China’s Christmas: How It Has Evolved Over the Years

December 21, 2021

Christmas in China

Christmas has grown in popularity in Mainland China in recent years, despite the fact that it is not a national holiday. Its “celebrations” have little to do with religion, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a huge annual event in China’s main cities. 

Chinese people saw it as a new form of entertainment, with decorated Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and reindeers adorning the streets and businesses. It’s fair to say that many young Chinese millennials and Gen Z see Christmas as another “Valentine’s Day.” It is the time of the year when men prepare heartfelt winter gifts to win over their partners, while girls dress up in a variety of fresh outfits.

Christmas in China is more of a fun day to spend with friends shopping, ice skating, or going to Christmas pop up markets and movie theatres than it is a day to go to church and spend time with family.

Various promotional events are held during this season at shops and shopping malls to increase sales. On Christmas Eve, restaurants serve Christmas meals. Intriguingly, one of the Chinese Christmas traditions is to send apples as gifts to friends on Christmas Eve.

What brands can do:

As a result, this is an ideal opportunity for brands to leverage on China’s buying spree. Retailers and businesses can also start off the winter shopping frenzy and sales season because of the festival’s proximity to the Chinese New Year. Domestic brands, on the other hand, can seize the opportunity to develop a successful brand positioning plan that elicits positive emotional responses and builds a cool global brand image.

Here are a few pointers for brands looking to attract Chinese customers during the holiday season:

  1. Concentrate on China’s major cities.
  2. Make use of a variety of digital marketing channels
  3. Targeted online advertising
  4. Make campaigns finite
  5. Customize messages and GIF’s for the audience 
  6. Use a nice static or GIF greeting card to make festive posts
  7. Create stickers for people to use in their chat sessions
  8. Create large-scale campaigns

Some previously done festive campaigns by KRDS

1. KRDS X Montagut Full-scale campaign
Montagut wanted to spend Christmas with their Chinese fans. The key objective was to engage the audience throughout the holiday season in order to promote the new FW 2020 collection and attract a larger set of younger consumers. They intended to debut new collections in order to announce the arrival of new items and trends before the end of the year.

Our solution for elegantly displaying both the new collection and the festive spirit was an H5 WeChat game set in a French winter paradise. Because of its customised and dreamy graphics mixed with a captivating tapping gaming mechanism, this game was an instant hit with Montagut’s existing fans as well as approximately 10,000 new fans.

Read more about the campaign – Montagut in Collaboration With KRDS Invited Fans To Winter Wonderland

2. KRDS x Montagut – Interactive Post
This year, together with Montagut we wanted to leverage new possibilities within the WeChat article and created this interactive, creative post – fans can engage with the post elements by clicking, swiping or double-tapping different parts of the Christmas card to open new functions and more.

 

 

Please visit Montagut’s official WeChat account and see the full post here – Montagut Interactive Christmas post

3. KRDS x BNP PARIBAS – Christmas Voice Card Campaign
During the festive season, we created and delivered a unique WeChat Christmas card that BNP Paribas’ team, their clients, and partners could share with their loved ones to wish them a happy holiday season.

The solution proposed by KRDS was an H5-based Christmas wishes voice card. The card’s lovely design and voice feature made it a simple but incredibly personal Christmas card that everyone could send to their contacts on WeChat.


Christmas Campaign for BNP Paribas – PostChristmas Campaign for BNP Paribas – Greeting Card Mechanism

WeChat Stickers Creation for BNP Paribas

 

 

4. KRDS x Procter and Gamble – WeChat Article Greeting

5. KRDS x AkzoNobel – WeChat Article Greeting6. Other Clients
KRDS have also worked with other clients like Vivo, Hong Kong Disneyland, Meiji, BreadTalk, Toast Box, Volkswagen, AIA, Unilever, Sony, WWF & Grand Hyatt.

If you’re looking for a brand collaboration or need any further assistance please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses develop meaningful campaigns and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us by phone – Shanghai or Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Top 5 alternatives for LinkedIn in China you need to know now

November 29, 2021

Linkedin, the world’s most popular professional social networking site, recently announced that it will cease operations in China due to a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China,” according to Mohak Shroff, LinkedIn’s senior vice president of engineering. LinkedIn has been the only major Western social networking platform operating in China for nearly seven years.

China was LinkedIn’s second-largest market behind the United States, with over 54 million users. They would lose access to a platform for networking with professionals from other nations as a result of its departure. There are none with a similar global reach in China.

However, there are a few Linkedin alternatives to consider for users in the world’s most populous country, and here is a list of a few of them.

⚠️ August 2023 UPDATE: WeChat as a LinkedIn Alternative in China – Navigating Professional Networking Beyond Borders

Alternatives for Linkedin

Maimai

Maimai is a China-based career and social networking platform with over 80 million users. Lin Fan established the platform in 2013, and it is now China’s most popular professional social networking site, surpassing LinkedIn. 

You may acquire access to relevant firms, clients, and investors by using MaiMai instead of wasting time on other random and foreign platforms looking for the right partners. And since China’s corporate structure is so complex, such platforms make it easier to communicate directly with the company’s decision-makers.

 

Angelist

Unlike LinkedIn, Angelist focuses on entrepreneurs and industry newcomers interested in pursuing a new career path.

If you’re wanting to invest in a startup, raise capital for your own startup, or recruit professionals for your firm, AngelList is the place to go.

 

Xing

Xing is a European-Asian version of Linkedin, with over 200 countries represented and a multi-language (over 16 languages) interface to aid networking in a culturally varied world. 

Another appealing feature is the opportunity to attend events organised by Xing’s “Ambassadors,” where professionals may network, share ideas, and seek business guidance.

 

Hired

Hired is a great place to look for a job if you’re looking for one. They’re a two-sided marketplace that connects cool companies with tech talent while also providing free professional profile hosting.

 

Meetup

Meetup is the most preferred LinkedIn alternative because of its corporate features, social features, easy registration procedures, and new “virtual interview” tool for speeding up recruitment processes. 

Meetup will keep you up to date on any events that may be of interest to you and are strongly recommended when applying for jobs at startups. It is used by 16 million people in 196 countries throughout the world.

 

Conclusion

Overall, it is critical to emphasise the significance of networking in China. Many contracts and economic ventures are agreed upon based on people’s contacts. So, if you want to flourish in the very competitive Chinese market, you’ll need to make some “good friends” who can assist you and your company.

So, regardless of which platform you choose to join, social business networking is important and may assist you in developing these contacts, which can help you grow your business in China.

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

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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.

 

 

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This Week’s China Learning

November 9, 2021

2021 Beauty Industry White Paper

Although this white paper focuses on China’s cosmetics industry, many of the conclusions are applicable to China’s other industries.

Main takeaways:

  • A content-focused strategy is becoming increasingly important, rather than a price-focused strategy.
  • Brand building has been a priority for both foreign and domestic brands. They are increasingly focusing on long-term brand equity/notoriety rather than short-term ROI.
  • In China, young internet customers remain the most significant market for most brands. Women under the age of 40 account for approximately 70% of the global cosmetics market, significantly outnumbering their demographic share.
  • As the appeal for transactional techniques fades and becomes increasingly unsustainable, younger consumers are more affected by brands and content that resonate on an emotional level and match with their value system. As a result, marketing is far smarter and more fascinating now than it was in the days when all you had to do was decrease the price.

Link: https://www.kantarworldpanel.com/cn-en/news/2021-Beauty-Industry-White-Paper?utm_source=news_chinaskinny_com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=The+Weekly+China+Skinny&utm_campaign=20211102_m165346214_20211102+-+1&utm_term=2021+Beauty+Industry+White+Paper

 

B2B Marketing in the Post-LinkedIn Reality

Maimai 脈脈 is a homegrown social-networking platform for professionals to create business connections, the Chinese equivalent of Linkedin. It now has more than 80 million high-value real name users with more than monthly active users of 30 million.

Through Maimai, marketers can convey their advertising message into different types of Ad formats including Splash Ad, Native Ad, and instant message, etc. Additionally, marketers could target the audiences in different positioning based on their geographic location, gender, career position (C Levels/ Directors / Managers grade), job industry (Business / Legal / Finance/ Design/ IT, etc), and even their specific company.

Link: https://www.xinergy.global/maimai-the-chinese-linkedin/

 

The older Chinese consumers turning silver into e-commerce gold

A few months ago, the Chinese government was encouraging the biggest Chinese apps to prepare elderly-friendly versions. More than 264 million people, or 18.7% of China’s population, are aged over 60 in a country that is ageing rapidly, according to census results published in May.

COVID-19 forced many Chinese 60+ online making for an expanding population of “silver-haired” internet users who have made the move to online shopping in China in the past year, nudged by the coronavirus pandemic, government policy and e-commerce giants. JD reports that retirees living in major cities, with money to spend and plenty of time, were some of the most prolific shoppers since the pandemic, with over half of the goods catering to the elderly bought by users themselves this year.

In the first three quarters of this year, purchases by the silver-haired demographic grew almost fivefold year on year, with users focusing on leisure purchases, such as gardening supplies and package tours. To really tap this market, online vendors need to simplify their designs or offer user-friendly guides for their apps or websites.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153456/older-chinese-consumers-turning-silver-e-commerce-gold

 

GUCCI– burst game

For its product burst, Gucci, a worldwide luxury brand, devised an innovative H5 game that allows users to engage, comprehend items, and expose brands by avoiding obstacles in the tunnel.

Burst’s shoes “gallop” in a 3D three-dimensional colour tunnel. At the 8m position, there are two operation guide arrows. Users can use the up and down arrows to directly drag bursts around the tunnel to escape impending obstacles by clicking and dragging it. There are timers and score reminders in the game. If you run into any barriers, the game will automatically finish and the game results page will appear.

 

Luxury brands are ditching KOLs for virtual influencers in China: how Alexander McQueen, Dior and Prada are turning to digital avatars and AI idols to woo millennials

Making their way from music to fashion, virtual idols are paving the way for mixed reality initiatives, increasingly appealing to younger, digitally native consumers.

As more consumers move online, they will increasingly demand compelling narratives like Maie’s from their virtual idols. It seems, every luxury consumer will be able to hatch their own virtual idols in the future.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3153210/luxury-brands-are-ditching-kols-virtual-influencers-china

 

 

 

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What’s New in China This Week?

November 2, 2021

How Chinese Retailers Are Reinventing the Customer Journey

China’s retail sector is both enormous and rapidly developing, with an estimated value of $5 trillion by 2020. It is also heavily computerised. And, as a result of the epidemic, digital has become a strategic priority for all retailers.

The authors draw from their research on Chinese retailers to explain five lessons that Western companies can learn from China as they develop their own digital market offerings:

  1. Create single entry points where customers can access all their potential purchases.
  2. Embed digital evaluation in the customer journey.
  3. Don’t think of sales as isolated events.
  4. Rethink the logistical fundamentals.
  5. Always stay close to the customer.

Link: https://hbr.org/2021/09/how-chinese-retailers-are-reinventing-the-customer-journey 

 

Luxury Brands and 11/11

Alibaba is actively promoting innovative digital retail solutions for luxury brands and is gradually expanding its virtual services and experiences. While the majority of luxury purchasing still takes place in physical stores, online and omnichannel expansion has constantly expanded – according to Bain & Co, China’s luxury internet penetration will increase to 23% in 2020, up from 12% the previous year.

Gucci, Vacheron Constantin, and Maison Margiela, for example, recently teamed with Tmall Luxury Pavilion to expand services previously only available in physical stores, such as membership benefits, sales associate consultations, and after-sales services.

This year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world’s greatest retail extravaganza by sales, has over 200 luxury businesses offering a variety of services ranging from bespoke engraving to cleaning and repair services. Other highlights include a digital exhibition, an art presentation by a virtual influencer, Chopard and Cartier showcasing their items in 3D, AR try-on, and top executives joining firms’ live streams.

Link: https://www.alizila.com/alibaba-janet-wang-china-luxury-innovation-1111-shopping-festival/ 

 

China Brands Go Global

Report selected 100 Chinese brands present abroad and analyzed them. The purpose of the top 100 Chinese brands list was to look at consumer brands that have the most direct impact on global consumers – both in terms of sales and (more significantly) in terms of brand/audience impact and potential.

While many of the enterprises have their own websites, the vast majority of sales are made via ecommerce sites such as Amazon and AliExpress. While most brands have official accounts on three or more channels, social media is used more to enhance performance, such as digital advertisements (CPC), rather than to cultivate customer affinity. Brand content and organic growth are underserved because the focus is solely on advertising. Most brands have a small number of followers and a poor level of engagement.

Big event sponsorships: While these high-profile, high-budget endeavours are remarkable, they are often premature vanity projects for brands that have yet to gain traction in the market. These approaches are hoped to be fast-tracks to brand equity.

Link: https://www.talktototem.com/china-insights/china-brands-going-global 

 

WeChat Brand Channel

It’s a partnership between WeChat Pay and Channels; with this step, traffic from offline channels/mini programmes will be sent to WeChat Channels. There are five major benefits of using the Brand Channel.

  1. Turn to Channel’s video after offline payment: When users complete the payment, they will see the Brand Channel button and watch the videos
  2. Reserve the live stream after payment: The brands can add this feature to the payment page, so the users can make a live stream reservation during their payment
  3. Brand hongbao: The brands can send hongbao by QR code, when the users scan the QR code, they will receive the hongbao and use it when they pay the bill. On the receipt page, the users can get in the brands’ channels and explore the dedicated video
  4. Turn to Channel’s video after mini-program payment: The brands can add the Channels’ content in the mini-program page, so when the users browse the page, they can see the video amongst the products
  5. Coupons: The brands can combine the video to the coupon, so the users can watch the video when they get and use the coupon

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ZtJ5Pji6KwcPTMwS51PNEQ 

 

WeChat update version 8.0.16 supports one-click to close personalized advertising

WeChat version 8.0.16 shows an updated pop-up window with revised privacy protection guidelines to advise users of changes to privacy guidelines and information sharing disclosure.

The “personal information and permissions” entry has been added to the bottom of the “WeChat – I – Settings – Privacy” interface.

You can now turn off “personalised advertising” with a single click in WeChat’s “personalised advertising management” and set the switch to “closed.”

It’s important to note that turning off “personalised advertising” does not imply that you’ll never see advertisements on WeChat again. Instead, you will turn off the display of ads that are relevant to you, but you will continue to get broad commercials.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fV5k4jVUCtvpzjO3UGFVXA

 

One mobile phone number can register multiple WeChat ID

A new function appears in WeChat version 8.0.15, which allows users to quickly register another WeChat signal without an additional mobile phone number.

You must also carry out real-name authentication of WeChat payment if you need to transfer, send, and receive red envelopes and other operations in WeChat without binding your mobile phone number. You are not required to bind your mobile phone number if you need to transfer, send, and receive red envelopes and other operations in WeChat without binding your mobile phone number.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/h5Tlo2NIsfVLlZMpISRbFg

 

Meta’s chief of Metaverse tells us what the future holds for the former Facebook

Meta aims to build solutions to social media problems that have yet to be solved in the future.

Meta has big aspirations for the metaverse. On Instagram, there’s a huge universe of artists, and there are a lot of people creating stuff on Facebook. Virtual commodities will undoubtedly play a significant role in Meta’s metaverse.

Link: https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/metas-chief-of-metaverse-tells-us-what-the-future-holds-for-the-former-facebook/ 

 

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Podcasts in China

November 2, 2021

Despite the fact that podcasting has been around for almost two decades in the United States, with more than 41% of adults aged 18 and above listening to a podcast at least once a month in 2021, it is still a relatively new industry in China. Listeners in China are more familiar with government-controlled broadcasting and state-owned public radio than with on-demand audio content from private creators.

Ear Economy in China

However, in recent years, the internet audio business, also known as the “ear economy,” has grown rapidly. Podcast listening has become a regular fad in many young Chinese consumers’ lives. 

As a result of the expansion of commuter culture and easy access to different media content. Given the pervasiveness of smartphones in Chinese culture, all audio-visual content is now mobile-friendly. This is one of the factors that can be used to explain why podcasts are becoming more popular. 

Chinese podcast listeners are estimated to reach 85.6 million by the end of 2021, second only to the United States. Nonetheless, given China’s massive population, this only accounts for 6.1% of the country’s population, indicating that there is plenty of room for the market to expand.

 

The Growing Popularity of Podcasts in China

China’s low adoption isn’t due to a lack of interest in digital audio. In this sense, Chinese consumers have a wide range of options, including ebooks, audio live streaming, social audio, and karaoke, all of which fight for ear time. 

Regardless, China’s desire for podcasts—which is defined as any audio-first serialised episodes that can be accessed via digital streams or downloaded, as well as heard as podcasts via video platforms—is apparent. 

Chinese tech companies, including some of the country’s most well-known digital giants, are jumping into the booming audio category, establishing dedicated “podcast” sections. Tencent Music and Entertainment, for example, has recently been promoting “long-form content.” 

 

Chinese Podcast Listeners’ Demographics

The root of China’s developing podcast market is a growing demand for tailored, personalized, and individualised media tastes as a result of economic liberalisation and urbanisation. The thriving sector includes a wide range of themes, from travel to hobbies — and everything in between.

In terms of audience, over 68.2% of respondents live in top-tier or coastal cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, according to the PodFest China 2020 Chinese Podcasting Listeners and Consumption Survey. The majority of podcast listeners are under the age of 35, with more than 88.5% being under the age of 35.

Podcasting is also popular among the well-educated, with 86.4% of listeners having a bachelor’s degree or more, but only 28.6% of short-video users had attended college.

 

Conclusion

China’s podcast sector appears to have a bright future. In 2019, China’s podcast sector generated US$193 million in revenue, making it the world’s fastest-growing podcast market. The market is expected to grow at a 37.3% CAGR before 2024, reaching a total value of US$689 million in 2024, owing to increased listener numbers, making China the world’s second-largest market if the revenue target is met.

However, the market expansion will need to be closely monitored in the future. With only 6% of the population reporting that they listen to podcasts, there is a lot of room for expansion. As a result, starting a podcast for your company could be a wise decision for the future of your business.

Do you think starting a podcast is simple? Well, think again. You do need considerable support and guidance. Hit us up to get the ins and outs sorted professionally and launch a cohesive campaign.

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China’s Weekly Overview

October 26, 2021

Does Your Brand Need a Weibo Profile?

Many international companies begin their Chinese social media presence with a WeChat official account, but having a Weibo account can also help them gain awareness.

Weibo posts are visible to more users and non-followers than WeChat posts because of a distinct feed structure. However, as Weibo is one of China’s oldest social media sites, new platforms are appearing all the time. It’s best to assess target audience behaviour and then invest funds and effort into the most relevant combination of social media, depending on the target demographic.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/VGp5wjodQJ_tDkHhgelQFQ 

 

Bilibili Marketing Guide: E-commerce, KOL Promotion & Ads

Bilibili, a famous youth-oriented video streaming and sharing network, is thought to be the most similar to Youtube. However, Bilibili’s distinguishing characteristics and distinct community culture set it apart from its western equivalents.

The bullet comments mechanism, which displays all incoming comments on the screen, is one of Bilbili’s most noticeable features. Chinese viewers prefer watching films with live comments because it gives them a greater sense of belonging and sharing. This sense of belonging contributes to the platform’s growth: Bilibili is used by one out of every two young people in China. Young individuals under the age of 35 make up 86% of the 202 million Monthly Active Users on the network.

Engagement rates also benefit from this feeling of community: users spend more than 80 min per day on the platform, generating 4.7 billion interactions per month. Bilbili now offers official KOL collaboration, e-commerce integration and ads solutions.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/QFI34y5qjRJ7OiPK22rLgA 

 

Brands invest in Metaverse 

From Bloomberg, the scale of Metaverse will be 800 billion USD in 2023. In this double 11, there are not just real products, we also meet some new friends from Metaverse. Small holds an online exhibition called the Metaverse Art show, users can search in Tmall the keyword and then enter in the Show. 

For example, Burberry launched a digital elfin, which is unique and in limited edition, you can buy this and get a limited scarf. Tmall also collaborated with the other 9 brands and released Musical Instruments. One brand created just one instrument and the users can buy it.

All these NFT products were made by the Ant Chain, the Alibaba blockchain supplier. They design, produce digital products for the brands, and also provide the cochain and distribution. 

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JMCsZPs61DmGYA6gD3pP-g 

 

Kuaishou brand advertising multi-form help live marketing

  • Eye-show: Excellent exposure drainage — Open screen Eyemax straight to the broadcast room. Eye-show is mainly suitable for strong brand promotion, new product launch and other scenarios. In the past, high-quality entry data was favoured by advertisers.
  • Feeds – show: Video streaming native scene – a single column of information flow straight to the broadcast room. The product form can meet the marketing demands of the brand-customer information flow directly to the live broadcast room. At the same time, based on the basic ability of the brand information flow, the material can be saved to the customer’s personal home page for a rich promotion, laying a foundation for the subsequent content marketing.
  • Simple broadcast room: Fully immersive live streaming experience –A single column of information flows straight to the studio and then escalates. Brand information flow new live fully immersive style — advertising style simple studio and through the show live broadcast real-time images in a single stream, achieve the purpose of life for heating, the real-time image lead to the recommended flow, further shorten the user to watch live path, native display optimization experience, and expand the clickable region into the air.

Link: https://wemp.app/posts/b7ea071a-ed55-457e-96fe-f9aa69b7d1a0 

 

 

 

 

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What Happened in China This Week?

October 19, 2021

Chanel Takes on the Resale Market With One Bag per Person per Year Policy

Chanel limits the number of purchases for its most popular handbags to one of each per customer per year. The move is aimed at preserving the uniqueness of luxury goods, since the resale market has exploded in recent years, with proxy purchasers buying out stocks and diluting the brand experience when reselling to their own clients. Furthermore, China’s second-hand market is expanding.

China is well-known for its vast resale grey market, which is overseen by plenty of daigous. According to BCG estimates, Chinese consumers will spend $35 billion in the global luxury market in 2020, with $28 billion (80%) paid through the usage of a daigou service.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/chanel-limit-purchases-handbags-resale/?utm_source=Jing+Daily+Subscriber+List&utm_campaign=b5b170f8dd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_12_06_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8dec01cd8d-b5b170f8dd-408268421 

 

Taobao launches a new feature to embrace Double 11 shopping festival

Taobao launched a new feature called “Planting Grass Machine” 种草机 where users can browse product recommendation reviews that are posted by other users. It’s supposed to help consumers make better consumer decisions based on peer recommendation and it’s supposed to offer more variety of content and reviews than just KOL endorsements.

Any keyword typed in the “Plant Grass Machine” will take the user to a page of relevant lifestyle-sharing content.

Link: https://daoinsights.com/news/taobao-launches-a-new-feature-to-embrace-double-11-shopping-festival/ 

 

Double 11 x KOL’s reality show

In China, Livestream shopping has become a new trend, with more and more firms using it to market their products. This year, Austin, a well-known KOL, debuted a reality show called the Girls’ Offer. We can watch the show on Weibo, the Red and Douyin. During the show, we can see how he negotiates the price with the brands (most of them are cosmetics brands) and how the brands react to the challenges.

As the double 11 is coming, this show is like a teaser. The brands can get exposure before the big event, Austin will enhance his image and bring more traffic to his Livestream thanks to his professionality, the consumers can know in advance which brands will have the best offer for them.

Link: https://video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:4690150597525601 

 

Tencent’s WeChat to stop routinely accessing photos after a tech influencer publicized the behaviour on Weibo

WeChat’s background scanning for new photos was said to run every few hours and found using Apple’s new “Record App Activity” feature in iOS 15. The company said the behaviour will be removed from the app in a future update, but other apps have been found to do the same thing

Background scanning for new photos “will be cancelled in the new version”, a company representative said. 

In recent years, China’s big tech businesses have been under increasing pressure to address privacy concerns. In 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology began checking apps for privacy issues on a regular basis. To date, it has identified over 1,300 apps for having too many permissions, illegally gathering user data, and misrepresenting customers.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3151762/tencents-wechat-stop-routine-scans-photos-after-tech-influencer 

 

LinkedIn’s China retreat stems from regulatory and competitive pressures as local recruitment platforms prosper

The decision comes only two weeks before China’s Personal Information Privacy Law, which is one of the strongest data protection laws in the world, goes into force. In China, where job seekers and professional networkers have a variety of options, LinkedIn had only made a limited impact.

LinkedIn first entered China in 2014, and with its partial exit, it has become the final big US social media company to leave the nation.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3152526/linkedins-china-retreat-stems-regulatory-and-competitive-pressures  

 

Why Brands Need WeChat Index

Based on the official explanation from WeChat Index, there are two main ways:

  • Brands can create related content on WeChat, such as WeChat articles, videos, or advertisements, to increase their exposure.
  • Brands can improve the quality of content that is related to the keyword.

Brands may assess their level of popularity on WeChat and so determine whether they are top-of-mind for Chinese customers by watching the WeChat Index. Brands may also determine the return on investment of marketing campaigns by comparing their WeChat index records to the campaign dates and determining which days have the highest search volume.

Link: https://www.luxurysociety.com/en/articles/2021/04/wechat-luxury-index-2021-social-commerce 

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WeChat for Education Sector

October 18, 2021

With the growing competition in the foreign education market, education brands are looking for new ways to attract Chinese students, such as incorporating e-learning courses, offering home and distance learning, and establishing physical campuses in China, among other things. As the educational landscape becomes more digitally disrupted, most educational marketers have begun to embrace digital platforms and compete in the brand and marketing area.

With over 1 billion registered users till Q1 2021, 780 million using WeChat Moments and 400 million using Mini Program, WeChat can be greatly beneficial to education sectors.

How does WeChat benefit the education sector?

One of the most difficult challenges for educational institutions such as colleges is building an efficient content marketing strategy that communicates to all of their various audiences.

WeChat advertising comes in handy in this situation. Because of WeChat’s developed digital ecosystem and vast user database, it is a common tool for education brands to leverage in their digital marketing plan. Marketers may use WeChat’s smart data capabilities to execute targeted ads and obtain vital consumer insights. 

Creating well-developed, highly detailed personas — fictional characters that encompass a certain target group or demographic, based on market research and genuine data – is one of the first steps in constructing an efficient content marketing strategy for educational organisations on WeChat.

 

Here are some ways education sectors can leverage the WeChat platforms:

  • Product Promotion
    WeChat advertising is helpful in guiding visitors to online sale sites when a business is launching a new collection or wants to promote hero products and stimulate direct sales through its marketing.

    To advertise its Chinese EMBA courses, the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a WeChat marketing campaign. The ad’s creativity enticed users to schedule a one-on-one inquiry session in Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Users were routed to the university’s official website when they clicked on the ‘details’ button.

    WeChat advertising is applicable to a wide range of scenarios, and brands can discover the appropriate solutions based on the characteristics of various sectors. 
  • Lead Generation Campaign
    In its ad structure, WeChat advertisements can enable simple sign-ups for lead generation campaigns. During the campaign, user conversion can be successfully boosted, which can also lead to increased brand recognition.     

    A WeChat moments ad intended at increasing the number of direct sign-ups for an education service company that provides counselling and help for students choosing international universities. The ad presented the major selling features of its service and offers with a basic creative and provided a list of its partnered schools and colleges throughout the world.

 

  • Others
    WeChat also provides other services like selling webinars or one-on-one coaching sessions, selling books and products, translations, etc. Students can see everything from scientists teaching quantum physics to professors providing writing tutorials for college applicants. Amateur enthusiasts can also learn from mountaineers, hikers, and photographers.

Conclusion

The development of mobile technology has ushered in a new era of informal, personalised, lifelong learning outside of the classroom. However, when it comes to efficiently implementing mobile learning, we’re still figuring it out.

WeChat is installed on practically every other person’s smartphone in China, as it is widely used in almost every field of life. This is the only app that overseas students in China use. As a result, any company looking to establish a presence in China’s education market should consider starting with a WeChat account and leveraging the available tools.

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Weekly China Insights

October 12, 2021

WeChat Launches Easy Mode for Elderly

The older generation, even though relatively mobile-savvy, faces a lot of challenges when it comes to mobile services, especially those related to COVID-19. By the end of 2020, more than 123 million Chinese netizens were aged over 60, accounting for 12.3% of the overall internet users. We can expect this trend to grow in the coming years.

That’s why the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ordered 43 of the most used applications to take the lead in adapting to the needs of elderly users – Wechat, Taobao and other apps are launching ‘Easy Modes’ to cater to older netizens.

However, these improvements seem to be rather limited with a focus on bigger fonts and brighter colours instead of simplifying the user journey or incorporating voice assistant. 

Link: https://daoinsights.com/news/wechat-launched-easy-mode-to-target-chinas-123-million-elderly-users/ 

 

Alipay consumption report during National Day holiday

Theme parks are the latest trend: visits soared 936% over the previous month. Fantawild, Disneyland, Universal Beijing Resort, Happy Valley, and Chimelong Resort are the top five parks. Museums, zoos, and resorts were among the top five mini-programs for picturesque areas.

The amount spent in duty-free stores and offline boutiques has surged: in Hainan duty-free stores, the amount spent has climbed by 87%t since 2019. In comparison to last month, the amount spent in boutiques and shopping centres jumped by 40%. Xi’an, Taiyuan, and Zhengzhou, all tier 2 cities, ranked first, second, and third, respectively.

Convenience Store consumption met the peak. Consumption at convenience stores has reached an all-time high. During the holiday, the most popular mini-program was about anti-covid-19, Travel tracking cards; others were about “Order by mobile phone” and Old clothing recycling.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/V_j7k4GjvAUjD-OKmHsj8w 

 

National Day WeChat status

During the National Day holiday, “wishing the motherland” was promoted as the top WeChat status NO.1. The top three are: wishing the motherland, fighting and the unknown.

Wechat status data show that girls love “chilling at home” more and boys “having fun” more. With the decrease of holiday balance, and the set amount of “exhausted” and “worried” is increasing.

More than 3 million WeChat users take more than 30000 steps a day, and more than 4.13 million WeChat users take less than 100 steps a day.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/TtcEqzmS0WTRscFz6wLJ4g 

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