Yet more Chinese platforms have taken to livestreaming, this time to promote domestic tourism. The Chinese superapp Meituan has rolled out livestreaming features on its platform to promote traveling and e-commerce platform Pinduoduo has launched a series of virtual travel guides via live broadcasts to promote various tourist destinations in China. Tourism is among the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic. China Tourist Attractions Association (CTAA) estimated an 80% drop in revenue for tourist destinations in China. But there is hope, 71.5% of Chinese travelers are expecting to hit the road again now that the outbreak is coming to an end, and 90 million people are expected to be traveling for the holiday on May 1st.

Ikea is reporting a quick return of customer footfall to its stores in China as they reopen after the Covid-19 crisis. Ingka Group, one of Ikea’s largest retail operating divisions, reported that customer footfall in the Chinese centres were back to the level of between 70% and 80% of the numbers at the same time last year. Shopper confidence there was “recovering rapidly” a spokesperson for the company said.  Most Ikea China stores have now reopened and some have been trading since the end of last month.

Tmall announced their entrance into the luxury outlet business on April 20th with a new section called “Luxury Soho”. With unprecedented levels of stock to liquidate and consumers tightening their wallets, the platform is using this new section to focus on the discount game. Undoubtedly attempting to become an inviting digital channel to sell unsold products without diluting a brand’s identity. “Luxury brands have a specific lifespan” according to Weixiong Hu, GM of Tmall’s apparel fashion business unit. To maximize the life cycle of luxury products, iconic products and new launches are highlighted on the “Luxury Pavilion” which was launched in 2017, while seasonal items with mark-downs can be accessed in the newly launched Luxury Soho section.

As Pinduodo‘s competition with Alibaba Group and JD.com intensifies they have made a strategic investment in the local appliances chain Gome. This will help PDD complement its catalogue by integrating Gome’s entire product catalogue onto its platform. This in turn will help PDD on their mission to get rid of the “discount” image they have. Just like the partnership with Amazon from late 2019 did as well. Have you ever considered Pinduoduo as a platform for your products? Now might be the time!

Chinese online retailer JD.com introduced its mini program open platform on Wednesday April 22nd, joining a long list of Chinese tech giants that already leverage the technology. First pioneered by WeChat in 2017, mini-programs have been adopted by Tencent’s QQ, Baidu, Meituan, Alibaba’s Alipay, and Taobao, as well as Bytedance’s Jinri Toutiao and Douyin. JD’s adoption of mini program is relatively late in the game. But it has some benefits. Firstly, the mini programs can be adapted for the WeChat platform thanks to the company’s strategic partnership with Tencent. Secondly, the mini programs are accessible through the numerous apps in JD’s ecosystem such as its main app and JD Finance, the 7FRESH app and JD Health app.

Prada’s decision to launch on Tmall is only one in a series of recent strategy shifts that mark its new efforts in China. Elsewhere, the brand has cut back on wholesalers and halted markdowns, contributing to double-digit growth in full-price sales. As a brand known for its slow embrace of digital marketing and commerce in China, Prada’s recent moves to sign on with e-tailers Secoo and JD.COM last June — and now, with Alibaba’s Tmall — are proof that the Italian luxury brand is unveiling a new strategy. Launching a Tmall store has become a right of passage for Western luxury brands wanting a full digital presence in China. Tmall flagships allow brands to tap into the platform’s large pool of millennial and Gen-Z users — all of whom want authentic items delivered to their doorstep.

Demand for online services in healthcare is surging as China emerges from pandemic-related quarantine measures. Online sales for dental and cosmetic medical services rocketed 3,000% from March 18 to 27 compared with the previous 10 days. This concords with our own on-the-ground research, which reveals middle-income families have earmarked health check-ups as one of their big-ticket expenditure items in the near future. To capture these consumers online an increasing number of businesses are trying to digitalize their operations following the Covid-19 outbreak,. With green shoots of recovery in place, what are you doing about your plans for China expansion?

During this year’s Spring Festival in China, screentime was up by 26% compared to the year before. Chinese people have been searching for mobile content that responds to the impulses of life under quarantine. These explorations are fueling the meteoric rise of KOLs in a range of niche categories. Niche KOL categories on the rise are: 1️⃣ Education and learning 2️⃣ Interior design and DIY 3️⃣ Film/TV shows commentary 4️⃣ “Vertical +1” reaching new audiences. Could your brand use these new up and coming categories in an original way? Check out the key take aways in the article!