Uncover what it takes to make a successful booth in CIIE and beyond.

China’s milk tea industry is encountering a little competition. Today, we explore the drivers of these Chinese-style yogurt drinks in the middle kingdom.

Jump into some leading insights around CBME 2023 from the China Skinny team!

In recent years there has been a lot of coverage about how China has transformed from being a copycat country to one that leads many global innovations. Chinese people have only ever known constant change and, as a result, run their businesses in such a way.

Anyone who has spent time in China is likely to have noticed how elaborate the packaging can be relative to similar products in Western countries. Goods are wrapped up as if for high tea in the depths of a Heilongjiang winter - one may have to make their way through four or five layers of intricate wrapping before reaching a tasty morsel buried deep inside. The perceived status, discovery or safety from fanciful packaging trumps any environmental concerns for most consumers.

Geopolitics is a major consideration for most foreign brands in China these days. Whereas brands used to mostly be able to steer clear of any issues by avoiding reference to the 3-Ts: Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen, the scope has broadened to include Hs, Ks, Xs and others. There are few markets where politics and commerce are so intricately linked as China.

It's a lot cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one, so the old adage says. Many marketers in China don't seem to have got that memo, with marketing plans based around increasingly expensive livestreams and KOLs for sales, with limited initiatives to retain those customers once they've transacted.We track many loyalty initiatives at China Skinny, but one of the most exciting we've seen lately is from Chinese EV brand, Nio. Car sales have been one of the brightest categories in China's retail sphere, last month growing 17% year-on-year. As we noted in July, Beijing has been strategic in putting its weight behind car sales - it takes a lot of packaged goods or shoe sales to match that of a single car in making retail sales look rosy.

How would you feel about a brand who categorised you as part of a generic group with 1.4 billion others? You probably wouldn't be rushing out to buy their wares. The same applies for the average Chinese consumer who, over the past generation, has become largely intolerant of marketing, products and services that don't connect with their individual needs and desires.

It wasn't long ago when every marketer in China was talking about ecommerce. Alibaba and JD battled it out for supremacy, and then another challenger, Pinduoduo, came from nowhere, and it became a three-horse race.Whilst the traditional ecommerce platforms still dominate online sales in China, the new world of livestreaming, KOLs and social commerce has dominated marketing forums over the past few years.

KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) are big business in China and are commanding a larger share of marketing budgets every year. The infographic below provides some insights into the KOL ecosystem to help you better understand this fragmented, but interconnected channel.

Changing consumer preferences and needs, coupled with Beijing support, has seen the rise of interest and participation in sports in China in recent years. Alongside the mainstream sports, niche pursuits such as winter sports, cycling and surf skating have soared in popularity. Even China's rugby fans may see better results with the appointment of a new coach. But talking about 'sports' in China, it would be amiss not to mention one which touches 400 million consumers - esports.

"If you protect yourself from the sun, you will be whiter than others. If not, you will be uglier," so said a sun hat advertisement last month on Douyin from the multi-billion dollar Chinese sun protection brand, Beneunder.

Eileen Gu's catastrophic rise has brought difficult geopolitical questions. Her responses should keep Beijing and Chinese consumers happy

Chanel has come out on top in China following a nationalist rant by a domestic competitor

Genki Forest's CEO Tang Binsen shares his views on business and life in a long, frank discussion

A video tour and explanation of some of the Christmas happenings in Shanghai in 2021

China's Xpeng plans to start production of the flying car in 2024. Check out the video, it is very cool!

Key themes and tactics from successful brands at CIIE 2021