China's Weibo Users Hit 400m
Welcome to this week's skinny on China. It's been the Four-Hundred-Million week. That's how many registered users are now on Weibo, according to Sina's quarterly results reported on Friday. It's not to be sneezed at given Weibo's influence on China's affluent consumers - the one's who buy western products. 95% of China's online population trust a brand more if they've heard about it on Weibo and 27% actually search for brand info Weibo. If you're selling in China and you're not on Weibo, you're likely to be missing plenty of opportunities. But there's a lot more to marketing in China than just Weibo, and you'll find out about some of it below. I hope you find it helpful!
Chinese Consumers
Will Chinese Consumers Lead the World?: Nice rundown on the future of Chinese consumers. A good example of the market are the $1m Rolls Royces parked roadside before Purdong International Airport as the owners are too cheap to pay for parking.
Building Brands Beyond Tier One in China: 13.5 minute video on selling brands to consumers in China's lower tier cities. Some learnings: Lower tier city consumers are curious, but less likely to purchase on eCommerce without having held a good in their hands, preferring demonstrations in the flesh. They're also more concerned about value than price - wanting to get as much as they can from their hard earned cash.
Consumer Confidence Rises: Income (46%) and Health (28%) are Chinese consumer's two greatest concerns according to Nielsen. Gadgets, home appliances and furniture take the top three spots for intended purchases over the next three months.
Put Your Yuan Where Your Mouth is: The Professor vs the Economist magazine: Two views on whether China's economy will continue it's blistering growth.
Retailers Adjust to New Pace in China: In light of Chinese consumer confidence bouncing back up in September and October, western retailers cite the Chinese economic slowdown as the most common reason for adjusting their strategies in China.
Internet & Mobile
China's Online Shopping Interdependence: Our view on how online shopping ties in with social media, luxury goods and a slew of other areas for Chinese consumers.
Finding the Right Line Online for Fashionistas: Zara and other fashion retailers are using eCommerce to increase it's sales by reaching diversified markets such as 3rd and 4th tier city consumers.
China's E-commerce Market Faces Logistical Challenge: Ecommerce in China: There's no problem selling the stuff, it's just getting it to the buyer. Logistics is the nightmare according to Walmart Asia CEO.
Secrets of the Chinese Mobile Market: Mobile apps are an increasingly effective way to gain the attention and loyalty of Chinese consumers; here are some tips on building them.
Food & Beverage
Q&A: Trends in Chinese Produce Supply and Consumption: China's fruit imports grew 59.6% in 2011. Here are some of the market's successes, facts and opportunities for exporting more fruit to Chinese consumers.
Pairing Chinese Food and French Wine with Shangri-la Palace Paris Chef Franck Xu: Not something you see every day, but lets hope it's a sign we'll see more flavour/beverage matching in China.
Health & Beauty
China Diabetes Triples Creating $3.2 Billion Drug Market: China Diabetes Triples in 10 years from inactivity & excess calories. A business opportunity for healthy food and lifestyle exporters?
Chinese City Weighs Ban on Plastic Surgery for Under-18s: One less thing for young Chinese consumers to spend their money on and an indication of the importance Chinese place on looking pretty/cute: Guangzhou hopes to ban plastic surgery for under-18 year olds - currently 1.4% of the market.
Luxury Goods
Promoting a Chinese Brand…to the Chinese: The trials & tribulations of a Frenchman building a luxury brand in China and making it less Chinesey.
That's the skinny for the week!
If you've missed earlier news or need to learn more, there's a library of information about Chinese consumers in prior China Skinny Weeklys right here. You can have this delivered to your inbox each week by subscribing for email updates, or if social media is more your thing, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In or Google+, or subscribe to our RSS feed. If you have any feedback or suggestions for future articles, please let us know.
