 stores and signed over 500; Thunderobot Esports plans to open 100 stores in three years and has signed 287; Green Tree Esports has over 120 stores. Direct operation plus franchising is how leading players race to claim territory.

4. Risk warning: Asset-heavy operations, high capital thresholds, and long payback periods; the industry is competing aggressively on price, service, and added benefits, and old stores that only sell machine time by the hour may be eliminated.

Overview: The upgrading of new internet cafes will drive procurement demand for esports equipment, furniture, food and beverage, accommodation supplies, and digital tools.

1. Product and design demand: High-end graphics cards, high-resolution monitors, esports chairs, and mechanical keyboards become standard; spaces upgrade from open-hall seating to two-person rooms, multi-person rooms, private rooms, and guest rooms; decoration benchmarks star-rated hotels and high-end KTVs, with separate smoking and non-smoking areas.

2. Food, beverage, and accommodation support: Stores offer buffets, three meals a day, drinks bars, and made-to-order kitchens, with monthly menu updates and mini-program ordering; accommodation pods offer an experience close to All Seasons hotels and include showers, laundry rooms, pajamas and slippers, eye masks, wet wipes, and blankets.

3. Business opportunities: Entry points include esports hardware, tables and chairs, food supply chains, drinks-bar equipment, kitchen equipment, accommodation linens and consumables, tournament materials, and store decoration.

4. Digital and e-commerce implications: Stores use Douyin group buying, POI, livestreaming, short videos, and a female KOS matrix for customer acquisition; WeCom communities and Moments for private domains; and mini-program ordering and online recharges to improve efficiency. Factories can supply corresponding systems and equipment.

Overview: The internet cafe industry is upgrading toward esports arenas, esports hotels, esports hostels, and mixed-use formats. Service providers' opportunities lie in helping stores solve customer acquisition, conversion, repeat purchases, and operational efficiency.

1. Industry trend: In 2025, there were 122,600 business entities, up 12.68% year on year, and revenue was RMB 101.68 billion, nearly double the RMB 59.32 billion in 2023; leading brands are pursuing premiumization, chainization, and regional consolidation, with Ai Esports, Thunderobot Esports, Wangyu, and Green Tree accelerating expansion.

2. Customer pain points: Asset-heavy operations, high capital thresholds, and long payback periods; severe homogenization and aggressive competition on price, service, and added benefits; local group buying can acquire new customers, but second visits and sustained repeat purchases are difficult; customers are reluctant to leave home, and average ticket size is hard to raise.

3. Solutions: Use a female KOS matrix, brand blue-V accounts, top KOL store visits, and POI group buying for local traffic; livestream during prime time to sell group-buy packages; use space tiering and female gaming companions to raise average ticket size; use WeCom private domains, Moments, recharge campaigns, taxi reimbursement, member days, tournaments, and offline festivals to lock in repeat purchases.

4. New technology tools: Short videos, livestreaming and group livestreaming, AI comic dramas, mini-program ordering, online recharges, and WeCom communities can all become service products.

Overview: Internet cafe merchants' core needs from platforms are local traffic, group-buy redemption, and repeat-purchase operations. Platforms can organize merchant recruitment and operations around local lifestyle scenarios.

1. Merchant needs: They need short videos, livestreaming, group buying, POI, and topic traffic to bring online users to the nearest store; several X-GAME stores rank first on regional popularity lists on Meituan and Douyin; the Douyin hashtag #xgame has 230 million views, and #xgame电竞馆 has over 42 million views.

2. Platform approach: Group buying is split between new and existing customers. New customers pay RMB 19.9 for RMB 88 in internet credit plus facial care, or RMB 39.9 for RMB 150 in internet credit plus a buffet; existing customers are targeted with recharges, RMB 200 for RMB 330 and RMB 500 for RMB 1,000; store blue-V accounts livestream packages during prime time, and female gaming companions join livestreams and dance to drive traffic.

3. Operations management: Merchants use a three-layer matrix of female KOS personal accounts, brand blue-V accounts, and top KOLs, with videos linked to POI; managers' and assistants' WeChat contacts are placed at the front desk and on computer home screens to pull users into WeCom communities; Moments are used for transaction reminders and emotional seeding.

4. Merchant recruitment and outlook: Chain brands are expanding through direct operation plus franchising, and Wangyu has expanded franchised cities to 98; platforms should watch risks including asset-heavy operations, slow payback, price/service/benefit involution, and the elimination of old stores.

Overview: The internet cafe industry shows a new industrial shift from internet access services to third spaces and mixed-use formats. The business model has moved from single internet fees to food, accommodation, membership, tournaments, and companion play.

1. Industry data: In 2025, there were 122,600 internet service business entities nationwide, up 12.68% year on year; revenue reached RMB 101.68 billion, nearly double the RMB 59.32 billion in 2023.

2. Business model: Group-buy first orders drive acquisition; space tiering and companions raise average ticket size; private-domain accumulation, recharge retention, taxi reimbursement, member days, tournaments, and Chinese-style festivals drive repeat purchases; X-GAME combines esports, accommodation, food, entertainment, tournaments, and social interaction in one space, enabling multiple spending occasions per visit.

3. Competitive landscape: Regional chains are accelerating consolidation. Ai Esports has grown from 30 to more than 400 stores and signed over 500; Thunderobot Esports plans to open 100 stores in three years and has signed 287; Wangyu has expanded franchised cities to 98; Green Tree Esports has over 120 stores.

4. New issues and implications: Asset-heavy operations, high capital thresholds, and long payback periods; involution in price, service, and added benefits; old stores may be eliminated. The article does not detail specific policies and regulations, but it suggests that industry consolidation and standardized operations deserve attention.