Let’s talk about one of the most emotional, competitive and brutally rational markets in China: infant formula. If you think you’re just selling milk powder… think again.

You’re selling trust, science, peace of mind and social validation in a hyper-digitized battlefield. Olivier VEROT , founder GMA

The infant formula market in China

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Baby formula market is developing at an amazing speed now in China. Due to the growing concern about their babies’ health, Chinese mothers are willing to pay more for baby milk powder. How to brand yourself in this growing market?

Infant formula in China

Infant formula in China , is an important market, which witnessed a major crisis which makes it very dynamic and open to foreign players. Chinese consumers have more confidence in foreign brands and are willing to spend more to give their babies a quality product.

China’s Infant Formula Market: The Reality Check

Before talking strategy, let’s face the numbers.

Five Core Market Truths You Cannot Ignore

1⃣ Short-term warm breeze, long-term winter coat required
Yes, 2024 blessed brands with 9.54M newborns (Dragon year magic , +520,000 vs last year).
But don’t party too early , China is officially a stock competition market, not a growth fairy tale.

2⃣ Moms don’t “browse”, they investigate
70% of Chinese moms start researching before birth, many during pregnancy mid-term.
Decision mindset shifted from
“Which foreign brand is most famous?”
to
“Which brand is safest, proven, scientifically right for MY baby?”
HMO, Lf, OPO — yes, the ingredient war is REAL.

3⃣ Premium + price segmentation = China logic
China moms are willing to pay for “better”, but they also want “smart value”.
Welcome to a world where a mom buys ultra-premium first stage… then bargain-hunts for later stages. Rational? 100%.

4⃣ Channels: Omnichannel or die
Offline still commands ~60% (mother & baby stores remain trust temples).
But content e-commerce is the nuclear engine:
Douyin milk powder GMV share jumped 2.9% → 10.9%
Growth rate? +76%
If you don’t understand Douyin, you don’t understand China.

5⃣ Competition is now a knife fight
68% of the market belongs to top 5 brands.
And domestic champions like Feihe & Yili aren’t “catching up”…
They are winning thanks to local R&D + insanely strong channels.

Welcome to reality.

Now, How Do We Win?

Here are 5 Marketing Laws brands must apply if they want more than “nice PPT performance”.

LAW #1 Start Marketing Before the Baby Is Born

Decision window = pregnancy.
If you show up after the child arrives, you are late. Period.

What to do
Own pregnancy conversations
Be the “education brand”, not “advertising brand”
Add useful tools, not screaming banners

Where

• Little Red Book pregnancy communities
• Douyin parenting education
• Motherhood forums like BabyTree

Become one of the Top 5 brands moms remember before they even shop.

LAW #2 — Offline Wins Trust. Online Wins Scale.

Stop thinking channel vs channel. China = channel synergy game.

Offline priorities
Hospitals proximity
High-service mother & baby stores
Stronger experience + stronger professional consultation

Online priorities
Douyin = emotion + speed + explosive reach
Xiaohongshu = credibility + experience + “real mom trust”

Offline reassures.
Online amplifies.
Brands who combine both → dominate.

LAW #3 — Don’t Sell Ingredients. Sell Solutions.

Chinese parents don’t want dictionaries.
They want answers to fears.

So instead of:
“Contains HMO, OPO, lactoferrin, scientifically optimized bla bla…”

Say:
Boosts baby immunity
Helps reduce crying
Supports easier digestion
Helps babies with allergies

Same science. Different storytelling. Much higher conversion.

LAW #4 — Be a Friend, Not a Commercial

Especially on Douyin & Xiaohongshu.

Works on Douyin
Emotional parenting stories
Real parent struggles
“This is my real life” content
Smart KOC collaboration

Works on Xiaohongshu
Honest reviews
Transparent factory behind-the-scenes
Safety storytelling
Research credibility

UGC beats corporate tone 10:1 in China.

LAW #5 — In China, Trust = System

This is not a “boom & sell” market anymore. It’s a discipline sport.

Must-do basics:
Price discipline
Channel protection
Transparent quality proof
Live factory tracing
Public testing reports

Winning brands don’t just claim safety.
They show it. Every. Single. Day.

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Key players:

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1. 惠氏Wyeth (USA)

2. 雅培Abbott (USA)

3. 雀巢Nestlé (Switzerland)

4. 美 赞 臣 Mead Johnson (USA)

5. 伊利 Yili (CHINESE)

6. 多美滋 Dumex (Netherlands)

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Chinese milk powder have lost the confidence of Chinese consumers (2018 history)

In 2008, melamine-tainted milk by the company Sanlu caused the death of six children and sickened 3,000 children across the country. The scandal caused a national panic and devastated the trust in Chinese dairy companies.

A recent survey conducted by CCTV revealed that 70% of Beijingers are reluctant to buy a Chinese brand of infant formula because they are worried about safety. Nevertheless, the last official report of the Association of dairy products in China found no significant difference between Chinese dairy products and their foreign counterparts.

This phenomenon is not limited to the capital and even in smaller cities in China consumers do not hide their fears about the quality of domestic milk powder.

Imported brands have rapidly gained momentum since 2008. Starting with 40% of the market share in 2008, foreign companies now graze equality with their Chinese competitors. Customs services’ data show that the country imported 400,000 tons of milk powder in 2012 which was the record in China.

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Measures to ensure food safety of milk powder

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Since March 1, people leaving Hong Kong are not allowed to take more than two cans of powdered milk for infants with them. Offenders are liable to pay 49,460 euros and up to two years in prison.

The new rule was implemented after a recent shortage of certain brands of powdered milk in the major cities of mainland China. The shortage has been attributed to the growing demand from mainland buyers whose confidence in Chinese infant formula has collapsed.

The Chinese government wants to restructure the supply chain of the Chinese dairy industry to regain consumer confidence.

There are at least five government departments responsible for health surveillance of infant formula in China. The lack of communication and coordination between these agencies has resulted in a lack of efficiency.

Anyway, since the milk scandal in 2008, the Chinese government has started to centralize services and ensure better control of the agro-industrial chain. Some have even proposed to set up a single centralized department to strengthen supervision. These reforms are still under study.

Zong (Chairman of Wahaha) and member of the AFN, calls for the conduct of strong law pursuits of the “black sheep” of the dairy sector.

Distrust of Chinese consumers are disproportionate

The authorities stated that 99% of the formula on the mainland of China meet the international standards of quality.

Despite this, many Chinese people will keep buying infant formula powder abroad, which reveals the continuing lack of confidence when it comes to the domestic industry. Those fears are largely fantasy but it is an asset for European brands of infant formula.

The study of CIC  about the consumption trend in China in 2013 places the “pay for safety” on top of the trend for the next year.

Despite government attempts to reassure citizens the negative comments about the Chinese brands are still very present on social networks.

Infant formula powders and e-commerce

Tmall will sell foreign infant formula powders online starting from March 2013.

Tmall made this announcement following the arrest of 25 people in Hong Kong for violating the legislation concerning dairy products adopted in HK in March.

Xinhua Zhang Yong as president of Tmall said that “Tmall stores will open official online shop for six brands of infant formula” adding that “Chinese buyers can buy without fear these imported dairy products. “

These six brands will be:

1) Karicare:

2) Nutrilon:

3) Cow & Gate

4) Dumex:

5) Nestlé NAN HA:

6) Wyeth:

The milk used for all of these products are from New Zealand, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands or Switzerland.

Final Action Advice

If you are a challenger or new entrant
Focus on:
Early pregnancy mindshare
Strong content offense
Pick a niche (goat milk? digestion? allergy?) — dominate that battlefield first.

If you are a top brand
Focus on:
Defense + moat building
Deep channel alliances
Formula upgrade + innovation narrative
Zero-mistake trust management

foreign brands & Baby Milk brands

Although most of the fears due to the milk crisis are unnecessary, foreign brands should take more and more advantage of this anxiety context and use it as an opportunity to strengthen their investment in digital communication and social media to build an image of a trustful brand. The partnership of leading European brands of infant formula powders with  Tmall is a good initiative.

infant formula market in China

Marketing to China

Forget the lazy clichés of “Chinese love logos” or “just do limited edition red products.”
That era is dead. Consumers are younger, smarter, hyper-digital… and they’ve grown up with choice.

Today:

• Gen Z has the money AND the attitude.
• Social commerce rewrote the path to purchase.
• Chinese luxury brands inspired by Oriental aesthetics are rising fast.
• Competition is brutal, expectations are higher, and loyalty? Earned, not assumed.

So if international luxury brands want to win, no more “surface localization”.
They need real, structural Chinese market transformation.

Here are the 10 Core Luxury Strategies brands MUST master in China… explained like a marketer who lives in China, not a PowerPoint in Paris.

Find out here.

Digital First? No. Digital IS The Core Battlefield.

In China, online isn’t “support”.
Online IS luxury retail.

WeChat = Your HQ.
Douyin & Xiaohongshu = Where desire is created.
Livestream, mini-programs, social CRM = Not optional.

During Double 11, over 90% of luxury purchases were driven online.
Still think your website is enough? Think again.

2⃣ Build Your Own Private Traffic — Or Keep Paying Rent Forever

If platforms own your customers, you don’t have customers. You have visitors.

Luxury brands now build:

• Private WeChat communities
• VIP service groups
• Elite membership ecosystems
• Direct relationships managed by human advisors

This is how you kill daigou dependence.
This is how you OWN your client relationship.

3⃣ Big Brand, Small Circles — Welcome to Club Marketing

In China, mass exposure ≠ trust.

People believe… people. Especially small trusted circles.

So instead of throwing millions at mega-KOLs, brands are winning by:
Working with credible KOCs
Hosting private salons
Creating insider experiences
Letting real users tell real stories

Luxury in China isn’t loud. It’s whispered… strategically.

4⃣ Culture Is Not Decoration. It’s Emotion.

Slapping dragons, zodiac animals, and “China Red” doesn’t equal localization.

Chinese consumers smell laziness instantly.

Winning brands:
Build authentic Chinese cultural storytelling
Co-create with Chinese artists and designers
Collaborate with museums & cultural institutions
Create emotional cultural resonance

That’s why Chanel hosting its Métiers d’Art show in Hangzhou was genius — not just marketing. It was respect, narrative, and cultural conversation.

5⃣ China’s New Luxury Mindset: “Prove Your Value”

Consumers are no longer paying only for a logo.
They want craftsmanship. Longevity. Emotional meaning.

87% of Chinese luxury buyers say timelessness matters more than trend.

So stop shouting “dream”.
Start showing:

• Craft
• Materials
• Design philosophy
• Sustainability
• Heritage with relevance

Luxury must justify itself again. And yes — Chinese buyers are demanding.

6⃣ Segment Ruthlessly. Communicate Differently.

China has:

• Ultra high-net-worth loyal whales
• Gift buyers
• Aspirational middle-class brand believers

One message doesn’t work.

VIPs want:
Concierge service
Access
Privilege

Middle-class consumers want:
Fun engagement
Entry experiences
Digital touchpoints

Luxury in China = Precision + Personalization.

7⃣ Go Beyond Tier 1. The Real Growth Is Elsewhere.

If you think China = Beijing + Shanghai, you’re playing the wrong game.

Tier 2 & 3 cities are:
Cash strong
Status driven
Hungry for brand experiences

Opening in these cities isn’t “expansion”.
It’s claiming the future battlefield.

8⃣ Your Store Is Not a Store. It’s a Temple.

If your boutique is a warehouse with marble floors… congratulations, you’re boring.

China wants immersive brand worlds.

Think:
Museum collaborations
Cultural exhibitions
Educational luxury experiences
Talkable pop-ups

Louis Vuitton didn’t just sell. It curated cultural presence. That’s how luxury wins in China.

9⃣ China Moves Fast. Faster Than Your Global HQ.

China doesn’t wait 18 months for “global alignment”.

Brands succeeding here:
React in real time
Launch China-exclusive products
Adapt communication speed
Empower local teams

Slow kills brands.
Agility builds dominance.

Compete With Chinese Luxury : And Learn From Them

Chinese luxury brands aren’t “cute experiments” anymore.

They are competitors.
Serious ones.

Brands like:
To Summer
Songmont

Win because they:

• Master Chinese aesthetics
• Build emotional communities
• Deliver insane digital experiences

International brands must learn, not look down.

But not only that …

• An active account, comments, retweets and likes
• For a brand to be really popular, it is needed to talk about it on the net
• Maintaining good relationships with key opinion leaders can increase the interactivity of the account

1.2 – The community management

There are other SNS (Social Networks Site) that can influence users. Forums are places of exchange, and a brand must be informed of what is said about it and answer if it’s necessary.

Another platform, like Mogujie

Control your e-Reputation

Baidu has developed the Baidu Brand Zone, a banner for the brand where they can put the information they want such as photos, videos, website …

For example, here is the Baidu Brand Zone of Louis Vuitton

Concerning the e-reputation on Baidu, a brand also needs to control what is said about it, by :

• An information watch
• Content management
• Crisis management

Control and master his reputation goes through the Public Relation related to SEO on Baidu.

Public Relations

There are 2 different public relations, the first one is Public Relations magazine which is to say traditional press on paper, which is very little read by the comfortable class (unless if these media are distributed in strategic locations, like magazine aircraft).

The other one is e-Public relations. It is important to try to get some articles on online media.
A luxury brand in China must be present in the newspapers,  and it is needed that the media talk about it in a good way!

For example, below you can see several articles about Cartier :

4 – Website

A good website is obligatory for luxury brands. Without a nice design, a good implementation product, and basic information in Chinese about the brand … a luxury brand can’t have credibility.
If we look at the various websites of the major luxury brands, their design is not bad, but doesn’t immerse the visitor in their world like in their store.

To me, only Dior has succeed, I invite you to look at their website.

5 – WeChat – OtoO (Online to Offline)

The best digital tool on OtoO (Online to Offline) is WeChat with the QR Code after you can send news in push-up (only to people who wish to receive it). We can engage online people and make them come to events. We can also make subscribe to people offline (for example store) at an online account.

Here is an example of events used by the luxury brand in China

– Event with a reminder, to remind event to the participants
– Online event to make some people in the shop
– Stores are digitalized, with big screens, and tabs in order for to visitors can continue to follow the brand.

6 – E-Commerce

The growth of e-commerce is booming in China, which offers new opportunities for luxury brands (see this article)
We can measure 242 million online consumers in 2012. This figure will increase up to 48 million per year. Today, a majority of brands have an e-commerce website.
In China, you can choose if you want to be on Tmall or to possess his own website. It is advised to have both.

e-Commerce is growing in China even in luxury for several reasons :

• Many rich Chinese are living in distant towns so ordering online is more practical
• You are not afraid to have copies of the product
• To be delivered at home is more discreet for many officials who don’t wish to be exposed.
• For the business gift (which represents an important market), orders online can be delivered to the company.

The success or the failure of an e-commerce website in luxury in China (or elsewhere) goes through good visibility online and so when you have qualified traffic. See the key success factors of e-commerce in China.

7 – The video : Douyin

Chinese still consume more and more videos on the Internet: streaming, buzz videos …

Douyin Video allows luxury brands :

• To show their products
• To tell their story, the Chinese are very sensitive to the stories of European brands
• To allow visitors to immerse themselves in the world of the brand
• Video is a very useful tool for working on the image of the brand

8 – Product Placement – KOL

A brand that really wants to consolidate its image and has ambitions to be the leader will use product placement to touch unconsciously potential consumers.
We can influence consumers with this kind of advanced advertising techniques.

Final Truth

China is not a market you “enter.”
It’s a market you commit to.

Luxury brands that win here:
Respect culture
Build real relationships
Innovate digitally
Move at China speed
Treat China not as “another region”, but as a leading strategic HQ

Those who don’t?

They’ll keep asking:
“…why don’t Chinese consumers love us anymore?”

And China will politely move on.

If you want to have more information about our offer. Let us know.

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Olivier VEROT

Marketingtochina

For international brands, website loading speed in China is not a technical detail. It directly affects user experience, bounce rates, and visibility on Baidu. The Chinese internet has its own rules, infrastructure, and constraints. Ignoring them can quietly kill your performance.

We have been helping international brands navigate China’s digital ecosystem for years. From hosting and CDN strategy to ICP licensing and China web optimization, we see the same speed issues again and again. And we’ve helped many Brands to fix them.

In this article, we break down why your site is slow in China and what to do about it. We’ll guide you through the real causes, the right optimizations, and the practical solutions that help international brands load faster and perform better in China.

Key Takeaways

• Website speed is crucial for business success in China, and slow loading times can severely harm user experience and search engine rankings.
• The Chinese internet landscape presents unique challenges related to network infrastructure, government censorship, and firewalls, as well as heavy content and large file sizes.
• You need to optimize your web content with Chinese audiences in mind; this involves finding ways around the Great Firewall of China, reducing network latency through CDN services or hosting servers closer to target markets, compressing files, optimizing images, reducing unnecessary elements on a page…

The Importance Of Website Speed For Business Success In China

A slow-loading website can severely damage your chances of success in China because it directly impacts user experience and results in higher bounce rates. Moreover, quick load times are essential as they influence search engine rankings in local search engines like Baidu.

One study revealed that 90% of sites take five seconds or longer to load in China, while users expect load times to be under two seconds.

When European websites were tested within China, an alarming statistic showed that about 85% took an average of 33.1 seconds to load – making them nearly eight times slower than expected! In order to overcome these challenges and effectively compete within the Chinese market, optimizing your website loading time should be a top priority for your overall digital strategy.

It is worth noting that in January 2022, the number of internet users in China reached a staggering 1.02 billion, signifying a substantial digital population. At the beginning of that year, China’s internet penetration rate accounted for 70.9 percent of its total population. According to Kepios analysis, there was a notable growth of 35.9 million internet users (+3.6 percent) in China between 2021 and 2022.

The importance of internet speed lies in its ability to retain and attract new audiences and customers. A fast and reliable internet connection ensures that users can access online content quickly and efficiently, creating a seamless browsing experience. In today’s digital age, where attention spans are short and competition is fierce, a slow internet connection can lead to frustration and drive users away.

On the other hand, a high-speed internet connection enables businesses to deliver content, products, and services to their target audience without delay, improving customer satisfaction and engagement. Therefore, maintaining a fast internet speed is crucial to avoid losing potential customers and to stay competitive in the online marketplace.

The Chinese Internet Landscape

The Chinese internet infrastructure is unique and complex, with the Great Firewall of China being a major hurdle that impacts website speed and accessibility.

Unlike the global internet landscape, China’s digital sphere is dominated by four leading providers:

• China Telecom
• China Unicom
• China Mobile
• CERNET (China Education and Research Network).

This restrictive environment poses unique challenges related to website loading speed due to factors such as limited peering points, fragmented network topology, and poor connectivity between domestic and international networks.

For example, when users try accessing a foreign website from mainland China without proper optimization measures in place, they may face significantly slow load times or even fail to access the site entirely.

The Great Firewall Of China And Its Impact On Website Speed

As we mentioned earlier, the Great Firewall of China, a term coined to describe the country’s sophisticated internet censorship system, has a significant impact on website speed for users in China.

This advanced infrastructure is designed to regulate and control access to foreign websites within China’s borders.

Due to strict government regulations and domestic internet policies, many popular Western platforms like Google and Facebook are extremely slow or completely blocked in China. The Great Firewall employs various techniques such as IP blocking, DNS filtering, and packet inspection to scrutinize web traffic entering from other countries.

Consequently, foreign websites face longer loading times due to increased latency caused by these restrictions.

Reasons For Slow Websites In China

Besides government censorship and firewalls restricting access to foreign websites and service providers that are deemed inappropriate or sensitive, there are other reasons too that pose unique challenges for companies looking to expand their digital footprint into China’s market.

Discussion On Network Latency And Distance

When it comes to slow website loading times in China, network latency and distance play a major role. Network latency refers to the time it takes for data packets to travel between the user’s device and the website server.

Distance-related latency is caused by the physical distance from the user to the website server. The further away the server is from China, the longer it will take for data packets to reach their destination and vice versa.

One solution would be hosting your website on a server that’s physically closer to your target market – i.e., using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) with Points of Presence (PoPs), which are essentially satellite servers distributed throughout Asia-Pacific regions close enough so that when people visit a website hosted within these PoP locations (such as Hong Kong or Singapore), they have faster access compared with those visitors accessing websites delivered from US or European-based hosts.

The Impact Of Heavy Content And Large File Sizes

When your site contains too much data, such as high-resolution images or videos, it can significantly slow down loading times. This delay can lead to frustration for users and cause them to seek out faster alternatives instead.

One example of how heavy content can negatively affect website performance in China is with e-commerce sites that use large product images. Customers expect high-quality visuals when shopping online, but if those images aren’t properly compressed or optimized, they will take longer to load – which results in a poor user experience.

Website optimization tactics such as compressing files, removing unnecessary plugins/scripts/assets, and reducing image sizes can also help improve loading speeds for Chinese users while maintaining brand integrity and visual appeal online; making use of caching techniques also reduces content turnaround time as browsers only need part of the site rather than downloading every asset each browsing session.

Case Studies Of Slow Websites In China

We have come across several examples of businesses facing website speed issues in China. In one case, a popular e-commerce platform observed that their website was taking more than 30 seconds to load, which led to a high bounce rate among Chinese users.

Another example is a media company whose website often failed to load completely due to blocked content like social media widgets, resulting in a poor user experience for Chinese visitors.

Airbnb experienced significant delays in loading its platform due to the Great Firewall. This meant that Chinese travelers were unable to access or book accommodations on Airbnb.

To ensure your business’s website runs smoothly in China, it’s crucial to identify these problems early on and take action accordingly.

Solutions To Improve Website Speed In China

China-Optimized CDN

One effective solution to improve website speed in China is by using a China-Optimized Content Delivery Network (CDN). This means that you can cache your website content on servers located in China, allowing for quicker delivery to Chinese internet users.

When selecting a CDN provider, make sure they have an established presence and partnerships within the Chinese market. They should also offer advanced performance optimization features such as smart caching and image compression.

Optimize Page Elements And Reduce File Sizes

This can be achieved by minifying resources such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media which reduces web page size and subsequently improves loading speeds. For instance, compressing images into JPEG format generally loads faster than PNG or GIF formats while reducing file size.

By optimizing your website for faster loading time through resource minification and image optimization techniques that work best for Chinese audiences, you can create an effective user experience that will encourage users to stay on your site longer.

It’s also essential to ensure that the code is optimized so there are no unnecessary lines of code loaded along with the main content.

Using A China-Based Server

If you’re thinking of using a China-based server, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, while local hosting can improve the chances of reaching a Chinese audience, it does not guarantee extraordinary speed.

Additionally, it’s important to consider the legal and regulatory requirements for operating a website in China. This includes obtaining an ICP license. The process involves submitting an application and supporting documents to the relevant authorities, including proof of your business registration and compliance with Chinese content laws.

While this can be a hassle for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, there are several benefits to obtaining an ICP license. For one, it allows your website to operate legally within China and ensures that your business is compliant with local regulations.

Additionally, having an ICP license can improve your website’s loading speed by allowing access to hosting and CDN services optimized for the Chinese internet landscape.

Optimizing Website Speed: Our Agency’s Expertise

In conclusion, our agency is here to assist you in navigating the crucial aspect of website speed in China. With over 20 years of experience, we understand the significance of fast-loading websites in determining the success of your business. Slow loading times can lead to poor user experience and negatively impact customer behavior.

To address this issue, we offer comprehensive solutions that include utilizing a China-optimized Content Delivery Network (CDN), optimizing page elements, reducing file sizes, hosting on a China-based server, and obtaining an ICP license while considering legal and regulatory considerations.

You can rely on our expertise and knowledge to enhance your website’s performance in China. Feel free to reach out to us at any time for assistance.

Yet many international marketers choose the wrong WeChat business account, also known as WeChat official accounts. Or worse, they don’t understand the limits and risks until it’s too late. In China, the type of account you open directly affects visibility, trust, and sales.

We work daily with international brands entering the Chinese market. We have opened, managed, and optimized WeChat business accounts across industries, from lead generation to full e-commerce. We know what works, what doesn’t, and why.

In this article, we clearly explain the different WeChat business account types. We show you which one fits your goals, how to avoid common mistakes, and how we help brands turn WeChat into a real growth channel in China.

What are WeChat Official Accounts?

WeChat Official Accounts, also known as WeChat Business Accounts or WeChat public accounts, function similarly to Facebook’s brand pages but are tailored specifically for the Chinese market. Just as you might use a Facebook page to connect with your Western audience, the WeChat Official Accounts platform allows individuals or organizations, including celebrities, influencers, businesses, government entities, and media outlets, to engage with the vast Chinese WeChat user base.

Having a WeChat Business Account serves as an excellent entry point for international brands looking to tap into the Chinese market. Chinese users prefer interacting with authentic accounts, making WeChat official accounts their go-to source for information and product purchases.

With your own WeChat Official Account, you can amass followers, create targeted content, direct traffic to your eCommerce platform, and even send push notifications for your marketing campaigns. The platform offers various features to engage your audience effectively:

1. Broadcast Messaging: Send group messages to your followers.
2. Comment Management: Manage comments on your official account.
3. Analytics: Gain insights into your account’s performance.
4. Direct Messaging: Reach out to Chinese users individually using WeChat’s direct-messaging app.

It’s important to note that not all these features are available for every account type. Therefore, it’s essential to consider your business needs and available resources when selecting the appropriate account type for your brand. In the subsequent sections, we will explore the various account types and determine which one best suits your business requirements.

Why is it Important to Have a WeChat Official Account?

Having a WeChat Official Account is essential for the success of your brand in the market. You might wonder why you need an official account when a regular account seems sufficient. The answer lies in the plethora of marketing tools and the level of trust you can establish with your WeChat official account followers.

Furthermore, you’ll be competing with numerous brands in China that are already leveraging official accounts for their business. To avoid being at a disadvantage, creating a WeChat business account for your brand in China becomes crucial.

WeChat Official Account is an Indispensable Marketing Tool

Official accounts offer your brand an organic channel for growth, given that Chinese users do not have access to platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Through your official account, you can effectively reach your audience.

Bulk messaging is an excellent feature available exclusively to WeChat official accounts, enabling you to broadcast brand updates and engage with a broader audience more efficiently. This feature is particularly advantageous for eCommerce as it allows for a targeted approach to reaching your audience.

Chinese Consumers Prefer Official Accounts for Brand Information

The check badge granted to all official accounts by WeChat reinforces their authenticity, making them the preferred choice for Chinese users seeking real and trustworthy accounts. Official accounts act as substitutes for websites, providing users with crucial information such as contact details, product offerings, brand values, and supporting content like articles, images, and videos.

While official accounts primarily interact with existing followers, they also play a role in attracting new followers and contributing to the overall success of your brand on WeChat. Once users subscribe to your WeChat business account, they will receive notifications for each brand promotion campaign you initiate, further enhancing their engagement with your brand.

Differences Between All the WeChat Accounts

When selecting a WeChat Official Account, various options cater to different organizational needs and availability. As a brand, you can choose from two main types of official accounts: service accounts and subscription accounts. The most suitable choice for your brand will be determined by your organization’s nature and the specific types of accounts available.

What is a Subscription Account on WeChat?

WeChat subscription accounts are ideal for brands that focus on content creation and effective brand communication. Media outlets and magazines, for example, utilize WeChat subscription accounts to keep their followers updated on their latest content. These accounts function as a daily source of content for users, akin to a newspaper or Facebook’s news feed feature.

When users subscribe to your official account, they can find it under the WeChat subscription tab, where it is grouped with other subscription accounts. Unlike service accounts, subscription accounts do not send push notifications for new content postings. Instead, you can publish content once a day, with the option to post up to 6 articles in each publication. These updates will be sent to your followers’ subscription folder without triggering push notifications.

For content-centric brands or small businesses seeking to expand in China, WeChat subscription accounts present an excellent choice. Though they may not have as much visibility as service accounts, subscription accounts offer the advantage of publishing more content for your followers. It’s worth noting that subscription accounts are only available to brands with a Chinese business license.

Who Should You Choose a Wechat Service Account?

WeChat service accounts offer a robust set of features, making them an ideal choice for eCommerce businesses and service-oriented brands. With a service account, you can efficiently manage customer relationships, integrate WeChat APIs, and gather valuable data from your followers.

Verified WeChat service accounts to gain access to advanced features such as WeChat Pay integration and the ability to set up a dedicated WeChat store. These enhancements elevate your WeChat business account’s appeal to customers, making shopping and payments more convenient for your followers.

Additionally, verified service accounts can leverage other advanced APIs like instant customer service, GPS, payments, multiple QR codes per accounts, and HTML pages.

Compared to subscription accounts, WeChat service accounts enjoy higher visibility due to their ability to send push notifications every time you publish content on your wall. They are prominently displayed on your followers’ dashboard, rather than being nestled in a separate folder, leading to more frequent interactions.

However, similar to subscription accounts, service accounts have limitations in their publication frequency. You can only publish four times a month, with six articles allowed in each publication, which is less than what subscription accounts offer.

Additional Types of WeChat Official Accounts

Beyond the well-known service and subscription accounts, which excel in promotion and brand awareness, there are two other notable types: Enterprise Accounts (WeChat Work) and WeChat mini-programs.

WeChat Work primarily serves as a communication tool designed for companies seeking efficient internal communication. As Chinese users were using WeChat for both business and personal purposes, WeChat introduced this distinct service tailored for business-oriented interactions.

On the other hand, WeChat mini-programs are more than just public accounts; they form an entire ecosystem of mini-apps within WeChat. Companies leverage these mini-programs to bolster their brand promotion, share updates, and facilitate sales through in-app stores with the WeChat payment option. For comprehensive insights into WeChat mini-programs, you can explore more detailed information on this topic.

Setting Up a WeChat Business Account: Requirements and Options

Creating a WeChat business account may seem straightforward, but international brands face specific challenges due to certain prerequisites. To register a WeChat official account, you’ll need the following documents:

• Chinese business license
• Chinese ID linked to a WeChat Payment Account

Brands with a Chinese legal entity have an advantage, as they can submit a scanned copy of their Chinese business license, pay a verification fee of RMB 300, and provide a Chinese ID with a WeChat payment account.

For international brands without these documents, there are two alternatives to complete their WeChat official account:

1. Register a local Chinese business license: Some brands can create an overseas WeChat official account using a Chinese commercial license, such as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE). However, this method requires significant investment and time.
2. Use a third-party business license: The most popular option for foreign brands is to use a third-party business license. Although affordable, it comes with limitations, as the account cannot be handled independently, and the third-party name will be associated with the official account.

Another approach is to use your own international business license, but approval is not guaranteed and can take up to 3 months, compared to a week with a Chinese business license. Additionally, the annual registration fee for an overseas WeChat official account is around USD 99, more expensive than the Chinese counterpart.

Considering these differences, it is advisable to find a Chinese business partner or register your business in China to open your WeChat official account. The steps for creating your Official account can be found here.

Engage a Professional Agency to Create Your Accounts and Thrive in China’s Business Landscape

At GMA, we offer comprehensive support for your WeChat journey. From registering and creating your WeChat official account to managing it and devising a successful marketing strategy for entering the Chinese market, we’ve got you covered.

As an international team of 70+ professionals based in Shanghai, we understand the challenges and intricacies of doing business in this unique market. We are eager to learn more about your project and provide the expertise you need.

Get in touch with us now to inquire about WeChat official accounts or any other information you may require. Let’s make your China expansion a resounding success together!

China accounts for about one-fourth of the total world population and hosts one of the most rapidly developing consumer markets in the world, which provides a tremendous boost to the food & beverage industryfor 2025- 2026

In recent years China’s demand for foreign food& beverage products is growing steadily as the standard of living in China improves. The European Union remains China’s largest supplier of food, followed by the United States, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Canada. Meat, oil, dairy, and seafood are among the most popular food imports in China.

The Chinese distribution network is very fragmented

Distribution networks in China usually involve six or seven steps before reaching the final seller. Wholesalers sell to an unstructured network of distributors, resellers, and other wholesalers. Chinese contract laws sometimes provide for exclusivity and non-competition clauses, which may not be respected as they often leave it to interpretation.

Wholesalers often rely on distributors for the actual work of delivering and selling the product. These ad hoc distribution channels, however, provide for a superficial control of the goods, justified by the low-profit margins, which consequently lead to a limited final number of sales.

Read as well: Guide to Exporting Food to China

Step one: International Food Groups need to be present on the Internet in China

Nowadays a company willing to enter the Chinese market must be able to understand how Chinese buy and which channels are their favorite if they want to be successful.

Understanding the preferences and mindset of consumer groups is crucial to successfully expanding a food brand into China and here are the key points to better understand it. The Internet is nowadays the main source of information when it comes to checking food brand information.

A Chinese consumer, but also a distributor, must be able to find you on Baidu, the Chinese most used search engine.

Some easy steps to take before looking for a distributor for your food group

In order to find reliable distributors, it is important to:

• Have a Chinese friendly website, hosted in China or near China (so your content will be uploaded quickly);
• Be present in social media, such as Wechat, Xiaohongshu, Zhihu in order to build a good relationship with them, communicate with them, and listen to their expectations and what they really need;
• Build an e reputation;
• Engage your customers in your products awareness

FAQ: 10 Questions F-&fB -food Brands Ask About Hunting Distributors & Importers in China

IN China, distributors and importers aren’t your easy boys they’re gatekeepers who’ll ghost you unless you show up with guanxi, proof, and a plan that makes them rich quick.

I’ve closed deals from Shanghai stalls to Guangzhou expos; here’s the raw truth on your burning questions. No fluff, just firepower.

How do I even find distributors and importers for my food products in China without wasting years and money?

Hit trade fairs like SIAL China (May 2025, Shanghai Asia’s F&B monster with 6K+ exhibitors) or FHC Global Food Expo (Nov, Shanghai 2.5K importers sniffing imports).

WeChat groups (“食品进口商交流群”) and Chinese dont use LinkedIn n you can skip Alibaba spam, it’s 90% fakes. B

Fairs get you face-time; digital filters the flakes land 5 solid leads in 30 days or pivot.

Which social media platforms should I hammer to target distributors and importers, not just end consumers?

WeChat dominates B2B 1.3B users, join importer groups and blast Official Account posts on your yields/specs.

Douyin for visual hooks: short vids of your sauce in hotpot, tag #食品进口 to snag 10K views from pros.

Xiaohongshu for premium brands (and lifestyle) post “import-ready” unboxings to attract high-end importers eyeing trends.

Pro tip: Skip Weibo noise; these three net 70% of B2B leads track with QR scans, convert 15% to meetings.

WeChat: How the hell do I use it to actually land distributor meetings, not just likes?

Set up a verified Official Account ($200, 24hrs)—post H5 brochures with your certs, yields, and “wire today” CTAs. Join 10+ groups like “China Food Importers Network” (scan QR from fairs); share value first free samples for feedback.

Run Video ads targeting “import/export” keywords in Shanghai/Guangzhou $0.50/click, 20% reply rate. Close: Voice-note intros via WeChat ID from leads; it’s personal, fast—book 3 calls/week or you’re scrolling wrong.

E-commerce in China: Can I launch on Tmall/JD alone, or do I need an agency or can I do it alone?

Solo? Hell no ,-) cross-border regs, GACC food certs, and logistics will bury you;

Tmall Global rejects 60% DIY apps.

Agency (TP like ours) handles store setup ($10K-20K), KOL seeding, and flash sales

JD Worldwide converts 25% faster with locals.

Why better TP: They own the data goldmine, dodge 30% tariffs via bonded zones, and scale to 100K RMB/day GMV. Verdict: Agency or die slow; we flipped a US snack brand to 5M RMB in 6 months your move.

Why the distributors demand marketing support before even touching sales in the food game?

They’re picky as hell, China’s F&B is a shark tank; they want proof you’ll juice demand so they don’t stock ghosts like Evergrande flops.

No buzz, no shelf space:your KOL drops or Douyin lives build the hype they resell, or they ghost for low-risk locals. It’s co-op: You fund 50% promo (RMB50K min), they push to Carrefour; yields 7% faster ramp-up.

Smart play: Budget 20% of first-year sales for it turns “maybe” to “ship 10 tons now.”

Why don’t these distributors reply to my polished emails am I cursed?

Emails? Dead in China—80% hit spam filters, and pros check ’em once a week if you’re lucky.They live on WeChat: Instant, personal, builds guanxi—your cold email screams “foreigner spam.” Time zones kill too Beijing’s asleep when you’re brewing; voice notes cut through. Fix: Ditch Outlook, scan their WeChat QR from fairs, follow with “Saw your hotpot line—quick call?” Reply rate jumps 70%.

Use WeChat instead of emai got it, but how do I make it stick for importer outreach?

start with a red envelope (RMB8 luck gift) via WeChat Pay, then drop your H5 pitch. Follow their lead: If they voice-note, you do; share factory vid tours, not PDFs feels like a chat, not sales. Nurture: Weekly “insider” tips on trends (e.g., low-sugar boom), tag in groups for social proof. Result: 40% close from WeChat vs. 5% email it’s relationship fuel, not transaction trap.

Which trade fairs are actually worth the jet lag for food distributors in 2025?

SIAL China (May 28-30, Shanghai):6K exhibitors, 200K buyers; importers swarm for imports like yours.CIIE (Nov 5-10, Shanghai) govt-backed import fest, 3K+ deals signed; perfect for premium snacks. FHC (Nov 12-14, Shanghai):2.5K food pros, heavy on HORECA chains scouting distributors. Hack: Pre-book 20 meets via app; skip Canton Fair unless you’re mass-market:ROI’s 5x here.

What do I need to prep for a trade fair to not look like a clueless laowai to importers?

Samples first: 100 units per flavor, labeled in Mandarin with GACC certs—importers taste-test on-site. WeChat-ready: Print QR codes on badges linking H5 brochure; collect 50 IDs Day 1. Pitch sharp: 30-sec elevator—”7% yields on your shelves, backed by Douyin buzz” follow with WeChat red packet. Post-fair: 24hr thank-you voice-note + sample ship; converts 30% chats to contracts prep or perish.

How do I build reputation fast with a WeChat brochure to wow distributors?

H5 mini-program: Interactive beast swipe for 360° factory tours, yield calcs, KOL testimonials; $500 build, shares like virus.

Brand story (safety first CIQ stamps), importer wins (“Tier-2 shelf space in 90 days”), feng shui vibes (lucky 8s).

Distribute: QR on every pitch, auto-share to groups; track opens for hot leads. Impact: Boosts cred 50% one snack brand landed 3 importers off a single viral drop; yours next?

Deep Dive into Solution For International Food Group in China

Baidu SEO is essential for International food Group in China

You’ll ask me why? Well, the answer is easy, just as you don’t open the dozen of spammy emails your receive from random companies trying to sell you the “best quality olive oil in the world”, Chinese distributors don’t do it either.

In fact, the use of email in China is barely a thing. But let say, your brand managed to catch the attention of food distributors in China (maybe via social media, food fair, word to mouth), the first step taken will be to “Baidu” the name of your company to find more information and decide if you look legit.

After deciding if you are a real company, selling agents will dig deeper to see if your products are in one way or another already sold in China if netizens are talking about you on the internet.

Chinese Social Media is a place to Thrive for international Food Company

Be innovative in China … like this Distribution shop creating Buzz in Center of China

In China, the Giant snack market…Linkedin

Wechat:

WeChat for food companies can be seen as an email & community management marketing tool.

Wechat Brochure:

Show off your product in a beautifully designed H5 Wechat Brochure. Light and easy to share they are ideal for your product listing and to reach out to distributors. When joining Food Fair, having a QR code that allows people to access your Wechat Brochure is a must and tells much about your understanding of China to a potential partner.

Wechat Service Account:

The equivalent of email marketing but with more advanced options. 4 times a month share your content to neuter your follower. But also:

• Set up a menu to guide your follower.
• Create a mini-program to entertain/ facilitate taking actions such as buying your products

Wechat Group Marketing:

Wechat groups are an effective way to grow your presence on WeChat. Wechat being a close social media, joining and managing as many groups as possible is the most cost-efficient way for you to gain followers.

Use Kols to build your reputation and attract distributors

In China recommendations mostly come from locals because Chinese people mostly trust Chinese people. Word of mouth in China is the key, that’s why it is important to develop a Kol marketing strategy.

KOL or Key Opinion Leaders are people with strong influential power in a group of society. Chinese KOL is particularly powerful. There are many types of KOL from stars to micro-influencer and also many fakes. Our agency has a dedicated KOL team as well as a KOL partnership to help you find your perfect match.

They use different Apps: Weibo, Douyin, WeChat, Youku, Meipai, Douban, Xiaohongshu. A KOL can write a review of your product/service. It can be a dedicated article, a paragraph in an article, a video, or a short video.

Take part in trade fairs to find a distributor for your food group

The simplest answer to the question “Why attend a trade show in China?” is that if you want to sell in China you have to participate in a fair to be known in the market. Participating in fair favor your presence in China much more. Precisely because the Chinese market is so vast and complicated, this helps you to select and meet reliable business partners for your business.

For example, if you are an ice cream brand, this is fair for you. Ice Cream China, also known as China International Ice Cream Industry Exhibition, will take place from 12-14 October in Tianjin at the Meijiang Convention & Exhibition Center.

It is an international fair dedicated entirely to the ice cream and frozen products industry. It represents an excellent commercial meeting platform for suppliers and buyers from the entire value chain.

Contact an agency to find a distributor for your food group

An agency like Gma can help you in all the process to make your products famous.

We can:

• Help with Seo, Sem, Content Marketing, Recommendations;
• Localize your content marketing;
• Provide an H5 Wechat Brochure, which is an electronic brochure that is easy to share on WeChat. It contains the listing of products (in Chinese);
• Help using Lead Generation, Lead Generation is the set of marketing actions that aim to acquire and generate interesting contacts. Drawing up a list of contacts is possible through a careful lead generation strategy, which can use advertising and acquisition tools.

Distributors can help you with Chinese regulations

Since food regulations in China are very strict, distributors can provide support in monitoring regulatory updates in your food industry, both locally and nationally, and in collecting market data. They are actually your eyes and ears in China.

A distributor buys your products and sells them to customers through a third party or directly. Using a distributor can also be a cheaper and relatively easier way to enter the Chinese market.

However, it is not recommended to have just one distributor for all of China. Not only is covering the entire market a very difficult thing (in reality, there are only a few companies that can claim to have a distribution network that covers all of China), but you will also be completely in the hands of your exclusive partner.

Tmall B2B: A viable option for international Food group in China

Once you will have a reputation on the internet, Tmall distributors will start to look for you.

Tmall B2D is a platform where you can connect with 85,000 Chinese distributors. Tmall B2D gives brands great visibility on the current market. It can:

• Manage service and logistics
• Manage distributor
• Conduct secure payments

NEED HELP FINDING YOUR DISTRIBUTORS? CONTACT US!

Do you want to know more about How to use digital marketing to increase your success in China? Contact GMA a digital marketing agency, specialized in the Chinese digital market.

Read more about Food & Drink Distribution in China:

• Top Mistakes When You Sell To Chinese Food Distributors
• Food Fairs in China are canceled, what can businesses do?
• China Food Industry Latest Trends

WeChat Moment Ads sit directly inside users’ social feeds. They look native. They feel personal. And in China, that makes them one of the most powerful paid media formats available to brands.

We’ve helped international brands launch and optimize WeChat Moment Ads across multiple industries. From targeting and creatives to budgets and approvals, we work daily inside the Tencent ecosystem and know what actually performs in China.

In this guide, we explain how WeChat Moment Ads really work. You’ll learn formats, targeting options, costs, and best practices—and how we help brands turn WeChat advertising into measurable growth in China.

WeChat Moment Ads: How does it work?

Placed in the discover tab on the main menu, WeChat Moments advertising is easily accessed with one tap. From there, users can choose to view ‘Moments,’ which displays the most recent content shared by contacts.

WeChat Moments works somewhat similarly to Facebook in that brands can place banner ads (can be a photo or video ad formats) directly onto users’ news feeds. Moment ads are implemented on the user’s feed in a very natural way. WeChat users feel as if their friends are sharing these ads when they are actually viewing the sponsored posts in their moments.

WeChat Moments Ads features

WeChat advertising in Moments is set to disappear from the newsfeed only if the users fail to comment, like, or share the related ad six hours after display. For marketers, this feature helps them save money by not paying for ads that are not really liked.

If a user engages with your ad within the six-hour window, there is a high likelihood that friends of the target audience will see the ad. The ads stay active for the next following seven days. It’s a great advertising strategy that the WeChat advertising company created to make WeChat Moments advertising more efficient.

WeChat ad’s useful feature algorithm increases the ad’s reach by functioning on user networks. That means that if one person interacts with a WeChat banner advertising, it’s likely that users’ contacts are going to see the same thing.

A great WeChat Moments feature is that your WeChat banner ads will only be shown to a user once every 48 hours. This helps users to stay interested and engaged for the next ads.

What are the different ways Moments targets users for advertisements?

WeChat users are targeted in the same way as Facebook and Instagram users are targeted. WeChat Moments advertising uses demographic parameters such as:

• Gender
• Age: wide range of targeted ages from teenagers to elderly
• Location: home, work locations travel destinations, visits
• Educational background
• Interests & hobbies depending on in-app activities
• Current relationship status

To create optimized advert results, WeChat has hired data analysts drawn from leading internet companies. That said, clearly, WeChat does a good job of providing high-quality data that defines the users for marketers.

What types of ads can be placed on WeChat Moments?

WeChat moments advertising is simply created by the brand’s Wechat official account profile. The ad allows up to forty characters of description together with a link. This is the basic look of the ad. Then this description is formatted into 3 different types according to the brand’s choice.

Type 1: Post-formatted ads

Looking to target WeChat Moments users without being too obvious? Post-formatted ads are for you. This type of ad matches the size of user-generated Moments and is designed to appear in a user’s feed without disrupting their experience. Video ads can be up to 15 seconds long, and one large photo or a few small photos in the form of WeChat banner ads that match the same size can be used to display a product.

Type 2: Card-formatted ads

Card ads on WeChat Moments are wider than other posts, making them more easily noticeable. They function similarly to banner ads, giving advertisers a special space to advertise on WeChat.

Card-formatted ads can display single or multiple photos as well as 15 seconds video clips.

Type3: Specially formatted ads 

Special format ads are a full advertising package that includes features such as full-frame interactive videos, celebrity presentations, and more. However, this type of banner ad display comes at a high price point. The minimum investment starts from 1 million RMB. Depending on how much is invested, different features will be unlocked.

WeChat advertising – how much should you budget?

WeChat Moments ads are priced using the CPM model, which means brands have to make a payment for each thousand ad impressions.

Depending on the brand’s target market, the competitiveness of the said field, and other advertisement factors, the CPM will be different. The ad type and targeting location are important details to factor that affects the costs as well.

How to make an application for WeChat Moment ads

To begin advertising on WeChat, foreign brands need to first create WeChat official accounts and then contact Tencent ads representatives. However, the application process can be arduous for international brands.

How are WeChat moments ads beneficial to brands?

WeChat Moment’s advertisements provide brands with an opportunity to increase their branding, followers of their official account or WeChat mini-program, traffic to the main page as well as app downloads, and more.

But maybe the most important part is by using WeChat Moments ads, businesses can take advantage of an opportunity to draw traffic from a target group of consumers who are not easy to reach and are usually not receptive to advertising.

Do you plan to expand your business into China? WeChat advertising can be crucial to your brand’s reputation.

Do you need help with WeChat ads? Contact us!

The WeChat ecosystem offers numerous advantages over traditional advertising, having the potential to reach large numbers of WeChat users quickly.

Our team of WeChat marketing experts has the knowledge and experience necessary to create comprehensive WeChat Moments Ad campaigns tailored to your needs. We can also provide you with valuable insights into how to optimize campaigns for higher conversion rates and better ROI.

Here are our WeChat services

With our help, you’ll be able to get better user engagement and leverage WeChat’s network for maximum reach in the Chinese market.

If you’re looking for an effective way to promote your products or services on WeChat, contact us today.

Urbanization, rising incomes, and digital-first consumers are reshaping how Chinese buyers discover and purchase home decor. But success here is not just about good design. It’s about understanding platforms, trends, and local behavior.

We work on the ground in China, helping international brands enter, position, and grow in complex markets. Our experience across e-commerce, social media, and brand strategy gives us a clear view of what works—and what doesn’t.

In this guide, we break down the China home decor market step by step. We’ll explain key trends, challenges, and opportunities, and show you how we help brands turn market insight into real growth.

Overview of the Home Decor Market in China

According to Statista, the home decor market in China is currently gradually growing, with a revenue estimated at $20.23 billion in 2023, and expected to reach $28.83 billion by 2027. This tremendous expansion can be attributed to various factors such as urbanization, rising disposable income, and an increasing demand for customized furniture and premium decorations among Chinese consumers.

What is important to mention is that the market didn’t slow down in 2020 or 2021 like many other sectors. In fact, many people started buying new home decor accessories while being locked at home.

Interior design trends have become increasingly important within the world of household goods, wall décor, home renovation projects; lighting fixtures; textiles, and bedding; along with other aspects of home improvement.

The global market size for home decor is estimated to reach $939.64 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 3.9%. As you can see, the Chinese consumption forecast is exceeding the global one three times, with an expected CAGR of 9.26%.

The decoration sector is generating the highest market demand, followed by curtains, rugs, and candles. Thus, all of the manufacturers from the furniture and decoration market should pay attention, as traditional home decoration is going out of style and many Chinese will be interested in furnishing their houses with foreign product offerings.

The Role Of Urbanization And Rising Disposable Income

The rapid urbanization in China has paved the way for significant changes in consumer lifestyles, leading to increasing demand for home décor products. As more people move to cities, they seek to enhance their living spaces with tasteful and functional furnishings that reflect their individual tastes and preferences.

For example, as many young professionals secure higher-paying jobs and enjoy greater financial freedom than ever before, they are investing more in creating comfortable and stylish homes.

The result is a thriving market for mid and high-end furniture brands that cater to these aspirations.

Trends in the Home Décor Market In China

The home décor market in China is experiencing a shift towards customized furniture and premium home decorations, with internet brands emerging as major players thanks to the impact of social media and influencers on design trends.

Increasing Demand For Customized Furniture And Premium Home Decorations

The home décor market in China is witnessing a significant shift as consumers increasingly seek customized furniture and premium home decorations to personalize their living spaces.

This trend can be attributed to the growing middle class, rising disposable income, and increasing desire for comfort and style.

In response to these evolving tastes, local businesses and international brands alike are offering bespoke furniture design services, luxury home décor items, handcrafted decorations, and unique design pieces that cater to individual preferences.

Emergence Of Internet Brands In The Industry

The Chinese home décor market has witnessed a significant shift with the emergence of internet brands in the industry, fueled by the rapidly growing digitalization.

One remarkable example is Taobao, an immensely popular e-commerce platform in China that enables customers to discover various interior design trends suited to their tastes and preferences.

As housing conditions improve across the country, more people are inclined to spend money on sprucing up their homes, driving demand for home decoration products in China and online shopping platforms offering unique and affordable furnishings.

Another noteworthy player is JD.com, which caters specifically to mid- and high-end consumers seeking luxurious home décor items from well-known international brands as well as local original designs that showcase Chinese culture.

The Impact Of Social Media And Influencers On Design Trends

The rise of social media has revolutionized the way people shop for their homes in China. Platforms like WeChat and Douyin have transformed traditional advertising by creating a space for influencers to showcase their interior design expertise.

As a result, consumers are increasingly turning to these individuals to stay up-to-date on the latest home decor trends.

This has led to an emerging trend where consumers seek out personalized designs that fit their specific needs and preferences while providing unique experiences for them and their guests.

Color choices, furniture placements, accessories – everything is tailored exactly according to what they want for their homes.

Growing Popularity Of Smart Home Technology Integration

The trend toward smart home technology integration is becoming increasingly popular in China’s home decor market. As technology continues to advance, consumers are looking for ways to create a more convenient and comfortable living environment.

Smart homes offer the ability to control everything from lighting and temperature to security systems through connected devices such as voice assistants, smartphones, or tablets.

The global smart home market is expected to see significant growth over the next few years due to the rising demand for innovative technologies like IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

In developing economies like Asia-Pacific where internet penetration rates continue to increase rapidly alongside disposable incomes, there is ample room for even more growth in this sector.

Key Players In Home Décor Market In China

China’s furniture market is dominated by both local and international players, with strong competition and a focus on quality and design. Here are some of the top companies and biggest furniture markets in China:

1. Macalline Group – This home improvement chain has over 300 stores across China, offering a wide range of furniture and home goods.

2. IKEA Group – Known for its affordable, stylish furniture, IKEA has over 30 stores in China, with plans to expand further in the coming years.

3. Beijing Easyhome Investment Holding Group Co. Ltd. – This company operates both online and offline retail channels, selling everything from furniture to home appliances.

4. Yuexing Group – Specializing in high-end furniture for luxury homes and hotels, Yuexing has established itself as a premium brand in the Chinese market.

5. Guangdong Furniture Market – Located in Foshan City, this huge wholesale market covers over 1 million square meters and is a hub for manufacturers and distributors of all kinds of furniture.

6. Luxury brands such as Baxter, Edra, Boca do Lobo, Natuzzi, Minotti, etc for high-end consumers.

With a mix of established brands and emerging players, the Chinese home décor market offers plenty of opportunities for businesses looking to enter or expand in this dynamic industry.

Opportunities And Challenges For Home Décor Market In China

Opportunities in the Chinese home décor market include e-commerce, sustainability, and potential for growth, while challenges include competition with local and international brands, supply chain logistics, and navigating cultural regulations.

E-commerce And Digital Transformation

The home décor market in China has seen unprecedented growth thanks to the country’s digital transformation. With a population of over 1.4 billion, China boasts the world’s largest e-commerce market.

This shift towards online shopping has greatly impacted the retail industry as more consumers are turning to digital channels to purchase products and services. The COVID-19 crisis has also accelerated this trend with more firms, customers, and types of products moving online than ever before.

Sustainability And Eco-friendliness As Key Factors

Customers are now increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint, and this has led to a rising preference for green living decor and other environmentally responsible home décor items.

According to industry reports, the global sustainable home decor market is projected to reach $556.3 billion by 2031; with the Chinese market alone set to hit $43.50 billion by 2029 at an impressive Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.5%.

This trend is especially important in home decor, as the sustainability concern is mostly driven by Millennials and Gen Z, and those are the ones that are in the stage of buying and furnishing their homes, growing consumption in China.

Competition With Local And International Brands

Competition is fierce in the Chinese home décor market, with both local and international brands vying for a share of the industry’s high potential. To succeed, businesses need to differentiate their brand and tailor their marketing strategies to resonate with Chinese consumers. It’s best to position yourself as a luxury brand, as this is what Chinese consumers want from foreign furniture manufacturers.

Many local brands have succeeded by taking advantage of cultural influences and original design trends, while international brands such as IKEA have had to adapt their marketing strategies to appeal to Chinese consumers’ preferences and consumer demand.

Supply Chain And Logistical Considerations

Before exporting goods to China, companies need to familiarize themselves with import regulations and certification requirements. Additionally, partnering with reliable local logistics providers can help streamline operations and mitigate logistical challenges.

For example, large furniture manufacturers like IKEA have established regional distribution centers in China for improved logistics management. This allows them to store inventory closer to customers and speed up the delivery process while reducing transport costs.

Strategies For Success: Entering And Expanding In The Chinese Home Décor Market

To successfully enter and expand in the Chinese home décor market, businesses should focus on establishing partnerships with local companies or distributors, adopting online and offline marketing strategies tailored for Chinese consumers, participating in industry events such as trade shows and expos, utilizing social media and influencer marketing, and adapting to cultural preferences and market conditions.

Establishing Partnerships With Local Businesses Or Distributors

One of the most critical success factors for entering and expanding in the Chinese home décor market is establishing partnerships with local businesses or distributors. Collaborative ventures can help foreign brands navigate the complex regulatory landscape, gain access to local supply chains and distribution channels, and build brand awareness among Chinese consumers.

For example, IKEA formed a strategic partnership with China’s largest home appliance retailer, Suning Appliance Co., Ltd., to extend its online reach in China.

Additionally, joint ventures are becoming more commonplace as both local and global players seek ways to deepen integration into the market while sharing costs and risks.

For luxury brands, it’s a good idea to collaborate with showrooms in the main Chinese cities, so that Chinese users can actually go and check the furniture live. It’s also a great promotion option, especially for smaller high-end brands.

Online And Offline Marketing Strategies Tailored For Chinese Consumers

Here are some marketing strategies tailored for Chinese consumers to consider:

• Social Media: With over 1.2 billion active users on WeChat, it’s essential to have a presence on Chinese social media platforms. Brands can create accounts, participate in trending topics, and collaborate with influencers or KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) to increase visibility.
• Mobile Optimization: Around 98% of internet users in China access the web via mobile devices. Therefore, brands need to ensure their website’s design is mobile-friendly with fast loading times.
• Localization: To appeal to Chinese consumers’ preferences, businesses need to translate their content into Mandarin and use Mandarin keywords for SEO optimization.
• Cross-border E-commerce: Many successful international brands have used cross-border e-commerce platforms like Tmall Global to enter the Chinese market seamlessly.
• Innovative Experiences: Using gamification tactics or VR technology can help brands engage with consumers and stand out among competitors.
• Affordable Luxury Products: Research has shown that while luxury products are popular among affluent customers in China, there’s also demand for affordable luxury products from middle-class consumers who want to show off their status without breaking the bank.

By implementing these online and offline marketing strategies tailored for Chinese consumers, businesses can successfully enter and expand in the lucrative home decor market in China.

Participation In Trade Shows, Expos, And Industry Events

Participating in trade shows, expos, and industry events is crucial for businesses seeking to expand their reach in the Chinese home décor market.

Examples of such events include Furnishings & Decor Trade Shows like the Chinese Weaving, Gifts, and Home Decoration Industry Exhibition. Additionally, the China International Import Expo – one of the most notable exhibitions in China – often attracts exhibitors from various industries around the world.

For European brands that can’t or don’t have the means to exhibit in China, it’s good to attend events such as Milan Design Week, the biggest design event in the world with many visitors from China each year, or similar events in London or Paris.

Leveraging Social Media And Influencer Marketing In China

Social media has emerged as a significant factor in shaping consumer behavior, especially among young Chinese consumers. In the home décor market, social media plays a vital role in driving interest and generating sales through influencer marketing.

While Instagram dominates the Western world for influencer marketing, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Weibo are the most prominent social media platforms used by influencers in China. So if you’re targeting Chinese consumers with your home décor products, collaborating with popular KOLs on WeChat or Weibo could significantly boost your brand awareness and generate sales.

One successful example of leveraging influencers is Li Jiaqi’s collaboration with IKEA by hosting a live-streaming event on Taobao that attracted more than 61 million viewers! With e-commerce being one of the dominant retail channels for purchasing furniture in China – utilizing trusted social media influencers can be highly effective in increasing traffic to online stores or physical locations.

Contact us to Enter the Chinese Home Decor Market!

In conclusion, the home décor market in China presents a great opportunity for businesses to tap into the increasing demand from Chinese consumers. With rising disposable incomes and a growing interest in premium and sustainable products, companies that adapt their marketing strategies to local preferences can succeed in this highly competitive industry.

To succeed in this highly competitive market, businesses must adapt to the unique conditions of China’s rapidly evolving economy through strategies such as partnering with local distributors, leveraging social media influencer marketing campaigns tailored specifically to Chinese consumers’ behavior patterns (which are often different from Western ones), online/offline marketing strategies that emphasize sustainability/ecological factors or focusing on niche markets like luxury/vintage/minimalist designs where there may be fewer competitors jockeying for position.

We are a China-based marketing agency with a focus on digital marketing and e-commerce solutions. We offer Western brands cost-effective services, that will help them understand the market and enter or expand their presence with the best strategy.

We offer many different services, including;

We invite you to reach out and explore the possibilities of your brand entering the Chinese market. Our free consultations with our experts offer a great way for us to learn about what matters most – YOU! Get tailored advice from seasoned professionals who are here to help make sure that your venture succeeds. Contact us today, and let’s begin this journey together!

Many international brands already invest in Baidu SEO. They get traffic. Some rankings. But growth slows fast. That’s because Baidu plays by its own rules, and basic optimization only takes you so far in China’s competitive search environment.

We’ve helped international brands move from basic visibility to real scale on Baidu. Our team works daily with Chinese hosting, ICP compliance, content platforms, backlinks, and Baidu’s own ecosystem. We don’t guess. We test, adapt, and execute on the ground in China.

In this guide, we break down advanced Baidu SEO optimization strategies that scale. You’ll learn what actually moves rankings, how to capture more SERP space, and how we structure SEO to drive long-term traffic and leads in China.

Focus on Baidu, only on Baidu

Baidu is currently the no.1 search engine in China with nearly 80% market share.
Why you should focus on this Search Engine only?

• Because all the others have copied the Baidu search algorithm 
• You are good on Baidu, you are good on other search engines…

Considering that Chinese consumers conduct intensive searches online (either on search engines, social media, or e-commerce platforms) to learn about products or services, being visible on Baidu is very critical to capture targeted traffic to your website and ultimately generating sales.

In this article, we suggest 12 techniques to rank you on top of Baidu SERP and triple the traffic to your website.

Read our Baidu SEO Guide

1. To Get Baidu Organic Results, Do and Redo SEO audits

Auditing your website means you closely examine your overall site performance to discover why you’re not getting enough search traffic, any bugs that need fixing as well as optimize the content you already have.

#1 Check with Web Hosting (speed matter)

• Domain Name: Baidu prefers domains that use .cn
• Hosting: Baidu wants your site to be hosted in China. However, you can also host your website in Hongkong or Singapore to ensure the loading speed.
• Physical Address: Baidu favors sites that have a physical presence in China. This doesn’t mean you need to set up an office in China. Just make sure that you have local Chinese contact details on your site.
• Censorship: The Chinese government enforces a strict censorship regime for all online activities in China. So anything that violates the censorship regime will see a site either refused listing or de-indexed from Baidu’s database.
• ICP License: all websites should apply for an Internet Content Publishing (ICP) license. Without an ICP license, ranking high on a Baidu SERP is difficult, if not impossible.

#2 Optimise more Pages- Titles and Meta Data

• Make sure title tags and metadata are unique, descriptive, and is keyword-optimized in Simplified Chinese.
• The title tag character limit is 80
• Meta descriptions and meta keywords do factor into ranking for Baidu
• Meta description character limit is 200, and meta keywords are 100
• Alt tags and heading tags also have increased prominence in Baidu’s ranking algorithm – be sure to optimize in Chinese accordingly.

#3 Is each page optimized for SEO keywords that you want to rank for?

1 page 2 keywords maximum

1. Is the page good for the visitor?
2. Is the page proper for the conversion?

#4 Is each page and blog post structured properly?

• Is organized with headings and subheadings
• Uses 2-3 sentences per paragraph
• Bold or italicize important points
• Has a call to action

43% of people skim blog posts instead of reading the whole thing. Make it easy for people to read!

#5 Keep URL structure short and if possible,

• Rework on url
• using Pinyin (Romanised version of Chinese characters)

#6 Are you using links in your content?

This includes both internal links (to your own content) and external links (to other websites).

#7 Find and delete zombie pages

Basic SEO Audit Report in Baidu Tongji

2. Learn what your users want

Understand your user, and you will win the SEO battle 

You need to focus on what your target customers want. When you understand what they want, you can develop content that draws them in.

And how do you get feedback from your ideal customer if you’re just starting out and don’t have any real customers to ask

There are several ways to find out:

• Zhihu

Zhihu is a “serious” community where people ask and answer questions based on their own experience and insight.

Review the questions your targeted audience is asking for inspiration. If one person asks it on Zhihu, chances are there are hundreds of thousands of other people wondering the exact same thing.

You can also extract ideas from experts for your post. Zhihu is a great place to learn new things since professionals and experts come here to share their insights and knowledge.

• The Dropdown Keyword Suggestions and Related Search

A drop down menu of predicted search queries is provided as you type your keyword

in the search box.

Also, check the list of keywords provided at the bottom of a search results page, usually right above the page selector:

• Baidu Keyword Planner

Baidu Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool integrated with the Baidu paid advertising platform. By inputting a core keyword or URL, the tool can generate a list of keywords automatically.

• Baidu Index

Baidu Index is a free tool to identify the search trends behind a term, product, brand, or industry.

By entering search terms in the query box, you can see multiple tabs, including historical & forecasting search trends, users’ interests & needs, public sentiment, regional interests, and audience & industry traits.

• Baidu Analytics for Organic Keywords Data

Baidu Analytics provides real-time and historical data about the performance of a company’s website including PPC metrics, website data, SEO suggestions, audience behaviors, etc.

You can see what posts or articles get the most views, the average time spent per page, or what terms they used to search for your site for keyword ideas.

• Baidu Feng Yun Bang 百度搜索风云榜

Baidu Feng Yun Bang is also a fantastic place to go discover what the Chinese internet is talking about.

• Leveraging Weibo for Content Insights

Below is a little exploration of some ways to make use of Weibo to get an understanding of the key content topics you’re after.

3. Create SEO optimized landing pages

A well-designed landing page can improve your conversion rate and bouncing rate thus increasing your website authority and ensuring you keep ranking on the search engine and get more and more Baidu, organic visitors.

Imagine if your customer makes a query on Baidu like “how to generate leads for B2B in China”, they would more likely to fill in the contact form to receive your white book if they land on an informative and professionally designed page that answers directly their question rather than on your homepage.

Sure, the homepage is important, but a landing page is where you can initiate a strong relationship.

The key elements of a good landing page are:

• No navigation (you want users to stay on the page!)
• Useful, informative content
• A call to action (to sign up for your product, or service, download a lead magnet, or another type of action)
• Insert links to relevant articles

Start now by creating high-quality landing pages for the most popular topics in your industry.

4. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Just as the growth in mobile search has impacted Google SEO, mobile search in China is growing at an even faster rate.

According to CNNIC (Chinese), in 2015 there were a total of 620 million mobile web users in China, which is 90% of all web users in China!

Among these users, 127 million access the web exclusively on mobile devices, which is 18.5% of all web users.

Making your site look good on mobile is no longer a luxury, it’s a standard.

Secondly, Baidu’s mobile search algorithm “Ice Bucket 2.0” was its answer to mobile sites with poor user experience caused by annoyances such as splash pages asking users to download their app, popup ads that stretch over the main content, or requiring users to log in before accessing content.

If your site has these problems, fix them as soon as possible.

The question is How do you know if your site is mobile-friendly?

Baidu Webmaster Tools offer a mobile-friendliness test that you can use on not only verified site, which can be accessed here (Chinese).

5. Think of videos as the new content king

Chinese consumers will spend nearly two hours a day watching videos online in 2020, according to Zenith’s Online Video Forecasts report.

China is leading the world in video consumption with the average person spending 105 minutes a day online, closely followed by Russia (102 minutes) and the UK (101 minutes).

Videos are a wonderful way to boost engagement, increase your website traffic as well as increase backlinks.

• Make short brand videos and product demos.
• Create educational videos on how to use your products or services.
• Run Livestream webinars or interviews.
• Add relevant metadata (shorter titles, rich descriptions) and transcripts for videos for Baidu to fully understand their intent(s).
• Upload videos to different popular platforms: Tencent video, Kuaishou, iQIYI, YouKu…

6. Write long and detailed blogs

Content length isn’t everything. A shorter blog post that’s higher quality will still outperform a longer, low-quality post.

However, a key benefit of longer content is that it will naturally contain more relevant keywords and rank for them.

Besides, if you can cover one topic in detail that every part of the post is useful, then you provide a lot of value to your readers, consequently making it more valuable to Baidu and increasing its ranking result on SERP.

Consistently publishing informative content will yield big returns in organic search traffic.

7. Post valuable content on other popular platforms

If your blog is new, it can be difficult to rank well in Baidu search results for high-volume keywords because your Domain Authority and Page Authority are still very low.

However, you can use other popular platforms to gain credibility and traffic. A few examples are Toutiao, Zhihu, Baidu Zhidao, and so on.

These sites give you the opportunity to improve your search rankings, as well as build a following, within a short period of time.

Don’t forget to include a link to your landing page for the topics/ answers you post on these platforms, but in a natural and sensible way.

The links that come from these sites will boost your search rankings. This is also a great way to get more leads.

8. Use advanced SEO internal deep linking

Deep linking is the practice of using anchor text to link to other pages inside your blog. This shows Baidu the depth of your site’s pages and encourages it to index more of them.

Your older blog posts and landing pages that used to provide immense value on relevant topics can pull in a lot of new traffic. You should link to them often to help build the structure of your website.

When your content is properly linked to each other, it helps the Baidu spider see all your content in an organized way, like this:

When you start interlinking pages other than your homepage, you’ll improve the SEO value for those internal pages and improve their search rankings.

9. Send link juice to lower ranked pages

If you have a page that’s currently on page 2 or 3 of Baidu search results, you can help move it up to page 1 by passing on quality link juice to those lower-ranked pages.

Link juice refers to outbound links from high authority sources to your content. Since those links are coming from high authority websites or pages, this gives Baidu an indication that your content must be high quality too.

• Update the post by adding new links, content, and recent data
• Share it across social media again. This will bring in a lot of new traffic
• Link to it in your newer posts. This directs traffic to the older post and results in people sharing it and linking to it themselves.

10. Find and use your competitors’ SEO keywords

Researching your competitors is a smart move.

You can spy on the exact keywords that they’re ranking for and use those same keywords to create better content.

After you have your content ready, contact the sites and blogs that have linked to your competitor’s article and tell them about your article. Chances are if they linked to your competitors’ articles, they’ll link to yours as well, sending additional referral traffic and SEO juice to your page.

11. Gain more spaces on Baidu SERPs with rich snippets

First thing first, you need to understand what an organic SERP on Baidu looks like.

Like the example above, the SERP displays a variety of related (and sometimes paid) results on the right and a mixture of other types of paid results as well as some organic results on the left.

Noticeable here is the extent to which Baidu incorporates its own products into the SERP. In fact, it is estimated that around 30% of Baidu queries are redirected to one of Baidu’s own products. Here for all Baidu products.

Therefore, SEO for Baidu is not only about on-page and off-page but needs a real strategy to optimize for these snippets.

Businesses that understand this will have a huge advantage because they’ll control a very large percentage of the first-page space on Baidu’s SERPs. This not only improves visibility but also gives Chinese people a strong sense of confidence in your brand.

In addition, another great benefit of using Baidu’s own content platforms for SEO purposes is that there’s no wait for your content to get indexed. Post it to Baidu’s content networks and it can be found by web users almost immediately. Indexing content on your own website, on the other hand, is a considerably longer process.

Baidu owns a wide range of products that we couldn’t cover all. Instead, we would like to discuss the 3 most powerful ones that can influence dramatically your chance to appear on top positions on top result pages.

• Baike 百科

Baidu Baike, otherwise known as “Baidu Encyclopaedia” is China’s answer to Wikipedia. 

A typical Baidu search query will often display around two Baike results with sub-links to related articles on the very first SERP.

Therefore, you should create and upload brand or product-related articles on Baidu Baike so that when users search for relevant keywords, Baidu Baike can bring them up. 

This is helpful considering the great priority Baidu gives to its own sub-products.

• Zhidao 知道

Baidu Zhidao, or “Baidu Knows”, is a massive Q&A platform that essentially serves as an enhanced Yahoo Answers, allowing users to create and participate in any topic.

Given a high tendency for Chinese users to search using long-tail, query-based phrases, as well as a general overall prominence in the SERP, your appearance on Zhidao, can give you a lot more chances to appear in front of users’ eyes.

How to utilize Zhidao for Baidu SEO:

1. Optimize your brand’s Baidu account so it’s as branded and official-looking as can be, and offer up well-informed, credible answers to users who are asking questions related to your brand or its products. An organically placed link within the text of the answer, as long it’s relevant and informative, will be indexed.
2. Ask for potential customer opinions on certain products or debates within the topics of your industry. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your target demographic and having brand-to-customer discussion and dialogue is key to building your brand in the Chinese market.

• Tieba 贴吧

Baidu Tieba (or “Post Bar”) is a keyword-based discussion forum where users can follow specific “Bars” (吧).

Here you can insert your brand into targeted discussions and participate in relevant threads with your audience.

You also have the opportunity to create your own Bar based on your brand, with the chance to create a hub and redirect users to your forum if they happen to search for your brand in Tieba or Baidu as a whole.

12. Regularly update your old content – Refresh it and reoptimize it… always

If you’ve been blogging for more than 3 months, you’ve got a goldmine of content in your archives to repost.

You’ve undoubtedly written some posts that are still generating organic traffic.

You can improve those posts and leverage their authority for higher search rankings.

Start by making a list of your top-performing content; then update those best-performing posts to keep them fresh and popular.

13. More  Backlinks and more powerful backlinks

To get really high rank on super-competitive keywords, you have to get powerful backlinks and backlinks in quantity…

That is the secret of all SEO campaigns…

ONE OF OUR BAIDU SEO CASE STUDIES

CHEMISTRY-WORLD

Chemistry-World is a large internationally renowned chemical French group. Perfectly mastering its home market and the countries abroad where it operates, Chemistry-World was interested in a country that has very specific chemical needs: China.

For this country, Chemistry-World had specifically launched a new product line and needed to penetrate the market in the best way possible.

Within the first few months of working with us:

• 68% of visitors to the website are involved in the field.

• 42% of visitors want to know more about ChemistryWorld.

• The sales department recorded calls and was contacted by many potential customers.

• 25% of visitors improved the product description sheets on the site with comments.

• The SEM campaign attracted more than 4,560 visitors in just 3 months.

• In 3 months, 1,569,660 people saw Chemistry-World on the Internet thanks to the SEO and SEM campaign.

WE ARE A REALLY ADVANCED CHINESE SEO AGENCY

WHAT ARE OUR LITTLE SECRETS?

1. The strategy is made by Olivier (You don’t know Olivier?)

2. Marcus, aka SEO gourou will manage and follow all SEO projects

3. Our Chinese team (backlinks/Pr/copywriter) will be in charge of the execution

4. Massive backlinks campaign in different stages

FAQ to GMA

What time do you need to rank on the first page? 

The Minimum duration for Baidu SEO is 6 months of services (to get results).

What is your SEO pricing?

Our price varies according to the competition of the keyword, and the quantity/quality of backlinks on the website

Price start for a good campaign from 1000$ to 3000$

we can start at 500$ per month for a small campaign

Can you work on new websites? 

We are not afraid to start on a new website, totally new and fresh for Baidu.

Can you work on super competitive keywords?

Nothing afraid Marcus…

We can also work on super competitive keywords… everything has a price, but we can do almost everything.

Can you guarantee the First pages of Baidu Organic serps? 

We can almost guarantee a list of keywords, 70% after 6-12 months.

Are you a White SEO agency? Do you do black hat SEO?

We are not totally white and not totally black… let’s say we are a grey agency.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PROFESSIONAL SEO AGENCY ON BAIDU?

If you have a serious project, do not hesitate to contact me if you want to talk about it.

1. You can reach us by email, then by phone/WeChat/skype
2. Check our SEO case studies here
3. Our agency website: marketingtochina.com
4. our consultant can help you to give you a quote, and advising you on the first step of your strategy in China

Tmall is China’s largest e-commerce platform. But it is not a level playing field. Some categories grow fast, others are overcrowded, and many simply don’t fit foreign brands without the right strategy. Knowing what really sells is critical before you invest.

We work daily with international brands entering China’s e-commerce market. As a certified Tmall Partner, we have helped brands across fashion, beauty, food, and lifestyle choose the right categories, comply with local rules, and convert traffic into sales.

In this article, we break down the top Tmall sales categories that truly perform. We explain why they work, who they are for, and how we help brands position themselves to succeed in China.

1. Clothing and fashion Items Lead the Sales on Tmall

China’s fashion revenue so far in 2020 amounts to US$348,700m. Clothes are the most popular products on Tmall. With the current wave of millennials, all types of brands are in demand: luxury, sports, premium brands, …

Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Nike, and much more. All these brands are present on Tmall which gives central importance to the choice for the consumer. With its luxury Pavillon section, Tmall offers good visibility to luxury brands.

Read our China Fashion Guide

However, pay attention to your positioning on the platform. Those who are able to afford are moving towards premium while those who do not care about fashion will go for lower-end products. Luxury brands are highly appreciated, premium brands are perceived as more qualitative and design.

Fast fashion brands still have their chances, Uniqlo is a perfect example of affordable clothing that is doing extremely well in China. The brand has done wonders combining both it’s online and offline marketing as well as partnering with trendy artists and designers. Accessibility, good quality office and daily life clothes with some option for more designers’ clothing have ensured their success in the middle kingdom.

The choice of your target/segment and your positioning can make your success or ruin it. This is why being accompanied by professionals such as the GMA team will be of great help to you.

2. Tmall is targetting Moms with Maternity & Baby Goods

Revenue in the Baby Food segment amounts to US$19,381m in 2020. The market is expected to grow annually by 3.5% (CAGR 2020-2023). Statista

After the adulterated milk scandal in 2008, Chinese regulations for this category of products have become more stringent. This is why moms’ confidence in local brands has been lost.

Knowing that 3 out of 4 Chinese mothers give formula to their children, they now mainly trust foreign brands. It is, therefore, an opportunity to enter this market in China, especially because the demand for this category of products explodes since moms do not hesitate to put the price when it comes to feeding their children.

Read also: China Moms & Baby Market Guide

3. Cosmetics and Skincare Brands on Tmall are Super Popular

For cosmetics too, foreign brands are extremely well received because they are perceived as high-end and quality products. Customers of this type of product are young or middle-aged, therefore having disposable income. Cosmetics and skincare are sold in large quantities and the demand for these products is enormous and is constantly increasing.

Let’s not forget the segment of male customers which remains largely untapped in this market.

Female consumers are more educated on skincare than even and consider buying more specialized treatment with active ingredients. If brands like Loreal still dominate the market, we are slowly seeing a growing interest in better-formulated skincare and cosmetic products that also respect the environment.

Masks, Toner, and Cleanser are the most used products among Chinese female consumers. But Lotions, essence, moisturizer, eye cream, sunscreen, and face cream are also products with relatively strong demand. Sunscreen and anti-aging products are segments to keep an eye on.

Read also: Top Practices to Sell a Beauty brand in China

4. Electronic products on Tmall

In the Consumer Electronics segment, the number of users is expected to amount to 560.4m by 2024.

Since the second-largest distributor in China is specialized in electronic products (JingDong), Tmall is more focused on the sale of electronic accessories and secondary electronic products.

However, some sales of products are increasing such as those of phone accessories or those of drones.

5. Tmall Food products Sales is on The rise

Although another of its competitors is specialized in the sale of this type of product, Tmall must also meet a great demand for food products.

But since food and beverages are more or less quickly perishable depending on the nature of the product, selling them on Tmall, the largest e-commerce platform in China, can only help you to have more chances of selling your goods faster.

Today, Chinese people are in love with beer and wine. And yes, their tastes have changed in recent years. They are also fans of canned food, olive oil, and many other imported products!

Read our Guide To the Chinese F&B Market

6. Food supplements and vitamins

Still, about Chinese people’s lifestyle change, their concerns have also changed: their health and well-being have become more important. Chinese demand for this type of product has been increasing for the past decade, especially among the elderly who want to stay in shape.

Indeed, it is common to see Chinese returning from travel having brought food supplements or vitamins to the elderly in their family.

The sale of ampoules, vitamins, or even protein powders and brewer’s yeast, for example, is booming on the Chinese market.

Lire Aussi: How To Market Vitamins & Health Supplements in China

7. Household products: furniture and appliances

In the first two months of 2020, retail sales of furniture in China amounted to approximately 14.2 billion yuan. This equaled to around 55 percent of the revenue generated in the same period of the previous year. Statista

China has modernized enormously in recent years and very quickly! Their concern for the environment has grown and they are now looking for environmentally friendly products. But today they are also looking for design products, from good brands AND quality furniture.

Living room and dining room furniture appear to be the best-selling items. In 2019, Living room furniture shares were reaching 38% of the market. Items such as sofa were the main selling items of this segment.

IKEA’s success in China is due to these lifestyle changes, with price becoming a less powerful drag than before. By the way, it has recently opened a Tmall Store!

This year the 45TH CIFF GUANGZHOU will be held partially online with live streaming due to Covid-19.

Read also: China Furniture Market

But what are the fees to sell on Tmall?

When you decide to launch your online store on the Tmall platform, you have to pay 4 types of fees that can vary a lot:

• Annual service fees (ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 € in general)
• The deposit fee (up to € 25,000), it is actually a deposit for the opening of your online store
• Commission costs (ranging from 1 to 5% depending on the category of your product)
• Payment processing fees (approximately 1%)

It is imperative not to forget the standards to be respected when you export your products but also to respect the Chinese regulations

You also have to do your marketing to launch your sales once your products are available on the platform. Acquisition cost is the same for all, so better work on your Conversion Rate to ensure a good ROI.

Read: Ultimate Guide to Tmall

We are GMA – a Certified TP (Tmall Patner):

• A team of 70 professional digital marketers
• Connoisseurs of the evolution of Chinese lifestyle and consumption
• More than 1000 projects carried out in a large number of fields
• Chinese standards and laws specialists for exported/imported products

So, if you have a question, need advice, or have a partner, we will be happy to answer you and assist you in your professional arrival in the Chinese market.

For international brands entering China, visibility is no longer driven only by search or social media. Content discovery now plays a central role. Toutiao, China’s #1 news and content app, sits at the heart of this shift, powered by some of the most advanced AI recommendation algorithms in the market.

We have worked on China digital strategies for years, helping international brands navigate platforms that operate very differently from Western media. From content distribution to paid advertising, we have seen how Toutiao can outperform more familiar channels when used correctly.

In this guide, we explain how Toutiao really works and why it matters for marketers. We show you how we approach content, advertising, and targeting on the platform, and how international brands can use Toutiao to gain visibility, credibility, and measurable growth in China.

WHAT IS TOUTIAO ABOUT?

Toutiao, which literally means “Today’s Headlines”, is an emerging mobile platform of content creation, aggregation, and distribution, featured by machine learning techniques. The name “Toutiao” originates from the company’s belief that “Only the things which all the readers care about can be the headlines.”
Toutiao uses AI algorithms to analyze users’ reading habits and then generate for them a tailored feed list including articles, videos, or ads. Different from the traditional news platforms, Toutiao abandons the old model of users looking for information and instead analyzes the features of content as well as users’ interaction with the content to offer a personalized reading list of content customized for each user.
In this era of information explosion, its new AI content analysis techniques provide a more convenient user experience, raising Toutiao to one of China’s largest mobile platforms of content creation, aggregation, and distribution, underpinned in just 6 years’ time.

TOUTIAO’S AMAZING GROWTH FIGURES

By March 2018, the Toutiao App’s DAU (Daily Active Users) reached over 200 million, with an average opening it 9 times per day and using it 76 minutes per day, which is more than the average Facebook and WeChat user. Known as the No. 1 intelligent content distribution platform in China, it has got over 1.1 million publisher accounts, which update over 380,000 pieces of content and achieve 4.2 billion views per day.

Besides investment in text content, Toutiao also boasts a series of video platforms, including “Xigua Video”, “Huoshan Video”, “Douyin”, etc.

Among them, Xigua Video’s users reached over 100 million by June 2017, and Douyin’s daily views reached 3 billion.

Thanks to the fast growth and cutting-edge technology, Toutiao, which was founded in March 2012, now values 75 billion US dollars!

HOW DOES TOUTIAO WORK?

Toutiao initially showcases general content to a first-time user, then uses machine learning to learn about the reader’s browsing habits and interests based on how the reader engages with the app, and thus is able to recommend the articles you want to read. For example, you can tap the small “close” button on every post to dismiss stories you don’t want to read; this action will then be recorded and analyzed by the AI system.

By tracking and analyzing such behaviors on the site: What you click on, how long you spend on a story, where you stop scrolling, the type of story you’re reading at a certain time of day, even where you’re physically located, Toutiao’s AI algorithms can come up with the most personalized recommendations for your reading. As the reader starts to use the platform more frequently, Toutiao gets smarter and understands better users’ interests to provide them more relevant content over time.

Notably, Toutiao is not using recommendations from your friends like Wechat or Weibo but rather focuses on your individual preferences. Remember, unlike those social media platforms, Toutiao isn’t about connecting friends. It has social elements – you can link your social media profile if you want – but the stories it serves up come from its AI recommendation system, not from your friends.

WHY IS TOUTIAO ATTRACTIVE FOR MARKETERS?

1. Sticky and Young User Base

Chinese users stay on Toutiao for an average of 76 minutes per day. The data is impressive as the average time people spend on WeChat is only 66 minutes. The size and stickiness of the user base have been growing exponentially, clearly showcasing the power of marketing on the platform.

Most Toutiao users are male, with a gender ratio of 60%. Over 85% of the range in age from 18 to 30 years old and are mostly concentrated in first or second-tier cities.

The education level of Toutiao users is quite high as well, with 41.3% of them holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Another interesting note is that 37.8% of the users’ occupations are freelancers, self-employed and private company owners.

From the above data, it is likely that a fair proportion of Toutiao users are young Chinese running their businesses or working as managers. Toutiao can be very helpful when it comes to B2B marketing in China. The platform is also suitable for promoting trendy products to youngsters.

2. FREE content exposure to the RIGHT audience

Toutiao has the most powerful recommendation algorithms, which allows it to easily bring your content to the most interested readers. With a huge and growing base of 200M daily active users who are hunger for information, Toutiao helps marketers reach new potential customers and get a ton of content exposure. Since Toutiao serves articles to users based on their interests, each view/reach that you acquire for your articles on this platform is highly targeted. Content marketing strategies that take full advantage of Toutiao’s smart AI algorithms can definitely receive an impressive ROI.

One example is ” 欢子tv“ ( Huanzi TV). This creator creates short videos about folks’ lives and customs in the countryside of China. Each of his videos has an average of 700,000 views, while the views in his Wechat official account are less than 1/40 of that on Toutiao. Toutiao has enabled the long tail of contributors to reach their most relevant audience more cost-effectively than any other platform in China.

Additionally, Toutiao has also begun offering social features. Users can share articles they like under a separate tab. That gives publishers the chance to go viral both socially and through the Toutiao Algorithm. Becoming a registered publisher with Toutiao is a simple and easy way to open your business to the possibility of going viral. Becoming registered on the platform should be on every business planning to enter China’s checklist. As long as they’re good, your stories will get seen and go viral even though you don’t invest much time in content distribution (since this happens naturally for you on Toutiao).

3. Diverse content formats means diverse tools for marketing

Except for news, Toutiao also provides videos to further entertain the users. Next to the homepage button, you will find a link to ‘Xigua Video’.

The button titled ‘Short Videos’ at the bottom right provides funny short videos and jokes to users. Toutiao manages to keep users busy with these engaging clips. It is easy for users to watch one after another in a series.

The page of ‘Xigua Videos’ (Left); The page of ‘Short Videos’ (Right)

These days with the abundance of information, it is hard to keep people’s attention. Users leave and go in split seconds if they are not interested. Consequently, short videos have arisen as a new popular form of entertainment. Toutiao has taken advantage of this trend by integrating well with Chinese users’ most favorite short videos apps such as Douyin, and aggregating these videos all in one place, enabling users to consume different content in a very convenient way.

Douyin is a platform beloved by Chinese youngsters. It allows users to watch and produce funny 15-second music videos. Users can lip-sync or dance to the music, while the app provides special effects or filters for editing. Even the latest trending meme- ‘Karma is a bitch’ challenge is from DouYin, showing how influential the platform can be. Toutiao is now the “go-to platform” for short video content. More than half of Toutiao’s 76 mins daily usage for each user is spent watching short-form videos.

Meanwhile, Xigua Video and Huoshan serve different video needs. Xigua Video has over 100 million users while Huoshan has gathered thousands of powerful Chinese KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders).

Toutiao’s integration with these platforms not only gives users more choices for media consumption but also more tools and ways for brands to get creative and engage better with the customers as well as increase brand awareness.

Read More About Social Media in China

HOW CAN BRANDS MAXIMIZE TOUTIAO?

1. Advertising on Toutiao can have exceptional effect

Unlike WeChat users, content consumption is the primary focus of Toutiao users. The app has no additional features such as chat messaging to distract users from viewing new content. Brands interested in using the platform would now have access to millions of users that are constantly using the app to search for new and quality content. Placing advertisements on the platform or releasing advertorials can have exceptional effects on brand awareness and credibility.

Powerful targeting functionality Thanks to its machine learning algorithm and the nature of the platform, Toutiao is able to offer a richer, more powerful audience targeting functionality similar to that of Facebook.

Read more about Paid Advertising in China with our Guide

Here are some of the ways you can target your audience on Toutiao:

• Audience gender
• Audience age
• Audience interest
• Keywords
• City/region
• Time of day
• Weather
• Occupation
• Phone carrier
• Phone system
• Phone brand
• Internet environment

Re-targeting based on a series of audience behaviors: Toutiao tracks readers’ behaviors like reading through, clicking, video watching, etc. So, an advertiser can choose to expose the ad only to an audience who has clicked on previously launched ads. Moreover, different rates can be set for different levels of customer engagement.

Auto expanding on seeds audience: Marketers firstly upload an “audience pack” as a seed pack and the system would automatically recognize the similarities (age, geo, interests, etc.) of the audience and expand on it to find a more “lookalike” audience. The target audience base will double or triple easily by leveraging this tool.

The 3 most popular formats of ads on Toutiao are:

• Streaming feed Ads,
• News banner ads, and
• App open-up Ads.

It supports both pictures and videos display. The app uses artificial intelligence to personalize ads for its users.

Cost-effective compared to Wechat: In terms of cost, advertising in Toutiao is quite reasonable as compared to WeChat. The cost per click on most formats ranges between RMB 0.2-1.0 compared to WeChat advertising costs ranging between RMB 2-5 CPC.

Geo-targeting down to 6km: Geo-targeting on Toutiao is down to business district with default radius being 6km. Advertisers can launch one campaign in several business districts across different provinces in China. This is very valuable for offline retailers and advertisers that have customers with specific geo-location.

Comprehensive ad network: With the popularity of its’ other apps, Bytedance has created a pretty comprehensive ad network that covers Douyin (Tik Tok), Xigua Video (A competitor to Tencent Video/Youku), Toutiao, and a range of other publishers, making it very attractive to marketers.

2. Content marketing is everything on this No.1 content distribution platform

Create an official account and share your content

Toutiao created the function of Toutiao Hao or Good Headline, which allows different users to register an account based on their own category and post articles or videos on their own page to gain followers. This is an appealing playground for marketers looking for new ways to amplify their voice through great content.

As of Q3 2018, Toutiao had over 1.1 million publisher accounts registered on the platform! These publishers include media organizations, government institutions, individual websites/bloggers, and companies. According to thepaper.cn nearly half a million stories are published on Toutiao every day.

You can create and share insightful contents on your Toutiao account to establish/ reaffirm your brand positioning as an industry expert. Read more about how to create an official account on Toutiao https://marketingtochina.com/how-to-register-a-toutiao-business-account/

Focus on great ideas

In this age of stiff competition, good content will no longer suffice. Your content has to be above average because your target audience knows better now. They’re desperately searching for great content that will solve their problems. As long as they’re good, your stories will get seen by people who otherwise would not have been exposed to your content even though you may not invest too much in content distribution (it happens naturally for you on Toutiao). Try your best to provide information customers can’t find anywhere else.

Other tactics your business can implement in order to excel on Toutiao

1. Don’t limit yourself to writing: try other content formats since not all stories need to be expressed in writing. Why not create a comic, illustration, infographic, short videos… and see how people respond? Toutiao’s ecosystem provides various tools for marketers to approach target customers in different ways.
2. Share Toutiao content on other social media platforms: Don’t rely on Toutiao’s algorithm alone to get your content in front of new readers. You should also share your content on your established social media channels. Eventually, you may see the majority of your content views coming directly from the platform, but an initial nudge will be extremely helpful.
3. Share your articles to be published by other established accounts: Prestigious news such as CCTV and People.can have millions of followers on Toutiao. You can approach and arrange with them for your articles to be published on their account and reach their huge number of keen readers.
4. Re-publish content from your blog or website on Toutiao to get more exposure.
5. Use UTM parameters to measure traffic from your posts: When you link to your website, landing page, or blog in a Toutiao article you should use UTM parameters in order to track which articles are performing the best.
6. Enhance e-reputation at Wukong Q&A: Toutiao developed a conversational forum called Wukong, a community similar to Quora. With Wukong, users can post questions and receive responses from the user community, on topics ranging from travel to retail to health and wellness. Brands should involve themselves in customers’ discussions to understand them more and help them solve problems, which confirms its position as an expert in the field.

To emphasize once more time, Toutiao is a medium platform with a recommendation system. How many exposures your content can get on Toutiao depends on how well the system understands your content. This requires the creator to have an excellent understanding of its target users and create content that contains reader- and system-friendly keywords.

WE ARE TOUTIAO MARKETING AGENCY 

We are a team of native digital experts based in Shanghai, we have a deep insight into this fascinating market and stay ahead of the curve.

If you have a serious project for the Chinese market you can consider this news app, contact us for a meeting with one of our consultants.

We also work extensively in the following areas:

Baidu SEO/PPC
WeChat Development
Weibo Marketing
Chinese Content
PR/Media Exposure
Targeted Forums & Blogs (niche markets)
Ecommerce set up & branding
Lead Generation Services on Multiple Platforms

For international brands, this changes everything. Chinese consumers expect daily UV protection, whitening benefits, light textures, and strong brand credibility. Entering this market without understanding local habits and platforms is risky.

We have helped international beauty and skincare brands build visibility, trust, and sales in China for years. Our team works daily with Chinese consumers, platforms like Little Red Book and WeChat, and local e-commerce ecosystems.

In this article, we break down how the sunscreen and sun-care market works in China. We will guide you through demand, trends, branding, and the right digital strategies—so you can enter the market with clarity and confidence.

TOP TRENDS OF SUNSCREEN PRODUCTS IN CHINA

1. Nowadays the demand for skin care products by Chinese consumers is constantly increasing. 
2. Urbanization has changed and improved the lifestyles and living standards of people.
3. It is not a secret that recently sun care products became highly popular among Chinese consumers.

UNDERSTAND THE DEMAND 

In comparison with Western markets, Chinese consumers have different product perceptions due to different skin types, and cultural and consumption habit differences. European consumers usually use sunscreen products on sunny days in order to prevent sunburn and skin cancer.

However, UV protection is highly important nowadays for Chinese beauty. It became a top priority for Chinese ladies in their daily routine. In this sense, skin type plays a vital role. European and American consumers have Caucasian skin (type I), which is prone to sunburnt but not that easy to be tanned. In contrast, Asians usually have II & III skin types, including Chinese consumers, this skin type is more prone to sunburn and getting tanned.  As a result, Sunscreen products in China are perceived more like skincare products that Chinese consumers use in order to prevent photo-aging, and tanning, and save white noble skin tone.

In addition,  in China, many sunscreen products contain whiteners and skin-brightening chemicals. Pale skin has become such a giant trait of beauty that the phrase “白富美 (bái fù měi) or “white, rich beautiful” is jokingly used to describe the ideal Chinese woman. For the past three or four years, it has remained one of the most frequently used cyber-words in China.

SUNSCREEN MARKET TRENDS

Sunscreen products that have the feature of long-lasting protection are in high demand among Chinese customers. Consumers’ needs and demands are hyper-segmented and sophisticated. As a result, it drives brands to develop more products with innovative textures and features such as high SPFs and a ‘light’ feel on the skin.

Long-lasting sunscreens usually are waterproof and sweat-proof. Then, it requires more sophisticated cleansing when removing the product at the end of the day. At the same time, it creates a new market opportunity for brands to launch the facial care category that features sunscreen-removal functions.

Today most cosmetics and skincare companies are developing products with UV filters to meet the demand of Chinese consumers. While you are in China, you may notice that most of the skincare products involve UV filters.

Foreign Brands are dominating in Chinese Sunscreen market. There are several successful brands on the market such as Anessa, Clarins, Lancome, SK-II, Pola, Bioré, Mantholatum, Eau Thermale Avene, Innisfree, and Vichy brand.

CONSUMERS’ SUNSCREEN EXPECTATIONS

When it comes to sunscreens Chinese consumers have their own expectations for market trends, which could be reflected in 5 aspects:

• Easy-to-use formats such as sprays, sun gels, essences, and transparent sunscreen sticks;
• Multifunctional sunscreens that in addition to sun protection have benefits such as anti-pollution, anti-aging, and moisturizing;
• Improved and effective Sun protection;
• Long-lasting sun protection;
• Lighter innovative textures;

BRANDING IS A KEY

No branding = no sales.

The ‘face’ culture is really important in China; Chinese beauties always want to look the best at any time. Reputation is crucial; therefore, customers attach great importance to the brand and its image.

Chinese society is more likely fixed on reputation or let’s say the notion of “face”, due to that issue it is clear to understand that in order to express their “face” the most typical way of it is purchasing brands. In a society, which is definitely led by consumer needs, when it comes to branding you need to consider this individual expression’s new-found desire.

One of the advantages is that the byword for quality in China is usually perceived as ‘international’ products, due to the fact establishing your own High-quality foreign brand can allow you to get paid dividends in the long run.

ONLINE REPUTATION – PR – ADVERTISING – SOCIAL MEDIA

Having a great and innovative product in China is wonderful. However, as long as there is no E-reputation for your product that’s the time when you start wondering yourself what is wrong with your product or what can you do to market it wisely and in the end hit sales. right?

In China, you will need to start building your reputation from scratch, simply due to the reason that English content and positive reviews from western media platforms will not be visible on the Chinese net. Mandarin Chinese Characters are used in the vast majority of internet research (over 97,5%).

It is recommended to remember that the Chinese web is a unique ecosystem that requires a fresh and creative approach, right Chinese platforms should be chosen to build your Sunscreen product’s visibility & reputation in order to target your consumers.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN IN CHINA

Our Online Reputation Management services are built to enable us to customize our services according to the need of your company. Our main goal is to enhance your E-reputation and protect your company from false comments and negative remarks.

Our E-reputation management service is guaranteed to remove all negative messages, promote positive messages and proactively monitor your online reputation.

GMA experts will continuously monitor the search engine algorithms and broadcast positive and trust-building materials and build trust towards your brand and service.

Our target is to increase your online presence by posting materials and articles specifically intended to enhance and endorse your company’s online presence.

We use our highly efficient innovative search engine optimization techniques on search engine platforms such as Baidu, and Google as well as Chinese social networks, to ensure you the best ranked and most visible information about your company.

LITTLE RED BOOK CAMPAIGN

Little Red Book nowadays is a game changer and it’s an extremely popular app in the Chinese market in terms of Skincare and Cosmetics. The platform allows reaching trendsetters and Chinese beauties with international purchasing behavior. The app works perfectly for International Brands. Simply because the competition is not that high and the whole app of Little Red Book is based on real girls’ community already used to share Cosmetics reviews.

Having a presence on Little Red Book gives you an opportunity not only to increase your brand awareness but also to use a feature of E-Commerce cross-border.

You can get our little Red book Report for free (just send us an email )

In Chinese 防晒 «Fangshai» means «prevent from the sun». As we know, Chinese women love white, perfect skin, and therefore are very interested in loads of products protecting their skin from tanning or burning.

For this keyword, the number on the right means that there are more than 940K posts related to this topic. It shows that there is a huge demand for Sunscreen products.

HOW TO SELL YOUR PRODUCTS IN CHINA?

E-BROCHURE IS ESSENTIAL

WeChat H5 is absolutely a game changer nowadays, it is the latest and the most improved version of HTML language. This is the most popular campaign type on WeChat with many brands incorporating H5 pages into their posts and official accounts. WeChat H5 reflects the mobile version of the websites created on WeChat.

In this sense, interaction and creativity are the most important factors to WeChat H5 – it can include games, invites, video ads, animations, and many other interactive platforms. H5 projects can help achieve a higher conversion rate. It should be mentioned that JD’s WeChat H5 campaigns for 618 were really successful this year. Hence, it shows that WeChat H5 has become a useful tool for social commerce, especially in WeChat. Rather than catching on to a trend and showing off, brands are relying on these WeChat H5 to grow conversion.

Most H5 Campaigns revolve around:

• Event Promotion
• Brand Promotion
• Product Introduction
• Market Feedback & Analysis

HOW TO START SELLING YOUR PRODUCT?

To start selling your product in China is not as easy as it might seem at the beginning. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to hit the sales. As they say, great things always take time, right?

Therefore, it is highly recommended to engage your customers in your product’s awareness before selling. Build a good relationship with them, communicate with them, and understand their expectations and demands.

The Chinese market is led by social media and the daily use of apps. Consequently, to win the choice of your consumers you will need to use digital channels, it will be the best solution in this sense. 

Further reading on how to market Cosmetics Brands in China.

WISE DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

To drag the attention of a Distributor you will need to make sure that there is a demand for your products. Make sure that Chinese consumers are really interested in your Brand. Hence, you will need to increase your Brand’s awareness via Chinese social media Campaigns and having a Chinese website, this will allow consumers to learn more about your products. Being present on E-commerce platforms will let consumers find and try your product.

Marketing to Chinese Distributors can involve various approaches which can be quite experimental. To attract Distributors, you can be creative and try various things without worrying that you will lose a large amount of money or damage your reputation. Some of those approaches:

• Optimize your website for Chinese search Engines
• Make use of pay-per-click advertising
• Develop a Chinese website
• Create engaging content and media that ranks well
• Create social media profiles
• Make it easy for potential customers to contact you.

Most of the time to manage your business only having a good network of contacts sometimes is not enough.  There are several key factors that will play a role in finding and choosing a distributor:

• Contact distributors
• Trade Fair
• Follow Contact
• Sale Solution
• Animation Distributors
• Lead generation Distributors

WHO IS BEHIND MARKETING TO CHINA? 

With our  Digital Lead Agency in China and Account Management services, we can guide you through the entire process. We are your eyes in China. We are a specialist in the Chinese market with seven years of experience.

If you want to know the secrets to creating a great Campaign in China with the chance to reach nearly 600 million online consumers in China, GMA could help and offer you inspiration.

our WeChat to read more… 

Contact me today if 

• You want to receive a full overview of our services 
• If you want a free consultation 
• If you want to see our case studies in the beauty industry 

You can also read our full guide on The Skincare Market in China

Rising incomes, new consumption habits, and demand for premium products are reshaping how Chinese consumers buy ice cream. For foreign brands, this creates real opportunities, but also unique challenges. From cold-chain logistics to digital visibility, success in China requires a different approach.

At our agency, we help international food and frozen dessert brands enter and grow in the Chinese market. We work daily with foreign brands on positioning, distribution, e-commerce, and digital marketing in China. Our experience on the ground allows us to turn market data into practical, actionable strategies.

In this guide, we break down the ice cream market in China step by step. You will understand consumer trends, branding expectations, and go-to-market strategies, and learn how we help foreign brands build demand and scale sustainably in China.

Chinese consumers increasing demand for Ice Cream

Important Figures

While starting your business, there are a few things you need to know about trends ‘consumption. Actually, the Chinese consumers trend has changed over the past years. According to Nestlé, the progress of China’s ice cream industry showed interesting trends. The first one concerns the need for refreshing and the interest in cold food which goes against their habit of drinking warm water.  Indeed, in some cities during the summer the temperature can easily reach 30° C to 42°. The second one is their preference to taste different or original ice cream flavors. It goes without saying that traditional milk, chocolate, and vanilla do not fulfill the Chinese middle-class customers’ expectations. Both new trends challenge companies to work on specific tastes and develop new products for the changing preferences of this category of the Chinese population.

Health Concern

Because China is the country with the higher number in the world of diabetes cases, more and more people are calling for healthy or low-fat diets. This led to opportunities to create new ice cream premium health. Actually traditional ice cream might contain a lot of sugar and additives. In order to satisfy these customers, many manufacturers go back to natural ingredients. They are able to pay a price higher than the average for the good-tasting product which is better for their health.

Ice Cream as a New Experience

Eating ice cream for Chinese people is also a way to get closer to western countries ‘lifestyles. They are willing to pay more, not just because the product Itself is good but because this is a way to show their high social status. In the same way, this consumption draws a change in Chinese people’s mindset because ice cream is associated with a pleasant time. Ice cream in western countries goes with a mood. You eat ice cream because you’re not feel good or on the contrary because you’re having a good time. Both have to deal with the notion of feelings which is not something current in Chinese culture.

Häagen-Dazs Can Serve as an Example of Success

Before starting its Business, the brand did deep research about the Chinese market, especially regarding distribution. They knew that their product needed a constant temperature of -26° C. Because, it’s complicated to respect that for Chinese distributors, the brand decided to manage it itself. Then they imported the products from the US and European factories, rather than calling local manufacturers. First and foremost, they noticed that during the winter, Chinese people stop carrying frozen desserts.

While European consumers prefer staying home to eat ice cream, Chinese people prefer to eat them in the retail environment. This is the reason why the brand decided to have its own shop to sell ice cream.  And on the contrary, to retailers in Europe, China’s were built and decorated as luxurious spaces. Of course, luxurious places go at a higher price, the symbol of great quality. Being an expensive brand in China is synonymous with luxury. Once again, it’s a question of image and perception by others, in order to show that they belong to a certain social category.

You can also read our Strategic Guide to Export Food Brands in China

Ice Cream Brand Launch Strategies

• Brand Value Proposition

Once you have established your Ice cream brand and what you are selling to your audience market, you have to convince the consumers of that market to make a purchase. The reason Chinese people buy your product is that they see the great value you are offering. You can offer a practical value linked to the quality of the product or perceived value, such as status from owning the brand. A good perceived value strategy is that they have an attractive design. The important point, you can emphasize your brand by showing how your brand differs from the products of competitors. You can also propose a reasonable price competing with other ice cream brands with a slogan telling customers that “they get premium quality without paying a premium price”.

• Picking A Brand Name: Naming Brand Marketing

In Marketing, the brand name is really important. For an Ice cream company, your brand name is an asset that can really help your brand make an impact. Picking the right name can be tricky but the best advice that we can give is to pick a name that matches your brand value and the worldview of your potential customers. Think ahead to how your brand name would be received.

• Creating a Brand Identity: E-Reputation

When you wonder how to start an Ice cream business online, the first thing that comes to mind is brand identity of the brand. It’s important not to ignore this part of your expansion as the look and feel of your brand will decide how it is perceived by your Chinese audience and ultimately to sales and revenue.

• Website & Online Store

After, all the previous steps, it is vital to invest in getting a professional website to be the face of your Ice cream brand.  When your potential clients would visit your website make sure you present to them your best face. Design standards are high up in the clouds these days and people are easily turned off by bad design. This is even truer if you are trying to sell your ice cream products online. High-quality photos of your products represent a single point that can make or break your brand value. Make sure that your eCommerce store/website is hosted in China.

• Let’s talk about the Distribution

Like for all foreign products, thinking about distribution is the determinant for the success of your business. Sales at online brand stores such as official shopfronts at e-commerce giant T mall increased from 3% to 16 % between 2012 and 2017. Consumers in big cities enjoy eating packed ice cream as a snack during their leisure time. Consequently, thinking about the family format is essential.

• Social Media Setup & Strategies

As an Ice cream company, Chinese social media is your best friend. Without a well-thought social media strategy and implementation, you are literally wasting money. In fact, you will not be able to earn any significant ice cream sales without the power of Chinese social media propelling your website. Social media helps to generate traffic to your website and increase your brand engagement. Social media can help you quickly market your brand with relatively low budgets.

• Promotion & Marketing 

As a Premium Ice cream brand with limited budgets, your best bet is to focus on digital marketing to get the word out there. At the same time, also think of some innovative ideas for offline marketing.

In brief, you can’t simply launch your ice cream brand and expect people to come buying your premium brand, it will not work. Launching a premium ice cream brand in China requires creativity and a detailed strategy about distribution. It is also very important to think about your digital presence

GMA can help you to improve or start your business. If you would like to talk to me about your brand, contact us!

We are specialists in:

E-REPUTATION: Primordial before launching, we work together on your unique selling point, then on the social networks and with the help of PR, we make sure that your image on the networks is totally clean and reliable for the Chinese users.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization of your website will be essential, our team of specialists will take care of your e-reputation, and the management of your social networks while setting up an SEO / SEM campaign allowing you to gain places in the ranking of the Baidu Chinese search engine.

LEAD GENERATION: Our teams are professionals in lead generation. To optimize it, your e-reputation must be irreproachable. Investing in online advertising and creating quality content will help you develop your e-reputation. Finally, the evaluation of the results will be important to guide us in the next stages of your development.

DIGITAL SOLUTIONS: Website creation, development, and audit; social media marketing (including WeChat & Weibo); PR; monthly reports and analyzes by our team of experts.