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June 6, 2013
Branding,
FMCG,
Trends
May 2, 2013 |
0 Comments
Nobody’s Hero: Foreign Formula Runs Afoul
Nobody’s Hero: Foreign Formula Runs Afoul
LVMH is China’s favorite luxury brand, but its most coveted luxury good is safe dairy. Chinese shoppers and the pursuit of dairy has led to empty shelves in Australian groceries, British rationing and border clampdowns in HK. International supplies to sate domestic demand is a recurring theme in China, accelerated after 2008 melamine-formula crisis and ever-sensitive in the wake recurring food safety scandal and outbreaks of contagion. Compared with other food and beverage sub-sectors like fast food and cola, foreign dairy maintains a healthy public image. That image, however, has taken a beating in recent weeks. The culprits? Switzerland’s Hero Group and China’s Xile Lier. ...Read More
e-Commerce,
Electronics
April 24, 2013 |
0 Comments
Back to the Future: Xiaomi’s ROM Machine
Back to the Future: Xiaomi’s ROM Machine
Smartphones are changing China: used by nearly 50% of China’s 1.3 billion, 70% of mobiles sold are smart. China’s smartphone market, however, might be changing even faster. In the past 12 months, Samsung is ascendant and Huawei is rising fast. European heavyweights are marginalized, while early innovators like Apple have big margins along with market share and PR challenges. Xiaomi, China’s most intriguing local manufacturer, has been relatively quiet for the past year. 2013 promises big change for the Beijing-based tech firm, according a report from the current issue of Caixin. ...Read More
Lifestyle,
Trends
April 6, 2013 |
0 Comments
Paper idols: China’s gift industry up in flames
Paper idols: China’s gift industry up in flames
Chinese consumers agree: it is better to give than receive, especially on Tomb Sweeping Day. A day of remembrance, Tomb Sweeping also finds China taking advantage of a rare chance for over-the-top gift giving traditions. In a role reversal, self-indulgence and individuality increasingly drive purchases in the Middle Kingdom, while gifting to others has suffered a recent spate of restrictions. Big gifts for boss are discouraged and gifting adverts have been taken off air. Can an ancient holiday reverse recent trends? ...Read More
Branding,
FMCG,
Lifestyle
March 25, 2013 |
0 Comments
Chinese luxury: Will Beijing kill bling?
Chinese luxury: Will Beijing kill bling?
For a long time, selling luxury in China was easy. Or so it seemed. Sales and profits were astronomical and rising; expansion jumped from the highrise heights of Beijing and Shanghai to cities practically unknown outside of the mainland. The goods news is that luxury is still growing fast at 8%. But challenges are many, and multiplying, for different segments of the luxury market, specifically “political-industrial luxury” and “aspirational luxury.” ...Read More
FMCG,
Hospitality,
Lifestyle
March 15, 2013 |
0 Comments
Withdrawal symptoms: China’s rice wine market
Withdrawal symptoms: China’s rice wine market
Alcohol consumption, even over-consumption, carries a certain air of respectability in China. Important businessmen and great poets alike are expected to hold their liquor. But in recent months, boozing has gotten a bad name. As government officials run up the bar tab, the public has wondered “who can change China’s banquet culture?" The answer has been a year-long crackdown on liquid consumption as part of a long-running anti-corruption campaign. When will the hangover end for China’s baijiu industry? ...Read More
Branding,
FMCG,
Wellness
March 2, 2013 |
0 Comments
Nowhere fast: KFC’s China future
Nowhere fast: KFC’s China future
Is it time to downgrade the “credit rating” of foreign food sellers in China? Ongoing safety scandals involving KFC and other upmarket brands have garnered unwanted attention for foreign food from customers and regulators. While scandal is commonplace for domestic Chinese food and beverage makers, foreign companies have managed to maintain an image of health and safety, even when it comes to fast food and sweets. Those healthy images are now under interrogation in an environment where low public trust in food quality has spawned a cottage industry of home safety devices from smartphone apps to home chemical testers. Can foreign food stay a healthy choice? ...Read More
Branding,
Electronics
February 2, 2013 |
0 Comments
Huawei or the highway: China’s telco trials
Huawei or the highway: China’s telco trials
Huawei, China's telecommunicaitons giant, had a great 2012, surpassing Ericsson in H1 revenue and achieving 250% sales growth in mobile handsets. At the same time, the company was plagued by scandals that put its legitimacy in question. Congress warned American companies to choose vendors other than Huawei, this after previous M&A efforts in 2008 and 2011 were shot down due to security concerns. 2013 is already off to a rocky start: the company's CFO was recently tied to a firm that tried to bypass the military embargo on Iran. Baggage like this undermines Huawei's efforts to become a leading consumer brand like Samsung or even HTC. ...Read More
Branding,
e-Commerce,
Electronics,
Trends
January 22, 2013 |
0 Comments
Decent Exposure: Suning’s new O2O gambit
Decent Exposure: Suning’s new O2O gambit
Suning was once known as China's largest offline electronics retailer. These days, the company is one of the country's largest online purveyors of apparel, food, and white goods. Suning's online sales are made on its Yigou platform or through integration with other e-tailers, and are delivered using the retailer's own courier company. But while China's online commerce is booming, it is also the scene of recurring price wars. Meanwhile, Suning still has plenty of storefront offline, where rising rents and payroll costs bite into margins. The company is now looking at ways to use offline assets to promote online sales. Here's a glimpse of what's in store. ...Read More
e-Commerce,
Electronics
December 19, 2012 |
0 Comments
Strategic map: Baidu’s path to mobile relevance
Strategic map: Baidu’s path to mobile relevance
China's leading online search giant is in trouble. While Tencent dominates social media, Alibaba controls retail and online payments, and Qihoo makes headway in mobile search, Baidu looks inert. For half a decade, the search giant was the gateway to China's online world. These days, traffic behind the great firewall is increasingly determined by mobile, social, and vertical search. Baidu hopes that a mobile hardware offering would enable it to regain lost ground. But the company's real challenge—and opportunity—lies elsewhere on the map. ...Read More



e-Commerce, Trends
June 4, 2013 | 0 Comments
Retail Megatrends: Online Rise, Foreign Fall
Retail Megatrends: Online Rise, Foreign Fall
Retail in China increasingly means online retail. So says the “China Retail 100”, a report produced by the China General Chamber of Commerce. 2012 was the first year the report took account of online retail and the results were revealing: sales from China’s largest online retailers grew 113% faster than offline retail, with nearly half (49.6) of all retail sales growth in 2012 generated online (more in Chinese here). When that number crosses 50% in 2013, who stands to profit? ...Read More
Hospitality, Lifestyle
May 21, 2013 | 0 Comments
After the Goldrush: China’s National Vacations
After the Goldrush: China’s National Vacations
“Chinese dream” is the new party slogan, but of what do the Chinese dream? Wealth, national power and…travel. Chinese tourists abroad make headlines, and for good reason: the growing wave of outbound travelers shapes everything from luxury pricing in Europe to factory outlets in US. Domestic tourism, however, is proving just as lucrative. Many early travelers were businessmen, but an online travel revolution has marshaled an army of price comparison and booking sites for everything from plane and train tickets to hotel rooms. The biggest obstacle to the emerging domestic tourist industry? The answer is, strangely enough, vacation time. ...Read More
e-Commerce, Trends
May 7, 2013 | 0 Comments
App yours: Can Amazon save Google in China?
App yours: Can Amazon save Google in China?
Last weekend, Amazon China launched a virtual store offering both free and paid mobile apps. The apps are all Android-based, putting Amazon ahead of Google in the quest to monetize the latter's proprietary operating system. But what seems like one more missed opportunity for Google China might actually be the company's saving grace. ...Read More