In 2015, when the “Zuliz” brand was officially born, founder Zhang Jingkang may not have imagined that this brand, rooted in the simple wish of “helping the elderly wear comfortable shoes,” would become a benchmark enterprise in China’s silver economy. A decade later, stepping into a Zuliz store, besides the core professional elderly footwear, one can find a diverse array of elderly clothing and lifestyle products. This transformation from a single category to a multi-faceted ecosystem is not a random venture into new territories but a natural extension of the brand’s steadfast commitment to the core principle of “providing what the elderly need.”
The beginning of every story starts with a profound understanding of user needs. Founder Zhang Jingkang of Zuliz noticed that elderly people in rural areas tend to move less, especially during the autumn and winter seasons when outdoor activities are limited. After careful research, he recognized the underlying reality behind this observation – as people age, most seniors experience foot problems, and the lack of comfortable shoes further restricts their mobility. This insight inspired Zhang Jingkang to silently vow to “create specialized shoes for elderly people worldwide.” With this vision in mind, Zuliz was established with a focus on “elderly shoes,” addressing the market gap of a lack of specialized footwear for the elderly. By introducing a new product category, the goal was to provide elderly individuals with well-fitting, comfortable, and supportive shoes. This user-centric product logic has been the core principle guiding Zuliz’s development over the past decade.
The story of Zuliz’s journey reflects a deep understanding of user needs, inspiring its evolution from a focus on elderly footwear to a comprehensive range of lifestyle products. Through feedback from over a thousand offline stores and continuous community research, Zuliz discovered that elderly individuals require more than just “good shoes.” Their needs extend to food, clothing, household items, and various aspects of daily life. This realization led to a holistic transformation towards a diverse product matrix covering professional elderly shoes, clothing, daily necessities, tech products, and even venturing into organic food starting in 2024, forming a complete ecosystem of elderly lifestyle services.
The confidence in their diversified strategy stems from Zuliz’s decade-long accumulation of professional expertise. Serving as the primary drafting unit for the national standard “Elderly Shoes” (GB/T43587-2023), Zuliz put an end to the industry’s long-standing lack of standards. They introduced new standards for slip resistance, shock absorption, antibacterial properties, warmth, and even nuanced details like “activity buckle shoelaces replacing traditional laces.” By 2025, Zuliz had led and participated in the development of 32 standards, including 4 national standards, 1 light industry standard, and 13 group standards. Their enterprise standards have been recognized as “leaders” with multiple indicators surpassing industry benchmarks.
In terms of technological innovation, Zuliz has secured 458 patents related to elderly shoes, establishing core technology systems for foot shape adaptation, arch support, foot pressure release, and walking safety. Their consistent research and development efforts were recognized by their inclusion in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s “Elderly Products Promotion Catalog” for four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025.
With statistics showing that by the end of 2024, China’s population aged 60 and above had reached 310 million, accounting for 22% of the total population, a trillion-level consumer market is taking shape. Zuliz’s journey from a focus on shoes to a comprehensive lifestyle approach mirrors the rise of China’s silver economy. Founder Zhang Jingkang once said, “Our starting point was elderly shoes, but shoes were never our endpoint.” Today, as a company that has been listed in the Top 500 Chinese Brands for four consecutive years and has a brand value of 13.545 billion RMB in 2025, Zuliz continues expanding the boundaries of elderly products with a focus on standard-setting and user-centric innovation.
Looking ahead, Zuliz’s path of diversification continues to extend. In the domestic market, they plan to achieve a scale of a thousand organic food stores in Henan by 2026, while internationally, Zuliz has entered markets in Singapore and Malaysia. Despite expanding their business, their core principle of “providing what the elderly need” remains unchanged. Just as the implementation of the national standard for “Elderly Shoes” brought industry change, Zuliz uses its professional expertise and ecosystem layout to elevate the entire aging industry from mere functionality to usability, safety, and comfort, empowering millions of elderly individuals to lead a quality life.
