# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As pretty much anyone can attest to, veganism is the new focus in beauty, eclipsing the obsession with sulfates (and lack thereof), parabens (and lack thereof), pollution-eschewing skincare items, and even organic and natural fare. It's become hip (for good reason) in the past few years, resulting in a rise in vegan skincare and makeup offerings, of course, but also in everything from condiments to vegan leather clothing and accessories. At Milk Makeup, we make our products vegan because it's a no-brainer: they're friendlier to the earth; they're friendlier to your skin, and they offer major payoff without any compromise. Veganism, however, can be a...confusing...concept, so we made this guide to clear up any confusion.
What Makes A Product Vegan?
First, what exactly is vegan skincare and makeup? A product that is vegan does not contain any animal ingredients, nor animal-derived ingredients. This includes honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, albumen, carmine, cholesterol, gelatin, and many others. To figure out if a product you're interested in using is vegan, start by scanning the label and packaging. The best way to know a product is vegan is to read the full ingredient list and confirm for yourself. It's a lot easier to do research at home than trying to understand some of the unregulated terms used in packaging.
Regulation Of Cosmetics
Because the FDA only regulates beauty products, it benefits you to align with brands who are transparent about what goes into - and what's left out of - their products. And it definitely behooves you to be familiar with the ingredients in what you're slathering on your face and body. If you're interested in switching to vegan makeup and skincare, it's helpful to know that for any animal byproduct, there's now the ability to create safe alternatives that still offer rad results.
Cruelty-Free And Vegan: Not Necessarily Interchangeable
Animal testing is another important consideration. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (regulated by the Food and Drug Administration) prohibits the sale of mislabeled and "adulterated" cosmetics, but doesn't require that animal tests be conducted to ensure that cosmetics are safe in the U.S. However, the Chinese government conducts mandatory animal tests on all cosmetic products imported into the country. The government may also conduct animal tests on items pulled from store shelves. So, note that even if a cosmetics company does not test their products or ingredients on animals, if they sell their products in China, they cannot be considered cruelty-free. " Not all cruelty-free skincare and makeup products are vegan; vegan products imply not only no testing on animals, but also no use of animal products such as milk, honey, and lanolin," says New York City dermatologist Dr. Mary Stevenson. Knowing logos on labels can help navigate these distinctions.
Dermatological Difference
Replacing your products with vegan alternatives, even if it's just a few items, can have a massive impact on overall animal consumption. But when it comes to skincare and makeup, you don't want to have to sacrifice effectiveness or payoff, of course. You still want that gorgeous packaging and luxe color payoff (you deserve it, frankly), and the good news is that you can still get it! There are a bevy of excellent vegan products in the beauty space, and of course, Milk Makeup's offerings are now 100% vegan. We believe the ingredients you put on your skin really matter and we find safe synthetic and natural alternatives that have you covered in all the ways.

Even if you have yet to go vegan from a nutrition or even a fashion standpoint, there's never been a better time to take a vegan approach to your makeup and skincare, because you'll get the same, if not better quality and efficacy without compromising your values.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
We're Now 100% Vegan! Here's What That Means... | Milk Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As pretty much anyone can attest to, veganism is the new focus in beauty, eclipsing the obsession with sulfates (and lack thereof), parabens (and lack thereof), pollution-eschewing skincare items, and even organic and natural fare.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Chinese cosmetic market is to innovate or die. In fact, young Chinese consumers are looking for something new and are very sensitive to brand innovations ...

The art of beauty, an obsession for Man?

Beauty has changed significantly over time, but its place in society remains as important as ever. We have always had a deep interest in the body. And since this attention varies according to the times and the societies, we cannot really give a radical definition of beauty. It is penetrating, disturbing ... and omnipresent in our society.

Cosmetics, on the other hand, are hygiene and beautification products for the body. More generally, cosmetics is the art of beautifying things without transforming nature.

In China, for example, the Isana brand used Xiaogui (the Chinese Justin Bieber) to communicate on its new line.

Why innovate or die?

The Chinese market is becoming more and more competitive. Also, as sales growth subsides, foreign companies face stiff rivalry from local brands.

According to a report published by China Industry Information, the cosmetics market in China was expected to exceed RMB 400 billion at the end of 2018, with online transactions accounting for half of the market.

In April 2018, cosmetic product consumption revenues reached RMB 19.6 billion, with a growth rate of 15.1% compared to the same period last year. From January to April 2018, the cumulative consumption income of cosmetic products in China reached RMB 85.6 billion, an increase of 15.9% from year to year.

So, to stay on top and continue to dominate the market in China, cosmetic brands must meet the expectations of new Chinese customers. And this sophisticated clientele demands to be constantly dazzled and kept up with all kinds of original novelties.

What are the innovation tools of the Chinese cosmetic market?

Artificial intelligence will revolutionize Digital in China

Thanks to the rapid development of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, the cosmetics industry has been transformed to idealize and continuously improve the customer experience. We will mention the latest accessories and beauty tools which, in constant evolution, influence the traditional mode of make-up and skincare.

Thus, customers who used to buy pre-designed beauty masks, for example, can now make them themselves according to their taste and preferably via intelligent flower mask machines, designers of beauty formulas , etc. (Dailymail).

Small industrial machines for new retail consumption are a trend. However, new retail cosmetics have also taken a new turn.

Several types of new stores, such as the intelligent shopping guide system, the DIY self-service store, the cashless system, the consumer data algorithm system and the concept store... have made the success of the new retail terminal.

Take the example of the Chinese cosmetic brand Mariedalgar. Alibaba's Tmall, associated with the Mariedalgar, entered the unmanned lipstick vending machine. When consumers open the "TaoBao" application on the mobile phone and scan the QR code to follow the official Mariedalgar account on the Tmall store, then pay the lipstick, they simply remove the lipstick from the distributor. 'they have chosen.

According to statistics over the trial period of this new concept, nearly 1,600 lipsticks were sold in 3 days, and one lipstick was sold in one minute on average. The number of a machine sold in a single day is equivalent to the volume of offline meter sales per week. Thousands of devices are slated to be installed at multiple locations in China.

The popularity of social commerce

According to statistics, there are currently over a million "owned media" accounts on makeup. In addition, live streaming on the Taobao e-commerce site and on a short video platform, such as MiaoPai and DouYin, have spawned a large number of makeup brands and celebrities on the Internet.

In fact, it is now common in China for a business to cooperate with these celebrities on the Internet. For example, Antarctic e-commerce has signed an agreement with PONY, a celebrity in the Asian make-up sector to enter the field of IP creation of fashion personalities. The company has obtained the exclusive PONY operation in China, including all commercial rights for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

How to establish a connection between your cosmetic brand and Chinese customers?

1. Increase engagement with customers via social media

As the level of consumption has increased in China, customer behavior has also become more complex. Chinese customers pay attention not only to the quality and reputation of the product, but also to the lifestyle of the brands and their emotional resonance. For this, they get information on the Internet.

Brands therefore need to focus on digital communication with customers. Social media, as the most powerful tool, such as Weibo or WeChat, can give cosmetic brands an opportunity to reach and interact with their customers. Take WeChat as an example: you can create an H5 advertising model, publish it to your WeChat public account and pass it on to consumers who follow your brand. If not, you can simply publish it as paid advertising and run it when you are turning around WeChat. This method can communicate effectively with a dialogue mode and create a strong bond with your customers.

But remember, the content of these digital ads must be engaging and touching, and it must clearly express the characteristics and lifestyle of your brands.

2. Choose your KOL (Key Opinion Leader)

As one of the most influential factors in the cosmetic industry, the
Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) help consumers decide what to buy. For example, many customers will "do their homework" (做 功课 means researching reputation, effectiveness, and product functions) before purchasing cosmetics and skincare products from the Little Red Book . They will then check the KOL comments they have followed.

For that, there are many makeup bloggers on Weibo, who look like makeup celebrities on YouTube and Ins. These bloggers often post makeup videos.

In fact, they promote products from different brands and these videos encourage consumers to choose a brand and then buy a product.

Therefore, using KOL as a third-party media to communicate the idea of ​​your products and attract more consumers through word of mouth marketing is a good way to promote your brand.

E-commerce platforms represent around half of the total volume of transactions, Tmall and JD.com being the two Chinese giants. Cross-border e-commerce is dominated by Netease Kaola in 2018.

Choosing to cooperate with these platforms can not only solve the problem of lack of sales channels, but also get detailed data on consumer behavior. In the context of big data, brands can better understand their customers thanks to this data.

For example, Tmall can track the purchase history of
customers, analyze their purchasing habits and preferences, then
broadcast ads and products corresponding to their needs and
desires.

This platform is a good place where brands can learn about consumer trends of Chinese customers and fully understand their potential customers.

It is
essential to know where your customers are and how to contact them by the
through different types of marketing channels in a complex context. The
combining these methods can create great value for your brand.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
▷ Digital Trends in the Beauty Market in China 2020 - CWT Advertising Essex

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Chinese cosmetic market is to innovate or die. In fact, young Chinese consumers are looking for something new and are very sensitive to brand innovations ... Beauty has changed significantly over time, but its place in society remains as important as ever. We have always had a deep interest in the body.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
chinese market size beauty - Google Search

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The booming male beauty market in China - Daxue Consulting ... 800 × 390 - 34k - jpg daxueconsulting.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skincare market in China overview

Skincare market in China sales volume reached 26.5$ billion, representing 50% of the total cosmetic market's sales revenues in 2017 - twice as much as the world average. Skincare products in China are seen as essentials among Chinese women. In 2017, the sales volume of skincare products in China amounted to 50% of all sales in the Chinese cosmetics market.

Changes in purchasing behavior in the Skincare market in China

For years, Chinese skincare consumers have traditionally been price sensitive and therefore focused on the mass market segment. This gave skincare market in China a pattern made of high market penetration (95% in 2016) and a particularly low spending per capita compared with other markets.

However, since the last few years, skincare in China has been going through declining market penetration. Since then, the skincare category has started to become more quality-driven vs price-driven.

Chinese skincare consumers are spending more

Chinese women have been paying more attention to their skincare habits over the past few years. Three main points can be highlighted for 2017 in the Skincare market in China:

1. 90 percent of female consumers increased their spending on skincare products in China.

2. 58 percent of Chinese female skincare consumers upgraded their purchasing habit by switching to the favorite brand's premium product line.

3. 36 percent of Chinese female skincare consumers left their favorite brand behind and started purchasing more expensive brands.

The willingness to invest more money into better quality and, therefore, more premium products has considerably increased. Spending more money also goes along with sharpening product knowledge to ensure they choose the option that best fits their expectations.

Market trends and drivers in the Chinese beauty market

Skin care products in China

Serums as a complex product that Chinese consumers have yet to master

Serums in China generates the largest number of Baidu search results. Baidu searches tend to focus on the role and function of serum, showing local consumers have limited knowledge but great interest in serums. Due to the complexity of such product (easily mixed-up with essence and boosters), Chinese skincare consumers seek to understand the product functions and how to properly use it in their beauty routine.

Face masks are an increasingly popular item among skincare consumers in China

The Baidu search for face masks comprises both sheet and cream masks, two popular products among the local audience. Results are composed of both product recommendations and product tutorial content, which demonstrates different levels of knowledge about the product.

Face cream is already well-known Skincare product in the Chinese beauty market

Search results for face cream in China are focused on product recommendations and face cream's sales ranking, showing consumers select their products on a rational basis. Lancôme and Estée Lauder appear in the relevant search results for face cream, showing top-of-mind awareness among Chinese consumers on this product segment.

The top Chinese skincare brands

Chinese skincare brands' presence on the Chinese skincare market has significantly grown over the past few years. They are now gaining market share over long-established foreign players such as L'Oréal Paris and also boast a better market share growth. Local brands implement a more aggressive PR strategy involving brand ambassadors (Singer Jay Chou for Pechoin, TFBoys for Chando) and TV show endorsements (The Voice of China for Pechoin, If You Are The One for Kans, Street Dance of China for One Leaf) to quickly boost their awareness among their target audience.

Top 6 Chinese skincare brands in terms of market share in 2017:

Male skincare: A promising market segment

The male skincare segment grew by 18.5% in terms of sales volume between 2013 and 2017. According to a recent study conducted by Weibo, male users' interest in skincare products is growing so fast that male consumers nearly double their spending on skincare products every year.

Besides, for male skincare, face cream is the most popular SKU among Chinese men, but the face mask is quickly catching up.

Most common marketplaces to buy skincare products among Chinese consumers

In China, consumers tend to buy skincare products mainly from such marketplaces as an exclusive store, supermarket, online, or agencies.

Also, the information channels for skincare products in China shows that an increasingly complex purchasing decision process is basing on a plurality of sources. Product safety is a key concern for local consumers when it comes to purchasing skincare products. In fact, 90% of them admit going through extensive research before purchasing any product. As a result, they rely on an increasingly complex data collection process based on a wide range of online and offline channels.

Moreover, Chinese consumers tend to favor product reviews shared by market experts and other consumers. This is the reason why online channels, where consumers can access specialized KOLs reviews (e.g., BBS, official WeChat accounts) and other consumers' comments (e.g., on social media platforms and 3rd party platforms like Tmall), have such significant influence on the Chinese consumer's decision-making process.

Tighter regulations as the Chinese skincare market matures

On January 10th, 2019, the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released a report tightening the supervision and inspection of cosmetic products with any medical-related terms. To avoid confusion between cosmetics and medicines/pharmaceuticals, any cosmetic packaging or specification is forbidden to bear curative effects, promoting medical effects, or using medical terms. Any product registered as "cosmetic product," but presented as a cosmeceutical product will be considered illegal.

Digital marketing for skincare products in the China

Online promotion combined with social channels is essential for brands to achieve success in the Chinese skincare market

China has 1.39 billion people, with 820 million Internet users, accounting for 59% of the total population, and 788 million mobile terminals, accounting for 57% of the population. With a large number of internet users in China (more than half of the total population), online communication is becoming a necessary branding and promotional method for cosmetics brands in China. In recent years, the amount of internet users has grown steadily, and the amount of social media users has grown significantly. The online growth rate of the beauty industry is 11 times that of the offline growth rate.

What's more, top Chinese social media platforms drive a significant amount of online traffic, such as WeChat and Weibo with hundreds of millions of active users per month. Online video platforms such as IQiyi, Tencent and Youku also carry huge traffic that can convey information to a large audience. Live-streaming and short video are new rising channels that are also effective. These platforms give brands a great opportunity to expose their brands and products.

Skincare market in China: development of Chinese social media and the rise of KOLs

KOLs play a crucial role in the marketing of beauty-related products in China. The interactive communication of mobile social platforms enables brands to establish a connection with consumers more effectively and pertinently, and KOLs serve as a bridge to guide communication among consumers in the Skincare market in China. When KOLs post on Weibo, consumers buy immediately at a conversion rate of 1.5%. 56% of the influence value in the Chinese beauty market is from KOLs and only 19% from Chinese social media.

Successful KOL promotion case in China, SK-II: A celebrity and fashion KOL crossover

Leveraging super topics (a specific section of Weibo which operates like a forum and allows brands to monitor the most popular hashtags and follow conversations based on topics) with the influence of celebrity and vertical KOLs is a method by which it is possible to greatly enhance brand awareness and generate large exposure to consumers, getting higher view volumes through deep interactions with social audiences.

SK-II's promotion activity in 2017, the super topic "#Pursuit of beauty has no boundaries#," got great attention, with 66.58m views and 56K discussions. Celebrity Chen Bolin, top fashion KOL Li Yilin, and gogoboi went to the "Devil City" in the desert, going far, challenging the limits, and led to high SK-II super topic forwarding rate and brand exposure.

WeChat strengthens daily communication between Chinese skincare brand and consumers

WeChat has a huge user base of 1.08 billion active users per month, and it tends to be more active in the information exchanged with consumers. As an important method of information publishing, WeChat public accounts reconstruct the relationship between enterprises and consumers.

Popular Wechat cosmetics KOLs case: A WeChat "celebrity" curating beauty-related content for her fans

Xiao manman xiao (小蛮蛮小) is one of the earliest bloggers to share their lifestyle and shopping products online in China. Through years of personal accounts operation, Xiao manman xiao has built a personal image, covering Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and WeChat platforms. On her public account, Xiao manman Xiao constantly shares her favorite and most useful products on her social media platforms, with detailed information and embedded purchase links. Thanks to her solid foundation in the beauty recommendation area and trustworthy image, her platform generates high sales conversion rates.

On Women's Day, Xiao manman xiao held a sales campaign of Xiao manman xiao co-limited hair removal machine, which was welcomed by fans.

Promote your Skincare products in China with Weibo's power

From 2018 to 2019, the number of Weibo users continues to grow. As of January 2019, Weibo monthly active users reached 320 million. For the younger generation of cosmetic consumers, Weibo has become one of the most important platforms for obtaining and exchanging beauty information.

Popular Weibo cosmetics KOLs case: A Korean cosmetics KOL influencing Chinese consumers

Coming from Korea, Pony started to write a beauty blog in 2008. Since then, she has been sharing the most trendy make-up skills, and fashionable makeup looks to the public. Her makeup techniques are famous for easy-to-apply, practical. By sharing online makeup tutorials and unique makeup techniques, she has become one of the most influencing cosmetics KOL in both Korea and China, In 2016, she opened an account on Weibo and attracted 2.5 million fans within just 8 months. In addition, she usually posts make-up tutorial video & lucky draw and product recommendation via video. Females born in the '90s make up 90% of total followers.

Digital marketing in China for skincare products with the help of Xiaohongshu

Xiaohongshu, also is known as "Red," is one of the largest and fastest growing social E-commerce apps in China.

So how Xiaohongshu leads to more brand discovery and impulse buying?

Customer randomly browses other users' product reviews, then stumble across an interesting post or product, and lead to the product page, finally purchasing.

Popular RED cosmetics KOLs case: Celebrities sharing products as beauty bloggers is a new trend

Nana Ouyang is a Taiwanese cellist and actress born in 2000. She was born in a family of artists, learning cello since childhood, and is now a student at Berkeley's music college, which helps her build a positive youth image. Best known for her TV and reality shows, she is ranked 100th on the list of the most commercially valuable celebrities of 2018. Thanks to her sweet appearance, lovely personality, and outstanding talent, she has now accumulated over 14 million Weibo fans and nearly 5 million fans on Xiaohongshu.

In her vlog, Nana Ouyang shares different aspects of her life, which is appealing to her fans. She also recommends her favorite products as an influential KOL on Weibo and Xiaohongsu. She has posted over 120 times on Xiaohongshu, forming an authoritative voice among her audience. The brands she recently recommended are Armani, Dyson, LA MER, CPB, TOM FORD.

Opportunities for international skincare brands in China

The skincare segment in China represents a particularly high share of the cosmetic market (50%). This well-established presence of Skincare products in China makes the market mature and the consumers savvy. China's skincare market is going through a "premiumization" stage, in which local consumers are willing to pay a higher price for higher quality products.

Well-established foreign brands will benefit from this "premiumization" as the local consumers still consider them as trustworthy and reliable. International brands can, therefore, capitalize on its Western origins and expertise to establish their reputation and nurture consumer trust.

Also, the male beauty market is a promising niche. Chinese men have become quickly interested in skincare products. According to a recent study conducted by social media platform Weibo among its users, male consumers nearly double their spending on skincare every year, and the market segment grew by 18.5% in terms of sales volume between 2013 and 2017.

International brands need both to establish the brand in China in the right way so that it can communicate its positioning correctly, and to increase its brand exposure so that more consumers can discover the brand, understand it, and therefore purchase it.

Author: Zichun LI
Make the new economic China Paradigm positive leverage for your business
Do not hesitate to reach out our project managers at dx@daxue-consulting.com to get all answers to your questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Business opportunities: Development of Skincare market in China | Daxue

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Skincare market in China sales volume reached 26.5$ billion, representing 50% of the total cosmetic market's sales revenues in 2017 - twice as much as the world average. Skincare products in China are seen as essentials among Chinese women. In 2017, the sales volume of skincare products in China amounted to 50% of all sales in the Chinese cosmetics market.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Photograph: courtesy WEI Beauty

Over the past few years, South Korean products have dominated the beauty scene around the world. However, with homegrown beauty brands on the rise, consumers are turning to C-beauty products instead because of the use of natural and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ingredients - think cordyceps, Pu'er tea and plenty of ginseng. New to C-beauty? Here are a few of the top brands to try now.

Kans

Founded in Shanghai in 2002, Kans is one of the newest players on the C-beauty scene but it has already grown to become one of the top ten brands in China's online cosmetics market. It's also one of the brands involved in FutureIsClean, a campaign that promotes the use of clean technologies like the use of solar and wind energy. One of its most popular products is the Hydra Re-Plumping Toner (285RMB), which uses four kinds of hyaluronic acid and the brand's 'star ingredient', double bacteria fermentation, to moisturise skin and promote moisture retention. Find the brand in Watsons and on here on Tmall.

Herborist

One of the few Chinese beauty brands to have an international reach, Herborist, founded in 1998, opened a flagship store in Paris' Avenue de l'Opéra a few years back. Known for incorporating TCM and natural herbs into its products, the brand also has a line of makeup that includes CC creams, primers, blushes and lipsticks apart from the usual skincare offerings. Its best-sellers however are still its line of skincare, particularly the taiji product line (from 380RMB) that are all based on the theory of yin and yang have herbal extracts like lotus seeds, agarwood, magnolia, perilla and ginseng. Find its products here on Jingdong.

Read more

The camera adds ten pounds, but only if it isn't one of these

Read more

Kans

Founded in Shanghai in 2002, Kans is one of the newest players on the C-beauty scene but it has already grown to become one of the top ten brands in China's online cosmetics market. It's also one of the brands involved in FutureIsClean, a campaign that promotes the use of clean technologies like the use of solar and wind energy. One of its most popular products is the Hydra Re-Plumping Toner (285RMB), which uses four kinds of hyaluronic acid and the brand's 'star ingredient', double bacteria fermentation, to moisturise skin and promote moisture retention. Find the brand in Watsons and on here on Tmall.

Herborist

One of the few Chinese beauty brands to have an international reach, Herborist, founded in 1998, opened a flagship store in Paris' Avenue de l'Opéra a few years back. Known for incorporating TCM and natural herbs into its products, the brand also has a line of makeup that includes CC creams, primers, blushes and lipsticks apart from the usual skincare offerings. Its best-sellers however are still its line of skincare, particularly the taiji product line (from 380RMB) that are all based on the theory of yin and yang have herbal extracts like lotus seeds, agarwood, magnolia, perilla and ginseng. Find its products here on Jingdong.

The camera adds ten pounds, but only if it isn't one of these

Read more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The best Chinese beauty brands you can find in Shanghai

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Over the past few years, South Korean products have dominated the beauty scene around the world. However, with homegrown beauty brands on the rise, consumers are turning to C-beauty products instead because of the use of natural and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ingredients - think cordyceps, Pu'er tea and plenty of ginseng.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With a booming beauty industry worth some £28 billion, China has been a tantalising prospect for beauty brands wanting to crack a more global market for years - except for one thing. Historically, the Chinese government has required all cosmetic brands to submit their products for animal testing if they want to sell them in China, despite how safe they may have otherwise been proven to be.

Of course, many brands balk at this prospect and, after years of lobbying, the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS) has announced that the Chinese government has approved nine non-animal based methods, with the new legislation coming into play in 2020.
Read more: The 7 Beauty Products Worth Queuing For
According to a release, the new regulations will become the preferred testing method for the registration and pre-market approval of products.

The IIVS has worked with China's National Medical Products Association (NMPA) to help modernise its regulatory efforts and move away from animal testing. A lot of the work done by the IIVS has been to convince the relevant Chinese authorities of the reliability and safety of in vitro methods.
Read more: The Best Places To Shop For K-Beauty In The UK
The new legislation is slated to take effect on January 1 2020 - news that we're sure will thrill beauty and animal lovers in China, and around the globe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
China Will No Longer Require Animal Testing On Cosmetic Products

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With a booming beauty industry worth some £28 billion, China has been a tantalising prospect for beauty brands wanting to crack a more global market for years - except for one thing. Historically, the Chinese government has required all cosmetic brands to submit their products for animal testing if they want to sell them in China, despite how safe they may have otherwise been proven to be.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cosmetics in China: Top Brand Marketing Strategies to Unlock the Beauty Market

In this Article, we will analyze China's Cosmetics Market, Trends and, Marketing Strategies that Brands have to use to Sell in China.

The Cosmetics Market in China: a Gold Mine

Why?

Firstly, it is the largest market in the world

Further, it is an Extremely Dynamic market

Finally, consumers are ready to spend more for higher quality

Chinese Female consumers spend more and more on cosmetics and Personal Care products and this trend does not seem to be slowing down. China's beauty market is on the way to become the world's largest in terms of sales and market shares by the end of 2020

How to explain the boom of the cosmetics market in China?

1. The rise of the Chinese middle class and its appetite for all consumer goods- especially Beauty brands.

2. Total Cosmetics &Beauty Products revenues retail sales of skin care products in China reached RMB255 billion in 2018.

3. China Market is one of the fastest-growing countries among major beauty markets for growth.

Beauty Trends in China In cosmetic: Higher Prices = better Quality
A survey (of OG&C Consultant) explained that 58% of Chinese People claimed that they want a more expensive product, while 36% of Chinese Consumers upgraded to more premium brands.

39% of Chinese Beauty Consumers explained that better ingredients and better functionality were the key reasons for their switch to premium brands

Luxury Cosmetics in China on the Rise

For consumers in China, social status is very important.

The average Chinese consumer, use luxury Brands or expensive products as a way to show off their wealth. Chinese are "new Consumer", as a result, they tend to prefer higher-priced items because Higher is better.

Top Beauty Brands are benefiting from this strong appetite for "Cosmetics" and popular Products are anti-aging treatments (even to young ladies),

International Brand First

For many Chinese girls, foreign brands are "more attractive". There is a kind of "premium selection " that comes with French brands that makes them a favorite among shoppers. International branding is key to catch this segment of the market.

1. French & European Brands are seen as Innovative and High End.

2. Japanese Brands have also a good image in this Premium market.

3. Korean brands, Asian brands, and US brands have more mass Market positioning.

The problem of brand-loyalty in China

It is well known that consumers in China tend to have No-loyalty to brands, often trying a different brand however once they find one they like, they will stick to it.

What it means for you, is that you'll have to spend money to your customers, but once they are converts and are happy about your product, they will come back to it.

At the same time, Chinese Female Consumers are "very brand-conscious" - buying from "famous brands" as they believe higher prices equate to higher quality. Chinese consumers are now very focused on getting the best Product for Value and always comparing brands, so consumers' feedback has a huge impact on their decision.

Magic Keywords for Cosmetics in China: Natural, Green & Organic

In Asia and especially in China, the population is concerned about Scandals and pollution. Consumers have started to think about the outcome of the pollution on their health and skin. This growing awareness has been particularly beneficial to air purifiers companies and skin care brands. Meanwhile, the increasing awareness of environmental issues is pushing consumers to turn to more eco-friendly products labeled organic and natural.

Cosmeceuticals on the rise

Cosmeceuticals products are Popular because of double function: beauty and pharmaceutical function such as Skin Spot treatments, Skin brightening, acne treatment, anti-pollution etc

Chinese consumers are sensitive to products that provide internal benefits. The increasing popularity of multi-functional products like BB Creams and CC Creams is a good example of it.

In 2019, China has voted a law, forbidding to sell cosmetics product as a medical one. Platform have to enforce this law and brands have to adapt quickly has well. Undercover marketing would be the solution here: Kols, Pr, review.

Beauty for Men

We can see in China, an increase in Personal care of Young wealthy Men, especially in big cities. They go to the Gym, take care of their appearance and wear luxury clothes.

Brands are creating special line of products targetted at men

The Man cosmetic segment is estimated to reach 1.9 billion RMB by the end of 2019.

Influenced by Korean pop Culture, Chinese Male consumers are concerned about their their skin.

Most Male Consumers are still quite "conservative" and it is a Niche population that starts to use cosmetics.

Example of WeChat Campaign for La Mer China

Beauty Daily Routine is changing

Chinese females are using Skincare products earlier than the previous generation. Japan and Korea are the kings of it. They are using an average of 21 different products during their skin care routine. Look at some youtube tutorial, that is pretty impressive. The good news for cosmetics brands is that China is taking the same path strongly influenced by their neighbors but also by brands themselves.

Brands have been educating Millennials about the importance of good skin from an early age and an early stage of their cosmetics discovery journey

Chinese women are also adding more steps to their " daily beauty routine ". To the basic function of a facial cleanser and a moisturizing cream, they have added the application of a toner, an eye cream, and a serum.

Around 70-80% of the beauty consumers also use makeup remover, mask and sun protection cream on a daily basis, which leads to an average of 6-7 steps in their daily skincare routines.

Some parts of the Population (beauty "mature" women above 35 years old) were following "up" to 9 steps in their daily skincare routine.

The Web: a"huge influence on purchase habits

More than 90% of Chinese girls are influenced by Online Trends.

They are Checking Beauty news, and actively research new Products / Reviews :

Magazine of Beauty: inform and Give Brands News.

Influencers help to Guide consumers

E-commerce websites like Taobao l & JD

social media such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu

Chinese girls are spending on skincare products earlier...

1. A quarter of Generation Z (born after 1995) starting to use skincare products as early as 18 years old.

2. 80% of Millennials (born in the 90s) started to buy their own skincare products before they were 20 years old

3. 70-75% for those born in the 80s.

Cosmetics Brands Entering the Chinese Market

You have a Cosmetics Brand, Beauty brand and you want to enter the Chinese Market.

I'm certain you have heard a lot of Bad stories, and you already know that The Chinese Market is full of opportunities and danger.

To sum up the Cosmetics Market in China :

China is the most promising Market for cosmetic in the word.

Above all, it will be the biggest market in the world for almost every beauty Products

Almost every product category, demand is increasing

The best market for Foreign Brand. 80% of the market is dominated by international Brand

Chinese girls Consuming power increase year after year

Make-up is becoming more and more popular among women

The Beauty market is just in its early stage in China

90% Chinese Girls do research before buying Cosmetics Products

Generally speaking, consumers will spend hours doing researches before purchasing a beauty/ skin care product.

Chinese consumers spend a lot of Time comparing different type of cosmetics and products before taking any decision.

For instance, more than 90% of Girls admitted that they conduct extensive research before they buy skincare products. Online certainly plays a critical role in this research.

source OG&C Consultant

There is huge amount of information on skincare brands across multiple channels in China.

E-commerce websites such as T-Mall and JD are the main channels for browsing across brands and offerings, while social media also plays an essential role in building brand awareness and helping consumers develop product and brand knowledge.

Chinese Consumers use a different way to research information than in the west. Mainly because the tool available in China are different that in the west.

What are the Top 4 Marketing Keys for Cosmetics in China?

Chinese E-commerce Channels

These Platforms provides usually a lot of useful information for Buyers such as long and detailed product pages.

What consumers really care about is the comments section. However, most of these comments are not genuine, because of this well-known fact, consumers always check 3 rd party information, we will tell more about it a bit later.

Example Avene Tmall

To have a presence on these platforms is an absolute necessity for large Brands and far too expensive for small Medium Brand. However, tmall has just released a new service that targets small and mi size brand; It is called TOF or tmall oversea fulfillment;

Weibo

Weibo is the number one platform for Beauty KOL, cosmetics bloggers. It is the place where all Cosmetics Superstar starts to build their community. Most of them keep publishing on Weibo because it allows them to reach their fans and to get the virality of their posts. (Not the case of Wechat)

In addition, Female consumers usually follow several beauty bloggers because they like tutorials, Brand review and think it is a trustworthy source of information.

Tips For Weibo Marketing

The brand has to have a Weibo

1. Certified Weibo

2. Communication can be focused on the community but should also be commercial (discount, release, coupon etc...)

3. Brands should Use Sponsored Ads on Weibo There are efficient and relatively cheap..

4. An effective way to get exposure, and you can target the right users Ex: Female, 25-30, interest Cosmetics.

5. Create Games, Contest is a good way to engage.

Get all kinds of influencers to reach each segment of your target audience. Show that you are not only a brand with resources that can buy big Kols. By having your products reviewed and used by more "common" peoples, you are building credibility. Once you are credible, peoples will start recommending your brand.

Baidu

The Chinese Search Engine is still very efficient. Why? Because, as we mentioned earlier, consumers are looking for third party information. It is ultra-easy to make research on Baidu. Type your question and see the results.

Female users will use Baidu to :

1. Find a Solution to their Problem. It is a good way for them to find a product that can solve skin problems, find the tutorial for makeup or get feedback from users. They will actively search for Question&Answer or Conversation on Forums.

2. They will use Baidu to get feedback from users about Brands, especially before decided to buy a product. They will compare different Brands and will be influenced by comments or reviews of Users for each brand.

They will still consult the Brand Website. That is a good way to learn more about a brand but they know, no brands can be 100% objectives about their products. You would not say "hey my BB cream is great at protecting your skin from UV, however, it feels really sticky". That is exactly the kind of information consumers are looking for. The positive points as well as the negatives ones.

Tips for Baidu Marketing

Solely working on your own Website and traffic make no Sens in China because the user does not trust in corporate communication. They also don't purchase on a brand website but rather on e-commerce platform.

Having a Good looking Website is still necessary but most of the energy should focus on the Baidu ecosystem.

1. Q&A: Baidu Zhidao & Zhihu are a good source of information. Get positive feedback from your community is vital for Brand reputation. Further, you can help this page rank higher. Use Baidu, SEO to get maximum exposure

2. Forums: You have a lot of conversations on Forums about Beauty, and they can rank well if you optimize the Search Engine Visibility....

3. Media: Get your Brand information published on Media is a good way to get the trust of potential clients, optimize this publication on Baidu, to let them reach the first page on strategic keywords is a good move to influence Chinese Consumers.

Focus your SEO effort on the third-party website rather than on your own website. The goal is to maximize the Word of Mouth about your brand.

Retargeting works

Remarketing or Retargeting visitors to your website is a good strategy to get awareness. It is a Cost-Effective budget to increase the number of apparitions of the brand in front of users.

Smart business redirect clicks on Tmall or E-commerce platforms.

After 7-10 visuals contact with a brand, Chinese consumers will be more willing to buy their products. They will also found it reasonable to click on ads with discounts and make the purchase on Tmall - a platform they trust.

Further information on this Article or send us an email

WeChat: the perfect tool for a Newsletter

Consumers will be influenced by their friends, by the conversation that they can have on WeChat, or discussion that they can follow on groups.

The moment system is the best way for them to get personal feedback about Brands, but usually, they do not publish Brand Reviews.

Groups are a better source of discussion. Peoples discuss Brands, Solutions to solve their problems or product recommendation.

Some Wechat Accounts are also followed by a large number of people.

WeChat Brand Content

Brands should focus on External discussion, Brand mention, or the number of shares.

Get Mentioned by big accounts is great but, usually, the cost of exposure is extremely high. In other words, we strongly suggest you use this budget in a smarter way.

Community management is the key to , get in contact with users, engage conversation, create Groups per interest.... It is time-consuming but also rewarding.

At the moment we speak Advertising on is expensive and the targeting not great. In the future, will probably develop towards a better system but keep in mind that the core of is the users. Users want useful and content.

of localize content La
more information about WeChat marketing
Little Red Book

Purchase sharing App like little Red Book is getting extremely popular in China, especially among Chinese women. Xiaohongshu has a focus on cosmetics and beauty and 80% of the users are women. They have good purchasing power and love international cosmetics brands. The platform content is mainly created by its users (UGC) via "buying notes". It is a great platform for Kols to develop themselves and create a community. Working with these KOL is beneficial for any brand. You basically buy their follower base as well as their credibility. In RED, you also have the possibility to create an online store within the App and ads hyperlink to your other online store.

Tips for Little Red Book

Little Red book allows Brand to have a Brand Space and Ecommerce Store.

Competition is not too high yet and little Red book is based on a community already used to share Cosmetics reviews.

The tag system is well executed. Each tag will send users to all the reviews associated with them, making it easy for users to discover new brands.

Brands have to maximize their Communication via influencers to optimize visibility, credibility and get engagement => drive sales.

Aks us for our little Red book Report for free (just send us an email )

Girl's Social Platforms that have lost their appeal.

These social Media were inspired by Pinterest before moving to an eCommerce model. Today, they are commercial and lost their interest for users.

Most of the Female users stopped using these platforms for Cosmetics.

Meilishuo

Meilishuo ( http://www.meilishuo.com/) takes the Fashion Move. And became "Ecommerce", one more Taobao Copycat. (website & the App)

Mogujie

The Chinese Pinterest (share photo platform for Trendsetters) changes to e-Commerce and became "one more" Taobao/tmall website.

Kimiss

It was a Popular platform to reach trendsetters, micro-influencers ( http://www.kimiss.com/). The concept was unique: you send your products to community, and they write comments, critics about your Brand / Products. Then, the platform changed to a commercial Business model. Brands have to pay to get these testimonials, and the platforms rapidly got full of positive Comments and lack of real information.

Once consumers understood that, the popularity of Kimiss decreased. We said it, consumers are looking for genuine feedback.

Jumei

The concept of was Good... 4years ago. It was a website dedicated to Cosmetics & beauty makes Full sens in China. This platform was especially popular. Back then, you could find a lot of information about Brands, Tips and the Design was inspired letting behind all possible competitors.

You know what is coming... Jumei moved to an "Ecommerce" Business model and then became a Copycat of Taobao /Tmall.

They sell Famous Beauty Brands with Discount, Luxury Bags, or Baby Milk... End of the Community, End of the Story.

In the Cosmetics industry Branding is everything

Cosmetics Brands in China have to focus on Branding. From finding a distributor to selling to consumers, this step is necessary
Every company has to invest in Branding to succeed in China.
Branding = Awareness * Reputation
Get Exposure then maximize exposure is the first step for increasing your brand awareness

Distribution in China

Because the model is very opac (on purpose) Distribution is often a headache for Cosmetics Companies.

1/ Exclusive Distributor

Most of the time, it is complicated to deal with an exclusive distributor in China. Once they get the certification and the authorization to represent a brand in China, they start to change their way of dealing with their Supplier.

Do not forget that you will be their supplier, not their partner. A distributor's interests always come before yours.

Distributors distribute. They do not have the knowledge on how to Build a Brand, or how to develop an International cosmetics Brand in China but are usually good businessmen and know how to sell products fast, and identify resellers.

2/ Multi Distributors

The Brand is controlling the Distribution process. Deal directly with distributors, agents, and resellers. It allows a presence in China, its own registration and strong branding.

Registration: the brand needs to have a legal presence and have the certification of the products.

Strong Branding: because having a strong Brand open every gate in China. Negotiations are easier, shorter and better.

Your Conversion rate will be higher as well.

That is how most of the Chinese local Companies use to develop their business in China. In other words, no branding, no distributors.

How to develop multi distributors?

Alibaba B2D (business to distributors) is in 2018 the best way to reach thousands of distributors and develop a network faster.

Tradefair: Shanghai Beauty Expo, Guangzhou Cosmetics Expo or Cosmoprof are trade fairs where you can be found by distributors.

It requires to have: Sales Support team, legal presence, and Brand attraction.

3/ Develop your Own distribution

Control and develop your own distribution is a must in China.

You will need a lot of investment because of the initial cost of setting each store but you'll start to see positive results after 1 or 2 years.

A lot of Consumers get information in physical Stores and then buy Online. Therefore, having your own Store in a Shopping mall is also a great way to increase awareness. Shopping is a widespread hobby in China.

4/ E-Commerce

Usually, the E-Commerce part is the most profitable and easiest way of selling beauty products in China.

Why?

Reflex : It is now a Reflex to search for products and buy online.

Convenient : easy to buy, the product is delivered at home.

Discount : most of the time, on e-Commerce platforms you can get discounts, it is usually cheaper

Re-Buy : E-Commerce is perfect for a re-Buying product. Getting your first sales usually cost a lot, but once you get someone to buy your products they will buy again if this person is satisfied with the product he bought. Focus on retaining.

E-Commerce is in 2018 necessary to almost every brand in Cosmetics - Personal Care.

2 Choices for E-Commerce ...

Crossborder E-Commerce

1. Tmall Global

2. JD global

3. Crossborder platforms

4. Your own website

5. Little Red Book

You do not have a Chinese Business license and do not have the certification delivered by Chinese Authorities.

Open Stores on giant e-Commerce platforms is expensive.

1. You have to pay a Deposit,

2. Build a nice Store, a lot of long detailed products pages

3. Advertise a lot at the beginning

4. Pay commission on each sale

5. Cost of managing daily operation is high

6. The constant need to have an active marketing Campaign to support Sales

More information about ECommerce Crossboder in China here

E-Commerce in China Mainland

If you have a Company, licence for your products then you can use Chinese E-Commerce.

Tmall / Taobao

Other eCommerce website like jumei

Usually, the cost of delivery is lower and time to get the product is faster than with crossborder.

The performance for beauty products on these mainland eCommerce platforms is 20 times higher.

Process is the same :

1. Deposit (to the platform)

2. Build Store, design product pages

3. Advertise and work on traffic acquisition

4. Participate to Special online Events

5. Manage daily operation, customer services

6. Every Store are supported by Investment on Branding.

About the US : Chinese Digital Agency Specilized in Cosmetics

We are a China based Digital Marketing Agency , and we are specialized in Cosmetics and have worked with Major Beauty Brands in China, while developping Special Competences for

1. "New Brand" Entering the Chinese Market

2. Brands in China need to level up their Engagement / Awarness/ Sales

3. Leading Brands searching "new" innovative Solution

Do not hesitate to contact us and discuss with our Expert or Consultant.

We can send you latest Tips & Trands about the Market, our Case studies and can give you a Strategy and a Quote.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cosmetics in China : Top Marketing Strategies to Succeed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this Article, we will analyze China's Cosmetics Market, Trends and, Marketing Strategies that Brands have to use to Sell in China. Why? Firstly, it is the largest market in the world Further, it is an Extremely Dynamic market Finally, consumers are ready to spend more for higher quality Chinese Female consumers spend more and more on cosmetics and Personal Care products and this trend does not seem to be slowing down.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In 2017, it was predicted that $92.4billion would be spent globally on paid searc h. This figure has grown year-over-year, proving its effectiveness as a platform that advertisers are continually keen to invest in.
In this beginner's guide to paid search we will share:

A detailed explanation of the fundamentals of paid search

Tactics used by some of the world's most successful digital marketers

The five most common pitfalls when using paid search and how you can avoid them

How you can predict your likely results before you even spend any money.

What is paid search?

Paid search is a form of digital marketing where search engines such as Google and Bing allow advertisers to show ads on their search engine results pages (SERPs).

Paid search works on a pay-per-click model, meaning you do exactly that - until someone clicks on your ad, you don't pay. This makes it a measurable and controllable marketing channel compared with more traditional forms of advertising.

Ad formats include text ads, which are shown at the top or bottom of the organic search results, or shopping ads shown above the search results.

A quick note on the organic search results: if your website appears here, you will not pay for a click to your website and you cannot pay to appear in the listings either.

What can paid search do for you?

Every second, tens of thousands of people are searching on Google for products, services and solutions.

This presents an incredible opportunity for you to promote your business to a relevant and engaged audience that is actively looking to research or purchase products or services.

Some other forms of advertising, such as banner ads, are known as 'interruption marketing', meaning that the person who sees the ad may not actually be in the market to buy something at this stage. Where paid search has the edge, is that by typing something into a search engine we know that the user has the intent to research or purchase.

Avoid pitfall #1: Not tracking return on investment

The first mistake new advertisers make is forgetting to track return on investment. The great thing about online advertising is that everything can be measured. In addition to being able to see how many people have clicked on your ads, and how much it has cost you, you can easily see how many people then take action (i.e. how many conversions you have).

Examples of conversions you could track include:

Contact form submissions

Online sales

Live chat engagements

Phone calls.

This means you can easily see how many leads or how much revenue your ads have generated for you. All websites should have conversion tracking set up in Google Analytics so that you can measure which of your marketing activities bring the best returns.

PPC terminology

There are some common terms used across paid search platforms - some more self-explanatory than others.

Click: when a user clicks on one of your ads

Impression: when your ads are shown. It is important to note that this does not meant that users have seen your ads. An impression will still be counted if your ad is shown at the bottom of the search engine results and a user does not scroll all the way down to see it

Click-through rate (CTR): the percentage of impressions of your ads that result in clicks - the higher the better

Average cost-per-click (CPC): how much on average a click has cost

Average position: where on the results page your ads have shown (position one being the highest)

Cost/conversion: the amount you have spent on paid search, divided by the number of conversions generated. The lower the better

Conversion rate: the percentage of users who completed a conversion after clicking on your ad. The higher the better.

How does paid search work?

Most paid search platforms work in the same way.

Step 1. Choose your location settings

You can choose to show your ads in specific countries, cities and zip codes.

Step 2. Select your keywords

Keywords are search terms that people type into search engines such as Google, for example "womens shoes", "tv repair shop near me" or "best sushi restaurant".

Finding the right keywords

Google's free tool, the Google Keyword Planner, allows you to discover what words people are using throughout the world to find products or services like yours. Bing has its own as well, and there are plenty of other third party tools available.

These tools will show you a range of potential keywords, plus how many people per month are searching for them, how much competition there is, and how much they're likely to cost-per-click.

Step 3. Choose the correct match types

In paid search, there are four different keyword match types that impact when your ads are shown.

1. Exact match - where keywords are represented like this: [womens shoes]. By using exact match keywords, your ads will only be shown when someone searches for that exact term. It will also pick up plurals and spelling mistakes, so [womens shoes] would also show ads for [women shoes]

2. Phrase match - where keywords are represented like this: "womens shoes". This keyword would trigger your ads if a user searched for the exact phrase, but with words before and after (e.g. 'red womens shoes' or 'womens shoe stores')

3. Broad match - where keywords are represented like this: womens shoes. This keyword would trigger your ads if a user searched for this phrase in any order, and with synonyms too (e.g. 'cheap womens shoes', 'womens blue shoes' or 'ladies shoes')

4. Modified broad - where keywords are represented like this: +womens +shoes. This keyword would trigger your ads if a user searched for this phrase in any order, without synonyms (e.g. 'womens training shoes' or 'shoes for womens running').

There is also a fifth keyword match type: negative keywords.Negative keywords can be added into your campaigns to stop your ads from running on searches that are not relevant to your business.

Avoid pitfall #2: Running on all broad match keywords

One of the most costly mistakes that new advertisers make is to only use broad match keywords because this is the default match type.

As a result, ads are shown when people search for the advertiser's specific keywords, but also hundreds or even thousands of other variations, some more relevant than others. Advertisers then blow through their budgets quickly and don't see any sales or enquiries.

Make sure you think about which match types to use and create a good negative keyword list before you begin.

Step 4. Create your ads

You will create ads to show when a user searches for one of your keywords.

Text ads have three primary elements:

1. Headline 1, 30 characters

2. Headline 2, 30 characters

3. Description, 80 characters.

However, there are a number of things your ads cannot contain, including but not limited to:

All caps (e.g. FREE DELIVERY)

Symbols to draw attention to your ads (e.g. ***Free Delivery***)

Additional spacing (e.g. F r e e D e l i v e r y)

Trademarked terms

Exclamation marks in the headlines.

What makes a good ad?

Ads should engage your audience, guiding them to choose you over the other ads or organic listings on the page. A good ad will contain:

Words and phrases that are relevant to your keywords

Unique selling points

Calls to action.

Step 5. Set your bids

You set how much you want to pay for a click on one of the ads showing for your keywords. This is called a 'Bid' or 'Max. CPC'. Every keyword can have a different bid.

Paid search platforms give you a guide on how much you should bid, but ultimately it's down to you. If Google is recommending a bid of $2.50 but you only want to bid $2.00, that's fine - it may just mean your ads show lower down the page or less frequently.

How do search engines decide where your ad appears?

When someone searches for one of your keywords, your ads are entered into an auction. There are two factors that are taken into account and define where your ad appears on the page. These two factors are combined to give you an ' ad rank '. The advertiser with the highest ad rank in the auction will appear in the first result. These two factors are bid and quality score.

Quality score is the score from 1-10 that paid search platforms assign every keyword in your account, 10 being the highest. This is calculated based on three factors: expected click-through rate; ad relevance to your keywords; and landing page experience.

Quality score was introduced to stop advertisers from simply paying the most to appear at the top on search terms that their website isn't relevant to. Now paid search platforms reward higher quality advertisers - and not just those with the deepest pockets.

Step 6. Add ad extensions

Ad extensions are additional pieces of information about your business you can show alongside your ads. In addition to providing a better user experience, they can also increase the quality score of your ads and help your ads take up more space on the results page.

Some of the ad extensions available are:

Sitelinks - links to additional pages on your website

Callouts - additional text about your business

Location - show your business address

Call - show your phone number. This also gives users on a mobile the option to click-to-call

Price - show different services or products along with the costs

Seller ratings - these are automated snippets that may show if your business has reviews on sites like Google My Business or TrustPilot. This does not work with all review platforms so be sure to check first.

There are more ad extensions available.

Step 7. Launch your ads

Typically your ads will start showing within a few hours and you can see the results in your paid search accounts. You can pause your campaigns at any time.

How do I pay for paid search?

Every paid search platform is slightly different when it comes to billing. When you create your account, you enter your credit card or direct debit details. You are charged either after a certain threshold has been met or every 30 days, whichever comes first. It is normally possible to get some free credit applied to your account - it's worth a quick search to find out.

Avoid pitfall #3: Focusing on activities not outcomes

Most marketing campaigns that fail do so because they haven't started with the end result in mind. Before you begin your paid search campaigns, it's vital that you think about what you want to achieve.

What are your goals?

There are two very important questions you should ask yourself:

1. How many new customers do you want?

2. How much are you willing to pay for them?

You might respond with "as many as possible for as little as possible", but is that really true? Could your business handle 1000 enquiries in 1 day?

Campaigns without specific goals are inevitably going to waste money. Without setting a target, how will you optimize your campaigns? If your cost/conversion is $50, how do you know if that's good?

Avoid pitfall #4: Not calculating the conversion rate required

Once you have set your goals, you can work out whether they are achievable by calculating the conversion rate required. The average website converts at around 2%.
Safer:
If you are happy to pay $50 per conversion and you know the CPC is $1, then 1 in every 50 clicks will need to convert. The conversion rate required for this is 2% (1/50).
Riskier:
However, if you were only happy to pay $5 per conversion, 1 in 5 clicks would need to result in a conversion, meaning the conversion rate required is 20%. This is much less likely to happen.

Simply divide your target cost per conversion by your expected CPC to work it out. Many advertisers set out on paid search campaigns without doing this calculation and learn that a campaign is not viable the expensive way.

Once you've done your keyword research, calculate the average CPC. Then look at your desired cost per conversion. From this you can calculate the conversion rate required. Below is a conversion benchmark for most brochure websites:

Expensive keywords

One of the common myths about paid search is that it is too expensive; I bet you'd be horrified to learn that a click on the keyword "car insurance quotes" could cost $132.59.

Remember this is set by the market, which means one of your competitors is happy to pay this amount per click, which means they are either making money, or running an unprofitable campaign - and it's more likely to be former than the latter.

Before you rule a keyword out, you need to consider what the conversion rate required is. For example, let's say that an insurance firm is happy to pay up to $4000 for a new customer once they take into account cross-sell opportunities and lifetime value.

By dividing the target cost-per-conversion by the CPC, we can calculate that 1 in 30 people who visit the website need to become a customer, which is just below a 3% conversion rate, meaning it's competitive but possible to compete and make a good ROI on this keyword.

Avoid pitfall #5: Not forecasting your likely results before you begin

By using some clear thinking and making some well-reasoned assumptions, you can predict potential outcomes before you invest.

Use the Google Keyword Planner to see how many people search for terms relating to your business.

This relatively quick calculation means that before we even begin our campaigns, we can predict whether the results are likely to meet the goals we set earlier. You can also use the ClickZ CPM Calculator to get an idea of the cost of a campaign.

Most advertisers who claim that paid search doesn't work have not done these two basic things:

1. Set your goals: what do you want to achieve?

2. Forecast: how likely are you to achieve them?

Basic paid search optimization

A couple of important checks and changes you should be doing include:
Bid adjustments
You can adjust your max CPC at any time. Increase bids on keywords that generate a high volume of conversions at a low cost/conversion to get more clicks. Reduce bids on keywords with a high cost/conversion. You can also pause keywords that are not delivering results.
Check the search term report
The search term report shows you exactly which words users typed into the search engine and saw your ads. If you are using broad or phrase match keywords, make sure you are doing this regularly. Where you find irrelevant search terms, add them as negative keywords.

Paid search versus organic search engine optimization

It's often asked which is better; paid search or SEO? SEO is the process of increasing your website's rankings in the organic search results. You cannot pay Google or other search engines to increase your ranking.

On the face of it, SEO sounds like a better option: once your website ranks in position one, the clicks you get are free, and more users click on organic listings than paid ones. But the important thing to remember is that there is a CPC to SEO as well.

SEO takes time. If your website is very new, and you want to rank for very competitive keywords such as 'insurance' or 'buy a car', it can take years of work before your site will even rank in the top 10 results.

All of that work costs money regardless of whether you pay an agency to do your SEO, pay an employee to do it, or even do it yourself. Every hour invested into organic optimization costs money.

You can factor in these costs versus the increase in traffic the activity generated. Let's say you run an SEO campaign, costing $2000 in agency/consultant fees, and this campaign increases your ranking from position 10 to position 2. This ranking increase looks to generate an extra 4000 organic clicks. Therefore, you could say that your organic CPC in this scenario is $0.50. You can then compare this to your paid campaigns to see what's providing better value.

Next steps

This article is just an introduction to the world of paid search. There is much more to be learned and tested, and new features are being added to the platforms all the time. Some good next steps for increasing your knowledge include:

Account structure and ad groups

Ad extensions

Ad scheduling

Device bid adjustments

Location bid adjustments

Shopping campaigns.

When done properly, paid search can grow businesses exponentially. Set your goals, forecast your outcomes and avoid the pitfalls we've listed in this article, and you will benefit from the results.

Do remember that success will often depend on the quality of your website in relation to others who are also running ads on the same keywords. Conversion is king and sending traffic is only half the job.
By Fountain Partnership, a Google Global Award Winning Paid Search Agency. All images provided by Fountain Partnership.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A beginner's guide to paid search - Search Engine Watch

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fountain Partnership provides an overview of paid search for beginners. When done properly, paid search can grow businesses exponentially. Set your goals, forecast your outcomes and avoid the pitfalls we've listed in this article, and you will benefit from the results.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The spend now, save later millennials of China's moonlight clan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
They work for luxury brands, in PR or new media, and blow most of their salary on fashion, cosmetics, socialising and eating out - making them dream customers for the likes of Gucci. Youthful luxury lovers share their lifestyles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The beauty industry in China is thriving, and Euromonitor International estimates that the beauty and personal care market in China will reach $62 billion by 2020. The global beauty market is also seeing favorable numbers, so the segment is sure to bring incredible opportunities to luxury retailers worldwide. Cosmetics and personal-care are the current high-demand sectors, but there are still some trends that retailers should consider if they want to increase their global profit margin. But first, luxury beauty players need to understand Chinese consumer demographics and the new market shift toward younger, brand-savvy buyers.

The modern Chinese beauty consumer is no stranger to switching brands, as they're less loyal than older generations. This analysis is supported by the China Insight Report: The New Face of Beauty in China, which was produced by Reuter: Intelligence. The luxury intelligence platform "performed qualitative focus group discussions, smartphone-enabled ethnographies, big data analytics, and a quantitative online survey of over 300 consumers across first-tier cities Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou." The results concluded that over 60 percent of the respondents were very curious about niche brands, so despite their established record of credibility, big international retailers should be wary of this characteristic. But there are other difficulties that international brands need to overcome in China today, so they must understand the following trends:

Chinese brands are seeing positive momentum

According to research by , domestic brands now own 56 percent of the Chinese market, a sizable gain due to homegrown brands expanding into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Moreover, mentions that best-selling brands like Pechoin (skincare), Chando (skincare), and One Leaf (facial masks) ranked as top-10 Singles' Day sellers in 2017, despite their relative anonymity in the West. China's cosmetics market is progressing because consumer preferences are constantly changing, and local brands have an edge in understanding consumer needs. Thus, international brands need to show an ongoing commitment toward excellence and innovation in the beauty market.

The male segment is seeing unprecedented growth

A study conducted in 2015 by Statista shows that Chinese men spent an average of 2.2 hours a week on grooming, while women dedicate around 3.8 hours on average. Tao Yi Xue, a consumer analyst with Cinda Securities, believes that as male moisturizers, creams, and lotions have grown in popularity, China has entered a "male beauty era," and beauty brands would be wise not to neglect this highly lucrative segment.

The rise of new aesthetic trends (and the fall of K-beauty)

Until recently, China was all about South Korean beauty trends because of the popularity of K-Pop "boyband" music. Mintel estimates that the K-beauty industry globally amassed $13.1 billion worth of sales in 2018, and in the past, K-beauty was considered pure gold. But now, Chinese beauty buyers are flocking to domestic and Western brands. In fact, the South China Morning Post mentions that the popularity of America's West Coast aesthetic has been on the rise in China. This change in consumer trends strongly relates to a search for authenticity, and consumers now want products that allow them to express their identity and individuality rather than the uniformity promoted by K-beauty. Emily Guo, a researcher at Cherry Blossoms, says that " K-beauty is about conformity and collectivism. It's about always having the same: the same face, same eyebrows, same look."

Livestreaming is the new norm in the beauty industry

China's beauty industry is pioneering new technologies that have helped brands better engage with their followers, such as VR exchanges to AR shopping features. This digital arena now offers next-level livestreaming, which connects beauty lovers to vloggers, industry experts, and other audience segments. As livestreaming becomes increasingly mainstream, younger consumers have turned to Douyin, Kuaishou, and DuoYu, to find peer-to-peer reviews, user-generated content, and influencer interactions. And since younger demographics are addicted to their mobile devices, luxury beauty brands must incorporate livestream marketing into their content marketing plans if they are serious about increasing customer engagement and conversions.

According to research by Mintel, Chinese consumers "are pursuing color cosmetics products that come in smaller packaging or are effortless in their application." Mini lip palette and lip gloss sets that include various shades and are sold in smaller packs, sample-size eyeshadow, and travel-size cosmetics kits are now prized products. The demand for sample size makeup comes from consumers' desire to achieve " an authentic experience with the product prior to making the investment," says Jaimee Given, marketing manager of Beauty, North America, Aptar.

Sari Sternschein, vice president of marketing, Qosmedix, believes that "consumers are no longer loyal to one brand. Millennials, especially, love to try a product and move on to the next." Consequently, the "mini" segment is more in line with those demands and habits.

The rise of partnerships, acquisitions, and mergers between multinational brands and domestic players

Multinational beauty brands still dominate the Chinese market but the winds of change are forcing these companies to revise their business strategies and seek out critical alliances to improve their positioning and speed up growth. For example, Johnson & Johnson acquired the Chinese cosmetics firm Dabao, and Coty Inc. acquired a majority stake in T-Joy. Naturally, well-known brands are still in high demand in China, but competition from emerging and domestic players is steadily growing. As a result, global players are pursuing partnerships and mergers with Chinese beauty brands as a way to satisfy ever-evolving consumer preferences and secure a larger market share.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Beauty Industry Trends in China Brands Must Know | Jing Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The beauty industry in China is thriving, and Euromonitor International estimates that the beauty and personal care market in China will reach $62 billion by 2020. The global beauty market is also seeing favorable numbers, so the segment is sure to bring incredible opportunities to luxury retailers worldwide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Her story is a bit of a back-and-forth between Europe and Southern California. In 1990, Petra Strand was enrolled as a student at Elegance International School of Professional Makeup in Hollywood.

After she graduated, the Swedish-born makeup artist moved to London, where she founded her beauty brand, Pixi by Petra.

So when Strand decided to open her first U.S. beauty store, having it in Los Angeles was an obvious choice. Last month, Strand, who now lives in Santa Barbara, was on hand for the opening party for Pixi by Petra on Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice.

The 1,650-square-foot space is outfitted in the brand's signature shades of pale green and rose pink, its interiors featuring lush grassy tableaux mounted with fresh rosettes. It's a cozy, inviting space that Strand says feels "like an all-day girls' party, where you can come in and play with makeup."

The focus of her brand, she says, has always been on natural, botanical-based beauty products that aren't tested on animals and that come in smart packaging and are affordably priced. Her line of color cosmetics and skin care products ranges from $8 to $34.

The opening of the store coincided with the launch of the Pixi Pretties Collaborator Collection, a new product line created with a quartet of beauty influencers.

"They got to make their dream product and to have input in the formulas, textures, colors," says Strand, wearing a pale green and pink dress at the opening shindig. "They were very specific."

The Collaborator Collection, which retails from $14 to $24, includes Aspyn Ovard's Eye Accents kit and Glow-y Powder, a highlighter and cheek mineral powder to replicate the natural look espoused by the Utah-based blogger.

British aesthetician Caroline Hirons has long advocated double cleansing skin (hence, the Collaborator Collection's new two-in-one Double Cleanse), while Judy Travis opted for offering eyeshadow and lip color palettes that work for any skin.

And followers of makeup artist and blogger Maryam Maquillage can define and highlight their skin with her Strobe & Bronze palette, part of a trio of beauty goods created by Maquillage.

Also bowing at the new store are Strand's new offerings for spring: her Peel & Polish for skin resurfacing and her Rose Oil Blend.

"At Pixi, we've always been about bringing back the glow," she says. "If you feel a little dull, under the weather or stressed, our hero product is the Glow Tonic. We literally can't make that fast enough. We've built our whole skin care line around that."

With the brand's emphasis on wholesome beauty, Strand says she next wants to expand into scents.

"We made fragrances 10 years ago, and we're looking at reformulating them to be natural and treatment fragrances," she says. "Instead of alcohol, we will formulate them with vitamin water and herbal extracts, to be misted all over the hair and body."
Pixi by Petra, 1308 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice, 424-744 8879, www.pixibeauty.com; hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

image@latimes.com @latimesimage ALSO What's cookin' at Nambé? Jewelry that echoes the brand's cool, curvy dinner platters In this new era, politics is on trend on the runways at New York Fashion Week 'Zoot Suit' at the Taper: An L.A. revival, perfectly timed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
With the arrival of Pixi by Petra, another piece of London comes to Los Angeles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Her story is a bit of a back-and-forth between Europe and Southern California. In 1990, Petra Strand was enrolled as a student at Elegance International School of Professional Makeup in Hollywood. After she graduated, the Swedish-born makeup artist moved to London, where she founded her beauty brand, Pixi by Petra.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Petra Strand, 43, creator and creative designer of Pixi Cosmetics, grew up in Sweden. Aged 18, she followed a boyfriend to London and began a modelling career, travelling round Europe and the US and later training as a make-up artist in Los Angeles. She returned to California with her business three years ago and now lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, Tony Oppe, and sons, aged two and 20.
Business was taking off in a big way in the US. It was proving hard to expand in Europe because of labelling restrictions and international barriers and our biggest US clients were all clamouring for a Pixi office out there. Since the US is the best market for cosmetics, being a vast country with only one language, we decided to go in April 2005. We moved in early August, so we had three months to decide where to go, find a school, get a visa, arrange the business, pack a case and relocate.

We chose California because of its "can do" attitude. In Sweden, everybody has to be equal; we don't like it when people are better at anything. Here, it's the opposite. Other people's success - and their desire for it - is applauded and seen as a good thing, as opposed to something to be jealous of.

The problem with so much positivity is that employing people becomes difficult. They all believe that they're fabulous, so you read their CVs and you wonder why they're not all chief executive of Microsoft. It's easier to read people in England. This applies to business in general. In England you can take people at their word. Here it's more difficult to find integrity.

People think that I'm a crazy Swedish alien who speaks her mind and is rude. I'm not rude; it's just sometimes people don't get my jokes ...I am still very much Swedish and that manifests itself in everything I do. I run my business in a non-hierarchical way. My designs are simple and functional, as is the way that I communicate and get things done. Swedes are known for being explorers, great business people, great designers. I hope I have a little bit of all of that.

Americans really love children. You never feel that people are annoyed that you didn't leave them at home. Kids are integral to society. It's great having fantastic and positive people around them and the activities and sports programmes are amazing. So we chose Santa Barbara for the children, mostly. My oldest was high school age when we moved and we decided Santa Barbara's smaller community was better for him than a large LA school.

Santa Barbara has all the facilities of a big town but a population of only 120,000. It's very rich culturally. It has two colleges, there are many concerts - contemporary and classical - it's on the main circuit for lectures and the Santa Barbara film festival is fast becoming one of the best in the country. Nearby Los Angeles is La La Land but it's so much fun and full of great people if you know where to go. But Santa Barbara seemed to fit the "grown-up me" a lot more than LA.

It's so beautiful here. It's like the south of France or Spain but much less crowded. It's like a lovely old Spanish village with a mountain backdrop with the most stunning nature and hikes. I think the beach is one of the only beaches in the world that gets the sun all day. Everything you could ever want is close at hand. As well as mountains and sea, there are national parks, hot springs and rolling hills dotted with wineries. The wildlife is fantastic, especially sea life; it's one of the world's top whale-watching areas. Best of all, it hardly ever rains. It's mild and sunny all year round. Sweden is freezing.

We moved from Barnes, London, which, in a way, was similar to Santa Barbara. We lived right by Barnes Pond, with Richmond Park and the Thames close at hand. It felt rural but it was easy to get into central London. People are bit boring there but it was a great place for my son to grow up.

We live in a private community called Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara. It's not gated but it does have security guards. It also has its own riding trails, its own water supply and its own beach, which is actually gated. It's stunning, with no overhead lighting or cables, so it feels like you are under the open sky just minutes from downtown, and there are plants and trees from all over the world, made possible by Santa Barbara's marvellous microclimate.

Ours is the worst house in the best neighbourhood. We bought it a year ago, not to be elitist or shut ourselves off in a private community but as an investment. We needed to do something with the money from the house in Barnes. We're not going to stay in the US for ages, so this made sense.

The house is an old, rambling, Spanish-style wreck that still needs a lot of renovation, set in three and a half acres of mature and wonderful trees. Being Swedish, people sometimes tease me that my house must look like an Ikea catalogue but it doesn't really. It's very functional, with a little luxury in the details. It has dark wooden floors, white walls and lots of daylight streaming in. I've filled it with my favourite Gustavian furniture brought over from Sweden.

I get up every day at seven, think about swimming in the pool, look outside, decide it's too cold, and cosy up a bit longer. My husband goes out and swims instead - all year round.That lasts until my two-year-old comes and jumps on me. His nanny arrives at 8.30am and I go to my studio. When we're in production, I'll work until about eight but usually I try to stop at six to eat dinner with my family.

I don't really have a social life. I've always been an advocate of the "staying in is the new going out" theory and I don't have much free time anyway. Ten years after setting up my company, I've just given up working weekends. But when we can, I like to go to the beach or mountains or just hang out in the garden and the house.

Unfortunately, everyone falls in love with Santa Barbara and never leaves, which makes it wealthy and privileged but also narrow-minded and elitist. Kids here think that this is the only way to live and everywhere else is horrid. One thing I really miss here is a world view in the media.

So I miss the British Sunday newspapers and the English, because they have the best sense of humour. I also miss their manners, their education, their culture and their history. It feels so new and "wild west" here. There's a substance about Europe that I miss. There are good people here but it's challenging to find them.

I want to put my youngest through the British school system so we'll probably spend five years here, then head back to the UK. My dream is to have a Georgian country house not too far from London. People are worried about the economy here but I'm not so concerned. In times of economic trouble, people turn to cheaper luxuries - like lipstick!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Petra Strand, 43, creator and creative designer of Pixi Cosmetics, grew up in Sweden. Aged 18, she followed a boyfriend to London and began a modelling career, travelling round Europe and the US and later training as a make-up artist in Los Angeles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Interview With Petra Strand, Pixi Beauty

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Is Search Intent?

Search Intent (also known as "User Intent") is the main goal a user has when typing a query into a search engine. Common types of Search Intent include informational, commercial, navigational and transactional.

For example, let's say you want to cook up some kale for dinner.

But you're hungry and want to eat NOW.

So you head to Google and search for "quick kale recipes".

The first result you click on looks OK at first.

But you quickly realize that the recipe takes over an hour.

So you quickly click over to the search results to find something else.

And the next time you strike gold.

This result is a recipe that takes 10 minutes from start to finish...

...which is EXACTLY what you're looking for.

If enough people that search for "quick kale recipe" feel the same way, that result will get a significant rankings boost.

Why Is Search Intent Important?

Simply put: satisfying Search Intent is ultimately Google's #1 goal.

So if you want to succeed with SEO and content marketing today, Search Intent needs to be a big part of your approach.

In fact, Google's most recent edition of their Quality Rater Guidelines are OBSESSED with Search Intent.

And Google recently published a report called: "How Search Intent Is Redefining the Marketing Funnel":

In other words: backlinks and other traditional Google ranking signals still matter.

But if your page doesn't satisfy Search Intent, it's not going to rank.

Let's look at a real life example of Google ranking a page higher in the results based largely on Search Intent.

A few years ago we published a post called: "SEO Strategy Case Study: From #6 to #1 In One Week".

There's no doubt that this was a piece of high-quality content. The type of high-quality content that Google wants to rank.

This post was written by an SEO expert (me).

It included lots of tips and strategies you couldn't find anywhere else.

Plus, we added dozens of visuals, screenshots and other forms of multimedia to the content.

And, because the content was really good, lots of bloggers in the digital marketing space linked to it.

So in theory, this post should have ranked in the top 3 for my target keyword: "SEO strategy".

But that wasn't the case. In fact, that post was stuck on the 2nd page of the search results for MONTHS.

And when I looked at the other results that were ranking for that term, I realized that my post didn't satisfy user intent. Not even close.

Most of the other content that was ranking for "SEO strategy" outlined a high-level SEO approach.

My content? It was a case study of ONE strategy.

So I rewrote this post from scratch. Specifically, I did my best to make my content a 1:1 match for Search Intent.

The result? This post that outlined a 9-step SEO strategy.

And it worked! Today, thanks to that post satisfying Search Intent, it now ranks in the top 3 for my main keyword.

No new backlinks. No SEO tricks. I just made my content a good fit for Keyword Intent. And Google took care of the rest.

Best Practices

Uncover Search Intent

You want to take a look at the Search Intent for your keywor... before you write a single word.

As it turns out, 99% of all search terms fall under 4 different intent categories: informational, navigational, commercial and transactional.

And you can usually figure out Search Intent based on the keyword itself.

For example, a keyword like "buy a laptop stand" is obviously commercial. But a keyword like "do laptop stands help with neck pain" has clear informational intent.

That said:

Even if Search Intent is obvious, you still want to look at the pages that already rank for that keyword.

The pages on the first page have obviously passed Google's user intent test.

Otherwise, they'd be buried on page 10.

So you want to create a page that closely matches what you find on page 1.

For example, take a look at the keyword " backlink checker ".

What do you notice about these results?

They're all tools.

In other words: people that search for "Backlink Checker" don't want a piece of content about how backlink checkers work.

They want a tool that will let them check their backlinks.

On the other hand, look at the results for "best backlink checker".

This time, the results are dominated by content that outlines the best tools.

And, as you might have noticed, one of my pages ranks in the top 3 for that keyword.

That's because it satisfies that keyword's Search Intent.

To be honest, I'd also LOVE to rank for "backlink checker". It gets significantly more searches than "best backlink checker".

But unless I create a tool that satisfies Search Intent, I know that's not going to happen.

Optimize For User Experience

You might be wondering:

How does Google know is a page is a good fit for Search Intent?

They look at how people interact with the SERPs.

In other words:

They can tell if people aren't loving a specific search result. And if they note that a search result ISN'T a good fit for a keyword, they're going to downrank it.

Specifically, Google doesn't want to see people "pogo sticking" around the search results.

Instead, they want to see people land on a result. And get the answer to their search query from that single page.

That's why, when it comes to SEO in 2020, user experience is KEY.

Here are a few tips to ensure that Google searchers have a great experience with your content.

Limit Popups: Google doesn't like popups. And neither do users. So if you do use a popup, I recommend only using them with "exit intent" turned on.

14px+ Font: You can have the greatest blog post every written. But if it's hard to read, people are going to bounce and pogo stick.

Use Subheadings: Google searchers want their answers FAST. Which means they aren't going to read every single word of your page. Subheadings let users skim your content for the main points.

Use Videos and Images: This makes your content easier to user and understand. That's why I use a ton of these in every post.

Look at Google Analytics: Focus on improving Bounce Rate and Avg. Session Duration metrics on key pages.

Improve Existing Content

Do you have a page on your site that "should" rank... but won't?

If so, you probably have a Search Intent problem.

So don't limit this process to new content that you publish.

In fact, going back and re-optimizing old content for Search Intent is one of the fastest ways to get more organic traffic to your website.

(Especially when you do a full content audit on your site).

For example, this page used to rank in the top 5 for the keyword "backlinks".

But as Google's algorithm put more and more emphasis on Search Intent, my rankings (and search engine traffic) started to dip.

Here's the Google Analytics screenshot for that page:

And when I looked at this page with Search Intent in mind, I realized why:

People that searched for "backlinks" were relatively new to SEO. They were looking for more of an overview of how link building worked.

But my post was designed for intermediate and advanced SEOs. It contained advanced tips and strategies that SEO pros loved.

But this kind of thing would go right over the head of anyone searching for "backlinks".

So I rewrote my guide so it would be a better fit for people new to SEO.

(I also tried to incorporate as much as I could from my original post into this new guide. That way, I didn't have to start the guide from scratch).

The result?

What are Backlinks? And How to Build Them.

This new guide instantly shot to the top of Google... right where it was before.

In fact, it's now sitting pretty in the top 5.

Look at "People also ask..."

You might have noticed more and more "People also ask..." boxes in the search results:

Well, as it turns out, these are a GOLDMINE of User Intent info.

Why?

Because these boxes are literally telling you: "These are questions people have around this topic".

And when your content answers those questions, you can CRUSH user intent.

For example, I recently published a post about nofollow links.

And to make sure that my content satisfied User Intent, I looked at the "People also ask..." questions:

And I answered those questions in my post:

Optimize Commercial Pages

Here's an important thing to keep in mind about Search Intent:

It's not just about content.

In fact, there are tons of search terms out there where people DON'T want content.

Instead, they want to buy something, sign up for a free trial, or get a quote.

For example, check out the keyword "cisco wifi router".

You might be tempted to create a piece of hiqh-quality content around this keyword.

But that would be a mistake. Like most keywords that include a specific product, this term has transactional intent written all over it.

And the search results back this up.

They're almost all ecommerce product pages!

There literally isn't a single blog post or article in the top 10.

So if you want to rank for this keyword, you'd need to create a page optimized for Search Intent.

(Specifically, a page that sold that specific type of router).

How about another example?

We recently launched this landing page about our flagship SEO training program.

Well, before I wrote the content for that page, I took a look at the top 10 results in Google.

And I noticed that most of the pages ranking for that keyword were about specific SEO courses. Not rankings of the top 10 programs. Or how to choose a program.

In other words: the Search Intent for this keyword was highly commercial.

So I made sure to create a page that was designed to give Google searchers what they want: information on a single program. And a way to sign up.

We've got a long way to go. But the page recently cracked the top 10... which is a good start.

Navigational Queries

Navigational queries help people find a specific website... or a page on a website (like the homepage or about page).

For example, someone searching for "Moz pricing" wants to see the pricing page on Moz.

While you can rank for Navigational Queries, your click-through-rate will probably be on the low side.

That's because people that search for these terms don't want to go to a third party website.

For example, we rank on the first page for "Google Search Console".

That page gets a ton of impressions... but not many clicks.

Why?

Because "Google Search Console" is a navigational query. Most people click on the 1st results without even scanning the first page.

So while this is a nice keyword to rank for (after all, some people do click on our result), it's never going to be a huge keyword for us.

Keywords With Multiple Intents

Sometimes you'll come across a keyword with multiple user intents.

This is surprisingly common.

In fact, Google's rater guidelines talks a lot about keywords that have different possible user intents.

What should you do if you run into a keyword like this?

Don't hedge your bets.

Instead, optimize HARD for one type of user intent.

For example, one of my high-priority keywords is " SEO audit ".

Well, when I looked at the results for that keyword, I saw that there were two totally different types of user intent.

Some people that searched for "SEO audit" wanted software:

Others wanted a process to follow:

So I created a guide that fully gave people a process they could use:

Which helped my page quickly hit the top 5 in Google:

Advanced Search Intent Optimization

It's one thing to figure out if a Search Intent is Commercial or Transactional.

But if you want to take this process to the next level, you need to get SUPER granular.

For example, take a keyword like "noise canceling headphones".

There's obviously strong transactional intent with this keyword.

But what does that mean, exactly?

Is this transactional in the sense that they're ready to buy right now

Or is the person searching for that keyword still weighing different options?

The answer usually lies in the search results.

As you can see, someone searching for this keyword is still early on in the buying process. So they want content that's transactional... but presents them with a few different options.

Let's look at one more example of this type of advanced Search Intent analysis: "how to do a burpee".

This keyword clearly falls under the "Informational" category.

But what kind of info do people want?

A list post? A case study? A video?

Well, based on the SERPs, you can tell that people want a set of steps.

(In fact, most people that search using "How to" keywords want steps).

So if you want to rank for that term, I highly recommend writing a post that includes steps.

As a bonus, clearly-outlined steps can also help you rank in the Featured Snippets box.

For example, our content appears in the Featured Snippet box for the term: "how to rank higher on Google".

Learn More

Why Search Intent Is the Secret to Superior Keyword Research: Excellent video that outlines how to keep intent in mind as you do keyword research.

SEO Case Study: How I Increased My Organic Traffic 652% in 7 Days: How "The Skyscraper Technique 2.0" boosted traffic to one of my pages by more than 6x.

SEO Ranking Factor #1 is Satisfaction: A well-written guide to making sure your content is making Google searchers happy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Search Intent (also known as "User Intent") is the main goal a user has when typing a query into a search engine. Common types of Search Intent include informational, commercial, navigational and transactional. For example, let's say you want to cook up some kale for dinner. But you're hungry and want to eat NOW.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Anyone who has worked with a Chinese company or had to run a campaign in China knows that their design sense is different.
One thing that jumps out the most though, is that their websites look very 'busy'. Why is that?

You don't have to look far. If you work for a multinational brand in China or make a product that is sold in China, have a look for your brand on a Chinese website through Baidu or QQ.

What you will probably see is something which looks very busy. Lots of texts, links, and even animations which seem to be designed to make the page impossible to read.

But our eyes are deceiving us. It may look like digital chaos, but there are some good reasons why Chinese websites look the way they do.

And before we, as marketers, can work effectively in the country there are a few things we should know about the Chinese web experience.

1. The Chinese language is different

Seems an obvious point, but bear with me. There are few facts about the language that we need to know:

There is no capital letter in Chinese. As readers of Western scripts, we are trained mentally to look for larger letters to find where a sentence begins and ends. As Chinese has no equivalent, their sites can look full of very similar, and busy, characters.

There are no spaces between characters. Western languages use space to delineate words and this, too, has no equivalent in Chinese language. So, again, to them it looks normal to have a long string of uninterrupted characters, whereas it looks confusing to Western eyes.

Every character is important. Hvae you raed sneetnces lkie tihs bferoe? Fairly readable, no? Well it seems that we can read jumbled words as long as the first and last letter are in place (and the spelling isn't totally reversed). Because of this, it seems that we skim text rather than read every word. But as we can't skim Chinese language (assuming we don't understand characters), it seems particularly chaotic.

Chinese characters are far more dense than our letters, with 10 'strokes' on average against our one or two per letter which, again, makes the writing look busy to the Western eye.

2. There are a lot of links on Chinese web pages

Another characteristic which Westerners find confusing about Chinese sites is that everything seems to be a link.

On this website, sohu.com, literally every character is part of a link to another page.

There are two theories as to why this is so.

One is that it is difficult to type Chinese characters on an alphabet-based keyboard, so instead of using search they prefer to click links.

This seems reasonable, as typing in Chinese characters involves either drawing characters with your finger on a blank 'canvas', or typing them out using Western letters for sounds.

Then as you write or type, the characters appear and you select the right one. It would seem that doing this over and over for searches would be quite tough.

But there's another idea. And with the massive popularity of Baidu, which hosts the Chinese equivalent of Google search, I'm inclined to believe it.

The other theory is that many Chinese still have slow internet speeds. And the data, courtesy of the Akamai content delivery network, backs this up.

As you can see, two-thirds of Chinese have internet connection speeds below 4MB/s which is almost unheard of in Western countries and well below the global average.

So, with such relatively slow internet speeds, it's sensible to load one page with a lot of links and then open each link in a new tab. This allows the user to browse in 'parallel' instead of a painstakingly slow serial process.

Those of us old enough to remember dial-up will certainly sympathize!

3. Chinese sites use a lot of animation

And finally, Chinese websites seem to have a lot of flashing text and banners.

The reason for this, apparently, is it's much harder to grab attention using fonts in Chinese than it is with Western languages.

And there are a number of reasons for this including

There are few fonts for Chinese characters

Italics don't exist and bold is not commonly used

And the minimum font size is 12 pixels

But more than this, and I'm stepping into cultural territory here, it seems that Chinese are simply less bothered by flashing graphics than Westerners are, so what seems busy to us seems normal to them.

And besides, with pop-ups becoming routine in the West now, Chinese sites do not look nearly as different to Western ones as they used to.

But...

And, of course, some Chinese sites clearly do buck the trend. Baidu, for example, has a landing page which has a very simple, Google-esque design.

And Taobao's site for foreign visitors is noticeably less busy.

So, perhaps the distinction won't last long as it seems like they are moving in our direction and we, to some extent, are adopting theirs...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why do Chinese websites look so busy? - Econsultancy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Anyone who has worked with a Chinese company or had to run a campaign in China knows that their design sense is different. One thing that jumps out the most though, is that their websites look very 'busy'. Why is that?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The largest international cosmetics expo in the world, Trend 1: Naturalism in skincare China Beauty Expo, was recently held in Shanghai from May 20 to 22. This year was the expo's 23rd iteration and around 3,000 companies involved in beauty products and services and hailing from a wide range of nations came to exhibit. They were joined on the show floor by crowds of visitors numbering up to 480,000. Here's a look at the four latest trends of the China beauty market.
With consumers in China still valuing skincare over makeup, skincare currently takes up the larger percentage of the beauty market. This year's expo showcased many skincare products that mixed in plant components, adopting a naturalist concept.

There are already brands in China with a reputation for naturalist skin care cosmetics, including Chando, which was launched by Jala in 2001, and Pechoin, which was founded by Shanghai FuBeiKang Cosmetics in 1931.

Up-and-coming brands are also riding the naturalist bandwagon. Saselomo, which was founded in 2011, has become popular for its stylish packaging featuring a single Chinese character that represents the product's natural ingredients. Also, Botaniera, founded in 2015, sells skincare products that use traditional Chinese processing methods to extract ingredients from rare plants. Then there's Spring Summer, a brand launched in 2017 also by Jala that sells skincare with plant-based ingredients and that targets Generation Z consumers.
Trend 2: Lipstick as the mainstream makeup product
According to a survey report by Spring Summer and market research firm Kantar, when asked about functionality, 83% of Chinese Gen-Z consumers say they are looking for skincare products with rehydrating moisture. However, when asked about skincare concepts, the majority of 54% say they value plant-based skincare.

There are two reasons for this trend in China towards naturalism. First is that the idea of utilizing the power of nature fits in with the philosophy of Chinese people, whose culture is rooted in the tradition of Chinese medicine that goes back to ancient times. The other reason is a growing dislike in China towards products that contain harmful chemicals. Incidentally, the organic trend, a similar naturalist movement, did not seem to have been adopted much among the Chinese brands at the expo.
Trend 3: Korean-inspired makeup products
Although beauty awareness in China currently favors skincare overall, the bigger cities are nevertheless seeing a gradual increase in young people who use makeup, and the most popular product among them is lipstick. Indeed, the frequency of which one purchases lipstick is becoming an indicator as to a person's sense of beauty, with popular phrases emerging such as "the lipstick borderline" (that refers to the minimum amount of lipstick a person ought to buy within a year).

With lipstick leading the makeup market, a number of Chinese companies are turning their focus to makeup. The above-mentioned brand Chando is concentrating on expanding their whole makeup range along with their lipstick products and launched their makeup line Chando color in May last year. Also, major drug store chain Watsons' private brand Collagen by Watsons is shifting their focus from skincare to strengthening their makeup line.

This year's expo saw an abundance of products with packaging designed in the so-called "Korean cosmetics style". Light pastel colors, rounded designs - these seem to be elements that appeal especially to Gen-Z consumers.
Trend 4: The rapid growth of men's skincare
This style was most noticeable among newer and small to medium-sized brands, however, some larger brands are also following suit. One example is in the packaging for the Chando color lineup for this season, which comes in soft, light tones.

A representative of the China Beauty Expo commented that "the cosmetics industry, not only in China but also all over Asia, has been strongly influenced by South Korean trends." It will be interesting to see how long the Korean influence will continue.

Cosmetics that target men have seen remarkable growth in the Chinese beauty market.

In fact, the storefronts of Watsons drug stores in Shanghai are largely occupied by men's cosmetics. Of course this isn't the case in all regions and stores, however, the impression is that the number of men's cosmetics brands surmounts even that in Japan. What stands out in China is a large number of domestic brands that specialize in cosmetics that target men. According to data by Tmall, the growth rate of men's-only brands between 2017 and 2018 was 56%.

Overseas brands are also muscling in on the men's cosmetics market in China. Sales of men's cosmetics by L'Oréal, a brand that enjoys a high level of recognition in China, saw a rise of 33% in 2018 compared to the previous year, making it the highest growth in the past 14 years. Out of those sales, 35% were online transactions.

L'Oréal is also elbowing in on personal care products for men, as seen with their L'Oréal Men Expert brand which is sold on Tmall. They're expanding the offline market, such as in drug stores.

L'Oréal teamed up with Alibaba's Tmall Innovation Center in October 2018, allowing them to develop products for the Chinese market with customer data analysis that makes use of Tmall-owned big data.

However, in comparison to men's skincare products, men's makeup products still have a faint presence in stores, and they were also minimal at the expo. Even so, Tmall sales of men's makeup grew by 89% between 2017 and 2018. We have a hunch that, come next year, the men's cosmetics market could see explosive growth in China.

Text: Ching Li Tor
Original text (Japanese 1 & 2): Yoriko Takizawa

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 trends seen at China Beauty Expo 2019: naturalism, lipstick, Korean styles, and men's makeup

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The largest international cosmetics expo in the world, Trend 1: Naturalism in skincare China Beauty Expo , was recently held in Shanghai from May 20 to 22. This year was the expo's 23rd iteration and around 3,000 companies involved in beauty products and services and hailing from a wide range of nations came to exhibit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Discover the 1st part (out of 4) of the interview of our Beauty Ifop Asia expert on Beauty trends in China and beauty consumer habits. The following findings are based on Ifop's research experience in beauty category and social listening on various online channels (e.g. social media, shopping sites, etc.), and they are mainly reflective about Chinese women in higher tier city

How are Chinese beauty consumer habits changing? What kinds of brands and products are they interested in? How does this differ from the previous year or two and how will this evolve?

Heavier usage of sun care

With increasing awareness of the harm of overexposure to sun on skin health and ageing, a great number of Chinese women start to form new sun care habits. Their usage of sun care products has been beyond the height of summer or when they go to the seaside on holiday, whereas, it is increasingly becoming a year-round essential item for daily use in their skin care regimens. Putting sunscreen during the winter and wearing sunscreen to work in an office turn to be common practice among Chinese beauty consumers. New sun care product launches in China with 'long-lasting' claims or high-SPFs have grown significantly, in addition, mom women pay regard to ease of re-application, and try to look for more convenient and easier to use format of sunscreen so that they can apply at all times.

"Overnight" skincare product is thriving in response to the need of "night animals"

In line with their social value and behavior, young consumers are looking for more advanced skincare solution to compensate their unhealthy and indulging lifestyle. According to "2019 Citizen Health Insight Report", about 70% of post 90s generation go to sleep after 11pm.

Overnight beauty hacks, such as sleeping facial masks, overnight powders, and LED facial devices, have seen soaring consumer interests in China recently. L'Oréal's Revitalift Filler Renew Anti-Ageing & Replumping Night Cream is marketed as a "zero o'clock cream (零点霜)" today in China. Guerlain's Midnight Secret Serum, on the other hand, is marketed as a "Stay-up-late cream (熬夜霜)." Both nicknames, strategically adopted by the brand's local marketing, target the Chinese millennials who are seeking control of their skin in their increasingly sleep-deprived lifestyle.

Cosmeceuticals brands are longer confined to problem skin

Being constantly educated by the ingredient savvy KOLs, beauty salons and various cosmeceuticals brands, a great number of Chinese women focus their attention on cosmeceuticals brands, which is deemed to be more powerful in terms of prevention, protection and correction of skin concerns, as well as more compelling for being backed by science. They try hard to understand those ingredients and the evidence-based efficacy.

This offers an explanation of the robust growth of Skin Ceuticals in 2019, as it is perfectly aligned to cash in on this major trend. It's signature products, H.A Intensifier, Discoloration defense, Phyto corrective, are highly appreciated by many young women. And the use of ingredient content and ingredient function labeling are major product differentiators that have a massive impact on consumer preference.

"Phyto Corrective," which is designed to hydrate and soothe irritated or sensitive skin. On its Tmall flagship, the sales of "Phyto Corrective" was high at 16,000 pieces in the last 30 days, compared with "CE Ferulic High Potency Triple Antioxidant" and "Phloretin CF High-Performance Broad-

Action Antioxidant," which sold 1,000 pieces and almost 2,000 pieces respectively. Voolga敷尔佳 is developed from Heilongjiang Huaxin PharmaceuticalCompany, with pharmacy experts and professors. It launched repairing skincare for post-cosmetology treatment, and the product is used in cosmetology hospitals.

Ultra-Luxe skincare is on the rise

Super premium beauty and personal care in China recorded robust double-digit current value growth in the past 2 years, mainly thanks to the expanding middle class in China.

Facing tremendous social pressure to maintain their youthful looks, Chinese women, see anti-ageing skincare as a priority and are willing to invest in products that deliver results. They are looking outside those premium classic premium brands, such as SK2, Guerlain. In recent years, they have started looking into foreign niche, ultra-luxe brands abroad for more exclusive offerings, such as Valmont and La Prairie from Switzerland, Natura Bisse from Spain.

Natural, organic, safe & clean products are becoming the norm.

Millennials women demonstrate high interests in natural, herbal or organic ingredients and biotech products. Not only do they look for transparency and traceability of product ingredients, but they are also curious about where ingredients originate and how products are made.

Innovative products cater to technologically aware consumers in China

Consumers are no longer confined themselves to studying ingredients, products with innovative characteristics, now seems more closely meeting demand from technologically aware consumers. Many brands utilize a series of intelligent, innovative features in their products. As an example, the time match powder can be used to absorb the gloss of the skin intelligently in line with the sebum level of the skin, to reduce the oxidation and yellowing of the make-up. In addition, the unique Super Bio-Moisture Network can keep the skin moist for a long time by sensing the skin's condition, so as to achieve "intelligent" hydration and natural transparency.

The rise of new aesthetic trends

Chinese beauty buyers are flocking to domestic and Western brands, from K-beauty. This change in consumer trends strongly relates to a search for authenticity, and consumers now want products that allow them to express their identity and individuality rather than the uniformity promoted by K-beauty.

Niche professional makeup brands have been penetrating into to consumers' recognition.

Along with consumption upgrading and promotions of Daigou, consumers are not limiting to well-known brands and hot products when it comes to product choice. They are discovering more professional and differentiated brands to satisfy with specific makeup needs as well as show their personality. (E.g. Pat Mcgrath, Glossier, Romand, Natasha Denona, etc.

Glossier became popular on Instagram and Youtube. It is discovered by local KOLs recently, and exposed on local social media, such as Red.

"Watch it, But it" Livestreaming e-commerce, make their purchasing decision more easily

Livestreaming is the "go-to" option for Chinese consumers when seeking out new products and deciding on what to buy. It serves not only as a tool to showcase and deliver information about products, but also as a customer engagement channel in which shoppers can interact with the host. As consumers can ask questions about the products, post comments to the hosts and even send virtual gifts as a token of appreciation while watching the livestream.

2019 is a year of livestreaming in China. For instance, Taobao Live, Alibaba's dedicated livestreaming channel, generated sales of RMB 20 billion during Alibaba's Singles' Day 2019 shopping holiday on November 11. This accounted for around 7.5% of the company's total Singles' Day sales of RMB 268.4 billion

Kim Kardashian collaborated with livestreaming influencer Viya to sell 15,000 bottles of KKW Beauty perfume on Singles Day.

On 2019 March 8th Women's Day, Li Jiaqi (Austin Li) sold 10,000 bottles of facial cleanser in 10 seconds; sold 15,000 lipsticks in 15 minutes; and made 3.35 million RMB sales in 5-and-a-half-hour online live streaming

Chinese consumers' makeup routines evolved rapidly

Consumers in China are becoming ever more sophisticated in their daily makeup regimens. Eye shadow was notable amongst the expanding areas of colour cosmetics in the past 2 years.

According to Grand View research, the value of the global eye makeup market is expected to reach US$21.41 billion by 2015. Eye shadow products are expected to be the fastest growing category with an average annual growth rate of 6.2% between 2018 and 2025.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Beauty trend in China 2019 : How are Chinese beauty consumer habits changing ?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover the 1st part (out of 4) of the interview of our Beauty Ifop Asia expert on Beauty trends in China and beauty consumer habits. The following findings are based on Ifop's research experience in beauty category and social listening on various online channels (e.g.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With the largest middle class in the world, China is an attractive market for Western brands. However, brands face various challenges marketing in this dynamic and fast-changing market.
China has a unique digital landscape, consumers have distinctive purchasing behaviours and there's intense competition between homegrown and foreign brands.

In this piece, I will talk about emerging trends and share tips for all Western brands who want to do marketing in China in 2018.

1. Consider China's hottest cities

In order to enter and penetrate the market, it's important to build a strong presence in first and second-tier cities. However, as internet use in the first-tier cities reaches saturation, brands may also begin reaching customers in the third- and fourth-tier cities.

According to Morgan Stanley, the smaller urban cities could become the larger driver of growth and consumer spending in the coming decade. Lower-tier cities will be bigger, wealthier and more eager to spend.

2. Mobile is the channel you can't do without

According to the China Statistical Report on Internet Development published in August 2017, China has an online population of 751 million and over 95% are using mobile devices to access the internet.

Meanwhile, Chinese people spend an average of three hours a day on their smartphones, mainly for social media and ecommerce. For brands that are marketing to Chinese consumers, a strong mobile presence is crucial.

3. The twin pillars of China's social media

Social commerce is one of the major driving forces of consumption in China. However, its social media landscape is complex and highly segmented. As a foreign brand, establishing a presence on the two major social media platforms - WeChat and Weibo - is a key step.

WeChat is a multi-purpose message platform developed by Tencent with 980 million monthly active users by Q3 2017. Weibo is a microblogging site (Alibaba is a major shareholder) with 376 million monthly active users as of Q3 2017.

These two platforms are both good channels to communicate with, acquire and retain Chinese customers.

4. Expand and diversify with emerging platforms

Apart from localizing on the BAT (Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent) platforms, which already dominate the market, brands should also pay attention to niche channels in order to capture fragmented users and include them as an integral part of their China digital marketing strategy.

The social media landscape in China is moves at a fast pace and new social platforms are constantly emerging. There are several rising platforms that are popular among the young, such as Kuaishou (a GIF-making and photo-sharing app) and Douyin (a music video social network app for video creation, messaging, and live broadcasting, similar to music.ly).

5. Content is king, but context is god

Content marketing is vital in China and the trend is expected to continue. As Chinese consumers are very much content driven, brands should not just translate their western content, but should focus on creating new content that emphasizes a brand story that sets it apart.

Communicating the right values and creating unique experiences are the best tactics to retain your followers and keep them engaged. The concept that "content is king, but context is god" applies to this market. In the past, emotional content tended to resonate more with users but now Chinese people are more interested in content that's entertaining and fun.
Five things all marketers should know about China in 2018
6. Get good at short videos, you'll need them

Videos, in particular short videos of six to 15 seconds, are rising quickly and will be more widely used on social media and ecommerce sites for marketing purposes. With short videos, brands can convey their brand messages and engage with an audience more easily.

In the past two years, Tencent, Alibaba and Toutiao have made a huge investment to support short video production. For example, Tencent invested in Kuaishou, while Alibaba has put billions into transforming Tudou into a short video community.
Kuaishou app
7. Score a hit on mobile video

Mobile video advertising is becoming more popular as it can be promoted on various mobile apps. As of Q3 2017, China's mobile video advertising market reached 8.657 billion RMB, accounting for 64.4% of the total video advertising market.

Popular music video community Douyin demonstrated the importance of mobile when it launched "vertical screen" video ads. Brands such as Airbnb, Chevrolet, Harbin Beer have published short video ads on this platform. Each of the videos has accumulated over 5 million views and more than 30,000 likes.

8. KOLs are powerful

Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) have powerful promotional impact. In China, KOLs appear to have a stronger influence on society than in the West. Whether you're localizing your brand, building awareness or driving sales, promotion with KOLs is always a good option.

During Alipay's 12.12 "Shopping Holiday", Taobao invited famous KOL Ms Yeah (办公室小野) to do a series of short video programs in which she interviewed eight different KOLs and recommended various products to the audience. The videos have been played more than 200 million times and the program's hashtag on Weibo got mentioned more than 100 million times.

In recent years, micro-influencers have started entering the market. They have more niche audiences and usually have higher engagement with their followers. In addition to WeChat and Weibo, they can be found on platforms such as Xiaohongshu (小紅書), Bilibili (哔哩哔哩), Ximalaya FM (喜马拉雅FM). They are a good option for brands to amplify content without a huge promotion budget.

9. Live streaming and real-time interaction promotion

Since 2015, live streaming has grown rapidly and become a major trend in China. According to Deloitte's TMT Predictions Report, China's live-streaming market is estimated to reach $4.4 billion in revenue this year, up 32% over 2017.

Through live streaming with popular KOLs, brands can easily promote their products to target audience. Live streaming also facilitates e-commerce with the 'See Now, Buy Now' function.

Victoria's Secret is one of the brands that took advantage of China's live streaming culture to reach out to customers. The brand launched a live stream on Youku during its annual runway show in Shanghai. While users were watching the show, they could purchase the featured products in real-time by clicking the links to the brand's e-commerce sites.

10. Stay on trend but be flexible

China has a fast-changing digital marketing landscape, so brands need to be flexible and adapt to new features and upcoming trends. For Western brands that are marketing in China, going digital is still one of the most effective approaches to reach out to and communicate with their target audience.

Through 2018 and beyond, marketers should pay attention to various areas, such as targeting audiences in lower-tier cities, establishing an all-round social media presence, emphasizing short video content creation, promoting with KOLs and launching live stream campaigns.

The new generation of Chinese digital consumers is presenting many opportunities. Western brands that understand how to enter this complex market will definitely have the advantage in winning Chinese hearts.
Understanding WeChat: An Overview of China's Social, Payment and Messaging Giant

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chinese marketing trends in 2018: What Western brands need to know - Econsultancy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With the largest middle class in the world, China is an attractive market for Western brands. However, brands face various challenges marketing in this dynamic and fast-changing market. China has a unique digital landscape, consumers have distinctive purchasing behaviours and there's intense competition between homegrown and foreign brands.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
2019年3月4日 | 新闻稿
China's Generation Z - an emerging borderless tribe, hungry for uniqueness and characterized by growing spending power, according to the widest geographical study of Gen Z conducted by OC&C

A comprehensive study of Gen Z spanning nine countries reveals distinct consumption patterns for a generation that will soon account for one third of all consumers worldwide

Gen Zers are more likely to be influenced by friends, family and celebrities compared to older generations

The desire to be unique sets Generation Z apart from their predecessors, with Chinese Gen Z known to seek one-off, limited edition products

Gen Z are pro-social consumers, meaning they are willing to put in extra effort to support brands that adhere to high ethical standards

The study also presents specific actions brands must consider when targeting this distinct group of new consumers

As the oldest member of Gen Z turns 21 this year, global strategy consulting firm OC&C has conducted an in-depth survey of 15,500 respondents spanning four generations and nine countries to help businesses and retailers understand this new and ever-changing generation. Broadly defined as those born in 1998 and after, Gen Z already makes up 30% of the global population and around 20% of China's population.

OC&C's research, on one hand, demonstrates that Gen Z carries forward certain trends established by the Millennials, suggesting the socially conscious, experience-led consumer is here to stay for a while.

On the other hand, it identifies several key trends particular to this demographic. Gen Zers across the globe are resembling each other more than any other generation, from attitudes to spending to their outlook on the future. This generation is also subject to higher levels of influence from celebrities and friends, but at the same time, they want to stand out as individuals. Driving these seemingly contradictory forces is, most likely, the irrefutable influence of social media.
Will Hayllar, Partner at OC&C, commented:
"Gen Z is a complicated but vitally important set of consumers for brands and retailers to understand as they will make up a huge proportion of global consumers in just over 10 years. Gen Z is changing the face of consumer industries with distinct behaviour patterns and now is the time for businesses to start thinking about how they can shape their products and services to cater for this younger generation and their needs.

"As our research shows, Gen Zers are different from Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers; their social network is informing decisions and shaping exposure to brands, posing evolving issues for retailers and brands seeking to access Gen Zers. Businesses should take note of this generation's increased consciousness and ethical standards both when supplying products and services and attracting Gen Zers to their workforce. As such, reviewing supply chain, CSR initiatives and company values should be at the forefront of business marketing."
Chinese Gen Z account for the highest household spend by country
"With consumption power growing steadily in China, Chinese Gen Z are emerging as a distinctively new consumer segment that brands want to learn more about and target," said Veronica Wang, Associate Partner, OC&C Strategy Consultants. "In fact, China accounts for the highest share of Gen Z household spend at 13% compared to only 3% for the UK and 4% for USA. Further data reveals that Chinese Gen Z are spending more in the categories of technology (e.g. mobile phones and media subscriptions) and clothing compared to their Western counterparts. These statistics are enough to urge brands to rethink their business strategy if they want to capitalize on China's booming market."

Chinese Gen Z are more willing to spend, fuelled by their increased sense of security and optimism for the future.

As we see the country transitioning from investment to consumption, China ranked the lowest among other surveyed countries for "having savings" (72% compared to 89% for France), revealing Chinese Generation Z are more willing to spend and less willing to save. This trend is largely fueled by Chinese Gen Z's increased sense of security compared to their Western counterparts, with 41% of respondents agreeing that they are optimistic about their futures compared to only 19% for Italy.
A generation without borders
Compared with older generations, Generation Z share the greatest similarities in behaviours and attitudes among all nine countries surveyed. This suggests a homogenising effect that is almost certainly being driven by technology - the internet and social channels make it ever easier for this online Generation to share ideas and access the same information and media.

"China's Generation Z are the first Chinese generation to be born in a fully digital age," said Adam Xu, Partner, OC&C Strategy Consultants. "They are an extremely tech-savvy crowd, willing to share their feelings and experiences in forms of online reviews, blog posts and other means of self-expression. Chinese Gen Z are more likely to make their social media public compared to their Western counterparts who prefer to limit their social media audience to people they know in real life. This suggests that information sharing extends even further beyond their immediate circles for Chinese Generation Z, a trend that presents immense marketing potential if leveraged appropriately."

As a result of these dynamics, retailers and brands should look to target these cross-border tribes and segment their customer base by similar attitudes rather than - or as well as - traditional demographics.
Gen Z are more demanding and see shopping as a holistic 'experience'
Brands need to work harder and smarter to retain their customers. While price and quality are still important criteria for choosing retailers, Generation Z have a wider set of purchase criteria as compared to older generations. This group places high importance on other factors beyond price, such as product range, convenience and stylishness. In other words, a brand would have a higher chance of appealing to a Gen Z consumer if it carries wider product offerings (in terms of styles and SKUs) and provides for a pleasant shopping experience (including convenience, speed of delivery, platform functionality).
Under the influence vs. the need to stand out
Generation Z are prolific social media users. They have more profiles, check their accounts more frequently and spend longer periods of time browsing feeds. As a result, they're more likely to be influenced by friends and celebrities, follow brands, source purchase inspiration and make transactions.

This online sphere of influence is directly disrupting traditional purchasing journeys - Gen Zers are more likely to purchase through mobile apps, social media, and blogger-s than Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers. This younger generation diverges from traditional sources of brand discovery too. Just 6% of Gen Z selected seeing new brands when out shopping compared to 8% of Gen X and 18% of Baby Boomers.

Despite it seeming that Gen Z find inspiration and identity through friends and celebrities, a core group of Gen Zers (25%) believe it is important to have a unique view on style and creativity. Retailers should look to provide more personalisation and customisation services to satisfy this generation's appetite for exclusivity. Limited edition mainstream ranges are another tactic that businesses can employ to reach this generation.
Conscious consumption
As socially conscious consumers, Gen Zers expect brands to adhere to high ethical standards. In fact, Gen Zers are willing to take extra steps to research brands' supply chains and employment practices before making purchase decisions. While issues surrounding animal welfare, equality and diversity are most important to Gen Z overall, the data reveals national differences that appear to directly reflect the political climate of the country. In China, Gen Z are more concerned by environmentally-friendly consumption (25% vs 13% for Gen Z across the globe), while American Gen Zers (the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in the US) are most committed to solving diversity issues.
For the full report please see here.

Partners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
china’s generation z an emerging borderless tribe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
hungry for uniqueness and characterized by growing spending power

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
according to the widest geographical study of gen z conducted by oc&c

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
China's Generation Z - an emerging borderless tribe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
2019年3月4日 | 新闻稿 China's Generation Z - an emerging borderless tribe, hungry for uniqueness and characterized by growing spending power, according to the widest geographical study of Gen Z conducted by OC&C A comprehensive study of Gen Z spanning nine countries reveals distinct consumption patterns for a generation that will

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Luxury industry has shown great interest in Gen-Z consumers in China

With the upgrade of living standards, Gen-Z consumers in China 's ability to purchase l uxury brands is increasing. In China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, almost all major shopping malls are home to foreign luxury brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes.

China's luxury goods industry makes up one-third of the global luxury market share; hence, the marketing strategies of global luxury groups and brands in China must be adjusted for Gen-Z consumers.

According to a Bain report, China's Generation Z will become the main consumer group for luxury brands in the future

'By 2025, Gen-Z consumers in China will account for more than 55% of the total consumption of luxury brands. They will also lead a new round of consumer culture, so superior luxury brands should integrate into and study their cultural phenomena, upgrade their brands, to continue to become a leading cultural brand.'

Chinese Generation Zhas a massive consumption capability and empowerment of impulsive shopping. Therefore, it is becoming a new driving force for the growth of the luxury industry in China.

How can Luxury Brands Marketing to Gen-Z consumers in China?

China's generation Z is the largest group in the world, numbering almost 149 million people. Generation Z refers to those born between 1998 and 2016. China's generation Z has earned the nickname 'Internet Generation' because they are greatly influenced by what they see on the internet. Gen-Z White Paper by Kantar joint QQ Advertising predicts that by 2020, the consumption of Chinese Generation Z will account for 40% of the total consumption power in China.

Unique features of Gen-Z consumers in China

Marcie Merriman, executive director of Ernst & Young LLP, said in her report "Rise of China's Gen Z: New Challenge for Retailers" that Chinese Generation Z has unique beliefs, codes of conduct and experience, and are not simply a continuation of the Chinese Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1997)."

China's Gen Z grew up during a dynamic surge of technological advancements. Moreover, Chinese generation Z grew up in the era of false news and false events. Therefore, they have a sophisticated sense of truth and quality.

Gen-Z consumers in China appreciate holistic brands and tend to choose brands with social responsibility, sustainability, and a personalized approach.

The truth is that it is not that easy to target China's Gen Z and generate brand loyalty, because they are willing to interact with different brands and build a connection with a variety of brands. To target China's Gen Z, brands must offer creative opportunities; they want their voices heard and are willing to pay for it.

They most frequently shop online and make decisions through social media.

China's Gen Z vs. Millenials

Millennials consumers attribute brand culture to their personal identity, but they have broader acceptance of e-social networking, sustainable development, and second-hand luxury goods.

Compared to Chinese Millennials, Gen-Z consumers in China are more dependent on mobile-based social media. Hence social media strategy and utilization of social commerce are important when targeting China's Gen Z.

Why does Chinese Generation Z have a strong purchasing power?

According to the Bain&Co. Study, the income of China's Gen Z mostly comes from parents. The consumption ability of Chinese Generation Z is often underestimated by the brands because of their young age. In fact, Chinese Generation Z will soon become the highest-level consumption group. According to 2018 China's Gen Z, White Paper by Kantar and Tencent, the average income of this generation is 3501 yuan/month, while the minimum wage standard of Shanghai in 2018 is 2420 yuan/month. Chinese Generation Z, who has not worked, already has the financial ability to surpass the working class.

In addition, with the continuation of the trade war, the Chinese government reduced VAT and import tariffs to stimulate local consumption. The 20-year-old Gen-Z consumers in China are rapidly becoming the leading consumers of luxury goods in China.

The distinction between Western and Chinese generation Z

Surveys of 15,500 young people born in 1998 and later in nine countries (China, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and Brazil) show that Chinese Generation Z is carefree, spend more, and saves less than Gen-Z in the West.

China's Gen Z expenditure accounts for a higher proportion of household income than the western world. China's Chinese Generation Z expenditure accounts for 15% of household income, compared with 4% in the United States and Britain. Although most people haven't started earning wages yet, they spend a lot of their families' money.

Because Chinese Generation Z was born in the era of the country's one-child policy and exponential economic growth, they live comparatively wealthier lives than any other generation in China.

In contrast, Gen Z in the United States and Europe experienced the 2008 financial crisis and its brutal consequences, graduating at a time when student debt in the United States is at an all-time high.

Marketing to Gen-Z via WeChat, Weibo and Diverse Marketing Platforms

Chinese Generation Z spends an average of 2 hours and 43 minutes a day on social media; therefore, it is not be overlooked when marketing to China's Gen Z.

Super APPs like WeChat and Sina Weibo have become battlefields of digital marketing for luxury brands. Xiaohongshu, Tik Tok, and Toutiao have not yet been widely used by international luxury brands, but these platforms show great potential.

[Source: Tik Tok, "#Gucci# topic activities"]

Gucci launched a #Gucci# topic on Tik Tok and co-released its first commercial sticker album, GG Piggy. Many celebrities, like Lu Han and Li Yuchun, used piggy stickers to participate in the activities and released videos, which attracted a lot of attention. Finally, more than users created more than 700,000 videos with the #Gucci# stickers.

The new luxury doctrine: sustainability is KEY to target China's Gen Z

Compared to Chinese millennials, China's Gen Z is more conscious and concerned about public welfare and environmental protection. For example, in terms of environmental protection, Chinese Generation Z regards itself as a member of the world's ecosystem and feels responsible and obligated to protect the environment.

Luxury goods with the themes of Sustainability, Ethics, and Innovation, are very popular in the international market. As Gen-Z consumers in China become a major consumption group, sustainability will become more critical in the future Chinese luxury market.

The impact of KOLs on Chinese Generation Z

According to China luxury forecast 2019, about 60% of consumers who follow fashion KOLs consider their opinions before making purchases.

[Source: China luxury forecast 2019, "followed fashion KOLs and made purchased in P12M"]

For instance, Burberry chose Kris Wu as its spokesperson in 2016 and launched a new cooperative Series in 2017. DIOR promoted Angelababyas the brand ambassador of China in 2017. At the same time, a large number of luxury brands have also enhanced their characteristics by appointing famous stars as spokespersons. Burberry cooperates with Kris Wu and Prada works with Cai Xukun to please Chinese Generation Z.

[Source: Burberry, "Kris Wu did a catwalk for Burberry fashion show"]

Product upgrade-exploration of luxury brands targeting China's Gen Z

Providing personalized services

When targeting China's Gen Z, it is essential to emphasize their uniqueness, as they are willing to pay for products that fit their identities. Nearly half of those born in the 90s want to get brand information through physical stores. Luxury brands can also strengthen their links with young people by opening flash stores and co-exhibitions with artists when marketing to China's Gen Z.

[Source: Gucci, "the Gucci Pig Family and the 'Artists Here' activity"]

For example, Gucci launched " Artists Here" and introduced a series of limited items during the last Spring Festival, the ' Gucci Pig Family.' Gucci's case created elements suitable for young people's culture, and thus enhance the vitality of the brand among China's Gen Z.

Opportunity for foreign enterprises in the luxury market in China

The new E-Commerce Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2019, promotes the increase of domestic consumption of luxury goods by regulating purchasing agents and professional buyers.

In addition, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and other luxury brands have reduced prices, although not by much, the fact itself gives consumers the corresponding incentives.

Although China's Gen Z is still young, they have had a far-reaching impact on the luxury market in China. Efficiently marketing to China's Gen Z is tantamount to grabbing the most dominant consumers in the market. Boastful marketing is out of date because Chinese Gen Z values authenticity, ethics, and quality. Their attitude towards life is sincere, and they have enough patience and ability to face the future luxury market.

Author: Zichun LI
Make the new economic China Paradigm positive leverage for your business
Do not hesitate to reach out our project managers at dx@daxue-consulting.com to get all answers to your questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Marketing to Gen-Z consumers in China | Daxue Consulting

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With the upgrade of living standards, Gen-Z consumers in China 's ability to purchase l uxury brands is increasing. In China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, almost all major shopping malls are home to foreign luxury brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Creating collections that target younger demographics is not something entirely new but entering the gaming world and selecting a digital avatar to deliver a testimonial is groundbreaking. Until recently, such partnerships would have been taboo; the luxury world saw video games as geeky, and high-end brands didn't want to be associated with nerds.

For centuries, couturiers designed luxury products for the leisure class, in other words, beautiful, wealthy, and successful individuals who had distinctive qualities and enjoyed a privileged lifestyle. But the digital-savvy millennial and Gen-Z consumer in this category is a new luxury market - one that's accessible and inclusive. The new age of democratization has made the luxury world less restrictive and more accessible to groups that, until recently, were seen as undesirable.

In China, political censorship has shaped the artistic dialogue. In the country's highly digitalized universe, video games come with the promise of constructing a singular world, free of limitations and constraints, which is why young consumers have turned to the gaming industry for self-determination.

Furthermore, as social anxiety and stress are on the rise in China and Hong Kong, young consumers are looking more and more for any escape from their demanding realities. According to The China Mental Health Survey, 16.6 percent of Chinese adults had experienced mental illness in a moment in their lives, while the South China Morning Post reports that roughly 33 percent of young Hong Kong residents suffer from stress, anxiety or depression. Consequently, young adults need stress relief, and video games help maintain their inner peace.

According to Jing Daily's Ruonan Zheng, Chinese millennials who grew up isolated and lonely without siblings are adding fuel to the country's gaming obsession, as they often played interactive video games as a way to interact with other kids and build online communities.

Considering all these facts, it's likely that online games are here to stay. And as long as Chinese millennial consumers remain powerful decision-makers in the luxury world, heritage brands will advance the trends that those buyers most embrace.

It should be noted that the luxury world didn't fall in love with video games overnight. Back in 2012 Arena Homme+ featured a photoshoot with Final Fantasy characters dressed in Prada. Then, in 2017, the pink-haired digital avatar Lightning from Final Fantasy became the newest Louis Vuitton Ambassador. According to Louis Vuitton creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, selecting a video game avatar as a spokesperson for Louis Vuitton was a natural thing for our world "where social networks and communications are now seamlessly woven into our life."

Meanwhile, the rest of the luxury world is now experiencing an unprecedented appetite for gaming platforms. From Hermès' mobile app H-pitchhh to Dior and Guerlain's branded interactive games, heritage brands from around the world are currently embracing gaming platforms with the hopes of increasing engagement and seduce millennial consumers. And while initially these gaming apps were conceived as products for the Chinese market, their success has pushed heritage brands to export them globally, again proving that China is the best lab for fashion trends of the future.

More recently, Moschino, Gucci, and Uniqlo have each envisioned video game-inspired collections. While Moschino created an entire collection of Sims-inspired pieces, and Gucci has drawn inspiration from old Sega video game consoles, the Japanese retailer Uniqlo is now designing apparel with motifs from the popular game Monster Hunter. These collections don't have a universal appeal but are produced exclusively for a younger, cooler consumer base.

At first glance, Moschino's partnership with the Sims presents itself as a lucrative deal. With over 80 million players, the collaboration introduces the Italian brand to an entirely new audience, offering Moschino the potential to transform itself into an overnight sellout brand. Not all players will become Moschino fans, but Michael Brown, a partner in A.T. Kearney's Consumer Products and Retail Practice, put things into perspective by saying that he wouldn't underestimate "the video game players' ability to purchase these products. The demographic runs from pre-teens to 50-year-olds."

The naysayers and skeptics should analyze the success of the 'manga cartoon' look in fashion in both Korea and Japan, where girls have followed extreme beauty rituals just to emulate the look of a manga character. It's a fetish that's dependent on the cultural dominance of hugely popular gaming platforms in China, Japan, and South Korea.

According to Larissa Hjorth, a researcher and artist lecturing in the Games and Digital Art programs at RMIT University, Melbourne, South Korea "is a place where gaming is an integral part of social spaces and practices," and players include video games in their day-to-day lives. Hjorth believes that in South Korea "cute avatars provide a vehicle for negotiating co-presence between online and offline spaces."

And while the high price range ($1,295 for a backpack) angered some Sims fans, it's clear that partnerships between luxury labels and the gaming industry are only multiplying. Given the triumph of past capsule collections, and the need to capture and please a well-wired and younger consumer base, we should expect to see more video games and manga characters in upcoming fashion shows.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Luxury Brands Use Video Games to Speak to China's Millennials | Jing Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Creating collections that target younger demographics is not something entirely new but entering the gaming world and selecting a digital avatar to deliver a testimonial is groundbreaking. Until recently, such partnerships would have been taboo; the luxury world saw video games as geeky, and high-end brands didn't want to be associated with nerds.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DUBLIN--()--The "China Beauty Market Report - 2018 Q3 Makeup Market Review" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

China's beauty market in 2018 is 407.8 billion RMB market, the second-largest in the world after the USA. The rapid growth of the late 2000s is slowing down, but the recent CAGR market is growing at a rapid rate of 11.6%. The Q3 beauty market in 2018 is about 60.96 billion RMB, up 0.7% from the same quarter of the previous year.

The online market is 85 billion RMB, accounting for about 27.7% of the total beauty market. This report focuses on analyzing the sales of cosmetics being sold in Taobao and Tmall which are the largest online distribution channels in China (about 75 billion RMB). Taobao/Tmall distribution channels sold about 22.2 billion RMB in Q3 2018. In terms of platforms, Tmall, which is being operated by brands, accounted for 50% of the total market.

The premium market is steadily taking a stable 30% M/S of the entire market. The top 500 brands in China, as of Q3 2018, include 411 mass brands and 89 premium brands. Premium brands, however, account for about 6 billion RMB (30% M/S) of the total sales, and mass brands account for 13.1 billion RMB (70%M/S ). Q3/Q2 showed a 25% growth, premium brands grew by about 28.7% and mass brands grew by about 24.5%.

China's beauty market is expected to grow into a market of 60 trillion RMB by 2025. As one of the most notable beauty markets in the world, it is a representative market that not only global cosmetics companies but also small niche brands want to enter. As all brands are interested in this market, about 40,000 brands are striving to attract consumers in the Chinese market.

Despite the reports on the economic downturn in China, such as a trade war between the United States and China and various changes in economic environments, the China beauty market is expected to grow the most so that it is drawing worldwide attention. Experts predict that China beauty market will grow to an estimated 280 billion RMB in 2018, with an average growth rate of 12.5%.

Although it is expected to be the largest market in the world in the next five years, not many companies describe the Chinese market accurately. Especially, due to China's unique distribution structure, it is not easy for both foreign and domestic companies to read the entire market. In addition, even global cosmetic brands are having difficulties in the Chinese market due to rapid changes in consumer buying patterns.

This report is based on the analysis of the sales data of more than 3.5 million products being sold at Tmall and Taobao, China, 2.3 billion buyer reviews, as well as more than 10 million data of XIAOHONGSHU and Weibo. Given that 40% of the Chinese cosmetics market is sold online, 70% of the sales are made at Tmall and Taobao channels, this report can be used as a criterion for judging the market share or changes of brands in the entire Chinese market.

In a more complex market, it is necessary to establish a strategy based on more accurate numbers and insight that reads the numbers more clearly. We hope that this report will be able to read the rapidly changing the China beauty market more quickly and easily, and many companies will use this report to establish a strategy to succeed in the Chinese market.

Key Topics Covered

1. Overview

Q3 China Beauty Market Overview: Rapidly growing China Beauty Market

Q3 Korea Brands Performance: Korea brand ranking Top25

Q3 New Brand In: WASO

2. Market

Q3 Makeup Market Issues: Top 100 brands are taking more than 20% of M/S

Q3 Top Makeup Brand Performance

Key Brands to Watch: Perfect Diary, ZEESEA, 3CE, JudydoLL

Makeup Category Issue: Brands with segmentation products

3. Market by Category

Primer/Makeup Market Issue: K-Brands and J-Brands

Foundation Market Issue: Growth of key product line

BB Cream Market Issue: Shift of BB cream from a cream type to cushion type

Concealer Market Issue: Segmentation of the market needs

Pressed Powder Market Issue: Slows down in its market growth

Loose Powder Market Issue: Suitable for a matte makeup style

Lip Stick Market Issue: Representative item for showing

Lip Gloss Market Issue: Competitive market with its rapid market expansion

Lip Liner Market Issue: Smaller market yet steady expansion of the market size

Eye Shadow Market Issue: Focusing on eye palettes

Eye Liner Market Issue: Rapid growing of Japanese brands

Mascara Market Issue: Female consumer needs are on eyebrows length

Eye Brow Market Issue: Natural eyebrows vs. semi-permanent tattoo eyebrows

Blusher/Shading/Highlighter Market Issue: Slight growth on blusher market

4. Marketing Issue

Brand Marketing Issue: Carslan, Cosme Decorte, Aupres, Watsons, L'Oreal, Kiehl's

Seasonal Marketing Issue: Chinese Valentine's Day Chilwol-chilsuk(July 7th in the lunar calendar)

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mqodjb

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Chinese Beauty Market: Makeup Market Review, Q3 2018 - The Beauty Market in Q3 2018 is About 60.96 Billion RMB, up 0.7% - ResearchAndMarkets.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DUBLIN--()--The "China Beauty Market Report - 2018 Q3 Makeup Market Review" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. China's beauty market in 2018 is 407.8 billion RMB market, the second-largest in the world after the USA. The rapid growth of the late 2000s is slowing down, but the recent CAGR market is growing at a rapid rate of 11.6%.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Deeply rooted in Chinese society is the need to belong and conform to a unit, whether the family, a political party or an organization. The family is the focus of life for most Chinese. Age and rank are highly respected. However, to the dismay of older people, today's young people are rapidly modernizing, wearing blue jeans and sunglasses, drinking Coke and driving motorbikes.
Meeting and Greeting

Shake hands upon meeting. Chinese may nod or bow instead of shaking hands, although shaking hands has become increasingly common.

When introduced to a Chinese group, they may greet you with applause. Applaud back.

Senior persons begin greetings. Greet the oldest, most senior person before others. During group introductions, line up according to seniority with the senior person at the head of the line.

Names and Titles

Use family names and appropriate titles until specifically invited by your Chinese host or colleagues to use their given names.

Address the Chinese by Mr., Mrs., Miss plus family name. Note: married women always retain their maiden name.

Chinese are often addressed by their government or professional titles. For example, address Li Pang using his title: Mayor Li or Director Li.

Names may have two parts; for example: Wang Chien. Traditional Chinese family names are placed first with the given name (which has one or two syllables) coming last (family name: Wang; given: Chien).

Chinese generally introduce their guests using their full titles and company names. You should do the same. Example: Doctor John Smith, CEO of American Data Corporation.

Body Language

The Chinese dislike being touched by strangers. Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap or make any body contact.

Clicking fingers or whistling is considered very rude.

Never put your feet on a desk or a chair. Never gesture or pass an object with your feet.

Blowing one's nose in a handkerchief and returning it to one's pocket is considered vulgar by the Chinese.

To beckon a Chinese person, face the palm of your hand downward and move your fingers in a scratching motion. Never use your index finger to beckon anyone.

Sucking air in quickly and loudly through lips and teeth expresses distress or surprise at a proposed request. Attempt to change your request, allowing the Chinese to save face.

Chinese point with an open hand. Never point with your index finger.

Corporate Culture
The Chinese are practical in business and realize they need Western investment, but dislike dependency on foreigners. They are suspicious and fearful of being cheated or pushed around by foreigners, who are perceived as culturally and economically corrupt. It is very difficult to break through the "them vs. us" philosophy (foreign partner vs. Chinese). In personal relationships, the Chinese will offer friendship and warm hospitality without conflict, but in business they are astute negotiators.

Punctuality is important for foreign businesspeople. Being late is rude. Meetings always begin on time.

Business cards are exchanged upon meeting. Business cards should be printed in English on one side and Chinese on the other. Make sure the Chinese side uses "simplified" characters and not "classical" characters, which are used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

English is not spoken in business meetings, although some Chinese may understand English without making it known. Hire an interpreter or ask for one to be provided.

Be prepared for long meetings and lengthy negotiations (often ten days straight) with many delays.

The Chinese will enter a meeting with the highest-ranking person entering first. They will assume the first member of your group to enter the room is the leader of your delegation. The senior Chinese person welcomes everyone. The foreign leader introduces his/her team, and each member distributes his/her card. The leader invites the Chinese to do the same.

Seating is very important at a meeting. The host sits to the left of the most important guest.

There may be periods of silence at a business meeting; do not interrupt these.

A contract is considered a draft subject to change. Chinese may agree on a deal and then change their minds. A signed contract is not binding and does not mean negotiations will end.

Observing seniority and rank are extremely important in business.

The status of the people who make the initial contact with the Chinese is very important. Don't insult the Chinese by sending someone with a low rank.

Chinese negotiators may try to make foreign negotiators feel guilty about setbacks; they may then manipulate this sense of guilt to achieve certain concessions.

Two Chinese negotiating tricks designed to make you agree to concessions are staged temper tantrums and a feigned sense of urgency.

If the Chinese side no longer wishes to pursue the deal, they may not tell you. To save their own face, they may become increasingly inflexible and hard-nosed, forcing you to break off negotiations. In this way, they may avoid blame for the failure.

Dining and Entertainment

Dining is used to probe positions without any formal commitment. Business is generally not discussed during meals. Meals are a vehicle for indirect business references.

The Chinese are superb hosts. Twelve-course banquets with frequent toasts are a Chinese trademark.

The Chinese sponsoring organization generally hosts a welcoming banquet. Foreign guests should reciprocate toward the end of their visits. Invite everyone with whom you have dealt.

Always arrive exactly on time for a banquet. Never arrive early for dinner. This implies that you are hungry and might cause you to lose face.

Spouses are not usually included in business entertaining, however, businesspeople may bring their secretaries.

Be prepared to make a small toast for all occasions.

The first toast normally occurs during or after the first course, not before. After the next course, the guest should reciprocate.

Three glasses -- a large one for beer, soda or mineral water, a small wine glass and a stemmed shot glass -- are at each place setting. The shot glass is the one used for toasting.

It is not necessary to always drain your glass after a ganbei (bottoms up), although a host should encourage it.

Do not drink until you toast others at the table. Chinese consider drinking alone to be rude. Simply raising your glass and making eye contact is sufficient. If you are toasted, sip your drink in reply.

A toast to friendship among companies will help cement a business relationship.

Unless you are totally drunk, it is not advised to refuse a drink. Sipping your drink is perfectly acceptable.

Leave some food on your plate during each course of a meal to honor the generosity of your host. It is bad manners for a Chinese host not to keep refilling guests' plates or teacups.

Seating is very important. The guest of honor is always placed at the head of the room, facing the door. Allow the host to begin eating before joining in.

Do not discuss business at dinner unless your Chinese counterpart initiates it.

Slurping soup and belching are acceptable. Cover your mouth with your hand when using a toothpick. Put bones, seeds, etc. on the table, never in your rice bowl.

Chopsticks are used for all meals. Tapping your chopsticks on the table is considered very rude.

When finished eating, place your chopsticks neatly on the table or on the chopstick rest.

When hosting, order one dish for every person present and one extra. In addition, order rice, noodles and buns. Soup usually comes at some point during the meal. The host should tell his/her guests to begin eating a new dish before he digs in himself.

The host (the one who invites) pays the bill for everyone.

If you are the guest of honor at a dinner, leave shortly after the meal is finished, as no one will leave before the guest of honor.

Breakfast meetings are rare, but you may request one.

Guests are rarely invited to a Chinese home. It is an honor to be a guest. Be on time or a little early for an invitation, and take a small gift.

Bedrooms and kitchens are private. Don't enter these rooms unless you are invited to do so.

All dishes are served at once in a home. The host will place portions of each dish on guests' plates. Sample each dish.

Rare beef is considered barbaric by the Chinese.

Dress

Conservative, simple, unpretentious, modest clothing should be worn -- nothing flashy or overly fashionable.

Women should avoid bare backs, shorts, low-cut tops and excessive jewelry.

For business, men should wear sport coats and ties. Slacks and open-necked shirts are generally suitable in the summer for business meetings; jackets and ties are not necessary.

Women should wear dresses or pantsuits for business and should avoid heavy make-up and dangling, gaudy jewelry.

Gifts

Present a gift with both hands. Gifts are generally not opened upon receiving. Always give a gift to everyone present or don't give gifts at all.

Older Chinese usually refuse a gift at first to be polite. Offer a second time.

Never give a gift of great value until a clear relationship is established. This would cause embarrassment and may not be accepted. Never give gifts in sets (i.e., dishes), but never in sets of four (a number associated with death).

Avoid white, which is symbolic of death, especially of parents, and black, which symbolizes tragedy or death.

When invited to someone's home, always bring a small gift for the hostess, such as brandy, chocolates or cakes.

Be prepared to exchange a modest gift with your business colleagues at the first meeting. Not giving a gift could start a business meeting off on the wrong foot.

Always give gifts to each member of the Chinese delegation that meets you in the order in which they were introduced. Suggested gifts: cigarettes (especially Marlboro and Kent), French brandy, whiskey, pens, lighters, desk attire, cognac, books, framed paintings. Give more valuable gifts - like cellular phones or small CD players - to senior level people.

Give a group gift from your company to the host company. Present this gift to the leader of the delegation.

Helpful Hints

Chinese find "no" difficult to say. They may say "maybe" or "we'll see" in order to save face.

Always refer to China as "China" or "People's Republic of China," never as "Red China," "Communist China" or "Mainland China."

Always refer to Taiwan as "Taiwan" or "Province of Taiwan," never "China," "Republic of China" (the name adapted by the Nationalist forces after they fled to Taiwan) or "Free China."

Do not in any way suggest that Taiwan is not part of China.

Show respect for older people. Offer a seat or right of way through the door to a colleague or older person as a polite gesture.

Return applause when applauded.

Refrain from being loud, boisterous or showy.

Do not be insulted if the Chinese ask personal questions such as "How much money do you make?" "How many children do you have?" or "Are you married?" Just change the subject if you do not want to answer.

Asking about divorce would cause a Chinese person to lose face.

Forcing the Chinese to say "no" will quickly end a relationship.

Never say or act like you are starving and don't ask for a doggy bag.

Most Chinese women don't wear wedding rings. Don't assume marital status.

Especially for Women

China is a difficult place for anyone to conduct business. A woman may gain acceptance, but it will take time and will not be easy.

China is a male-dominated society. However, there are many women in business in China and some occupy high-ranking positions and important managerial jobs. One of the principles of the Chinese communist system is to work toward sexual equality.

Negotiating teams may have women members. Women may be used to decline unpopular proposals.

Businesswomen attend business dinners, but rarely bring their spouses.

Chinese women rarely smoke or drink. However, it is acceptable for Western women to do so moderately.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Deeply rooted in Chinese society is the need to belong and conform to a unit, whether the family, a political party or an organization. The family is the focus of life for most Chinese. Age and rank are highly respected.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Benefits Of Gamification In Corporate Training

Gamification for learning-or, notably, serious learning-is all about using the principles and key elements of gaming to meet the required learning objectives.

The value that gamification brings in is summarized very effectively in the following statement as per Wikipedia:

"Gamification techniques are intended to leverage people's natural desires for socializing, learning, mastery, competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism or closure. Gamification strategies use rewards for players who accomplish desired tasks or competition to engage players. Types of rewards include points, achievement badges or levels, the filling of a progress bar or providing the user with virtual currency. Making the rewards for accomplishing tasks visible to other players or providing leaderboards are ways of encouraging players to compete."

What Is The Value That Gamification Provides For Learners And Businesses?

As gamification offers a learning journey to have fun as you learn, the learners welcome it. However, L&D teams who invest in it still have reservations on the value, impact or ROI of this spend. As we pitch for gamification, we often come across the following questions on its value and impact:

Will gamification truly help learners learn?

Gamification is all about having fun, but can it drive learner performance?

Does gamification offer tangible gain and value to learners and businesses?

However, the fact remains that the success of any learning strategy is determined by the effectiveness of its application. If you craft a gamification concept that can capture and retain the learners' attention, challenge and engage them, ensure they complete the journey, plus teach them, you will have a high-impact training [1] that will indeed deliver the desired impact.

As a result, well-designed gamification-based training provides value to both organizations and learners at many levels as shown here.

The Value From The Learners' Perspective

Let us take a look at the following stats that reaffirm the value of gamification-based learning from the users' perspective:

80% of learners claimed learning would be more productive if it were more game-oriented.

67% of students reported that a gamified course was more motivating than a traditional course.

The Value From The Organizations' Perspective

The use of gamification for learning provides several benefits to L&D teams:

1. Gamification is a very engaging learning strategy and the right gamified approach will enable L&D teams to meet the learning outcomes-similar to other strategies used in traditional eLearning.

2. As gamification for learning offers a more engaging and immersive learning experience, this would translate to higher completion rates. The gain would also be reflected in better recall or retention.

3. The versatility of gamification for learning enables you to use it in various levels of learning-different cognition levels. You can use it not only for learning acquisition but also for practice for performance improvement, upskilling or successful application of learning at work.

4. Bringing in a change in thinking and behavior is a tall order. Coupled with principles of spaced repetition, you can successfully leverage gamification to influence both aspects over time.

How Can You Create The Desired Impact Through Gamification For Learning?

At EI Design, we have a very mature gamification practice and, since the inception, our focus has been on using techniques that enable us to create the following values:

1. High learner engagement

2. Immersive approach

3. High recall

4. Better retention (sticky learning)

5. Improved application of the acquired learning on the job

6. Reinforcement

7. Challenges that stimulate a refresh or review of primary learning resources

8. Practice and proficiency gain

9. Trigger change in thinking

10. Influence behavioral change

To meet these gains, a majority of our solutions under the gamification for learning category use the following 8 elements. To help you understand how these 8 elements help you meet the learning goals, I highlight the value of each element by mapping it to the equivalent technique in traditional eLearning.

1. Challenges
These map to the learning objectives or learning goals.

2. Levels
These map to the learning journey and as the learner goes through each level, it signifies a step up in proficiency for them.

3. Instant feedback
This helps learners know how they are faring against their learning goals and based on this, they can adopt the necessary measures to step up their performance.

4. Scores
They are indicators of their performance and are closely aligned to offering gratification as well as a sense of accomplishment.

5. Badges
As the learners go through the learning path and clear certain levels, they are given badges. These reflect affirmations for their significant achievements.

6. Leaderboards
They are dashboards that are used to provide a pictorial view of the overall progress-including against others. The analytics keeps learners connected to the learning journey and aligned to meeting their terminal objectives.

7. Competition
This can be leveraged effectively as it helps learners assess where they stand against other peers or competing teams.

8. Collaboration
This feature not only facilitates team-building but also enables learners to leverage the support of peers or guidance from experts to meet their goals.

Gamification In eLearning: 6 Killer Examples

I have selected 6 gamification examples from our rich repository to illustrate its value. These examples illustrate how gamification can be used across different corporate training programs for value ranging from better recall, retention or application on the job.

1. Induction Program For A Globally Renowned Entertainment Company

The purpose of the course was to orient employees with the company's history, policies and benefits, procedures to be followed, and career growth opportunities through a fully gamified approach.

A guided visual tour, relatable terms, and rich and customized visuals and details created what the organization called a "magical" learning experience.

2. An Experiential Induction Program For A Global Retail Giant

A gamified onboarding training opportunity was created for a customer care team to help them acclimatize with the culture of the organization.

The entire course in a 360-degree platform with Virtual Reality (VR) features, personalization through avatars, and leaderboards and analytics to understand the efficacy of user interactions are the highlights.

3. Professional Skills Enhancement: Account Management Fundamentals For Project Managers And Account Managers

This course is a great example of a gamification approach with multiple levels that reflect the proficiency gain as the learners move from Level 1 to Level 4.

The learning journey is driven by scenarios or challenges matching real-life situations.

Unlike the classic approach of having to go through theory and then practice, here the learners can directly jump into taking a challenge. This helps them ascertain if they truly know the concept. They can seek support through an expert-if they can't clear the challenge.

We also added curated content that offers new content to the learners every subsequent time they come back. This is a great way to have them refresh their learning.

4. Rewards And Recognition
This uses an avatar-based approach for personalization along with gamification.

The learners go through a series of locations in a fictitious city and have gamified activities that map to the different aspects of the organization's compensation program.

The simulated activities reinforce the concepts the individuals must understand and remember in order to win. The scores lead them to gain the reward.

5. Partial Gamification: Features Of A Gamified Activity

This example illustrates how you can add punch to enhance a traditional eLearning course by implementing partial gamification techniques. The usage of gamified activities can uplift the engagement quotient of the standard eLearning course manifold.

We used this approach in a course on time management, and the activity was for identifying time wasters. It involved rapid thinking to select a time-waster activity, which was mapped to floating clocks that would appear from different directions. If you were not paying attention, you would miss and get a negative score!

Unlike a standard approach, like a drag-and-drop interaction, this approach is fun and pushes learners to focus, while creating a more engaging and rewarding learning experience.

6: Partial Gamification: Features Of A Gamified Assessment Designed As A Micro-Challenge

This example features a very versatile gamification approach. We created a bank of gamified assessments, each one in a unique format as a micro-challenge.

Designed in a microlearning format that can be consumed on the go-it features a mobile-first design-the questions can be used to support any formal training for:

Practice

Proficiency gain

Post-training connect feedback that would help them refresh the primary training

As you have noticed in the featured examples, gamification is a great strategy to provide an immersive learning experience. It is an extremely versatile approach and its application will help you improve learning, application on the job, and the tougher mandate of behavioral change. I hope my article helps you leverage gamification for training [2] in case you haven't used it in the past.

Meanwhile, if you have any specific queries, do contact me or leave a comment below.
References:
[1] How Can You Combine Mobile Learning And Gamification To Create High Impact Training?

[2] An Introduction to Gamification in Corporate Training
Sources:

eLogic Learning

Taylor & Francis Online

Read More:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Killer Examples Of Gamification In eLearning (Updated In 2020)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gamification for learning-or, notably, serious learning-is all about using the principles and key elements of gaming to meet the required learning objectives. The value that gamification brings in is summarized very effectively in the following statement as per Wikipedia: "Gamification techniques are intended to leverage people's natural desires for socializing, learning, mastery, competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism or closure.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Implications - The adoption of gamification in the application and/or selling of makeup is increasingly common as cosmetic brands seek to engage consumers in an oversaturated market. The adoption of gamified ads, pop-ups and apps in the cosmetic industry caters to consumers seeking brand experiences, rather than only the products or services being offered.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
cosmetic brands adopt gamification into their campaigns to boost engagement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cosmetic brands adopt gamification into their campaigns to boost engagement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Implications - The adoption of gamification in the application and/or selling of makeup is increasingly common as cosmetic brands seek to engage consumers in an oversaturated market. The adoption of gamified ads, pop-ups and apps in the cosmetic industry caters to consumers seeking brand experiences, rather than only the products or services being offered.