Market Updates
Get the latest China Marketing & E-commerce news with our monthly Market Updates.
Will Cross-Border WeChat Selling Be the Next Big Thing for Travel Retail?
First Weibo started gaining ground as the go to Social platform for Travel related posts. And now even Little Red Book is joining the fray with people flocking to the platform for Travel reviews and inspiration. Where does that leave WeChat? It plays its own crucial role in helping brands market to and retain Chinese customers, throughout the customer’s journey. And connects retailers and Chinese customers through its CRM features. Now, with the development of cross-border WeChat shops, brands can sell to Chinese travelers even after they go home. Will this help WeChat stay in the game when it comes to the travel retail industry? Let’s see how things develop.
Little Red Book Now Unmasks KOLs’ Paid Posts
Little Red Book or RED, a social e-commerce app, announced the launch of its “brand partner platform” in January. It helps brands connect directly to the site’s influencers if they would like to arrange for sponsored posts, endorsements or positive reviews. But it also introduced something else. Possibly one of the most important changes that the platform has ever made, it allows users to see which posts are paid content and which are not. This move shows that RED understands the importance of being transparent to its loyal followers. Especially seeing as how their reputation hinges on offering real opinions on brands.
Shopping app Little Red Book opens platform for brand-KOL partnerships
A few months ago RED opened up the shopping cart features, and now it has taken a step towards encouraging partnerships between brands and KOLs. It opened a platform for verified brands and KOLs to search for and find each other. Companies and MCNs can now find influencers by searching content tags and view statistics such as a content creators’ fan count, number of likes, average hits over the past 30 days, and average number of comments per post. Could a next step be that we can match the demographics of the fan base as well? That is still missing in most KOL plans. But this new feature is a step in the right direction for brands, so all in all good news.
On WeChat, Daigou Get Creative to Skirt New E-Commerce Law
Daigou (cross-border personal shoppers) are affected by the changes in the Ecommerce law but they seem to be at a loss on where to start to comply with it. Instead they are trying to “stay low” through all kinds of tactics including hand drawn pictures of the products they sell and writing the description in different languages. How long do you think it will take for WeChat to crack down on them?
Weibo plans to increase content-driven e-commerce investment
Weibo Corp, a leading social media platform, is investing 2 billion yuan ($290 million) to support content-driven e-commerce. Seeing as how the competition has shifted from expanding user scale to increasing the time users spend on app, Weibo is also attempting to better cater to the tech-savvy younger generation. To attract top content creators, and enrich content consumption Weibo will be launching an upgraded app, which further promotes video as a primary access point. It will include features premium video content with intellectual property rights-related products or video content by top KOLs.
Short video app Kuaishou doubles down on domestic e-commerce
Earlier this month, Douyin opened its shopping cart feature. It’s rival short video app Kuaishou following up, upgraded its e-commerce services, giving preference to domestically produced goods and partnering with Chinese e-commerce giants services such Alibaba-owned Taobao and Tmall, as well as mobile e-commerce platform Youzan in the hope of commercializing its 150 million daily active users. Products will be displayed with more prominence and order tracking and management features are integrated within the app.
Baidu to invest RMB 1 billion in mini-program development
The mini-program battle is still on. Initially, mini-programs was created by WeChat, with a whopping 580,000 mini-programs being launched in 2017. Recognizing the attractive market, Chinese search giant Baidu recently launched an RMB 1 billion (around $140 million) mini-program fund targeting startups and developers to accelerate the construction of its mini-program ecosystem. A number of apps already plan to collaborate with Baidu to bring the mini-program feature to their users, such as Bilibili, iQiyi, Kuaishou, Moji Weather and Chinese Calendar. This could be a great opportunity for startups and developers to acquire users in a new way. It is exciting to see the results!
Slow growth aside, Singles’ Day displayed its value to China retail
The growth rate of Singles’ Day has been slowing since 2015. This year, Singles’ Day GMV grew 23.7%, compared to last years’ 43.5% growth. But growth figures aside, Singles’ Day has changed China’s retail landscape as it continually introduces new brands and products from different countries. For some overseas retailers, Singles’ Day was a valuable opportunity to gain brand recognition in China. The festival does not only let Chinese consumers enjoy a wider selection of products but also allows brands to consolidate their foothold in the country. It also forced retailers to up their game, creating an upgraded retail landscape with unconventional shopping experiences. From connecting China with other countries, boosting the online-offline retail integration, to championing the adoption of advanced technology in the supply chain and physical stores, Singles’ Day has demonstrated its value to China’s retail ecosystem.
Will Cross-Border WeChat Selling Be the Next Big Thing for Travel Retail?
First Weibo started gaining ground as the go to Social platform for Travel related posts. And now even Little Red Book is joining the fray with people flocking to the platform for Travel reviews and inspiration. Where does that leave WeChat? It plays its own crucial role in helping brands market to and retain Chinese customers, throughout the customer’s journey. And connects retailers and Chinese customers through its CRM features. Now, with the development of cross-border WeChat shops, brands can sell to Chinese travelers even after they go home. Will this help WeChat stay in the game when it comes
Little Red Book Now Unmasks KOLs’ Paid Posts
Little Red Book or RED, a social e-commerce app, announced the launch of its “brand partner platform” in January. It helps brands connect directly to the site’s influencers if they would like to arrange for sponsored posts, endorsements or positive reviews. But it also introduced something else. Possibly one of the most important changes that the platform has ever made, it allows users to see which posts are paid content and which are not. This move shows that RED understands the importance of being transparent to its loyal followers. Especially seeing as how their reputation hinges on offering real
Shopping app Little Red Book opens platform for brand-KOL partnerships
A few months ago RED opened up the shopping cart features, and now it has taken a step towards encouraging partnerships between brands and KOLs. It opened a platform for verified brands and KOLs to search for and find each other. Companies and MCNs can now find influencers by searching content tags and view statistics such as a content creators’ fan count, number of likes, average hits over the past 30 days, and average number of comments per post. Could a next step be that we can match the demographics of the fan base as well? That is still
On WeChat, Daigou Get Creative to Skirt New E-Commerce Law
Daigou (cross-border personal shoppers) are affected by the changes in the Ecommerce law but they seem to be at a loss on where to start to comply with it. Instead they are trying to “stay low” through all kinds of tactics including hand drawn pictures of the products they sell and writing the description in different languages. How long do you think it will take for WeChat to crack down on them?
Weibo plans to increase content-driven e-commerce investment
Weibo Corp, a leading social media platform, is investing 2 billion yuan ($290 million) to support content-driven e-commerce. Seeing as how the competition has shifted from expanding user scale to increasing the time users spend on app, Weibo is also attempting to better cater to the tech-savvy younger generation. To attract top content creators, and enrich content consumption Weibo will be launching an upgraded app, which further promotes video as a primary access point. It will include features premium video content with intellectual property rights-related products or video content by top KOLs.
Short video app Kuaishou doubles down on domestic e-commerce
Earlier this month, Douyin opened its shopping cart feature. It’s rival short video app Kuaishou following up, upgraded its e-commerce services, giving preference to domestically produced goods and partnering with Chinese e-commerce giants services such Alibaba-owned Taobao and Tmall, as well as mobile e-commerce platform Youzan in the hope of commercializing its 150 million daily active users. Products will be displayed with more prominence and order tracking and management features are integrated within the app.
Baidu to invest RMB 1 billion in mini-program development
The mini-program battle is still on. Initially, mini-programs was created by WeChat, with a whopping 580,000 mini-programs being launched in 2017. Recognizing the attractive market, Chinese search giant Baidu recently launched an RMB 1 billion (around $140 million) mini-program fund targeting startups and developers to accelerate the construction of its mini-program ecosystem. A number of apps already plan to collaborate with Baidu to bring the mini-program feature to their users, such as Bilibili, iQiyi, Kuaishou, Moji Weather and Chinese Calendar. This could be a great opportunity for startups and developers to acquire users in a new way. It is
Slow growth aside, Singles’ Day displayed its value to China retail
The growth rate of Singles’ Day has been slowing since 2015. This year, Singles’ Day GMV grew 23.7%, compared to last years’ 43.5% growth. But growth figures aside, Singles’ Day has changed China’s retail landscape as it continually introduces new brands and products from different countries. For some overseas retailers, Singles’ Day was a valuable opportunity to gain brand recognition in China. The festival does not only let Chinese consumers enjoy a wider selection of products but also allows brands to consolidate their foothold in the country. It also forced retailers to up their game, creating an upgraded retail
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