Market Updates
Find out what is happening in the Chinese Digital Market with our Market Updates.
The Truth About KOL’s Impact on China E-commerce Sales
Brands want to see results when they embark on working with KOLs, which is why it can be disheartening when expensive marketing efforts result in low sales generation. However, it is important to remember that the value of a KOL is one that is measured not simply by their reach, but by their ability to interact with a potential shopper at all points of their customer journey. Measuring the success of an influencer campaign isn’t easy. There are different factors that should be analyzed besides the immediate return on sales. Branded content, community grow and interactions with consumer are others indicators that help a brand measuring the KOL’s impact.
Marketing Misfire? A WeChat Plug for Dyson’s $550 Curler Goes Viral, Then Goes Sour
Dyson’s curling iron set suddenly garnered explosive interest on China’s social media platform WeChat over the weekend. The storytelling and the user interaction following WeChat the post publication helped the article go viral. But the results were not just positive. Many WeChat users publicly shared their views on the product and showed their general mistrust in what influencers said. Read on to find out more about Chinese consumers’ attitude toward influencer marketing.
Weibo, Not WeChat, Is Travel Influencers’ Destination of Choice: ParkLu Report
Chinese outbound travelers used to look for destinations that were “WeChat-worthy”, but this have been changing according to a Parklu report. Weibo is now dominating the most travel conversations followed by Little Red Book and Douyin, with WeChat ranked at the bottom. The main reason why influencers are switching to other platforms is the fact that all WeChat posts from travelers can only be seen by their connections; while on Weibo it becomes a public post, which can gain greater exposure. Another interesting observation is that despite the huge fan base of top-tier KOLs, most mentions of destinations are contributed by micro influencers. This is a great opportunity for Western travel destinations. Instead of spending large amounts on top influencers, the brands can opt to work with smaller KOLs on various platforms, not just WeChat.
Square dancing and big fonts: How China’s elderly use the internet
Most brands and marketing agencies like to talk about the Millennials. But it is actually the older generation that make up almost a third of China’s massive population. That’s why more and more Tech companies as well as brands are looking at ways to engage them. Examples are Alibaba’s easier and more user friendly version of Taobao of a while back. And more recently iQiyi, one of China’s most popular video streaming platforms, launched a short video app specifically designed for people aged over 50. Jinshi has bigger fonts, its videos are horizontal, and it allows users to turn video into audio with one tap in case they can’t see clearly. And now even square dancing, keep reading to learn more.
Alipay to issue electronic marriage licenses for people married in Jiangsu Province
The government in China is digitizing their services more and more. Earlier this year the government in Jiangxi province issued ID chips for smartphone users. Attach to the SIM card it can store sensitive identifying information for safer verification over the internet. China’s tech companies have caught onto this trend and have begun offering an increasing number of government services on their various ecosystems. Mostly on…? You guessed it, Mini-Programs! The latest example is a mini-program of Alipay which Jiangsu Province will use to issue electronic marriage licenses. Users are required to search for the mini-program in Alipay and scan their faces to verify their identity in order for it to be issued. Freaky but useful apparently.
Online-to-offline trend a sign of omni-channel fashion retailing’s growth in China and US
O2O, New Retail, so many trendy words to describe a phenomenon that is hard to get around. Granted, it can sometimes be difficult to imagine bricks-and-mortar stores still have a future in China. That is how all-encompassing e-commerce has become in the country. But many new-generation online fashion and beauty start-ups have discovered that the next logical growth step is to take their online marketplace, well, offline.
Chinese companies scramble to take a bite of growing mooncake market pie
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese market gets flooded with mooncakes, a kind of baked pastry that symbolizes family reunions and which is traditionally consumed as part of the celebrations. Ahead of the festival, which falls on Monday, a number of Chinese F&B companies branched out their offerings to include the round delicacy, as the mooncake market grows in the country. A piece of the pie Hot pot brand Chen JiSunhe is joining the race to the hearts and wallets of Chinese consumers during the festive season, having announced recently it will sell mooncakes for the very first time. A number of tea brands have also launched their own savory and sweet concoctions, amid rising demand. Guangdong-based Heytea, known for its cheese-topped tea drinks, is taking its first step in the mooncake market this year, announcing in August it is selling the dessert in six different flavors. Another tea shop, Naixue
Coffee companies in China growing rapidly as beverage gains ground with young Chinese
In her coffee shop in downtown Beijing, Zhang Lanlan busily serves customers who stop in during lunch hour. After living in South Korea for about eight years, Zhang returned to China in 2016. Looking to start a business in the city and noting the growing popularity of coffee, she decided to open a coffee shop. The decision seems to have been a smart one, as media reports estimate that the coffee shop market in China is expected to grow to $12 billion by 2022. Of course she faces stiff competition. Starbucks came to the Chinese mainland in 1999. Currently, the chain has more than 3,300 shops across 141 cities in China, with a new store opening every 15 hours. Holding the No.1 position in China’s specialist coffee market, Starbucks’ 58.6 percent share in the market is worth $4.72 billion in 2017, according to Euromonitor International. Other chains such as Costa Coffee
The Truth About KOL’s Impact on China E-commerce Sales
Brands want to see results when they embark on working with KOLs, which is why it can be disheartening when expensive marketing efforts result in low sales generation. However, it is important to remember that the value of a KOL is one that is measured not simply by their reach, but by their ability to interact with a potential shopper at all points of their customer journey. Measuring the success of an influencer campaign isn’t easy. There are different factors that should be analyzed besides the immediate return on sales. Branded content, community grow and interactions with consumer are
Marketing Misfire? A WeChat Plug for Dyson’s $550 Curler Goes Viral, Then Goes Sour
Dyson’s curling iron set suddenly garnered explosive interest on China’s social media platform WeChat over the weekend. The storytelling and the user interaction following WeChat the post publication helped the article go viral. But the results were not just positive. Many WeChat users publicly shared their views on the product and showed their general mistrust in what influencers said. Read on to find out more about Chinese consumers’ attitude toward influencer marketing.
Weibo, Not WeChat, Is Travel Influencers’ Destination of Choice: ParkLu Report
Chinese outbound travelers used to look for destinations that were “WeChat-worthy”, but this have been changing according to a Parklu report. Weibo is now dominating the most travel conversations followed by Little Red Book and Douyin, with WeChat ranked at the bottom. The main reason why influencers are switching to other platforms is the fact that all WeChat posts from travelers can only be seen by their connections; while on Weibo it becomes a public post, which can gain greater exposure. Another interesting observation is that despite the huge fan base of top-tier KOLs, most mentions of destinations are
Square dancing and big fonts: How China’s elderly use the internet
Most brands and marketing agencies like to talk about the Millennials. But it is actually the older generation that make up almost a third of China’s massive population. That’s why more and more Tech companies as well as brands are looking at ways to engage them. Examples are Alibaba’s easier and more user friendly version of Taobao of a while back. And more recently iQiyi, one of China’s most popular video streaming platforms, launched a short video app specifically designed for people aged over 50. Jinshi has bigger fonts, its videos are horizontal, and it allows users to turn
Alipay to issue electronic marriage licenses for people married in Jiangsu Province
The government in China is digitizing their services more and more. Earlier this year the government in Jiangxi province issued ID chips for smartphone users. Attach to the SIM card it can store sensitive identifying information for safer verification over the internet. China’s tech companies have caught onto this trend and have begun offering an increasing number of government services on their various ecosystems. Mostly on…? You guessed it, Mini-Programs! The latest example is a mini-program of Alipay which Jiangsu Province will use to issue electronic marriage licenses. Users are required to search for the mini-program in Alipay and
Online-to-offline trend a sign of omni-channel fashion retailing’s growth in China and US
O2O, New Retail, so many trendy words to describe a phenomenon that is hard to get around. Granted, it can sometimes be difficult to imagine bricks-and-mortar stores still have a future in China. That is how all-encompassing e-commerce has become in the country. But many new-generation online fashion and beauty start-ups have discovered that the next logical growth step is to take their online marketplace, well, offline.
Chinese companies scramble to take a bite of growing mooncake market pie
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese market gets flooded with mooncakes, a kind of baked pastry that symbolizes family reunions and which is traditionally consumed as part of the celebrations. Ahead of the festival, which falls on Monday, a number of Chinese F&B companies branched out their offerings to include the round delicacy, as the mooncake market grows in the country. A piece of the pie Hot pot brand Chen JiSunhe is joining the race to the hearts and wallets of Chinese consumers during the festive season, having announced recently it will sell mooncakes for the very first time.
Coffee companies in China growing rapidly as beverage gains ground with young Chinese
In her coffee shop in downtown Beijing, Zhang Lanlan busily serves customers who stop in during lunch hour. After living in South Korea for about eight years, Zhang returned to China in 2016. Looking to start a business in the city and noting the growing popularity of coffee, she decided to open a coffee shop. The decision seems to have been a smart one, as media reports estimate that the coffee shop market in China is expected to grow to $12 billion by 2022. Of course she faces stiff competition. Starbucks came to the Chinese mainland in 1999. Currently, the
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