The digital revolution has completely reshaped the fashion business world globally. In China, the business potential is huge and there are countless opportunities for international brands. However, competition is tight and growing brand awareness through traditional means is no longer sufficient. The question that needs to be answered is: “How can a brand break through the Chinese market?”
In August 2019, Vivian Wang, our marketing director was invited by one of the top PR agencies – Golightly PR – to share insights regarding Chinese consumers in the local and international market. This included a detailed discussion of the opportunities and challenges faced by Australian brands, the vital needs to develop tailored marketing strategies, as well as ways to select and access various distribution channels. Vivian began the discussion by asking brands and creative agencies for their first impression of the Chinese market. Whilst it’s very interesting to explore the diversity of answers, it has clearly highlighted the significant issues of underestimating Chinese market’s opportunity for Australian designer brands.
Vivian then discussed the intergenerational changes in consumer behaviour, gender differences in consumer purchasing power and the differences between the various tiers of cities and consumer needs. Social media has a pivotal role in shaping consumer behaviour in China. People can search for information, make purchases, and share their feedback in the closed-loop social media ecosystem.
At the end of the session, Vivian also addressed the four major social media platforms in China, being: WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu (RED) and Douyin (Tiktok). The workshop concluded with a demonstration of the different features, applications and KOL marketing of these social media platforms.
Are you an Australian business that is looking to effectively access the Chinese market? Please contact us to book a consultation which may help you discover how your business can be positioned in China.