sell to china Archives | Emotion Digital

How to promote a brand and sell in China market is different from the approach in the western countries. You cannot copy what you do in western countries.

Branding is everything in China

Many consumers have been cheated with counterfeit products, fake reputable brands and domestic brands that are expensive but of poor quality; accordingly, they become cautious towards unbranded products.

Additionally, Chinese people buy brands not only for the functions they have but also to reflect their social status and improve how other people perceive about them.

Chinese consumers are willing to pay more if the brand can bring them prestige and respect among their social circle. Brand positioning should be first focus for a new brand in China.

In your branding, you need also adapt to Chinese culture and Chinese consumers behaviors. The localisation of the brand is an important step to succeed in China.

You need to buil-up your e-reputation to promote a brand

China social media users are far more active than in other countries and Chinese people are doing everything in their life with their mobile,

Also social media has a larger impact on the buying decisions of Chinese consumers than on those of any other country. If a Chinese consumer sees a product being discussed positively on a social media site, especially by a friend or acquaintance, they are far more likely to actually purchase the product than his or her counterpart in other countries. Peer recommendations have huge influence in Chinese culture, as formal institutions are less likely to be trusted.

As your targeted audience is active on social media, you have to be present on social media, either B2C or B2B.Digital marketing is also for B2B in China

Digital marketing and social media should be first step

Weibo and WeChat are two largest social networking platforms in China. They both have significant influence and play an indispensable role in life.

Wechat is the most powerful APP in China. It is the personal messaging app, social media platform, online payment tool, online shopping place and more; all included in just ONE app. For brands, It is a must to be active on WeChat to sell in China, Check How to open a WeChat official account?

Meanwhile, Weibo, similar to Twitter in western world, is a more open social media platform where users come to socialize with friends and new people, entertain themselves with funny, viral videos as well as discover trendy topics or hot social information.

How to promote a brand and sell in China market?

No matter which platform you choose to do your branding on Chinese social media, high-quality content that users repost or share is the most important element

Weibo is an open platform where even non-followers can view your Weibo posts and the posting default setting is public. In addition, everyone can also see the reposts, comments or likes

Therefore, Weibo is very suitable for viral campaigns or viral contents, which aim to boost brand awareness extensively. Unlike Weibo, WeChat is a closer community.

Normally, WeChat users can only see posts pushed by social accounts to which they subscribe. So your followers on Wechat tend to be more condense and targeted.

Besides, in WeChat, our contact lists are usually the people that we already know such as relatives, friends and colleagues; so we tend to be a bit extra concerned regarding what we share. Therefore, contents on Wechat may not reach a massive audience but can create powerful word of mouth effect.

Besides Weibo and WeChat, there are many other social media which can be also used depending on products and targets.

You need create engagement within a community

Engagement will be created thanks to WeChat interactions with engaging contents. Groups will be set up in order to make emerged KOC ( key opinion consumers) with time to generate more engagement from groups members. Interactive campaigns with games and giveaways are also quite effective in China to generate engagement The use of KOLs could also influence a lot the audience and purchasing decisions but it has become quite expensive. Livestreaming with KOL has become quite powerful in China

Then you can develop E-commerce to sell in China

Social commerce is gaining traction in China. This is understandable when social media is already a place for Chinese consumers to discover new brands, read reviews/ opinions/ experiences of other people with products and services before making purchases. The online shopping function of social media such as WeChat just makes the whole buying process faster, more convenient and thus the conversion rate of social commerce is very high.

The WeChat store is an e-commerce platform that exists within the WeChat app. Thanks to mobile payment, the WeChat offers on-click payment which gives smooth consumer experience.

You can Sell to China with cross-border WeChat e-shop

WeChat has its own online payment tool – Wechat Pay that is very powerful in driving sales on the platform. Brands can open Wechat shops, which are linked to their social accounts to sell their products or services. These shops are very well-integrated with Wechat by using its interface, online payment, chat function for customer service, log-in and sharing functions …

Social Selling with WeChat in China is really booming, in particular since 2020. The growth of social selling is around 40% per year versus 20% for traditionnal e-commerce.

Then you can enter the e-commerce platforms such as Tmall, JD.com, TaoBao if you are visible in China. It takes 1 to 2 years presence on social media to get enough visibility.

Tmall holds the biggest marketshare in the e commerce market in China at 57%, It mainly focuses on premium brands, but it also the most expensive marketplace. However it is the right way to sell your products after your brand has become visible, while keeping also social selling active to keep strong relationship with your communities

Do you need a website to promote a brand and sell in China?

Keep in mind that it is useless to use Google, Facebook, western website….in China due to firewall.

For SEO, you must use Baidu and you must have a Chinese marketing strategy.

WeChat official account will be your Website in China. It is no need on most of cases to build a chinese Website.

Do you want to know more how to promote a brand and sell in China?

Emotion Digital can support your strategy to enter into China market, help you to set up your WeChat marketing solutions and WeChat stores.

Benefit from our integrated Chinese social media approach with expertise on WeChat marketing to increase your brand awareness, boost and nurture your leads and sales.

Contact us if you have more questions how to promote a brand and sell in China, if you want to know more about WeChat marketing, how to enter China market.

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For more information, do not hesitate to contact us at project@emotionchina.cn

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Sell to China with cross-border WeChat e-shop is a smart investment for new brands looking to enter China market.

Cross-Border refers to an online trade between a business and a consumer located in a different country through marketplace platforms and e-commerce sites.

The Covid-19 has put the cross-border at the forefront with international travel shutdown.

Cross-border commerce has become a quite effective way for international companies to develop into China market without setting up a company in China.

It is quite attractive for SME, or for new brands to test the market before investing further.

Cross-border commerce is a relay of growth for brands outside of China to start entering the Chinese market while minimizing the risk.

China is a digital mobile country where you can do everything on mobile, especially on WeChat. You can sell to China with cross-border WeChat e-shop.

Social Selling with WeChat in China is growing fast. Social commerce is growing at 40% rate versus 20% for traditional e-commerce. It represents already USD360 billions in China versus USD 36 billions in US.

CBEC (Cross-border e-commerce) represents more than $100 billions in 2020, including social commerce.

All these numbers show that it is the smart choice for international companies to enter China with CBEC if not yet in China, and that social commerce can be the first step. This is even more true for SME.

How to enter and sell to China market for new brands?

Branding is first in China. Without brand e-reputation and awareness, you cannot succeed.

First step to enter China is to develop your brand awareness on Chinese social media, WeChat and Weibo in particular.

It will take 2 years about to establish your brand in China.

You need first to open a WeChat official account: Check here How to open a WeChat official account?

With WeChat, you will nurture your leads and develop a community. WeChat has lots of tools which can help you to grow your community and brand awareness, as it is really at the heart of the customer journey.

Then you can start to sell your products with WeChat with an e-shop.

Sell to China with cross-border WeChat e-shop, is really the most cost effective way to test or enter the market for SME or small brands.

WeChat stores give the brands the opportunity of entering the market step by step. The cross-border store is leveraging WeChat power to build a direct relationship with your customers.

Later-on when you are ready committing substantial investment, you can open store on Tmall global or JD.com worldwide, or any other platforms. In parallel, you must keep your social selling on WeChat as social selling will continue to grow in China in coming years.

When you will open stores on main traditional e-commerce platforms, you should consider a cross-platform strategy to be put in place.

Regarding comparison between main Ecommerce platforms and WeChat shop, herein for reference:

Our recommandation:

WeChat social commerce is a good China market entry point for western brands to enter China thanks to its integrated ecosystem
Tmall or JD.com are promotion heavy platforms with dominating traffic resource, more suitable for well known brands. You need ready to invest for long term

The WeChat store

The shop itself is built within WeChat, and linked with your official account.

The consumer will use a smartphone to browse products in your WeChat store. It is only one click away from making a purchase.

Then She/he will use WeChat pay to pay in one click.

Without leaving WeChat, consumers can finish a closed-loop purchasing process from learning about your products to finishing the payment.

When set up a WeChat store, it also requires to integrate the payment method with WeChat pay, to connect the shop with a warehouse, to register in China customs, and tie into a foreign payment gateway in the backend.

Of course, the WeChat store must be built in Chinese.

Strategy of CBEC shipping

In China, it is better to have short time delivery. It is then better to organize the supply Chain using the bonded importing model.

Many e-commerce pilot zones/free trade zones have been set up. You can then store your goods in a bonded warehouse in China mainland. The bonded warehouse model is more suitable for higher sales volumes and long-term solution.

On the payment is completed in WeChat, the logistic operator at the free trade zone connected to the WeChat store clears customs and dispatch the product.

Most of the FTZ logistics operators manage the WeChat stores stocks, inventories and distribution.

It is also possible to use the personal parcel or Business commercial shipping at the very start of entering China, but it gives longer delivery time. It is called the direct shipping model, products are shipped one by one.

Opening a Cross-border shop in WeChat

It is a project by itself.

It requires to follow a process and planning to be managed. It takes between one and 2 months to accomplish all steps.

We recommend brands to use a digital marketing expert with CBEC expertise to open a cross-border shop in WeChat together with the opening of the official account.

Emotion Digital can support your strategy to enter into China, help you to set up your WeChat marketing solutions and CBEC WeChat store.

Sell to China with cross-border WeChat e-shop is the right approach to enter China for unknown or small brands in China.