Time for a Post COVID 19 Makeover

China Skinny has noted that Chinese consumers went straight to their hairdressers and beauty as soon as lockdown restrictions were relaxed. They wanted to make themselves look good again, and feel some degree of normality. With make-up, lipstick sales have dropped, but the spend on mascara, eyeliners and eye shadows have increased due to women wearing face masks in public. Chinese consumers are also much more relaxed about the use of big data and AI as they have seen how it used to help contain COVID 19. Beauty brands are now moving into the 'beauty tech' space to exploit this and market more strategically.

Chinese Consumer Preferences

China Skinny always have their fingers on the Chinese consumer's pulse. In one their recent newsletters, they highlighted 5 things to remember about the Chinese marketplace.

1. Find out where Chinese consumers shop, why they do so, and what strategies have other businesses used that have either worked or failed. Consumer preferences vary widely and are becoming more sophisticated. Also be aware that the Chinese government wants to build a stable internal economy, so will be encouraging the rise of domestic brands and protection of their IP.

2. Be bold with marketing - on and offline.

3. Obviously look at the Tier 1 and 2 cities, but don't forget about the potential of smaller cities. The most landlocked province in China was the number one seller of bikinis online per capita!

4. Have a flexible, long-term strategy in China. Keep informed about what is going on and adapt quickly.

5. Be true to your product and brand. Understand your market, the available opportunities, and how your products or services best fit into that market.

Consumer Purchasing Trends in China

The world is getting ever smaller owing to improved technology and transportation. But with the opportunities this increased global reach brings us, comes the complexities of understanding an international customer base. In this issue of Insights (Heath Research's newsletter), we highlight two websites that will help you gain this wider perspective: China Skinny and the Economist Intelligence Unit. Also find out about SimilarWeb, another online resource to add to your analytics toolkit.