(Yicai) May 30 -- Shop owners in Yiwu, known as the world's capital of small commodities, are receiving many more orders as the US presidential election and the Paris Olympics approach. Some even say that they can tell who will win the election from the number of orders placed for a candidate’s merchandise.

Orders are up over 20 percent in the first quarter from the year before, the head of a specialist US-China logistics firm told Yicai. Orders for flags, clothing and other election merchandise have all soared recently.

Since January, sales of election-related merchandise have been growing by over 40 percent month on month and more than doubled in March from the previous month, according to data from DHgate, a cross-border e-commerce platform targeting the US. Searches for election-related merchandise such as flags, hats, bracelets, stickers and badges have jumped.

Yiwu Youziyi Clothing produced a large number of Trump T-shirts during the presidential election four years ago, and this year it has received many orders for the same products from both old customers and new, legal representative Wang Jinxiong told Yicai. In fact, the number of T-shirt orders received this year is slightly more than during the last election.

The number of orders placed for a candidate’s clothing can be used as an indication of who will win the election, Wang said. If the popularity for one particular candidate rises significantly, there will be a clear increase in orders for merchandise related to this candidate. But if the two candidates are evenly matched, there will only be moderate growth in orders from both sides as election day approaches, he added.

"We also make commemorative products for the Paris Olympics," said Wang, whose factory has supplied event-related clothing to sponsors and fans of all major events such as the World Cup and the European Cup in the past.

"The current order volume is around a few thousand or ten thousand pieces, but this should normally increase as the Olympics approach, depending on our negotiations with customers,” he added.

Exports of tennis clothes, customized sportswear, helmets, sports cameras, golf bags and other Olympic-themed sportswear to France more than quadrupled in March from the year before, according to statistics from Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

The Olympic craze often leads to a surge in pre-match orders of themed merchandise, which drives demand for sports goods, Olympic mascots and other products, said Zhang Zhouping, founder of Bense Think Tank. Cross-border e-commerce is transforming and upgrading Yiwu’s exporters.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor