When it comes to expanding your business and reaching new horizons, tapping into the vast potential of the China market can be a game-changer. With its booming economy and increasing consumer demand, selling your products to China market online can lead to significant growth opportunities. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore proven strategies and essential steps to help you successfully navigate the intricacies of selling to China market online.
Table of contents
- Understanding the China Market Landscape
- Challenges of selling to China market
- Strategies for Selling Your Product to China Market
- How to start selling your products to China market
- Chinese social media marketing
- Paid Advertising
Many foreign companies ask me: how to sell products to China from USA; how to sell products to China from UK; how to sell products to China from the EU. So I wrote this guide for any overseas company (outside of mainland China) who want to get Chinese customers and selling products/services to China.
Understanding the China Market Landscape
Before you dive into China market, or let’s say you are worrying about is China market worth it? Let me tell you why it’s worth it.
- Huge market
The data from China Internet Network Information Center 2022 (CNNIC) shows that, China had 1 billion netizens, the user size of online shopping in China was 841 million and the user size of online payment in China had reached 904 million.
- High demand for foreign-brand products
Did you know Chinese like to buy luxury goods? Of course, no one can deny luxury goods. Owning luxury goods symbolizes prosperity, success, and social elevation. Luxury products are seen as a way to assert one’s position within the societal hierarchy.
But in China, luxury brand has more meanings than you thought.
In Chinese culture, we’re so care about “Face” and “Guanxi”. Simply put, “Face” is vanity, “guanxi” is relationship. Luxury goods can feed our vanity and be gifts to build relationships.
So does foreign-brand products. Even if it is the same price product with the same quality, we will still buy foreign-brand product.
All I want to say is that foreign products are in high demand in China !!!
Challenges of selling to China market
After all, doing business in another country will inevitably encounter some new challenges. Some can be completely avoided, some must be overcome as much as possible, and some are completely unsolvable. But any challenge has a solution to it.
- Lack of understanding of China’s trade & business laws.
- Marketing & Advertising laws.
- Misunderstand of China market.
- Brand and Trademarks protection.
- Customers’ shopping habits.
- Logistics.
- Competitive market.
- Analyze competitors.
- Public relations maintenance.
- Commercial fraud.
- Chinese cultures & business cultures.
- Trusted partner.
- Chinese Language challenge.
- Geopolitics.
- Chinese Social media Platforms and Ecommerce Platform policy updating.
No matter what kind of challenge it is, unless it’s Geopolitics that far beyond we can handle, the others will always have solutions.
To be honest, international businesses are very welcomed in China. Because international business (foreign trade) has been one of the pillars of the Chinese economy for decades. (The other two was Domestic demand and real estate). You should pay attention to the list of anti-dumping products anyway.
Strategies for Selling Your Product to China Market
A good plan is half of the work done. You need to make a plan for selling products to China market. And there are some high priority things but easily be ignored need to be done.
– Precise Product Positioning for the China Market
Tailor your product positioning to resonate with the demands and aspirations of the China market. Highlight unique features that appeal to the preferences of Chinese consumers.
– Targeting the Chinese Audience
Understand the distinct demographics, cultural nuances, and purchasing behaviors of your target audience in China. What are the products in demand.
– Strategically Priced Offerings
Analyze pricing strategies that align with local market trends and consumer expectations.
– Localization of Visual Content
Visual content plays a pivotal role in engaging the audience. Adapt your imagery, videos, and graphics to reflect the aesthetics and symbolism that resonate with Chinese culture. Complying with local regulations is pivotal. Incorporate “Words” and related terms to address legal concerns in your content.
– Local Laws and Regulations:
Ensure your business complies with Chinese laws, regulations, and standards for your industry.
– Analyzing Competitors in the China Market
Perform a comprehensive analysis of your competitors in the China market. Study your competitors to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning.
– Promotion Tactics Tailored for China
Develop effective strategies for promoting your product to reach your target audience.
– Logistics and After-Sales Service:
Plan efficient logistics and establish a robust after-sales service to enhance customer satisfaction. The best logistics in China is SF-Express. Then JD Logistics. There are also other logistics widely used in China
– Trademark Registration and Protection
Register your trademark in China and emphasize brand protection. China operates on a “first-to-file” principle, which means that the first entity to file a trademark application is granted ownership rights. So you should be very careful about Trademarks protection in China.
– Selecting the Right Social Media Platforms for Marketing
Social media marketing is essential to increase band awareness and sales. You should use the right Chinese social media platforms for marketing.
– Selecting the Right E-Commerce Platforms
Choose the most suitable e-commerce platforms for your products to maximize your online presence. Tmall and JD are the most trusted traditional eCommerce platform in China. You should create online store at least one of them. And Douyin store, Xiaohongshu store, Kuaishou store are interest-based eCommerce platform which may increase your sales significantly.
– Products Marketing and Promotion
Marketing and promoting your products effectively can make all the difference in a competitive market. Without marketing or promotion you won’t be successful in competitive market.
– Local Chinese Agency
Establish partnerships with local companies for effective market entry. No matter you want to marketing on Chinese social media platforms or launch eCommerce stores in China, Chinese Company or agency will save your time and effort.
Our company located in mainland China, Guangzhou and Shenzhen city. We are specialists in Chinese social media marketing and eCommerce business in China. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact me.
How to start selling your products to China market
Now, let me explain how to start selling your products or service to China market in details. like what are the most popular Chinese eCommerce platforms. And what are the Chinese social media platforms you should choose to marketing on it. What are the details step of selling to China market.
1. Chinese Market research and competitive analysis
Although China is a huge market, it is also an extremely competitive market. You have to research and analyze the strengths & weaknesses of your products.
High demand foreign products in China: Makeup, Skin Care, Healthcare, Milk Powder, Foods & Drinks, Pet supplies, Mom & Baby, Kitchen Utensil, Electronics, Luxury Watches, Luxury bags, Luxury clothing & shoes, and other fashion products, etc.
Either your brand is well-known, or high quality, or can stand out compared to others. Your products need to fit Chinese customers shopping habits or Chinese culture.
For example, you’re trying to sell baby toys to Chinese customer. Why choose yours not just buy made-in China products? China is really good at copying toys. And there are tons of toys manufacturers in Zhejiang Yiwu city. The price is so much cheaper than yours.
Does that means you don’t have chance to make money from Chinese customers. Not really, you should protect your trademarks, your brand.
2. Trademarks/Brand Protection
We just talked about copy products. Your toy product probably will be copied by Chinese manufacturers. Why don’t you protect your brand/patent first. Even you don’t need to sell your products at all sometimes. You just need to authorize your brand or pattern to make money.
Infringement is what you should try your best to avoid. And it will happen in China. So you need to consider Trademarks/Brand/Patient protection before you enter China market.
Because China runs “first-to-file” system. Who file the trademark first who own the rights. And there is one thing I need you know, trademarks registration may take one year on average.
3. Open Chinese eCommerce store
Opening an eCommerce store in China is a must-have thing in China. The Chinese customers’ shopping habits is shopping online. You barely will see users pay in cash in China.
Me, personally, I don’t see cash for many years. We all use online payment like WeChat Pay or Alipay, unless users don’t know how to use smartphone.
So, selling your products to China market online is an effective way for foreigners diving into China.
How to Choose Chinese eCommerce platforms
Choosing eCommerce platforms is a challenge for foreigners. Because there are so many eCommerce platforms in China. And you know just a little about Chinese eCommerce platforms. Let me explain in details for you better understand them.
There are many eCommerce platforms for overseas company to selling your products to China market.
Traditional eCommerce platforms: Tmall And JD.com
Tmall owned by Alibaba group, with over 877 million Monthly Active Users (as of June 30, 2023).
NOTE: the users is combined with Taobao, due to Taobao and Tmall shared the same App mostly.
That said, Tmall store is the top 1 eCommerce platform in China.
JD.com owned by JD group. Although the users probably decrease from 2022 to 2023. Because JD don’t release monthly activity users on their financial report.
But JD.COM is the most trusted eCommerce platform in China. And it provides the best logistics and after-sale service.
You need to open any one of eCommerce platforms on Tmall or JD.com if you care your brand trusty or you product have higher quality.
And the brand marketing or product promotion probably will lead potential customers to either Tmall store or JD.COM store. After these two are the traditional eCommerce platforms where we go to search for products.
Interest-based eCommerce: Douyin, Kuaishou And Xiaohongshu
Douyin is the most popular Chinese social media which fits online business well. I know WeChat is the top 1 Chinese social media, that is due to it’s the one of the only two instant messaging apps in China. (the other one is QQ app. both QQ and WeChat owned by Tencent group).
So don’t just Google online, you need to get more updated info from China.
Douyin and Kuaishou are both popular short-video sharing platform. And they both have eCommerce function for overseas companies. They are Douyin Global Store and Kuaishou Global Store.
If you don’t have enough budget, you can just choose Douyin Global store. Because there are some differences between Douyin And Kuaishou. Douyin have better performance on Overseas product selling.
As for Xiaohongshu store, it’s the top trending social media and eCommerce platform in 2023. And it was born for makeups, skin care, health care, fashion and luxury products.
Xiaohongshu is the best product recommendation, product reviews and product sharing platform. So if you do need to think about it.
Mini-program eCommerce store or eCommerce website
WeChat Mini program is where you can create your own eCommerce store. But it doesn’t have much organic traffic if without advertising or promotion.
But it’s a good tool for you to drive WeChat users to mini program store. (With the help of WeChat Official Account or Advertising on WeChat).
As for eCommerce website, I think very few users will buy on website. Chinese don’t have habit of buying product/service on website. Unless your brand is well-known, like iPhone, LV.
So don’t focus on website eCommerce store too much. But if you already have an website outside of China, you can translate that site to Chinese language.
Contact me if you need assistance with website translation.
4. Find a China local agency
No matter file your trademark or open Chinese eCommerce store, even Adverting, they all require you have a local mainland China company. Unless you just want to get Chinese customers online but no need to selling your products or services in China.
Chinese Company is your guarantee company in China. And the file or document all need Chinese copy. Which means Chinese agency is for better communication with platforms.
Our company is located in China, Guangzhou city. And have team in Shenzhen, Hongkong. We’re specialists in Chinese social media marketing And Chinese eCommerce.
Or you can register a Chinese company for convenience. It will be so much complex in China.
Chinese social media marketing
In Chinese social media marketing industry, KOLs marketing and KOCs marketing is so important than you think. But SEO marketing is almost dying in China. Due to the Chinese search engine like Baidu search, 360 engine only provides Ads, and they did something bad few years ago. So more and more users are getting away Baidu.
KOLs & KOCs Marketing
KOLs and KOCs marketing is very popular in China. It may spend less than paid Ads but performance better. Most likely make your products go viral.
Key opinion leader (KOL) Marketing:
An effective strategy, especially in the world of blogging and content creation. KOLs are individuals who have established credibility and a significant following in a particular niche or industry. Like, Industry Experts, Celebrities, Influencers, Bloggers, Vlogger, etc.
Related Chinese Social Media Platforms for KOL Marketing: Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Kuaishou, Weibo, WeChat, Toutiao, Bilibili, Xigua video, Zhihu, Douban, etc.
Key Opinion Consumers (KOC) Marketing:
KOC stands for Key Opinion Consumers also known as Micro-Influencers. These individuals are not traditional celebrities or experts, but they have a relatively small yet highly engaged and loyal following. KOCs can be regular consumers who are passionate about a specific topic or industry.
That said, no matter bloggers, vloggers, or video creators, they all can be KOC influencers as long as they got some fans/following/subscription. And KOC Marketing may work well magically sometimes.
Related Chinese Social Media Platforms for KOC Marketing: Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Kuaishou, WeChat, Zhihu, Bilibili, Toutiao, Xigua, etc.
Let me make it more clear to you. The best Chinese Social Media for Marketing are: Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu.
These three platforms fits all the product category!!!
Soft Advertising:
Soft advertising, also known as subtle advertising or native advertising, is a marketing strategy that aims to promote a product or service in a way that seamlessly integrates with the content or platform where it’s presented. The goal is to make the advertising message feel more comfortable and less intrusive, leading to a more positive reception from the audience.
Soft advertising is really fitting Chinese users. You just emphasize what the benefits of using it. Storytelling How it save your day. Not keeping talking about your product over and over again.
Soft advertising fits blogging platforms: WeChat Official Account, Weibo, Zhihu, Toutiao, Douban.
Livestream Shopping:
Livestream Shopping is the Top Priority when talking about products marketing in China. I’m not sure if Livestream Shopping started from China. But I do believe China made Livestream Shopping reaching unprecedented heights!!!
If you want to know what’s the most popular and efficient way for marketing in China.
We (Chinese) all know that must be Livestream Shopping. Because there are tons of people get rich just in one night (Live streaming shopping).
Soft advertising fits blogging platforms: Douyin, Kuaishou.
Our company have resources for livestream shopping, it performance perfectly. If you need help with Livestream shopping. Don’t hesitate to contact me!
Paid Advertising:
Last but not least, paid advertising is crucial. You can run Ads campaign within the eCommerce platforms or external.
Different social media platforms have different Ads campaign for you to choose from. e.g. CPC ads, CPM ads, video ads, banner ads, etc.
Due to China released new Advertising policy few years ago. All the Ads publisher need to follow the basic Advertising policy guidelines.
To avoid Ads violations, you have to read Chinese advertising policy carefully. Or ask a Chinese agency to help you with that.
Wrapping Up
The journey into the vast China market involves some essential steps. We’ve covered a lot, from understanding the market’s potential to safeguarding your brand with trademark protection.
Setting up your online store on the Chinese eCommerce platforms and leveraging Chinese social media for marketing are crucial moves. Paid advertising also plays a key role in making your mark in this competitive arena.
Remember, embracing cultural insights and making informed choices are your keys to succeed in selling your products to China market. Whether you’re showcasing products online or crafting ads, adapting to the China market is your way forward. Share your thoughts below, and thanks for exploring these insights with us!
I wonder how to get the latest version of the app and how to complete the registration process
Hi, are you trying to use Chinese eCommerce app to buy products? or trying to open a online shop on Chinese eCommerce platforms? If you’re trying to open a online shop in China. We can assist you. And We will also assist you to market your products/service/brand in China.