China’s consumer data points to some interesting developments that will impact tourism behaviour internationally

Flea markets have become trendy hot spots in Shanghai, with some tapping into the rise of pre-loved goods. From tranquil forest-themed to hidden gems, here are some of our favourite flea markets in the city

DAPHNE was a staple fashion item for Chinese ladies born in the 80s and 90s, but failed to adapt to changing market dynamics. A recent strategic shift and refresh has seen the brand rise from the dead

Shanghai’s retail market is unrivalled in China for both size and dynamism, supported by China’s most sophisticated consumers meaning that the city is at the forefront of consumer trends

China's shopping malls have evolved to be experience centres unlike anywhere else in the world. Here is some advice to ensure that marketing strategies factor in this uniqueness

KFC's marketing success and then threatened boycotts provide valuable insights about marketing in China

Don't underestimate the importance of bricks & mortar touch points in China, and ensure they are integrated and optimised for consumer needs

The best performing brands in China all have an uncompromising use of data to steer opportunity analysis, marketing and NPD decisions.

An omni-channel approach, adapting data-led insights and optimising sales structures are areas foreign brands are falling behind in China

Here's how and why bricks-and-mortar retail experiences can surpass the experience consumers get shopping on a smartphone

There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic to test the value of a brand. Some brands have increased in value by virtue of their category; others have become more valuable by adapting swiftly to changing consumption priorities, differing usage occasions, and shifting customer journeys. Yet in this untravelled COVID-19-influenced world, the underlying trust and connection that consumers have in brands has never been more important.

In early June, Premier Li Keqiang vowed government support for street vendors as part of efforts to ease unemployment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was met with great enthusiasm by Chinese consumers, but not so by officials in the wealthy tier 1 cities Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai, who had spent many years ‘cleaning up the streets’ of chaos and backwardness. They considered street stalls as a source of poor hygiene, noise pollution, inferior products and traffic problems, unfitting fixtures in a confident China’s rise to become a wealthy and powerful nation taking pride in its technological advances and gleaming skyscrapers.

Back in 2016, long before people’s hands were dried-out from sanitiser and faces indented from masks, there was a popular WeChat account that launched an initiative called the “4-hour escape from Bejing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.” Consumers had to get to the airport asap, where they’d receive a ticket to an unknown destination and a ¥300 ($42) hotel subsidy, and start travelling.

$200 million. That's what China's fastest growing and second-most popular ecommerce platform Pinduoduo (PDD) invested in appliance and electronics retailer Gome last week.

Analysis of three additional buzz words that are commonly used in Chinese product marketing approach and that they mean for brands.

There are signs that the long, cold coronavirus winter may be subsiding as the green shoots of spring appear, as many Chinese commentators have so eloquently put it. Since 20 February, the number of railway passenger trips has picked up with an average daily increase of 60,000 as Chinese return to work.

Take a tour of the Shanghai shopping mall Crystal Galleria and Coucou restaurant at 7pm on Tuesday 3 March as the coronavirus outbreak still looms. The video compares footage from the same mall and restaurant two weeks earlier and notes an increase in people, although not yet back to normal levels.

Times of crisis have shaped the retail industry in China. During SARS in 2003, JD was launched. Taobao wasn't far behind, altering China's retail landscape forever. Now with the COVID-19 outbreak, e-commerce platforms are seeing behaviour and demographics shift.