{"id":13193,"date":"2023-11-04T06:30:31","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T06:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=13193"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:05:12","slug":"how-to-engage-chinese-consumers-at-home-and-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/how-to-engage-chinese-consumers-at-home-and-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"How to engage Chinese consumers at home and abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Providing consumers with an \u2018experience\u2019 is essential for brands entering and operating in China. This was one of the key messages from CBBC\u2019s most recent China Chat event, which took place on 25 October 2023 at CBBC member Sybarite\u2019s London offices<\/h2>\n

Now that China is firmly free from the spectre of Covid controls, brands in China and the UK are naturally asking questions about the current state of the China market, what we can expect from the new cohort of Chinese consumers, and how to meet Chinese consumers\u2019 expectations.<\/p>\n

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One of the key takeways from CBBC\u2019s October 2023 China Chat event was that whilst China\u2019s economic growth appears to have plateaued, brands should not lose faith in the market. Despite reported concerns over the country\u2019s macroeconomic slowdown, China Chat speakers Antoaneta Becker (Director, Consumer Economy at the China-Britain Business Council); Simon Mitchell (Co-Founder of Sybarite); Champa Selim (Deputy Director of Greater China and Southeast Asia at Bicester Village), and William Lyon (CEO and Cofounder of ArcOn Brands) , all expressed positive impressions of bustling Chinese shopping districts.<\/p>\n

China is still a \u201cwonderful market\u201d said Simon Mitchell, adding that it still presents many opportunities for Western brands. Although there is now fierce competition in the market as local brands gain popularity, there is still a desire amongst consumers for Western brands. Provinces such as Guangdong, nearby Southeast Asian Countries, and places such as Hong Kong, are hugely benefitting from a boom in Chinese tourism.<\/p>\n

However, the number of Chinese tourists travelling further afield has dipped when compared to pre-Covid levels. This was reflected in China\u2019s recent week-long National Day Holiday, known as \u2018Golden Week\u2019. Anecdotally, Champa Selim said that Bicester Village did not witness the same influx of tourism as in 2019. There are several explanations for this, including the fact that flights are still costly and have not returned to pre-Covid levels of availability. It will take time to get back up to pre-Covid levels.<\/p>\n