Weekly China Review

January 4, 2022

Baidu unveils China’s first metaverse platform ‘Xi Rang’

Users can create avatars, connect with other players, and explore the virtual world of XiRang using Baidu’s new metaverse platform.

It is available in China and lets you create avatars, chat with other users, and even build your own place on the platform. Players can explore Creator City, XiRang’s first city, as well as the surrounding virtual natural landscapes and other traditional Chinese settings.

Unlike Meta’s ‘Horizon Worlds,’ which is only available to Oculus Quest 2 headset owners, XiRang may be accessed via a smartphone, a computer, or a virtual reality headset. Baidu hopes to encourage creators to develop new activities on its platform in a variety of areas, including gaming, entertainment, education, advertising, and events, by making it easily accessible.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/video/technology/3160931/baidu-unveils-chinas-first-metaverse-platform-xi-rang

What Will Travel Retail Look Like in 2022?

The Chinese Duty-Free Group’s priority in 2022 and beyond will be on finding new ways to deliver more commodities choices to travel retail shoppers.

The travel retail industry should focus on rising market prospects in newly opened duty-free zones including Qianhai Pilot Area, Henan Pilot Free Trade Zone, and Pudong New Area in 2022. To further its retail growth beyond the pandemic, China wants Hainan to become a key holiday destination for both Chinese and overseas visitors.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/china-travel-retail-trends-hainan-shanghai/

What is exactly a metaverse and why does it matter? Report

By the end of 2021, the term “metaverse” had become a buzzword that was all over the news. However, the concept might be perplexing, and different stakeholders will understand it differently. 

Mark Zuckerberg, for example, refers to it as the “embodied internet.”

Although the metaverse is still in its infancy, some existing technologies and platforms already provide many chances for businesses to exhibit themselves there, demonstrating their digital innovation and readiness to interact with users online. Building a 3D presence can also open new revenue streams.

Interoperability, or the seamless connectivity between digital experiences, is a key feature of the metaverse. Closed platforms, on the other hand, are the rule right now.

Link: https://media.monks.com/articles/report-make-sense-metaverse

Who are KOCs and how do you work with them?

KOCs means Key Opinion Customers. Compared to KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) they are individuals with relatively strong influence over their peers, family, friends and group of potential followers.

Because they are not paid, they are more genuine, making KOC marketing a low-cost marketing method. This means fewer people will see your content, and you’ll have less control over it. You’ll also have less tracking.

 Platforms: Xiaohongshu, Dianping, WeChat, Douyin.
Methods: asking for feedback, personalization, product seeding, live streaming, focus groups. 

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/u9IQ3gyL_tR0-COMeniOBw

2021 Top 4 trendy scenarios for brands

  1. Metaverse: As a result of the post-pandemic increased social virtualization, marketers sought out new scenarios to expand their commercial opportunities.

    Xirang (希壤)is the name of Baidu’s social metaverse app. In the app, users can make friends and trade. Xirang will become a major site for life, work, and recreation in the future due to its strategic location. The ambition of Baidu is to become the Metaverse’s infrastructure platform, providing AI, cloud computing, and other technical engines for Xirang and other Metaverse businesses. Xirang’s version number is currently – 6.0, which is still negative after more than a year of development and testing. It’s not ideal, and there’s still a lot of opportunity for improvement. Many brands, including Burberry, Oreo, and OPPO, have developed their own NFT variants.

  2. Outdoor camping: People are increasingly interested in outdoor activities as a result of the disease, and they want to get in touch with nature. According to Alibaba research, the number of reservations for tents and camping on their travel platform surged by more than 14 times month over month
    – CTI magazine worked with Milklad and Red to host a “City coffee camping season” offline event.
    – Adidas teamed up with Camplus, an outdoor lifestyle platform, to host an outdoor hike at the Great Wall’s base.

  3. New consumer brand stores (Concept store or crossover): This type of store helps communicate the brand’s distinct concept to a younger audience.

    – Ice cream brand Zhongxuegao collaborated with coffee shops
    – Coffee brand Saturnbird collaborated with lifestyle brands and organized a pop-up market. It will become a dancing party at night.

  4. Creative Livestream: The brands tried different formats like talk shows or created new formats to attract potential users.

    – Down jacket brand went to Tibet
    – Milk brand showed the audience the cattle on the grassland

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/cfi9hkzjXVOs1rJpwMw9-g

Why don’t young people pay for the “internet celebrity brand” anymore?

Last year, an Internet celebrity brand Zhong Xuegao developed a “lixiangguo” dumpling brand. The price of a single dumpling was around 3 yuan, with the hopes of attracting customers’ attention through “high price,” however it had had little success.

Why don’t young people want to pay for the “internet celebrity brand” anymore?

  1. For internet celebrity products, most customers think that the products are expensive. Consumers will choose them because of their temporary popularity, and give them up because of the influence of product quality.
  2. In most cases, High-cost investment and huge risks make brands unbearable. They focus on Marketing which can bring a lot of traffic in the short term, so brands spend money on famous platforms like Douyin, they only pursue marketing and ignore products.
  3. Many internet celebrity products generally have a weak foundation, the team and products are not mature enough and will not be finely operated.

If a wanghong brand wants long-term development, it should pay attention to promoting product design;  it should also pay attention to user experience. Continue to innovate and create new value.

Link::https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-J95lxEC7zOS3b-wAI__2A 

 

 

 

You may also like

WeChat Stats 2021

December 29, 2021

Weixin, which means micro message in Mandarin, was the name given to WeChat when it first debuted in 2011. It began as a simple communication programme, essentially a Chinese equivalent to WhatsApp, as its name suggests. The platform was developed and owned by Tencent, a Chinese internet giant and one of the world’s most valuable firms.

WeChat began as a simple messaging network, but it has evolved into much more. WeChat has basically become the home screen for many Chinese smartphone users thanks to its mini programmes platform, which allows almost any operation to be accomplished from within the app.

That being said, if you want to extend your business into the Chinese market, you’ll need a strategy that centres mostly around WeChat marketing, with an emphasis on WeChat users.

Here are some interesting WeChat statistics to help you see how powerful this platform really is. After all, there’s nothing like hard evidence, right?

WeChat: Active Users
WeChat has a monthly active user base of about 1.225 billion people.

Since its release in January 2011, it has grown by leaps and bounds. It evolved to become an important aspect of people’s lives, allowing them to communicate with friends and family via text messages, voice conversations, and video calls.

The aggregate monthly active users of Weixin and WeChat reached 1.225 billion in December 2020, up 5% year on year. Every day, 45 billion messages are sent and received on WeChat.

WeChat: User Demographics
Almost 40% of WeChat users are between the ages of 25 and 35 years old. Females account for 42.8% of users, while males account for 57.2%.

25 % of WeChat users in China are between the ages of 25 and 30, while another 13.8 % are between the ages of 31 and 35. Users under the age of 24 make up the greatest age demographic (33.5 %).

This is closely followed by users over the age of 41, who account for 19.1% of the total. If your company caters to these demographics, WeChat marketing could be very helpful to you.

WeChat Pay & Mini Programs Stats
WeChat Pay is used by 87% of Chinese consumers to make online payments and WeChat Mini Programs are used by almost 400 million people every day.

WeChat Pay is the second most popular online payment service in China, trailing only Alipay. Men and women make up an equal number of users, and the majority of its consumers (34%) are between the ages of 25 and 34, with the second-largest sector (28%) being between the ages of 35 and 44.

More than 400 million people utilise Mini Programs on a regular basis, resulting in total sales (GMV) more than double in 2020.  In addition, the average number of Mini Programs utilised per user climbed by 25% year over year, and the average transaction value increased by 67%.

WeChat: Market Share
WeChat probably accounts for 10-15% of the social media market, with over 1 billion active users. WeChat, on the other hand, is arguably the most popular social site in China, accounting for 34% of the country’s total data traffic

No other app in the world has this level of dominance in such a big market. In comparison, Facebook accounts for only 14.1% of North American traffic. In China, WeChat accounts for more than double that.

WeChat: Revenue
WeChat made 108.2 billion RMB in sales in 2020. In 2019, they received 82.3 billion RMB, compared to 72.7 billion RMB in 2018.

The 2021 stats for WeChat’s revenue is yet to be released, but with their constant innovation, its revenue is expected to rise again. This year, the Chinese messenger’s mini-programs facilitated 1.6 trillion RMB in annual transactions. If the increase in revenue attributed to their mini-programs is any indicator, they’ve had a fantastic year.

The Future of WeChat
WeChat will certainly be successful in China and will continue to expand. WeChat’s penetration rate in Western countries is expected to rise as well outside of the country. COVID-19 has hindered WeChat’s growth because of travel restrictions that prevent Chinese tourists from visiting. However, once the pandemic has passed, WeChat, particularly WeChat Pay, is likely to make a more serious foray into foreign markets.

In fact, Europe has been identified as a crucial growth region. WeChat Pay had been popular among businesses that serve Chinese tourists prior to the outbreak. As a result, the number of merchants accepting WeChat Pay in Europe climbed by 3.5% in 2019. Around 11% of Chinese overseas tourism was spent in Europe.

Conclusion
The stats presented above is rather remarkable and demonstrate how strong WeChat has proven to be. So, if you haven’t already considered incorporating it into your entire marketing strategy, now is the time to do so.

If you require further support with setting up your account please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us by phone – Shanghai or Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may also like

This Week’s China Roundup

December 21, 2021

Insights Report – Leverage China GenZ Consumption Behavior

How can Marketers use these trends?

  • Social: Brands must broaden their brand influence to fulfil the needs of young people who enjoy socialising and building a stronger readiness to share, thus interactive innovative marketing is appropriate
  • Personalized: To better stimulate Gen Z’s attention and readiness to seed material, brands must integrate their interests and hobbies, which is ideal for vertical marketing that blends interests and hobbies.
  • Impulsive Micro-moment: Brands must leverage the power of a strong social chain and community to lead and expedite Generation Z’s purchasing decisions, which is ideal for precision marketing embedded in social occasions or private traffic via WeChat private groups.

Link: https://www.chinatradingdesk.com/post/insights-report-genz-consumption 

 

Could Sustainability Messages Sour Chinese Consumers on Your Brand?

For years, the fashion industry has associated Chinese customers with constant sales growth while also thinking them to be behind the trend in most global sustainability discussions. Luxury and fashion must avoid falling into the trap of “educating” China’s youthful, environmentally sensitive buyers from a condescending, Western-centric perspective.

To compete with the ruthless competition, brands must integrate sustainability messaging with outstanding aesthetics, competitive prices, and impeccable service. Sustainability alone will not be enough.

While 71% of those surveyed claimed they wished to support sustainable products, just 29% actually purchased them. When it came to sales conversions, buyers prioritised good design, long-lasting quality, and overall e-commerce experiences.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/chinese-sustainability-messages-greenwashing-everlane/ 

 

Brands are pursuing sustainability

According to Mckinsey research, over 80% of Chinese interviewees would pay for environmentally friendly packaging. Green buying is popular among Chinese shoppers. As the government promotes the concept of sustainable consumption, brands are paying more attention to it.

In fast fashion, the brands start from the fabric, using degradable materials:

  • Blue skylab (belong to car brand NIO): Used the remaining materials after the car production to make shoes.
  • Timberland: Built a pop-up shop by using the Sugar cane. The pop shop itself and the decorations in the shop were made of sugar cane. They use sustainable and recycled materials to create goods.
  • Adidas: Leveraged the recreation of the old clothes. They invited hundreds of designers and students from art colleges to join the campaign.

In the food and beverage industry:

  • Starbucks: Opened the world’s first environmental protection experimental store in September, the furniture was made by recyclable materials; in the shop, you can see the artworks created by the coffee grounds
  • Jindian (a Chinese famous milk brand): Did a 3 monthly live-stream in Bilibili and invited people to watch the grassland, 
  • Budweiser: Collaborated with the Bilibili’s KOLs and made artworks by grain waste 

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/L1K7OHmCQ4vErU9k29mGnA


Douyin launches a graphic plan on the content!

Douyin launched official activities of the images and text. The activity rule is that the creator must release at least three photos with copywriting and include the topic’s hashtag. 

Only creators with less than 10,000 fans are eligible to participate. This is a great option for flat bloggers who don’t know how to make short films but want to show off their douyin skills.

Advantages:

  • It will make it easier for graphic bloggers than short video bloggers.
  • For those who are good at copywriting and pictures, it is very beneficial.

To improve the platform’s content ecology, Douyin wants to draw back some of the most unique and capable graphic KOL from red book. Douyin has also provided specific awards for graphic creators in order to encourage them to be more active. It can be identified and rewarded as long as the image is clear and normal, the text is rich, and the information communicated is useful.

You may also like

This Week’s China Roundup

December 16, 2021

Weibo MAU grew to 573 million in Q3 2021

Monthly active users (“MAUs”) on Weibo totalled 573 million in September 2021, an increase of 62 million people year over year. Mobile MAUs accounted for 94% of all MAUs.

In September 2021, the average daily active users (“DAUs”) were 248 million, an increase of 23 million users year over year.

Weibo’s overall net revenues for the third quarter of 2021 were $607.4 million, up 30% from $465.7 million in the same period the previous year.

Link: https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31281/weibo-quarterly/

 

Top 5 Cross-Border Retail Trends to Watch That Are Captivating Chinese Consumers

No. 5 The ‘Fur Baby’ Boom: Pet owners in China are increasingly viewing their animals as family members. This shift in behaviour has spawned a thriving business that includes anything from luxury pet diets and “smart litter boxes” to cat and dog cosmetic products.

No. 4 Healthy Snacking: From edible cosmetic items to gummy vitamins and individualised dietary-supplement kits, young consumers are driving the growth of a new breed of health-and-wellness consumables.

No. 3 Haircare is the New Skincare: China is the second-largest market globally for the hair care industry after the United States. It will likely grow at a CAGR of 4.9% up to 2025, faster than the U.S. at 3.4%, according to market research company Euromonitor.

No. 2 Ingredient-based Beauty: China’s increasing community of skincare ingredient aficionados, or “skintellectuals,” has opened doors for developing beauty companies like Murad, Obagi, Kate Somerville, and The Ordinary, which focus on effective, high-performance ingredients.

No. 1 Vintage in Vogue: As homebound customers tidy and adopt sustainability, the pandemic has boosted the resale of luxury objects. If the 11.11 shopping festival and Black Friday are any clue, China’s shopping habit is picking up momentum. Since last year, Tmall Global has attracted a number of well-known Japanese luxury resale stores, including Brand Off, Reclo, Daikokuya, and Brandear.

Link: https://www.alizila.com/top-5-cross-border-retail-trends-to-watch-that-are-captivating-chinese-consumers/

 

KAWO 2022 Ultimate Guide to China Social Media

China’s internet penetration is still only 71.6%, compared to nearly 90% in Europe and North America, indicating that there is still room for improvement. The fastest-growing segments were rural users, who saw a 48% increase in internet penetration, and over-50-year-olds, who saw a 5.2% increase in internet prevalence since 2020, with 22 million joining in the last six months.

The targeting choices on Chinese social media platforms are limited, and with China’s new privacy rules, you know even less about your audience. As a result, you may need to make sure that your content strategy includes a variety of information that is tailored to different types of users. Messages that appeal to a middle-class, college-educated city dweller are likely to differ significantly from those aimed to younger consumers in China’s rural areas. Consider building distinct social channels for each of your target audiences.

Virtual Property Tours – 35x increase in VR house tours between agents and prospective buyers on platform Beike VR. The U.S.-centric model of Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y are meaningless in China’s context. Instead, distinct generational groupings are defined with 后 (hòu). The character ‘后’ means “after”. So instead of “Baby Boomers” or “Millennials”, in China we typically talk about generations in decades e.g. “after 90’s”. You’ll even hear people discussing 95后 — or post 1995 — so rapid are the changes!

When you maintain your customers on one platform, their trip will always be easier. However, Taobao links may now be viewed within the WeChat environment, and Taobao has launched a Taobao Feed that can be synced with WeChat contacts to share purchases. 

Neither platform has yet added the ability to accept payment methods from their competitors. Brands in a hurry to avoid being left behind by ‘China Speed’ should remember that China has been a market for thousands of years, and while the channels may have changed, the fundamentals haven’t changed.

Link: https://kawo.com/en/ultimate-guide-to-china-social-media-marketing-2022/pdf-view

 

Opinion: The Digital Revolution, The Metaverse and The Quest For A Whole New Luxury

Online channels influence nearly 75% of all luxury purchases and big and small brands make announcements about diving into the metaverse on a daily basis. There is nothing more exciting to an industry willing to shape every single creative detail that follows a specific aesthetic vision than to be fully immersed into a wonderland of a virtual project, where democratic luxury can develop and expand and there are no limits posed by the rarity of raw materials and human savoir-faire.

The virtual environment offers the impression that every detail of an event can be managed and altered in accordance with the brand’s aims, and that everything can be designed exactly as planned and expected.

The term “Web3” refers to the third wave of internet innovation, which will undoubtedly have an impact on how people live, how brands work on brand awareness and appeal, and, last but not least, how consumers approach the purchasing process.

Link: https://www.luxurysociety.com/en/articles/2021/12/opinion-digital-revolution-metaverse-and-quest-whole-new-luxury?ueid=3a844b2001

 

Brands are pursuing sustainability

According to Mckinsey research, over 80% of Chinese interviewees would pay for environmentally friendly packaging. Green buying is popular among Chinese shoppers. As the government promotes the concept of sustainable consumption, brands are paying more attention to it.

In fast fashion, the brands start from the fabric, using degradable materials:

  • Blue skylab (belong to car brand NIO): Used the remaining materials after the car production to make shoes.
  • Timberland: Built a pop-up shop by using the Sugar cane. The pop shop itself and the decorations in the shop were made by sugar cane. They use sustainable and recycled materials to create goods.
  • Adidas: Leveraged the recreation of the old clothes. They invited hundreds of designers and students from art college to join the campaign.

In the food and beverage industry: 

  • Starbucks: Opened the world’s first environmental protection experimental store in September, the furniture was made by recyclable materials; in the shop, you can see the artworks created by the coffee grounds
  • Jindian (a Chinese famous milk brand): Did a 3 month live stream in bilibili and invited people to watch the grassland, 
  • Budweiser: Collaborated with the bilibili’s KOLs and made artworks by grain waste 

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/L1K7OHmCQ4vErU9k29mGnA 

 

McDonald’s sells cat nests, pet economy has become a new traffic password

To receive a limited cat box, go to the McDonald’s app /elemev app and buy the specified set. Officials stated an hour after the event that many seats had been sold out.

There are more brands like McDonald’s that use cat and dog features in their marketing activities: Starbucks cat claw cups, perfect journal, and Li Jiaqi’s dog Never’s animal eye shadow, for example. Pet marketing has given the business a lot of attention.

Why do so many young people adore pets? “Meng” is the answer! According to the 3B concept, brand advertising uses beauty, beast, animal, and baby as methods of expression, which is in keeping with human nature of paying attention to life, making it simpler to attract consumers’ attention and love. 

According to iResearch consulting’s white paper on China’s pet consumption trend in 2021, the pet industry’s market will be close to 300 billion yuan in 2020 and will continue to develop gradually over the next three years.

One of the new features of this years double 11 is the pet economy. The turnover of tmall dog/cat staple food, cat treats, beauty and cleaning items, and other categories exceeded 100 million yuan, according to tmall pet. In this regard, the pet economy has progressively evolved into the mainstream.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DCz8ryKj3HAiuVgOXocaHA

 

Top 10 online phrases of 2021

China’s language resources monitoring centre has announced the top 10 online phrases of the year 2021.

  • YYDS, the pinyin abbreviation of Chinese “永远滴神”
  • 破防 Something that has breached my defenses, or “this really got me!”
  • 元宇宙 Metaverse
  • 躺平 Lie flat
  • 觉醒年代 The Age of Awakening
  • 双减 Double reduction
  • 绝绝子 Awesome, marvelous, amazing, brilliant
  • 伤害性不高,侮辱性极强 Not harmful, but utterly embarrassing
  • 我看不懂,但我大受震撼 “I don’t understand it, but I was shocked.”
  • 强国有我 Young people are committed to building a stronger China

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bDFGlXuy–lJklXU–RUog

You may also like

China Happenings This Week

December 7, 2021

Why Online and Offline is a Must to Meet Chinese Consumers’ Retail Expectations

There is no opposition between Onlive VS Offline: most Chinese consumers do not make ‘either-or’ shopping decisions. They may shop online or go to the store, depending on their current needs. They do, however, desire a consistent and integrated experience regardless of where they are. More physical establishments are enhancing customer experiences with tech-driven services such as live streaming, as well as physical forms such as workshops and event spaces that are also connected to technology.

Retailers are successful if they 1. make it more entertaining, 2. make it more pleasurable, 3. make it more reliable, or 4. take away the agony.” It used to be enough to be the best in one of the four quadrants. However, as the retail industry has gotten more competitive, retailers must now cover all four quadrants. Alibaba, for example, not only addresses the problems (like Amazon does), but it also adds a lot to make purchasing enjoyable.

Consumers now regard shopping as a pastime or a form of entertainment, with the goal of not just getting goods but also being entertained and learning new things. And making some purchases along the way.” Consumers, on the other hand, have high expectations for the entire customer journey. They are looking for something more than just a transaction. Consumers expect experiences that are enjoyable, meaningful, and connected to their values. It doesn’t have to be a high-tech augmented reality game all of the time.

Link: https://www.chinaskinny.com/blog/chinese-retail-expectations/

 

Why China’s Idol Economy is at its Turning Point

With a few significant scandals and strengthened controls and actions by the Chinese Cyberspace Administration, 2021 was a year full of changes for Chinese influencers and KOLs. Following the “227 Event,” which involved actor and singer Xiao Zhan and his adoring followers and resulted in the entire suspension of a website in China due to its widespread reporting, a barrage of criticism erupted.

Furthermore, many followers will go to any length to support their idol. To stimulate irrational consumption, brands exploited this mentality by linking their products to their idols’ “reputation.”

The “Qinglang Campaign” is a broad crackdown in China against “fan culture.” To begin with, Chinese authorities have stated unequivocally that they “do not support” unreasonable fan behaviour. Because of this stern stance, brands were forced to reconsider their cooperation with Chinese idols. The old idol economy model, which is based on the purchasing power of fans, would plainly put companies in danger. 

Finally, numerous fan organisations have been subjected to direct limitations on Chinese social media platforms. On Weibo, certain well-known musicians’ online fan groups were banned for a month. As a result, nearly all fan groups are now attempting to find ways to avoid the storm. They’re altering their social media accounts usernames and advising their fans to keep a low profile.

The current state of the idol economy does not imply that idols will vanish in China; fans still adore their idols, but extreme forms of fandom have been prohibited. When possible, fans can still find fresh ways to show their support for their favourites.

Link: https://daxueconsulting.com/china-idol-economy/

 

5 Emerging Cities in China Luxury Brands Cannot Overlook

When it comes to marketing, global luxury companies concentrate on first-tier cities, yet brand strategies in emerging markets must be distinct from those in Tier-1 cities. Young shoppers in lower-tier cities are less concerned about living costs and saving challenges than those in top-tier cities. As a result, they have more money to spend.

The 11/11 Shopping Festival confirmed that China’s lower-tier cities are a promising market for luxury products. Between November 1 and 3, when Tmall began selling luxury items, the number of luxury customers in smaller cities increased by about 50%. Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion received orders from YOY and shoppers from nearly 400 different cities.

In emerging nations, the “invisible rich person” has become a critical consumer category. 5 non-top-tier cities with a high concentration of high-net-worth individuals: Ningbo, Suzhou, Xi’an, Shenyang, and Wuhan are all cities in China.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/lower-tier-cities-high-net-worth-luxury-ningbo-wuhan/

 

Baidu App launched the first metahuman based on celebrity 

GONG Jun, the first star in the metaverse with a metahuman IP, has joined the Baidu app as an AI explorer. This metahuman is distinct from other virtual idols in that he can interact with app users. You can talk to him and ask him questions, and he will appear when you call his name and answer your inquiries.

Baidu used Text To Speech to make the metahuman’s speech sound as real as possible. Users can allow him to read the news during his commute. A metahuman IP might give celebrities more options and set them apart from the competition. It can also be used in a variety of situations, such as customer service, tutoring, and so on.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/NZGaFUjT1PWRBsAA3m9ZwQ

 

WeChat external links regulation

In a private message, the users can send the external links they want.In the group chat, the users can share the eshop(Taobao, JD etc) links and open them directly (test stage). It plans to let the users manage the external links in their WeChat.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7zxqex8DuuWj8cFfDhz2bw

 

Why do luxury brands like marketing crossover?

  • Ferrari held its first fashion show by inviting Armani’s creative director to design clothes. 
  • LV opened its first coffee shop in Japan at the beginning of the year. The high-value design attracted many people. Although the price of LV coffee is higher than the market price of other coffee, the price is very cost-effective for the luxury brand image left by Lv to users.
  • Hermes opened a gym in Chengdu this year. Hermes has grasped the concept of an active and healthy life of people, sending the positive life spirit of the brand in addition to fitness.
  • Prada opened a vegetable store in the centre of Shanghai and covered the whole vegetable market with logos. The highlight is to provide Prada packaging bags for offline consumers.

The purpose of luxury play cross-border marketing is to pursue freshness and use “small money to get large traffic flow”. In addition to taking care of their own consumer groups, brand culture can be extended to life.

Cross border marketing not only retains the luxury temperament of the brand but also provides users with different luxury product experiences. Compared with sports cars, clothing can also expand the range of consumers. It injects interest into the brand and allows users to understand the value point and culture of the brand in an all-round way

In fact, every cross-border brand has insight into the current popular life and combines the tonality of the brand with marketing to form a higher degree of discussion, but also seize more consumer groups.

Link:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/vqBhla4FeAkX62gwVMg09g

 

You may also like

Weekly China Oversight

November 30, 2021

WeChat’s latest update signals support to China’s first personal information legislation

Tencent’s WeChat received a fresh update for its 8.0.16 version recently. Users can now discover a new page in the settings menu called “Personal Information and Authorizations” by going to Settings -> Privacy.

This modification is in reaction to the publication of China’s first Personal Information Protection Law, which requires businesses to process personal data publicly and accurately. 

WeChat’s latest update gives users four alternatives for swiftly viewing and changing the personal information they’ve submitted to the app and other third-party platforms:

  • System Permissions
  • Authorisations
  • Personalised Ads
  • View and Export My Information

Link: https://daoinsights.com/news/wechats-latest-update-signals-support-to-chinas-first-personal-information-legislation/

 

Should Brands Distance Themselves From ‘Controversial’ Celebrities?

Apart from extreme cases like Kris Wu should brands be quick to cut ties with their brand ambassadors?

“In the digital era, people who agree do not speak as loud as those that disagree, but those who disagree may not be the brand’s actual consumers”

As a result, companies can only get an accurate answer through surveys and research. Luxury firms are selecting many ambassadors for their ranges to limit risk, with Dior leading the way with 14 spokesmen and numerous house friends.

With increasing calls for diversity and inclusion in China, local customers are demanding a more diverse cast of brand ambassadors. The local market has shown signs of fatigue towards pretty ambassadors, now preferring more intriguing backstories and deeper connections with their brands.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/luxury-brands-distance-controversial-kols/

 

Five consumption trends in China in the next 10 years (by Mckinsey)

China’s emerging consumer class has become the growth engine of many global consumer goods: in the next decade, middle and high-class consumers may become the main force to promote China’s consumption growth. 

Non-first-tier cities may become a source of power: cities are expected to account for over 90% of China’s future consumption growth. Different urban consumer marketplaces have significant disparities. The rise of Chinese local brands is fueled by a shift in consumer attitudes: Chinese consumers’ brand preferences are shifting, and consumer support for local brands has aided the rise of some local businesses. Chinese brands are gaining market share in domestic consumer goods and electronic devices, with a market share of more than 50%.

More than 70% of Chinese digital customers consume both online and offline, resulting in large data pools. Consumption data is exploding thanks to the burgeoning digital economy. A new market consumption curve is emerging: the consumption curve in the Chinese market is shifting as a result of the confluence of variables such as business model innovation, technology-driven unit cost reduction, and new purchasing behaviour. Chinese technology companies are at the forefront of the global curve shift.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XjHKuMtKKb7zEOb4rcY5Cw

You may also like

China Roundup This Week

November 16, 2021

What can Europe learn from China’s live e-commerce boom?

Consumers in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Poland expressed interest in live e-commerce for online shopping, with 70% expressing interest. In 2020, Western brands will see 15 times more engagement in live e-commerce than they did on traditional social media, three to five times more sales, and a 50% increase in customer numbers.

If China’s growth trajectory is followed, Europe has the potential to reach over 160 million live streaming e-commerce consumers by 2024, with about 100 million of them making purchases while viewing live feeds.

China is about five years ahead of Europe in terms of economic development. China’s experience may provide us with valuable lessons. It took China a few years to turn live e-commerce into a popular format used by both companies and consumers on a regular basis. Europe is currently in the research and development phase, but we can anticipate some significant changes in style and approach:

 

Link: https://technode.com/2021/11/04/what-can-europe-learn-from-china-livestreaming-ecommerce-boom/ 

 

Can C-Beauty Brands Cultivate Loyal Consumers?

Florasis, which ranked third on Tmall’s “Double 11” best-selling brands list in 2020, has dropped out of the top ten this year. Local beauty brands frequently spend more than 65% of their income on marketing, substantially exceeding the market norm of 30-40%. Although their massive advertising, KOLs, and live streaming budgets quickly generated social buzz and attracted new customers, they failed to maintain user loyalty.

“Through data analysis from ByteDance, we found out that most international companies work on the branding side, while Chinese brands focus more on the performance side,” Hwee Chung, Kantar Worldpanel’s head of the China beauty market, stated. That is, Western brands employ influencers to create a desirable atmosphere around their products in order to attract customers. Domestic brands, on the other hand, use low pricing and KOL promotions to entice customers to buy specific products. R&D and licencing are not addressed by C-beauty brands. Yatsen Group, for example, holds 38 licence patents, but Procter & Gamble files 3,800 licences each year.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/c-beauty-brands-loyal-chinese-consumers/

 

Changing Attitudes Towards 11/11 Shopping Festival?

Despite setting new sales records, Alibaba and other e-commerce companies are keeping their sales figures quiet this year.

Alibaba attempted to rebrand “Double Eleven” as the Chinese government pursued attempts to regulate big digital businesses and wipe out the worst excesses of economic inequality. The company’s annual promotional extravaganza lacked the star power of prior years, with green efforts, homegrown companies, and rural products taking centre stage.

Link: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008954/alibaba-tries-an-unfamiliar-new-singles-day-strategy-restraint

 

Douyin City

This is a big IP from Douyin. This offline event was held for three years by Douyin in collaboration with local tourism/brands. Every time they visit a city, they should promote both the place and the companies. They’ve visited over 70 cities, and this time they’re in Sanya. Its goal is to raise awareness of Douyin through various activities such as dreamland, a music festival, and a webcast. People will also learn about the city, where to go, and what distinctive foods they have, among other things. They built six blocks for Sanya’s Dreamland, where players can take on various identities, complete stages, and win prizes.

They used VR, AR broadcast, and the Douyin micro application to create interactive and social situations. People would be able to see brand information through virtual reality and augmented reality interactive experiences. Celebrities and musical KOLs were also asked to attend the festivals. This is a win-win idea for both Douyin and the cities; by uploading short videos with #Dou In the City, KOLs will encourage more people to come and visit. This effort will give the KOLs more exposure.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Imd1eRm2LYkcR9auoLWXKA

 

Singles’ Day posts record haul despite slower pace, as China’s antitrust moves dampen world’s biggest online shopping event

The world’s biggest online shopping event recorded a slower pace of annual growth after Alibaba Group Holding swapped the usual razzamatazz of Singles’ Day for a more down-to-earth event that stressed sustainability.

The gross merchandise value (GMV) for this year’s Singles’ Day reached a new high of 540.3 billion yuan (US$84.5 billion) across the 11-day campaign, representing an increase of 8.45% year on year. Since Alibaba launched Singles’ Day in 2009, this is the first year of single-digit GMV growth.

  1. This year’s Singles’ Day was weighed down by China’s slowest economic expansion pace in decades, as growth slowed to 4.9 per cent in the third quarter
  2. This year, Tmall issued 100 million yuan worth of ‘green vouchers’ to encourage purchasing decisions that ‘contribute to an environmentally friendly lifestyle’

Link:https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3155762/sales-growth-alibabas-singles-day-drops-amid-chinas-crackdown-big

 

How to Recontextualize Brand Narratives in China

The house’s 70th-anniversary campaign, which featured Max Mara’s iconic Teddy, was a major hit in China, driving organic social traffic to offline footprints.

Image courtesy of Max Mara’s Mini Program.

  1. With a sophisticated understanding of China’s digital ecosystems, Max Mara has successfully built up a content-to-commerce loop.
  2. Luxury brands need to tailor social currency that can be showcased and shared with users’ friends via social platforms, per each campaign’s themes, as well as each platform’s user demographics and capabilities.
  3. Global HQs of luxury brands need to be aware of the uniqueness of China’s ecosystems and allow higher flexibility in experimenting with innovative approaches in the market.

Link:https://jingdaily.com/max-mara-70-anniversary-campaign-china/

You may also like

Unusual Brand Collaborations In China

November 15, 2021

Whether your business is selling lipsticks, chicken wings, or museum tours, the topic of how to reach more new people – more customers – comes up in every marketing meeting, across every sector imaginable. So here’s a suggestion for you all – Why not tap into the audience of someone else? 

A collaboration with a competitor is obviously not going to work, but what about one with a brand that sells something completely different? 

To get noticed among China’s millennial consumers, businesses must take advantage of unusual collaborations. It may sound bizarre, but it has the potential to attract a new audience that was previously unaware of your existence. 

Here are a few examples of unusual brand collaborations in China

 

Perfect Diary – Cosmetics
Disney – Kids entertainment
Collaboration – Limited-edition line of amino acid-based facial cleaning products inspired

 

The C-beauty brand routinely leverages brand collaborations as part of its overall goal to appeal to China’s millennial and Gen Z audiences. In a recent collaboration with Disney, the company released a limited-edition line of amino acid-based facial cleansing products inspired by the Baymax character from the 2014 animated film “Big Hero 6”. Two of the makeup remover bottles are sealed with a Baymax head, while other goods include images of the character on the packaging, appealing to young buyers’ love of cuteness and blind-box style toys.

 

KFC – Fast food restaurant chain
Karl Lagerfeld’s – German fashion designer and photographer
Collaboration – Limited Edition Chicken Bags 

 

KFC China recently resorted to the luxury business to mark the company’s 80th anniversary. Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion mogul, was the chosen brand, and he created two limited-edition bags. The centre Karl Lagerfeld logo was replaced with Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Paris was replaced with Kentucky in the funny new rendition of the original Karl Lagerfeld design. The bags contain three red stripes, which are KFC’s signature colours.

Ikea – Furniture retail company
ROG – Gaming retail
Collaboration – Gaming Furniture and Accessories


Ikea presented an eagerly anticipated collaboration with the Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) on a new collection of affordable gaming furniture and accessories, taking a “China-first” approach to product innovation. A sleek high-backed gaming chair, an adjustable table that can be used as a standing workstation, and a wall-mounted pegboard to keep gaming equipment organised are all part of the black-and-red collection.


Conclusion

Younger consumers, particularly Generation Z, are perceived as having a larger proclivity for purchasing from ‘collaboration’ collections than older consumers. According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Chinese Generation Z customers have the largest desire for cross-brand collaborations among this generation’s quest for newness from the brands they like.

These out-of-the-box collaborations demonstrate that the opportunities for co-branding in China are limitless. Why limit yourself to usual collaborations when you can have so much fun? Collaboration with other well-known brands across all industries may help businesses grow their audiences, increase sales, and establish a reputation as a creative and fun brand among Chinese customers.

While unique collaborations have a lot of promise for your company, getting started can be challenging. If you require further support, please contact our team. We apply our expertise and experience to assist firms in forming meaningful partnerships and developing a digital marketing strategy that better targets and connects with Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us by phone or email.

 

 

You may also like

WeChat Conference 2018 in a nutshell

February 5, 2018

The Tech mogul in China, Tencent holds a WeChat Developer Conference every year where they announce the latest additions, developments, new features to their platform. Last year, WeChat introduced mini-programs, a sub-application that allows the users to access thousands of apps within the WeChat platform.

 

This year, Tencent has not unveiled any new features, instead, they will be focusing more on mini-programs. They believe that mini-programs are the way forward for both users and businesses.

 

Here is what you can expect in 2018 from the most popular features on WeChat –

 

Mini-programs

 

Currently, there are around 580,000 mini-programs on WeChat. The company wishes to encourage more developers to create mini-programs on the platform. Since its introduction, international brands like KFC, Swaroski, Coach and Tesla were quick to embrace this app to reach its users in China.

 

WeChat has even introduced a mini-program called CityExperience that is essentially like a travel guide. Cities like Sydney, London and Dubai have already become a part of CityExperience and the company is hopeful of adding more locations to this mini-program.

 

App for WeChat official accounts

 

Previously, brands have struggled to open WeChat official accounts, especially if they didn’t have a corporate presence in China. But not anymore! Brands can now open official accounts without a corporate presence in China.

 

But the biggest problem is that the brands can update content on the official account only from a desktop rather than being updateable from the WeChat app. To address this problem, Tencent is working on an independent app that might keep the content updation mobile friendly. This app is said to be on the similar lines of the Facebook Pages Manager.

 

WeChat Tips makes a comeback

 

According to a report in Wall Street Journal, Apple and WeChat have reached an agreement over the Wechat Tips. WeChat Tips is a function that allows the users to compensate the content creators for their quality content. This function was disabled last year when the creators of Apple communicated that it fails to comply with the rules of the App Store.

 

Social gaming is in!

 

WeChat is also rapidly expanding into the mobile gaming territory. The platform has over 300 million active users. It has also partnered up with renowned video game developer Ubisoft – this will allow Ubisoft’s subsidiary company Ketchapp to launch WeChat games in 2018.

 

Tencent hopes to combine their gaming division with their massive social platform user network to increase their social gaming revenue.

You may also like