Latest News on China’s Market

1. Estée Lauder taps Asia’s male beauty market with Manchester United partnership

  • Beauty and skincare giant Estée Lauder has inked an exclusive partnership deal with Manchester United in hopes of tapping the club’s fans in China and the Asia Pacific region.

  • In China alone, the men’s beauty market was projected to surpass $10 billion in 2022 and could reach $33.4 billion (240 billion RMB) by 2027.

  • Most male consumers may be relatively new to the skincare game, especially when it comes to premium products.

  • In the first half of 2023, the GMV of men’s makeup on Douyin surged by 364.6 percent year-on-year. With this market being especially open to beauty and grooming, we’d bet that a clever campaign could work wonders.

LINK: https://jingdaily.com/estee-lauder-manchester-united-collab-male-beauty/

 

2. Male beauty’s next growth engine: Douyin

  • In the first half of 2023, the gross merchandise value (GMV) of men’s makeup sold via Douyin surged 365 percent year on year – Tmall and Taobao combined achieved 6.7 percent growth in the same period.

  • Chinese male beauty brands are quickly expanding on the short video app. Domestic labels claimed seven spots on Douyin’s top 10 best-selling mens’ skin care list, whereas international brands took three places.

  • Male skincare buyers’ profiles: Last year, 70 percent of men’s beauty purchases were made by women, according to a 2022 report from Xiaohongshu. But male buyers have caught up, now accounting for half of male cosmetics purchasers on Douyin.

  • The average age of the male makeup user is between 18 and 30 with an average price of $9.7 (69.2 RMB), significantly lower than on other platforms like Tmall and JD.com.

  • Cooperating with KOLs has proven to be a quick and effective strategy for businesses that want to scale up brand awareness. These influencers are crucial for spreading knowledge about beauty routines.

LINK: https://jingdaily.com/male-beautys-next-growth-engine-douyin/

 

3. McKinsey: Chinese consumers, brands ‘cautiously optimistic’ on tourism and spending

  • Chinese consumers are looking for better deals and sales across platforms like Douyin and Pinduoduo, where products are often sold for “half or less” than on more established competitor shopping apps.

  • McKinsey found that while many remained loyal to their favorite brands, 47 percent of respondents reported switching retailers to obtain a “lower price/discount.”

  • Travel, restaurants and apparel were the top categories consumers were spending on, the survey revealed.

  • However, international travel in June was still 58 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels, though the number of outbound flights from China is “rising rapidly.”

LINK: https://jingdaily.com/mckinsey-report-cautiously-optimistic-tourism-spending/

 

4. China ecological transition: a green revolution led by consumers

  • Keeping balance between satisfying the demand of country’s market, while preserving sustainable standards is challenging

  • Chinese consumers are demonstrating a higher attention to environmental issues compared to the previous years, this trend being reflected in several factors, from carbon emissions to locally produced goods.

  • In this sense, the pandemic has represented a turning point for the development of this trend inside consumer’s mindset, many of which are now willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products.

  • Case study of KFC:  Thanks to “Exploring Carbon Reduction” and “The Journey to Carbon Neutrality” initiatives, introduced in their super App, KFC carried out a green rewards program that encourages consumers to not use disposable cutlery, favor in-store pickup, engage in waste sorting, etc.

LINK: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/HBf_m9WBZ2izfmQNFgOlvg

 

5. Pink burgers, platform Crocs and Malibu dream houses: Barbie’s global collab craze

  • Resale site StockX reported to Jing Daily it had seen more sales of Barbie products in July 2023 than any other month in the company’s history, double sales in July 2022.

  • Among so many names jumping onboard, from Vans, Kipling and Gap, to Pacsun and Nyx, one breaking through the Barbie collaboration noise online is Zara. The Spanish retailer launched a collection on July 21 (the movie release date) inspired by the fashion seen on screen, including a gingham dress, silk pajamas, and other clothing and accessories items

  • Though Zara, Vans, Nike’s Dunk Low sneaker, and Chanel’s themed efforts with the movie all made their way onto social media in China, the clothing and accessories collection from local fashion brand D’izzit is trending in the mainland.

  • Barbie mania is reaching all corners of commerce, from fashion all the way through to luxury hospitality. The W Hotel in Osaka, Japan, is one that’s proven a hit among netizens.

  • Thanks to Barbie nostalgia being at an all-time high, the IP’s pulling power feels unbeatable. Some consumers might be all pinked out, but this is definitely not the end of Barbiecore.

LINK: https://jingdaily.com/barbies-global-collab-craze/

Unleashing the Pulse of China’s Market: Updates and Breaking News.

 

  1. JD launches vertical AI model, targets retail, finance and education sectors:

  • Context: Beijing currently is home to approximately half of the more than 80 large models available in China
  • JD on Thursday introduced its own large AI model ChatRhino. Positioned as a vertical AI model that offers industry-specific use cases, JD’s AI offering arrives a few months later than rivals Alibaba and Baidu. 
  • Why it matters: JD is the latest Chinese tech major attempting to upgrade its offerings with AI and large models. The company said ChatRhino combines 70% generalized data and 30% native intelligent supply chain data, targeting a number of sectors including retail, finance, education, and government.  
  • Details: The company has already utilized the AI model to enhance customer service, facilitate code writing, and improve product recommendations, she added.

JD’s healthcare unit also unveiled a specialized model designed for the medical industry that is capable of quickly adapting and learning from various healthcare scenarios, which will serve as a technological foundation for remote medical services. The e-commerce giant also showcased its ambition to develop humanoid robots, which will be a key exploration direction for the JD Explore Academy.

LINK:
https://technode.com/2023/07/14/jd-launches-vertical-ai-model-targets-retail-finance-and-education-sectors/

 

 

 

2. Baidu AI products overseas

 

The AI social products “SynClub” by Baidu have recently been introduced in Hong Kong, China, Japan, and other countries. This product uses the latest AI technology of Baidu, so that users can know their own AI friends, and through the company of AI friends, users can chat more interestingly and in-depth.

 

3. The “channel retrieval” feature was introduced by the channel.

 

On July 12, the channel launched the “channel retrieval” function for the certification body to support the recovery of the lost agency authentication channel.

It is understood that “channel retrieval” refers to the channel that has completed enterprise and institutional certification or main body verification and can initiate the channel retrieval process and re-operate the channel after the platform verifies the authenticity of the main body.

In the process of initiating the retrieval, it is necessary to pay attention to the following two points: First, the initiator has not created a channel, and it is necessary to use a wechat signal that has not created a channel to initiate the retrieval process. Second, the account must be in normal use, and the account that has been cancelled, blocked, or banned cannot be recovered.

 

 

 

4. Users of the Meituan app can now record and upload brief videos.

 

Meituan has unveiled a new feature on its app that now allows users to shoot and upload short videos. The addition of this feature provides users with more creative ways to engage with the platform and record their experiences.

Meituan’s latest move comes amidst the intensifying rivalry with Douyin within the online local services industry.

The food delivery giant has also made moves to shake up the live-streaming business by hosting more live-streaming events, including monthly live streams on the 18th of each month since April, where participants are offered coupons.

In addition, the company launched its very own platform, Meituan Live, which is currently only visible to a select group.

Meituan continues to evolve as a multifaceted platform in order to stay competitive in the market

LINK: https://daoinsights.com/news/meituan-app-now-supports-users-to-shoot-and-upload-short-videos/

 

 

 

5. China’s newest beauty retail battleground, Douyin, was won by L’Oreal by 1 billion RMB.

 

L’Oréal topped a ranking of brand sales in the first half of the year, hitting a GMV of 1 billion RMB 

Douyin is the nation’s newest retail battleground, and international brands are actively fighting to grow their market share for Gen Z

Social platforms like Douyin are becoming pivotal channels for brands to close the loop in digital commerce

L’Oréal collaborates with roughly 800 to 1,500 Douyin KOLs every month, ranging from mega influencers with over 5 million followers to small-to-medium key opinion consumers

LINK:
https://jingdaily.com/loreal-douyin-china-newest-beauty-retail-battleground-billion-rmb-gmv/

 

 

 

6. Three New WeChat Advertisement Products Online Now

 

Moments Ads brand gallery: advertisement is WeChat’s first vertical multi-screen display advertisement. It supports 3-5 vertical screen video cards displayed at the same time, and the new method of display brings an eye-catching visual experience by creating a high-level window texture for the brand and enhancing the user’s memory of the brand.

WeChat Channels Carousel Ads: advertising supports 3-5 components, which are displayed on large tiles throughout the process. Different cards can be diverted to different official mini programs or different pages of mini programs, or they can be turned to native pages and H5. 

WeChat Search: discovering brand surprises through WeChat Search and finding beautiful gifts for their loved ones for Qixi Festival

LINK:

https://www.luxurysociety.com/en/articles/2023/07/what-should-luxury-expect-post-pandemic-chinese-travellers 

 

 

 

7. Translation vs Transcreation: which one is the right choice?

 

When expanding a business to a new country with linguistic and cultural differences, it’s crucial to ensure that the brand’s message and identity are accurately conveyed to the new audience.

Translation is the process of converting text from one language to another while preserving the original meaning, making it suitable for more literal texts. Transcreation, on the other hand, is a creative approach that adapts the message, cultural nuances, and persuasiveness to resonate with the target audience.

Factors such as the purpose of the text, marketing strategy, target market, and time/budget constraints should be considered when deciding between translation and transcreation for a successful linguistic adaptation.

LINK:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/meZQ7MC_HIHktV-0KSPdhg 

 

 

8. How AI technology is reshaping beauty retail in China

 

Store of the Future on Shanghai’s East Nanjing Road The first of its kind in China, the new concept retail space boasts seven digital touchpoints: an advanced skin analysis device powered by big data; a product recommendation feature based on AI-generated makeup trends; product labels equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) that unlock a detailed breakdown of ingredients; mobile POS, which allows customers to check out anywhere with a beauty advisor and avoid long queues; and personalized gift packages with the option to add scents and voice messages.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Municipal Medical Products Administration has granted SkinCeuticals, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, and Shanghai Chuangyuan Cosmetics stores in Shanghai a license for personalized on-site services. With this license, retail stores can act as mini cosmetic factories, creating products tailored to individual skin types.

Typically, consumers seek the advice of sales assistants or search for product reviews by influencers.  plus the fact that KOLs and personal shoppers may have other motives for recommending certain items (e.g., brand sponsorships).

When stepping into the futuristic concept store, customers are asked to use their WeChat account to sign into the AI experience. Users are then connected personally to a salesperson who helps them through their purchase journey in person and can stay in touch with them once they leave the store.

 

 

This Christmas, Find Out What Brands in the Chinese Market Have Been Up To

In the last decade, Christmas has settled as an important event for brands in China. Of course, it is not as large as traditional Chinese holidays or e-commerce festivals, but many brands, particularly those with Western roots, are celebrating with their fans in various ways. 

Shopping malls, restaurants, and entertainment venues in China’s major cities are all decked out with Christmas trees, and Santa is on his way to deliver gifts to children. This year, we looked at several different international and domestic brands to see how they celebrate Christmas. 

🎄 Read our previous article about how Christmas changed in China over the last couple of years

Christmas in China

When it comes to any festive campaign, social media plays an important role. With WeChat being the biggest social media platform, brands are super keen to get the best engagement for their campaigns. We’ve seen a lot of beautifully crafted interactive articles and WeChat campaigns for this Christmas. Again, we worked with Montagut to produce a fun interactive post that led readers through a short narrated story with a Christmas-themed setting. Scan the QR code to open the article and interact with it for yourself.

Montagut Christmas China WeChat

This is not the first time we’ve collaborated with Montagut on holiday content. Click here to learn more about our “Winter Wonderland” Christmas campaign. 

Christmas in China is more about gifting between couples during romantic dinners or self-gifting than it is about family gifting. As a result, many jewelry brands are taking this task seriously and planning eye-catching and interesting campaigns. Tiffany and Boucheron created some cool interactive posts. Harry Winston, on the other hand, delights with an online quiz that helps you find the best gifts for your other half or for yourself. Fendi prepared a whole winter-themed universe leveraging WeChat Channels, stickers, and gaming, all in one! Not to mention creating a super cute brand mascot – Brother Fen to top off the trends targeting Chinese Gen Z. 

🔥 Explore more about China’s Gen Z as Luxury Consumers

 

 

Fendi – Brother Fen’s Universe:

Fendi China

 

Harry Winston Mini-Program Quiz:

Christmas WeChat Interactive Posts:

 

Interactive Post from Pandora:

 

Interactive Post from Boucheron:

 

Interactive Post from Tiffany:

Advent Calendars in China

Many beauty companies have released Christmas-themed products as well as full-fledged advent calendars. Following last year’s public relations disaster, in which the Chanel advent calendar was deemed overpriced for the value of the products inside, other brands’ seasonal blind boxes fared well this year due to customer satisfaction with better product quality and price points.

In China, blind boxes are a popular marketing tool, and advent calendars fit the bill perfectly if done correctly. Brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, or Diptyque released theirs through their own channels as well as in collaboration with KOLs. The following are some of the 圣诞限定礼盒 (Christmas Limited Edition Box) mentions on Xiaohongshu, “RED,” where users were unboxing and showing off their treasures.

RED Xiaohongshu Advert Calendar China

Christmas on Chinese E-commerce Platforms

Naturally, compared to complete promotional takeovers during 11/11 or other shopping festivals, Christmas is less visible on e-commerce. However, many brands prepared their own promotions and Christmas content for their official Tmall storesMany brands took a creative approach to Christmas, tying the festive season with more inclusive winter, astrology, or winter sports themes rather than a dull Santa and reindeer approach. Since the Olympic Games in Beijing in early 2022, the latter has also become synonymous with winter.  Astrology is also a big trend leveraged this Christmas, particularly in makeup, and can be seen not only in Western brands like Dior and Gucci but also in Perfect Diary. 

Christmas Tmall Taobao

This year’s lower enthusiasm for celebrations is also related to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases across China as a result of relaxed restrictions, which appears to be the first step toward China’s reopening in 2023.    

📌 Click here to learn more about WeChat interactive posts and how you can make the most of it!

Takeaways

It only makes sense for a brand with European roots to want to celebrate this holiday with its customers and provide them with a little extra.  You can engage and amuse your fans with a comprehensive marketing campaign, depending on your goals and resources. You could also offer exclusive holiday discounts or festive add-ons. Alternatively you could just wish them a happy holiday in a special post or interactive article. 

Additionally, international B2B brands shouldn’t be reluctant to celebrate Christmas with their clients. In fact, this is one of the few times when you can get away with using lighter language. We assist our clients in planning holiday events each year that will highlight their brand values and improve their relationships with their staff, partners, and clients. See some of the examples from previous years:

 

 

 

Last but not least, since Christmas is here, it means that Chinese New Year is also approaching fast, and this year it falls particularly early on January 22. It’s the last chance to start getting ready for China’s most significant holiday. There are a number of options, including intricate campaigns, interactive articles, holiday posters, and even red packets.

🧧 Visit our article to learn more about what a “red packet” (hongbao) is

Contact us if you would like our assistance with your marketing communications during this special time of the year.

 

What’s new in China these days?

Top 3 private traffic platforms for merchants in China

 

WeChat, Alipay, and short video platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou have emerged as the most crucial platforms for Chinese merchants’ private traffic operations, claims a report from iResearch.

Because more than 80% of businesses believe the cost of private traffic has increased by 40%, conversion rate and leveraging public traffic have become the primary focus.

It is also becoming more common for private domain layouts to be multi-platform. Applets (mini-programs) are the standard configuration for private-domain businesses, and WeChat, Alipay, and short video platforms have emerged as the primary platforms for private-domain businesses.

Link: https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/35117/private-traffic-platforms/

 

Chinese Luxury Consumers Abroad: A Missed Opportunity?

 

Over the last five years, the number of Chinese people relocating overseas has increased due to economic and “living environment” factors, as well as, more recently, the mainland market lockdowns.

In major markets such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, overall search demand for the three categories is increasing by 23% on average.

Brands should also consider macro migration trends to markets such as the UAE, which, while currently serving a smaller audience pool, has seen an influx of Chinese expatriates in recent years and expects continued growth in these communities.

Fashion, watches and jewelry, and beauty are among the most popular categories.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gxsFcc-HsmS182JKgz3O8Q   

 

Amazon Competitor Temu Ranks Third In App Downloads After A Month

 

Temu, a new e-commerce platform serving the North American market but owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, launched just over a month ago.

Since then, it has expanded its merchandise range on its website and app to more than 100 categories of goods, including fashion, jewelry, health, and home supplies. 

Temu downloads in the App Store are steadily increasing due to a massive supply chain, extremely low prices, and a novel approach to wooing global shoppers. 

Link: https://jingdaily.com/temu-pinduoduo-app-store-downloads/   

 

Taobao officially resumed cooperation with Kuaishou chain

 

On October 28, Taobao alliance announced that merchants through Taobao alliance will be able to publish goods and service links in the Kuaishou live broadcast shopping cart, short video shopping cart, product details page, and other modules. 

It is expected to be fully restored by October 31 at 23:59:59 (in the event that some commodity categories and special commodities cannot be released, the Kuaishou platform’s access requirements will take precedence).

Merchants can also publish links to goods and services and generate transactions via the Taobao alliance, the Kuaishou live broadcast shopping cart, the short video shopping cart, the commodity details page, and other modules. 

Any charge adjustment must be made on the basis of the actual charges. Taobao alliance each charge standard, remaining unchanged from before.

 

JD will fully resume cooperation with Kuaishou external chain on October 29

 

Jingdong Union announced on October 28th that it would resume full cooperation with Kuaishou in the external supply chain. 

The grayscale testing of products is currently complete, and the trailer function of Jingdong goods in the Kuaishou broadcasting room will be gradually opened today, with full recovery expected on October 29th.

According to JD Union, the resumption of JD Union and Kuaishou cooperation means that Kuaishou users have more diverse consumption options and can experience the quality goods and services provided by JD in a more convenient manner.

Chinese Advertising Regulations and Those Who Can’t Advertise on WeChat

China, like the majority of nations, has enacted laws governing advertisements to safeguard the health and safety of consumers. The Republic of China’s Advertisement Law stipulates general rules that all advertisers must abide by. 

There are also more stringent regulations for certain sectors, such as the tobacco, alcohol, and healthcare industries. However, as non-traditional media platforms like WeChat have grown in popularity, the nation has tightened its regulations on advertising. 

 

Get started with WeChat advertising

WeChat is one of the most used social media platforms in China. That’s why is very attractive to brands looking to market their products in China. Marketing using WeChat can reach a huge number of target audiences. 

And here comes the WeChat advertising. WeChat advertising enables companies to display promotional messages through:

Additionally, WeChat advertising is a great tool for brands to enhance and maximize the number of WeChat Official Account followers, it helps companies to drive their traffic and generate conversions into sales.

 

Industries banned or restricted in WeChat

The Chinese government in general has many laws and bans that overlook advertisements, including ads on social media platforms like WeChat. Here are some of the industries banned by the Chinese government for advertising.

  •  Pharmaceutical/drugs;
  •  Obscenity;
  •  Pornography;
  •  Gambling;
  •  Superstitions;
  •  Terror;
  •  Violence.

In addition, regulated industries for advertisements in China are:

  • Alcohol
  • Tobacco
  • Health and Medical
  • Investments
  • Real estate 
  • Education
  • Legal Services
  • Airlines
  • Financial Services

However the list is very dynamic, and WeChat always has the final say on whether your company is eligible or not to run ads on the platform.

On the other hand, note that for overseas entities WeChat requires a separate application for a WeChat advertising account and the scope of ads is strictly related to your company’s registered business. It can get quite tricky, right?

However, if your company falls within any of the above categories not all is lost. You still have plenty of indirect and legal solutions to promote your content on WeChat. For instance, you can focus on WeChat SEO and optimizing your keywords to whitelisting. Subscribe to our newsletter for more news on this topic.

Advertising regulations on WeChat

The key elements of the advertising law as they apply to WeChat are outlined below. Firstly, qhen attempting to create effective advertisements, WeChat also has its own terms that are frequently updated:

  • Avoid superlative adjectives like best, highest, greatest, etc when talking about any product or service
  • Do not place a brand, product, or service on a scale like 5-star rating or international/national ratings
  • Kindly avoid using words such as top quality, excellent, cutting edge, or premium when advertising a product/service in WeChat
  • Do not use words with “one” like “one of the top”, “one of the best” or “one of a kind” etc to describe anything in WeChat advertisements
  • Please avoid any mentions of scarcity in an ad like very rare, unique, one few left, etc.
  • Do not mention anything claiming to be “national leader” or of “international quality” or words similar to this
  • Do not use any national flag, emblem, or anthem of any country in WeChat ads
  • You can only use RMB for settlements and foreign currencies are not allowed
  • The content of the advertisements must be practical and should not be exaggerated
  • Should not talk about transportation, educational, commercial, or cultural facilities under planning or under construction
  • All the images used in the advertisement should be realistic
  • For the ads related to bank loans and other bank services, complete details of the bank must be provided
  • WeChat ads should not have language that sounds discriminatory

Secondly, there are more requirements for advertising:

  • When publishing ads about limited sales, the exact dates and duration must be provided in the advertisement
  • Do not provide statistical information in WeChat ads until a proper evidence source link is given
  • Avoid ads with unlicensed tie-ups with major events happening in the country like Winter Olympics, Olympic Games, etc.
  • Should not use language that can possibly manipulate the consumers
  • Do not use Click-for-gift tactics in WeChat ads. Any gifts offered must include all the details like name, value, quantity, and any timeline for the event
  • Never use words referring to a special title like superstar, leader, or synonyms

In addition, WeChat accounts registered with overseas business licenses must apply separately for WeChat advertising accounts.

In conclusion, advertisement regulations are a great way to protect consumers. Similarly, China, like any other country, wants to protect consumer safety and health. But the restrictions are stricter than in most countries, and it’s common for all social media platforms, including WeChat.

On the other hand, WeChat has its own restrictions too, which makes it even harder to advertise using WeChat ads. In addition, specific wording requirements might make your ad not pass the verification by Tencent. 

If you are a business that’s looking to advertise on WeChat, it is very important to understand the rules and regulations on the government and platform levels and above all abide to the requirements to not have your WeChat official account suspended or deleted.

At The WeChat Agency, we use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build content in accordance with the advertising regulations in China and WeChat. We help create meaningful partnerships and networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com. Feel free to subscribe to our monthly newsletter too. 

Weekly News Roundup From China

Tencent’s WeChat Debuts in 618 Shopping Festival with Big Bet on Live-Streaming Ecommerce Despite Slowing Economy

WeChat, a product of Tencent, has for the first time introduced its own 618 online shopping festival using its in-app video feature Channels. Over 50% of the sales generated by live broadcasting on WeChat in 2021 were from private domains, such as a brand’s current WeChat fans.

The average transaction value for customers watching live streams on Channels is 200 (US$29.9), and 60% of viewers make additional purchases. The Tencent app appeals to businesses who wish to communicate with consumers in a semi-private network in order to gain and keep a loyal customer base.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3182083/tencents-wechat-debuts-618-shopping-festival-big-bet-live-streaming-e

Backstreet Boys Join Westlife for Online Concert on super-app WeChat

Thanks to the Backstreet Boys’ first-ever live-streamed concert on the popular app WeChat, Chinese fans of the ’90s and ’00s pop music may experience the enchantment of the 2022 DNA World Tour.

It’s anticipated that around 40 million people will watch the show. In addition to receiving approximately 37 million views on Weibo, a linked hashtag, the event’s preview on WeChat received 82,000 likes in just 24 hours.

Most Chinese Millennials and Zoomers who were exposed to the Backstreet Boys and Westlife by their professors have grown up with both bands by their sides.

Link: https://radiichina.com/backstreet-boys-concert/

Unpacking Sephora’s Global C-beauty Push

The “In China for China” business incubator programme, which will seek to develop five premium Chinese beauty names into global megabrands, was unveiled by Sephora on June 6.

The strategy capitalises on both the propensity of Chinese customers to purchase domestic brands as well as the expanding interest within foreign beauty communities in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and eastern wellness ideas.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/sephora-c-beauty-global-expansion-tcm/ 

China Plans to Review Every Single Social Media Comment

China may soon evaluate each and every social media comment before it is posted, raising concerns about increased censorship in a nation with one of the strictest media environments in the world.

Internet users in China have expressed concern that if planned legislation requiring internet platforms to evaluate all social media comments is passed, the country’s already restricted space for free speech will be further reduced.

The new limits would disrupt the fun since real-time remarks give viewers the impression that they are in a chat room with other people. This makes the experience more engaging.

“If the rules are passed, it means that everything we see online would be what’s been hand-picked by moderators, and it would be harder for individuals to make their voices heard,” 

Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-plans-review-every-single-093000701.html

Tencent News Aggregator App Kuai Bao to Cease Operations Next Month

Tencent Holdings will stop operating Kuai Bao, its news aggregator app, at the end of the month, showing that even China’s most powerful and wealthy Big Tech corporations must slash non-core businesses in the face of persistent regulatory pressure and the slowing economic growth of the nation.

Kuai Bao offers users algorithm-generated recommendations based on their profile, hobbies, and browsing history, much to the well-known news aggregator app Jinri Toutiao, which is owned by ByteDance.

Since its 2015 launch, Kuai Bao hasn’t gotten big enough to compete with its rivals. According to a survey released in February 2021 by the research firm Questmobile, ByteDance’s Jinri Toutiao leads the Chinese online news information sector in terms of daily active users, followed by Tencent News, Sina News, and NetEase News.

ByteDance last week shut down a game development studio that it acquired three years ago, slashing more than a hundred jobs in a major setback for its quest to challenge Tencent in that market.

Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tencent-news-aggregator-app-kuai-093000641.html

China Marketing Strategy: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

China’s marketing strategy is a minefield. If you want to build a brand in the Chinese market, you need to know how to navigate it. 

Entering the Chinese market is not only intimidating for the newcomers but also for existing businesses. Rapidly changing tastes, the market’s vastness, and nuanced preferences of more than 1.4 billion consumers living in very differentiated geographic and socio-cultural environments can be daunting for well-established players as well.

This is especially true for FMCG that are hyper-sensitive to consumers’ evolving tastes. That’s why often there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy in China. Actually having one monolith strategy for China can be more harmful than having no strategy at all. 

Brands must develop strategies for localized branding, communication, e-commerce, and traditional distribution in order to build a good business in China. These will necessitate a thorough awareness of consumer patterns and profiles, as well as familiarity with local marketing and operations. Otherwise, they will be unable to respond effectively to consumer desires and needs, increasing the danger of failing.

Why Is It Necessary to Localize?

The main point is that it’s easy for brands to assume that Chinese consumers are one homogeneous group of people with identical tastes and preferences. Also, most brands tend to focus on consumers based in China’s 1st tier cities like Shanghai or Beijing. 

The Chinese city tier system is an unofficial hierarchical classification of Chinese cities. Media often use it as a point of reference to illustrate their financial, commercial, and overall business attractiveness. Usually, there are 5 levels of so-called tiers with some outlets adding an additional classification for the most rapidly developing cities. These are called New Tier 1 cities with Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Tianjin among them. Only imagine that there are almost 150 cities in China that are bigger than Berlin (3.5 million). 

Every target audience has diverse needs and aspirations, and firms that don’t have a defined marketing plan will waste company resources chasing the incorrect demographics.

It’s a big misconception that consumers in those 2nd or 3rd-tier cities are the same as consumers in Shanghai or Beijing. A lot of reports on Chinese consumers often focus on the population samples from the biggest cities leaving the intricacies and local differences out of sight. People living in different Chinese provinces and locations will show different consumer behaviors and have varied income levels. Very often even the climate or weather patterns can play a big factor in their consumption habits.

KFC Pizza Hut McDonalds China

Examples of global fast-food chains adapting to local tastes: Mcdonalds’ pickle sandwich, KFC’s egg tarts, and durian pizza from Pizza Hut

Local Nuances

Just to give you an example, and of course, these are just exaggerations. E.g. Chengdu youth scene is famous for being among the most flourishing in China while people from Wuxi, an over 6 million people city near Shanghai, are renowned for their entrepreneurship spirit. Based on deeper research and local knowledge you can find a lot of nuances and specific interests that you can leverage in your brand communication, packaging, and pricing that will ultimately make a difference. 

So when you’re trying to figure out how to make your retail experience more Chinese-friendly, the first step is figuring out who exactly you’re trying to attract—and then how best to reach them. Some brands might find success by hiring local employees who speak the dialects of their target market(s) fluently. They can often offer their own personal recommendations; others might do better by partnering with influencers who already have strong followings among those groups of people. Surveys and local focus groups can also be of great help.

Competitors in the biggest Chinese cities are fierce and the market is well saturated with all kinds of goods readily available. Therefore brands now want to expand their reach and deepen their penetration of the Chinese market. Because of a lack of understanding and applying the same strategies that worked in the biggest Chinese coastal cities, foreign brands often fail and are reluctant to continue their expansion which doesn’t need to be the case. 

How to Localize – Things to Consider

Because of the local differences, you might rethink:

  • Brand message – is there some other unique selling point that could be more appealing to the local target audience?
  • Packaging – is the design and size suitable for local needs? Maybe the locals prefer smaller packages to have a try of the product?
  • Ingredients – can you add some local ingredients to make your product more appealing to the local palates?
  • Necessity – is your product adapted or even needed in the targeted location? Promoting stylish rain boots makes sense during the Shanghai rain season. However not so in Beijing where summers are usually hot and dry. 
  • Pricing – is the price too low or too high?
  • And more to consider. 

Strategy for China – Conclusions

Each country, market, demography, and way of life are distinct; it is the marketer’s responsibility to customize messaging and techniques to these diverse local trends. By recognizing these patterns and the economic, social, and technical influences that influence the Chinese customers, brands in China can better prepare for the future and succeed in the present. 

➡️Find out more about China’s core target consumer groups – Generation Z and Silver Generation.

If you wish to know more about marketing in China, 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 at contact@thewechatagency.com.

Case Study: AkzoNobel (B2B Management)

WHAT IS AKZONOBEL?

International Marine Coating is the flagship trademark of AkzoNobel’s Marine & Protective Coatings division, which employs over 5,500 people in over 60 countries.

THE SCOPE OF WORK

Major shipping firms such as Maersk, COSCO, and CMA CGM are among International Marine’s target customers.

Its main goal in China is to raise brand awareness and equity so that it may be regarded as a major player in the industry.

AkzoNobel - Content Creation China

AkzoNobel – Content Creation

As part of our retainer contract, we deployed a combination of strategic activities, including engaging with industry expert magazines to publish material from the brand on their WeChat account in order to acquire access to relevant audiences and the validation of well-established media in the market.

THE RESULTS

The 2 Magazine articles surpassed by 80% and 125% the brand’s best-performing owned article of the whole year among the relevant target audience.

AkzoNobel China

AkzoNobel – Hot Accounts Collaboration

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

These PR-like collaborations also serve as SEO backlinks, boosting the brand’s ranking in the SERP.

These collaborations have a short-term benefit of raising brand recognition among magazine readers who may not be familiar with the company, and a long-term benefit of improving SERP ranking.

 

If you wish to know more about WeChat and its various features, 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 at contact@thewechatagency.com.

Case Study: Grand Hyatt (APAC Wedding Planning Campaign)

ABOUT GRAND HYATT

Hyatt, an international hospitality firm that maintains and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacation homes, has a 5-star premium line of hotels called Grand Hyatt. It operates over 1,100 hotels and all-inclusive resorts across 69 countries on six continents.

Grand Hyatt China Baidu

Grand Hyatt – Baidu Ads

THE SCOPE OF WORK

Grand Hyatt wanted to raise awareness for its new wedding offering and get the target audience to visualize how their special day can be spectacular in order to generate leads.

We created an APAC campaign across 12 markets, 5 languages, 6 social media platforms,+200 Creative posts and 2 dedicated websites with a mobile-first approach and a SalesForce integration:
• One for China (H5 – WeChat Compatible)
• One for the rest of APAC

Grand Hyatt - Wedding Planning Dedicated Website

Grand Hyatt – Wedding Planning Dedicated Website

Grand Hyatt - Wedding China

Grand Hyatt – Static Content Brought to Life With Romantic Animations

Our approach was to give the audience an immersive digital experience by building visibility on social & digital platforms and drive users to a visual-led-content website where they could curate content to design their wedding dream and even apply dedicated filters to their photos.

THE RESULTS & TESTIMONIAL

Dear KRDS Team,
I want to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to this project and the campaign. It was a long and fruitful process and completely worth it. It was definitely a successful campaign, and the learnings will only help us improve and optimize as we evolve the wedding and events digital campaigns at Hyatt.

AQUIN MATHEW
Social Media – Hyatt Asia Pacific

If you wish to know more about APAC campaigns and various options, 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 at contact@thewechatagency.com.

The Latest News From China

The Development Trends of the WeChat Mini-Program in 2022

Current situation:

  • 450 million DAU
  • 4 million mini-programs created (x2 more than the number of native apps on iOS)
  • 95% of e-commerce brands have mini-programs

Context:

The rise of China’s mobile internet market has slowed, and the growth in individual device online time has practically halted. Customer acquisition became increasingly difficult for emerging applications. Users want apps that would not require installation or uninstallation, were constantly available for use at their fingertips and could be exited after usage. 

These facilitated the emergence of mini-programs

Development trends:

Mini-programs have grown in popularity not just in first- and second-tier cities, but also in third- and fourth-tier cities, and even counties. The most popular industries will continue to be e-commerce, live streaming, retail, community group purchasing, and tools.

Since WeChat is expected to introduce public domain traffic for e-commerce mini-program streaming, live streaming commerce, which is currently popular, will become even more appealing to businesses.

 Operation and service trend —— Refined operation, brand cultivation:

Start transition from “traffic” thinking to “retention” thinking by creating their own private domain traffic pool

Brands need to build a “private domain matrix” comprising WeChat features with mini-program, WeChat enterprise, video channels, mini-program live streaming and Official Accounts to guide the transformation

Link: https://qpsoftware.net/blog/development-trends-wechat-mini-program-2022

TikTok Shop’s Troubled UK Expansion: Staff Exodus and Culture Clash

TikTok is attempting to imitate Douyin’s phenomenally successful live-streaming approach (the Chinese version of TikTok). Since October 2021, the UK has become the first market outside of China to debut TikTok Shop.

More than 50% of the e-commerce team apparently quit in the past months and more is ready to exit the company.  Extremely long work hours (the 996 culture comes to mind) and high KPI targets are the key reasons for this. Employees also said that management is pushing solutions that work in China but aren’t tailored to the needs of the UK.

Link: https://www.ft.com/content/dc1aba86-2055-4521-8f0c-1f026c7f6864 

Asia-Pacific Consumers Willing to Pay Premium For Sustainable Products: Report

According to a recent survey released ahead of World Environment Day, nearly 90% of customers in Asia-Pacific are willing to pay extra for sustainable products, but a lack of information and availability is holding them back.

Alibaba Group, based in China, has vowed to be carbon neutral by 2030 as it reduces emissions across its operations and collaborates with millions of merchants to provide more sustainable items to the platform’s over 1 billion users. 

Alibaba also promises to expand its sustainable product line and advertise it properly. There are more than 460 certified ecolabels globally which increases consumer confusion. 

Link: https://www.alizila.com/asia-pacific-consumers-willing-to-pay-premium-for-sustainable-products-report/

TikTok’s Toxic ‘996’ Culture Is Forcing UK Employees out the Door

At least 20 staff have left TikTok since the company launched TikTok Shop in the UK in October, a live-streaming e-commerce platform. Employees complain that they are required to adhere to China’s working hours, which frequently result in them working more than 12 hours per day. Employees who took time off were penalised by the corporation, which rewarded overworking. Other former TikTok employees have also spoken out against the company’s hostile work atmosphere.

“The culture is really toxic. Relationships there are built on fear, not cooperation,” a former London-based team leader said. “They don’t care about burnout because it is such a big company, they can just replace you. 

Joshua Ma, the head of eCommerce at TikTok Europe and a senior executive at China’s ByteDance — the owner of the viral video app — upset London-based employees at a dinner this year when he declared that as a “capitalist,” he “didn’t believe” companies should offer maternity leave. TikTok informed employees on Wednesday that Ma had “stepped back” from his role while the company conducted a formal investigation into the comment.

TikTok Shop’s Troubled UK Expansion

Last year, Bytedance opened a Tiktok shop in the United Kingdom, but the results were unsatisfactory. According to the report, the main reason for Tiktok’s failure is that users are not accustomed to shopping on the platform; many live streams even make no purchases.

TikTok Shop’s goal is to buy low-cost things directly from low-cost producers in both the UK and China.

Bytedance introduced an e-commerce platform named Fanno in Europe in 2021, which is similar to Pinduoduo, as well as a separate e-commerce platform called Dmonstudio, which is a B2C website that sells women’s clothing. However, the plan failed as well, and Dmonstudio was shut down in February 2022.

The experts explained that the vertical e-commence market has never been developing in China because of the existence of Taobao. However, in Europe, the market is quite mature, which could be the main reason that Bytedance failed in this area. 

As a result, Tiktok will need to adjust its strategy both internally and technically in order to thrive. They must adapt to local culture and market characteristics while leveraging their algorithms and content distribution to create a fresh approach to stand out.

Link: https://www.ft.com/content/dc1aba86-2055-4521-8f0c-1f026c7f6864

Slow Live Streaming Is a New Trend

In May, Bilibili conducted a late-night accompanying live broadcast. The live broadcast called “Midnight Song platform” began at 10:30 p.m. only some songs were played. There were no anchors or products. In the evening, the number of viewers on WeChat video accounts reached 100000.

The slow live broadcast without editing and special effects, slow pace and simple pictures has gradually become a place for people to cure their emotions.

The cctv24-hour continuous live broadcast of hospital construction lasted 117 days at the start of 2020, with approximately 200 million views and more than 6000 hours of the online live broadcast.

There’s also the ipanda panda channel, which broadcasts a 24-hour live feed of enormous pandas, a national treasure, to people all over the world.

The slow video has become popular not only at home but also abroad

The Discovery Channel also produces a variety of slow-motion televisions with superb picture quality and stunning photography. On the longest day of the year, Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós took a 24-hour trip around the island. Their music was blended with the fog of northern Europe to provide sensory satisfaction to the audience; the public has a particular taste for sluggish live broadcasting, which is the time preference. People “trapped in home life” are highly eager to travel and get close to nature, and thus view the outside world, thanks to the epidemic’s travel limitations.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Ee-Md4O0V5JOh_ZUrzZRQw