China, unlike many other countries, has a very fast-paced market development,
and online plays a significant role. By Fifi Kao
Doing business development, branding and marketing in China’s wellness market can be complex, especially if foreign enterprises are unfamiliar with its regulatory environment. Conducting market research and observing local success cases are crucial. Through in-depth market research, brands can identify the purchasing behavior and preferences of target audiences, as well as determine the latest trends in the Chinese wellness market to stay ahead of competitors.
Health and wellness culture is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Foreign brands must do their homework before launching operations in China. To succeed, foreign brands must understand the industry they are trying to enter and establish trusted, deep connections with the customers they will serve.
Many foreign brands have experience in establishing physical stores offline in China, but they are not familiar with the rules of online marketing in China. This article summarizes some online marketing strategies for brands and opening up the market.
Position your brand image and improve visibility with chinese search engines
As seen in the previous data, the Chinese health and wellness market is vast. Therefore, understanding competitors is not only helpful for keeping up with trends but also for making profitable business decisions.
Unlike other countries, Baidu is the dominant search engine in China instead of Google. Increasing visibility on Baidu and other search engines is crucial. Overcoming language barriers is a challenge foreign companies must face when expanding their influence on local search engines. To improve user experience and website indexing on Baidu, content must be in simplified Chinese.
Thus, content should not only be translated into Chinese but also adjusted for localization based on the cultural background, preferences, and trends of the health and wellness market. This includes using appropriate and memorable names, keywords, phrases, and references to attract local Chinese consumers interested in the product. A clear and effective example is giving foreign products with difficult names an imaginative, adorable, memorable, and easily spreadable name. For example, Lancôme’s “Advanced Genifique Sensitive” serum is remembered by Chinese users as the “Xiao Hei Ping” which means the Little Black Bottle became the name which is easy to remember.
Using Chinese domain names and hosting on local servers in China can also improve ranking opportunities in random search results. By taking this step, the website’s loading speed on local servers will also be faster.
Open a store on local online marketplaces
China has several mainstream e-commerce platforms, each with its unique target audience and advantages. The most well-known platforms include Tmall (especially Tmall International for international brands), JD.com, and Xiao Hong Shu (Little Red Book), mainly used for promotion.
If selling high-end health and wellness products, then the user base of Tmall, Xiaohongshu, and JD.com might be more suitable for brand positioning. Localization is crucial when listing products on these platforms. From branding to actual marketing strategies, non-local brands must adjust everything to fit the subtle differences and preferences of China and comply with the regulatory requirements permitted by the platform. China has strict and specific regulatory requirements for health-related products. It is essential to strictly adhere to specific laws from the outset, including certification and labeling requirements, which are crucial for product listings on e-commerce platforms.
Promote products through Chinese social media platforms
To increase visibility in the local wellness market, new brands can effectively utilize Chinese social media platforms such as Xiao Hong Shu, Weibo, WeChat, and Douyin (the China version of TikTok). Each platform has its positioning, targeting various unique user groups in the vast Chinese market, providing different content styles suitable for various marketing needs.
For example, Xiao Hong Shu and Weibo are suitable for viral marketing, disseminating various health knowledge and sharing various experiential wellness results, especially Xiao Hong Shu, which has the potential of replacing Chinese search engine Baidu. Short videos on platforms like WeChat and Douyin TikTok disseminate information about wellness products and services.
Brands can use these social media channels to strengthen their influence in the Chinese market, build deeper relationships with Chinese consumers, and increase brand awareness.
Collaborating with local KOLs and bloggers
Collaborating with local key opinion leaders (KOLs) and bloggers is an effective way to make Chinese consumers aware of your brand and build trust. KOLs and bloggers have huge follower bases on Chinese social media and often have extensive brand influence. By establishing partnerships with these individuals, brands can directly reach and attract target audiences.
Engage with Chinese consumers through local forums
Around 60% of Chinese online shoppers opt to search for reviews and feedback before buying a product or availing of a service. Utilizing user-generated content on local forums is by far the best strategy to garner a positive reputation for your wellness brand.
Foreign marketers can increase their visibility on these local forums by joining industry-related topics and discussions about the brand using an official account.
Having a solid presence on these online channels can also help your brand rank on Baidu, as this search engine is known to rank forum content well.
Regularly monitoring and updating market trends
With the continuous growth of China’s health and wellness market, competition in this industry is becoming increasingly fierce. As mentioned earlier, for foreign companies wishing to enter and operate in the Chinese market in the long term, understanding the preferences and behavior of local consumers and implementing localization strategies is crucial. Therefore, thorough market research is necessary to understand local competitors, target audiences, and regulatory requirements.
It is also important to note that China has a very fast-paced market development, much faster tha other countries. Therefore, continuous market research and updates are essential to keep up with the latest trends.
Market research can help brands identify the best practices to implement in the Chinese health market and ensure that their products and services align with local market demands. However, continuous learning of localization knowledge is also required afterward, identifying target audiences and purchasing behaviors, developing localized marketing strategies to adapt to local culture and preferences, increasing brand visibility and recognition, establishing partnerships with local KOLs and bloggers, while also complying with Chinese regulatory requirements and standards, and closely monitoring changes and developments in the local market.
If all of the above are done, then real progress can be made in the Chinese market.