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GoogleTrends | Interest over time | Taiwan

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GoogleTrends | Interest over time | Taiwan

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GoogleTrends | Interest over time | Macao

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GoogleTrends | Interest over time | Macao

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | skincare

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | skincare

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | vegan

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | vegan

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | organic

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | organic

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UpCircle - - Rated 5 based on 30 Reviews "I rate these coffee scrubs as being the best on the market and I have tried a few. I love the scents..."

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | natural

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GoogleTrends | Interest by sub-region | natural

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At UpCircle, our ethical skincare gives natural ingredients a new lease of life. ... leftover natural ingredients, bringing them back to life as beauty products your ...

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A truly amazing result after just one use!

I ordered the Upcircle Pamper Pack to try out their face products - so far I've only tried the cleansing balm, floral scrub and moisturiser, but am delighted with all three. It's too soon to say how my skin will react long term, but as somebody with VERY sensitive skin that usually reacts to anything, I've been blown away by these products.

The cleansing balm is reminiscent of a much more expensive, well-known brand, but without any of the nasties (and not tested on animals, most importantly). It leaves skin soft, cleansed and moisturised. The floral coffee facial scrub makes your face smell like breakfast and outdoor meadows and leaves your skin so super soft and calm. It's honestly a moisturising scrub, if such a thing is even possible. The facial moisturiser glides on like a dream and leaves skin calmed and soothed. It's great as both a day cream (makeup goes on over it without pilling, and blends much more easily) and yet rich enough to use as a night cream.

I was initially sceptical that one moisturiser could suit everyone, however this stuff is great! You only need a tiny bit. I also wondered just how gentle a coffee scrub could be - it feels quite exfoliating on the skin, yet never irritating and I love how it moisturizes with the included oils.

Today, the morning after using my Pamper Pack, I've ordered the full size products and left the house without any makeup on for the first time in months. My skin is glowing!

I've yet to try the face mask and facial serum, but will update my review once I have.

I love, love, LOVE that UpCircle are ethical and reusing coffee grounds and other products that would otherwise end up as waste. And their customer service is top notch. They very kindly added a sample of the floral face scrub to my pamper pack, and were always available (and so helpful and lovely) on chat when I had any questions.

Thank you UpCircle :)

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UpCircle is rated "Excellent" with 4.8 / 5 on Trustpilot

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A truly amazing result after just one use! I ordered the Upcircle Pamper Pack to try out their face products - so far I've only tried the cleansing balm, floral scrub and moisturiser, but am delighted with all three.

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SEO keywords ranking | upcirclebeauty.com

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SEO keywords ranking | upcirclebeauty.com

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Survey: Asian consumer sentiment during the COVID-19 crisis 

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Survey: Asian consumer sentiment during the COVID-19 crisis 

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Asian countries are absorbing the COVID-19 pandemic at markedly different rates, with the impact just beginning to bite in India and Indonesia even as China sees new cases stabilize and local transmission is contained (Exhibit 1).

Over the last month, McKinsey has twice taken pulse surveys of consumer sentiment in China, first on February 21-24 and again on March 23-30, when we also conducted initial surveys in India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. Sample sizes varied from 582 people in India to more than 1,000 in China.

Consumers across these markets demonstrate varying degrees of confidence in the prospects for economic recovery, with those in earlier or later stages of the outbreak significantly more optimistic. These sentiments are likely influenced both by their awareness of the disease, recently announced government contingency measures such as movement restrictions and business rescue plans, and other news events (Exhibit 2). In China, consumer confidence has stabilized, with optimism that the economy will rebound in two-three months rising to 47 percent of respondents in late March from 43 percent the previous month. For the remaining four countries, we will refresh responses on a regular basis to track how consumer sentiment evolves.

According to our research, most consumers expect their routines and personal/household finances to be impacted over the next two-six months. The exception is Japan, where a significant proportion expect the impact to last for more than seven months (Exhibit 3).

Interestingly, when asked how they expect to manage their household finances over the next two weeks, consumers in all surveyed markets said they expect both their income and savings to decrease, regardless of their expectations for economic recovery. Korean consumers were most pessimistic about the prospects for their income, while Indonesian consumers led in terms of expectations for decreased savings (Exhibit 4).

The safety of family and overall public health are primary concerns, especially in India and Indonesia, while fears over economic stability and not knowing how long the crisis will last feature more prominently in Japan, South Korea, and China (Exhibit 5).

Consequently, most consumers are doubling down on essentials such as groceries, household supplies, and in-home entertainment (for those countries with movement controls/shelter-at-home policies in place), while discretionary categories like eating out, apparel, consumer electronics, and hospitality are likely to see significantly decreased spend in the next two weeks (Exhibit 6).

In Korea, the net intent to avoid quick-service restaurants is as high as 74 percent, compared with 22 percent in China. For consumer electronics, the net intent to reduce spend is about 40-60 percent in all markets apart from China.

Meanwhile, most consumers expect to spend more time engaging with live TV and news broadcasts, online news, and entertainment, whereas print news consumption is set to fall across the board (Exhibit 7).

The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving rapidly, deepening the uncertainty for consumers and the economies they sustain. Consumer mindsets will continue to shift as governments and central banks introduce unprecedented countermeasures and stimulus packages to mitigate potential impacts. Keep pace with the latest McKinsey perspectives on the impacts of COVID-19 here.

About the author(s)

Johnny Ho is an associate partner in McKinsey's Shanghai office, is a senior partner in the Seoul office, and Naomi Yamakawa is a partner in the Tokyo office.

The authors wish to thank Kapil Dahiya, Resil Das, Younghoon Kang, Abhishek Malhotra, Ali Potia, Kay Tu, and Opal Wu for their contributions to this article.

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Survey: Asian consumer sentiment during the COVID-19 crisis

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Asian countries are absorbing the COVID-19 pandemic at markedly different rates, with the impact just beginning to bite in India and Indonesia even as China sees new cases stabilize and local transmission is contained (Exhibit 1).

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UpCircle use by-products from other industries to produce circular/by-product beauty products.

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THE INGREDIENTS WE UPCYCLE

We believe in asking the same questions of our beauty products that we would our food products - what is inside, how is it made, who is making it and why are they making it?

1/3 of all food produced is wasted. It's one of the most wasteful industries in the world meaning that it gives companies like us a huge number of ingredients from which to do better things. Food ingredients can have powerful effects on the body - inside and out - so there's an opportunity for us to create beauty products from food ingredients that're being discarded yet still have much to offer our skin.

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We believe in asking the same questions of our beauty products that we would our food products - what is inside, how is it made, who is making it and why are they making it? 1/3 of all food produced is wasted.

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Asian Consumers Expect A 6-Month Financial Hit From Coronavirus, But Are Still Spending On These Things

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Asian Consumers Expect A 6-Month Financial Hit From Coronavirus, But Are Still Spending On These Things

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Asian consumers are tightening their belts as they prepare for a coronavirus-induced hit to their finances, according to a new study.

Shoppers in China, South Korea, India, Japan and Indonesia have cut back on clothing, skincare and electronics purchases as concerns mount over the outlook for incomes and savings as the pandemic rattles economies across the globe, the McKinsey report found.

Groceries, household supplies and in-home entertainment, meanwhile, have continued to capture share of wallet as people hunker down in their homes, according to the survey of five of Asia's leading economies.

The study, which surveyed between 500 and over 1,000 people in each market, was conducted from March 23 to 30, as the extent of the virus began to unfold globally. It builds on an earlier survey in China, taken between Feb. 21 to 24.

Respondents across the board expected the virus to have a net negative effect on their household finances over the first two weeks of April. That dip would likely last at least two to six months, the majority agreed.

South Koreans were among those most concerned about a hit to earnings, while Indonesians feared a surge in outgoings and a depletion of savings.

Despite that, most people felt confident their country's economy would bounce back.

Around half of respondents in China, India and Indonesia said they expected their economies to recover in two to three months, while most of the remainder anticipated a six to 12-month timeline. Chinese confidence in a quick recovery was up 5% from the previous month.

Meanwhile, respondents from South Korea and Japan struck a more cautious note, anticipating longer-term implications of six months or more.

The consumer consensus reflects the spread of the virus more broadly.

China, the initial epicenter of the outbreak, has shown signs of cases stabilizing and has begun to open up. However Japan, newly under a state of emergency, has seen its cases rise over recent weeks. Indonesia, meanwhile, has yet to introduce any nationwide lockdown.

The report comes as the International Monetary Fund released its global economic outlook for 2020. It predicts that this year, for the first time in 60 years, Asia will record no economic growth.

Barring within Japan, economic woes did not rank highest among respondents' concerns, however. In China and South Korea, uncertainty over the duration of the outbreak and subsequent lockdowns were the chief concern, while in Indonesia and India, public health and the safety of family members ranked top of mind.
Don't miss: The coronavirus downturn has highlighted a growing investment opportunity - and millennials love it

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Asian consumers expect a 6-month financial hit from coronavirus, but are still spending on these things

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Asian consumers are tightening their belts as they prepare for a coronavirus-induced hit to their finances, according to a new study. Shoppers in China, South Korea, India, Japan and Indonesia have cut back on clothing, skincare and electronics purchases as concerns mount over the outlook for incomes and savings as the pandemic rattles economies across the globe, the McKinsey report found.

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UpCircle's products are natural, sustainable, vegan, cruelty-free and palm-oil free. The packaging is also 100% recyclable.

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FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £20

OUR MISSION

The circular economy sits at the heart of what we do - we even named ourselves after it! UpCircle also hints at 'upcycling', the process of making something better from things that already exist. Our ultimate mission is to leave the world better than we found it by transforming ingredients that would otherwise be discarded into natural, organic beauty products - better for you, better for the world.

OUR VISION

If we can provide competitively priced, high performing products from upcycled ingredients then we are demonstrating that the beauty industry can become a lot less wasteful - it is an innovative approach and a fresh perspective. But, all of this effort is futile if the industry is not willing to open its arms to what-would-be waste ingredients. So... is the beauty world ready? Well, if our success is anything to go on, it looks like the answer is yes. Hallelujah.

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FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £20 The circular economy sits at the heart of what we do - we even named ourselves after it! UpCircle also hints at 'upcycling', the process of making something better from things that already exist.

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FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £20

Back in 2015, we had a thought: if we're throwing away a cafetière full of coffee grounds every morning, how much is going to waste from coffee shops all over London?

A lot, as it turns out. So we decided to do something about it. We needed a way to give those coffee grounds a new lease of life. And UpCircle was born.

We began our journey collecting coffee grounds from one coffee shop, we now collect from hundreds of coffee houses across London - our list is always growing!

Creating a positive environmental impact is at the heart of what we do here at UpCircle. We want to leave the world better than we found it. When it comes to the environment we are constantly bombarded with intimidating doom and gloom headlines. The scale of the problem can feel so daunting that it's all too easy to give up before you've even begun. So, at UpCircle, we try to focus on positive change and keep an "every little helps" mentality.

And as well as being 100% natural, our skincare range is also 100% brilliant. Because you shouldn't have to choose between doing the right thing and getting the best results. With UpCircle, you get to enjoy the uplifting benefits of nature's own skin rejuvenators - and do the planet some good, too.

That's all round better skincare.

But, it didn't happen overnight. Scroll below to re-live our milestones!

LAUNCHING HEAD FIRST IN COFFEE

What better place to test our coffee-based skincare concept than the London Coffee Festival?

The scrubs flew out the door - whoosh! We came, we scrubbed, we conquered.

Maybe, just maybe, we were on to something.

Swipe right to follow our journey

The Idea

In our first batch of soaps alone we saved 5 tonnes of aromatic chai spices from being thrown away. Not a bad start! Then, when we found out that the UK produced 23,000 tonnes of fruit stone waste in 2012 alone, we knew something had to be done there too. So... out came the "fruit stone range", within which each product is made with the powder of a different discarded fruit stone.

The Mission

We're all about quality skincare that gives salvaged natural ingredients a new lease of life. At UpCircle we're not trying to save the world, or scold others for not doing more. We're never preachy about what we do. We're conversational and down to earth. That's why people listen to us, and it's how we make an impact.

We use the highest quality ingredients, for the best possible results. You'll feel the difference.

Meet The Founders

William Brightman

Making it all happen behind the scenes. (The serious one).

A touch-typing whiz with the focus of a monk. He's dealing with calls, emails and meetings like there's no tomorrow. So long as he's got a Boiler Room set to listen to, William can plug formulas into Excel without stopping to think.

Favourite part of your role?

What doesn't a typical day involve!? I enjoy the buzz of knowing that with every sale we are all helping to promote a circular economy by elevating skincare to the next level.

Anna Brightman

Spreading the word front of house. (The sociable one).

If you've ordered it, she's getting it to you, whether that's 1 scrub or 1000 scrubs. Got an event? She'll be on the panel. Visiting a show? She'll say Hi first!

So, Anna takes on the most and least glam parts of the job.

Favourite part of your role?

Developing new products. I love that we have businesses and individuals coming to us with their leftover natural ingredients. Can we cook up a circular skincare solution? If there's a will, there's a way.

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UpCircle's Story | Ethical Skincare | Organic Skincare London

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FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £20 Back in 2015, we had a thought: if we're throwing away a cafetière full of coffee grounds every morning, how much is going to waste from coffee shops all over London? A lot, as it turns out. So we decided to do something about it.

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Budding British Brand UpCircle Takes Sustainable Beauty To The Next Level

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Budding British Brand UpCircle Takes Sustainable Beauty To The Next Level

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It took a Christmas present and a cup of coffee to jumpstart one of Britain's most promising sustainable beauty brands.

After his wife gave him a French press for the holiday four years ago, William Brightman, co-founder of UpCircle Beauty, noticed he was wasting ground coffee on a regular basis. The realization dovetailed with his discovery of coffee scrubs and growing interest in the concept of upcycling or creating products from materials typically thrown away.

Sensing an opportunity, Brightman, 28, teamed up with his sister Anna, 25, a former area manager at Aldi UK, to develop Optiat, a line of natural and sustainable body scrubs made with repurposed Arabica coffee grounds. "I was fortunate to have an understanding of the more linear aspects of running a business like supply chain and balance sheets," says Brightman, who worked in finance prior to UpCircle. "Anna has experience within the retail channel and has a deep understanding of the consumer landscape. Our skill sets complement each other very well."

Optiat launched at the London Coffee Festival in April 2016 with three body scrubs: lemongrass and peppermint, clove and cinnamon, and lemon and black pepper. From the beginning, the company sourced coffee grounds from cafes and coffee shops across London. Suppliers originally included multinational chain Allpress Espresso, and their ranks have expanded to Henny and Joe's, a vegan chai syrup purveyor based in Bath, England, that provides UpCircle with chai spices.

"We make beauty products out of ingredients that would usually be discarded," says Brightman. "We promote a circular economy by keeping resources in circulation for as long as possible extracting maximum value from them."

"We make beauty products out of ingredients that would usually be discarded. We promote a circular economy by keeping resources in circulation for as long as possible extracting maximum value from them."

From 2017 to 2018, Optiat pulled in 200,000 pounds or nearly $260,900 at the current exchange rate in sales. Although the beauty startup declined to disclose its projected 2019 revenues, Daily Mail reported UpCircle is on track to generate over 1.5 million pounds or roughly $1.95 million this year.

Last year, the Brightmans appeared in season 16 of the BBC Two show " Dragons' Den," the British version of "Shark Tank." Their winning pitch resulted in investment of 50,000 pounds or approximately $65,210 from Tej Lalvani and Touker Suleyman in exchange for 30% equity. The Brightmans accepted the offer and requested the opportunity to buy back shares of their business once the investment was recouped.

Initially, Brightman details he and his sister relied on personal capital, and money from family and friends to fund their scrub enterprise. Following initial traction, the enterprise secured a loan from Virgin Start Up, a program for entreprenuers. In 2018, it completed a crowdfunding round that raised 217,500 pounds or about $283,000 from 377 investors.

The crowdfunding round was largely put toward a rebrand that turned Optiat, an acronym for "one person's trash is another's treasure," into UpCircle in December last year. The transformation reinforces UpCircle's commitment to sustainability. Brightman says, "Outside of the products specifically, we try hard to reduce our environmental impact across the business whether that is cycling to work or having our business cards made out of used coffee cups."

"We want the products in as many hands and homes as possible. We want to be the pioneers for natural and sustainable skincare helping people understand that beautiful skin does not have to come at the expense of the environment."

UpCircle's new branding is intended to streamline its design and products to propel a cohesive and scalable vision. The Brightmans decided to cut plastic packaging by 95% with the rebrand. UpCircle transitioned from plastic tubes for its scrubs to 100% aluminum tubes. The siblings also extended the brand's natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan product offerings to encompass face scrubs, bar soaps and face serum in addition to the body scrubs that kicked it off.

UpCircle's product prices range from 6.99 to 14.99 pounds or $8.99 to $19.99. Despite the face serum being the brand's priciest product, Brightman reports it's been flying off the shelves. "Similarly, our new soap bars are very popular. Demand for soap bars rose last year for the first time in decades as consumers look for more natural, lower plastic solutions," says Brightman, emphasizing, "We believe that our range is at a price point which is truly accessible, helping us enable the customer to move towards more natural beauty solutions."

UpCircle products are currently sold in 740 stores across the United Kingdom, including at Boots. Earlier this month, the brand won Sainsbury's Beauty & Wellbeing Live Innovation Pitch to proceed with a possible placement at the retailer. Globally, UpCircle products are distributed in Australia, Denmark, Finland, France and Portugal. The brand is expected to enter the United States in the coming months.

"We want the products in as many hands and homes as possible. We want to be the pioneers for natural and sustainable skincare helping people understand that beautiful skin does not have to come at the expense of the environment," says Brightman. "We want to be the entry point for that switch. Whether that requires us being in spas, hotels, retailers or in niche stores, we are open to it all."

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Budding British Brand UpCircle Takes Sustainable Beauty To The Next Level - Beauty Independent

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It took a Christmas present and a cup of coffee to jumpstart one of Britain's most promising sustainable beauty brands. After his wife gave him a French press for the holiday four years ago, William Brightman, co-founder of UpCircle Beauty, noticed he was wasting ground coffee on a regular basis.

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A macchiato mask to go! Siblings create beauty scrubs from USED coffee grounds in a bid to tackle café waste (and their products are now stocked in Whole Foods)

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A macchiato mask to go! Siblings create beauty scrubs from USED coffee grounds in a bid to tackle café waste (and their products are now stocked in Whole Foods)

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A macchiato mask to go! Siblings create beauty scrubs from USED coffee grounds in a bid to tackle café waste (and their products are now stocked in Whole Foods)

Anna and William Brightman, from London, make scrubs from coffee grounds

William came up with the idea after receiving a cafetière at Christmas

He discovered 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds go to waste in UK each year

The pair make grounds into scrubs and masks that are rich in antioxidants

A brother and sister duo have found an ingenious use for the tonnes of coffee grounds thrown away by cafés every day - by turning them into beauty products.

William and Anna Brightman, from south London, launched nature-friendly beauty brand Optiat - an acronym for 'one person's trash is another's treasure' - in April 2016 in a bid to tackle coffee waste and are now on track to turn over £1.5million in 2019.

Sourcing Arabica grounds from over 50 local London coffee shops, they repurpose used coffee that would otherwise be discarded and transform them into natural body exfoliators that are rich in antioxidants.

William, 26, first came up with the idea for his business venture when he received a cafetière from his girlfriend at Christmas.

After making several cups of coffee with his brand new cafetière, he realised that the used coffee grounds would have to be simply thrown away each time.

After doing some research, he learned that more than 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds are consumed each year in the UK alone and sent to the landfill as waste.

William also discovered that used coffee grounds are high in antioxidants, can act as a natural microbead-free exfoliator, and the caffeine promotes blood flow - which has added skincare bonuses such as reducing the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.

After deciding to develop a skincare line, he enlisted the help of his younger sister, and the pair used their life savings, plus investment from their parents and from William's girlfriend (now wife) to launch the business.

They also secured a loan Virgin Start-Up Loan which them vital funds to meet the minimum order quantities that the packaging manufacturer required to make the coffee scrub tubes.

The pair run their business from the top floor of their parents' house in Dulwich, south-east London, and use the living room as a warehouse for their stock.

Their products are stocked in eight countries across Europe and are listed in the likes of Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Fenwick Bond Street and As Nature Intended in the UK.

William and Anna have made around £200,000 of sales in their first full year of trading and are now looking for an extra £300,000 investment to expand their business.

The pair are forecasting sales of at least £1.5million by 2019 and hope to one day roll their products out across the Middle East, Far-East Asia and the USA.

Optiat coffee scrubs combine moisturising ingredients such as shea butter and almond oil with natural essential oils that are free of parabens and synthetic fragrances to make a variety of scents.

William and Anna have since expanded their range and taken hemp husks from an organic co-operative farm in the Oxfordshire countryside to make their organic facial exfoliators.

Like their coffee scrubs, the masks use biodegradable ingredients which aren't harmful to the environment such as plastic microbeads.

The packaging is also recyclable, with glass vials, aluminium caps and an outer tube made from recyclable card.

Adding to their range, the Brightmans have recently developed exotic scented soaps made from brewed chai tea spices.

Anna, 24, told MailOnline: 'Our research has shown that as part of the health and wellness trend, people are now turning their focus to the products they put on their skin.

'Fed up with chemicals, ocean-killing microbeads and animal-testing, they want natural and sustainable alternatives that they can trust. We believe that we offer a range of natural, eco-conscious beauty products that people can love.'

She added: 'Whilst we can't make our coffee scrubs organic certified, owing to the fact not all the cafes and bars we collect coffee grounds from use Certified Organic coffee beans, we recognise the importance of organic certification.'

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Brother and sister launch a beauty business from coffee

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Anna and William Brightman, from London, make scrubs from coffee grounds William came up with the idea after receiving a cafetière at Christmas He discovered 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds go to waste in UK each year The pair make grounds into scrubs and masks that are rich in antioxidants A brother and sister duo have found an ingenious use for the tonnes of coffee grounds thrown away by cafés every day - by turning them into beauty products.

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I have selected UpCircle as my brand for this project as they are a sustainable skincare brand which uses by-products from other industries to produce their products. I also like their aesthetic as they use pastel colours and hand-written fonts.

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UpCircle | Natural Ethical Skincare | Vegan, Cruelty Free & Zero Waste

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At UpCircle, our ethical skincare gives natural ingredients a new lease of life. Vegan, cruelty free & zero waste. Good for the world. Good for you.

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Sister & Co. offer organic bath, body and baby care. I like the aesthetic of this brand as it is colourful and youthful.

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In our busy, hyperconnected lives we think that little moments of luxury are things to be treasured every day, not just on special occasions. Our products for bath, body and baby are created to delight the senses while caring for skin with the best organic plant ingredients that nature has to offer.

Our formulations and packaging are kind to the environment and our price points realistic, meaning that you can reach for Sister & Co. again and again without feeling guilty.

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Sister & Co. Everyday luxuries that don't cost the earth.

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In our busy, hyperconnected lives we think that little moments of luxury are things to be treasured every day, not just on special occasions. Our products for bath, body and baby are created to delight the senses while caring for skin with the best organic plant ingredients that nature has to offer.

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BYBI are a sustainable skincare brand which offer a recycling scheme. They also have a colourful, youthful aesthetic.

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Transparent skincare, transformative results. BYBI products are formulated to optimise your skin health with 100% natural, potent ingredients. Calm, soften, regenerate, brighten or shield with BYBI. Save up to 30% when you Bundle 3 or more BYBI products over on the Bundles page.

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BYBI - Skincare that works, 100% Natural, Vegan & Climate Conscious

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Transparent skincare, transformative results. BYBI products are formulated to optimise your skin health with 100% natural, potent ingredients. Calm, soften, regenerate, brighten or shield with BYBI. Save up to 30% when you Bundle 3 or more BYBI products over on the Bundles page.

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This article lists 25 small British beauty brands. From this list I found 3 brands which I will consider for this project; UpCircle, BYBI and Sister & Co.

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It's a tough time for many businesses right now - bars, pubs and clubs have had to close, and employees have been sent home. Also hit hard, is the beauty industry. Salons, hairdressers and nail bars have had to shut up shop after soldiering on for as long as they could, offering a moment of self-care and escapism during unprecedented chaos and confusion.

An amazing body wash will turn your usual shower into a spa experience. These are the best...

While beauty businesses may seem not as important as other global problems, especially at a time of a global health crisis, the beauty industry is one of the UK's biggest employers, accounting for 1 in every 60 jobs. This isn't to mention the domino effect such a major sector has - the production line employees, the delivery services, the factory workers and the jobs in marketing and sales. "The beauty industry has a large multiplier effect in terms of jobs," explains Millie Kendall MBE, CEO of The British Beauty Council. "For every £1 million in the beauty industry, there is another £1 million spent on the supply chain."

In many ways, it's the small businesses who can be hit the hardest - the ones who don't make huge profits so haven't been able to save for a rainy day, and may not be able to benefit from government grants.

With more of us stuck inside looking for small ways to cheer ourselves up and things to do in isolation, lending these businesses our support, if we're able, could make all the difference. For starters, being more prudent about where we choose to buy our basic essentials - body wash, deodorant and shampoo - rather than overwhelming our already stretched supermarkets, is a significant way we can each contribute to supporting British beauty brands. P.S. Loads of them make beautiful soaps - and they're in stock.

Here's a few of our favourites, which you can pick up online...

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The best small British beauty brands to support right now

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It's a tough time for many businesses right now - bars, pubs and clubs have had to close, and employees have been sent home. Also hit hard, is the beauty industry. Salons, hairdressers and nail bars have had to shut up shop after soldiering on for as long as they could, offering a moment of self-care and escapism during unprecedented chaos and confusion.

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Asian consumers Short-term risks may be a niggle this year | Deloitte

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Asian consumers Short-term risks may be a niggle this year | Deloitte

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As the memories of New Year's Eve festivities recede from people's minds, the dreary motions of everyday life take over. In Asia, as in other parts of the world, consumers are hoping for a better year-more jobs, more incomes, more wealth, and perhaps, less uncertainty. Yet it is less of hope and more of underlying economic and financial conditions that will determine Asian consumers' prospects in 2020. While the economic outlook for Asia is favorable over the long term, with expectations of healthy economic growth, rising incomes and wealth, and an expanding middle class working in the region's favor, there are a few risks in store this year. And in the spirit of the great John Maynard Keynes, it is worth looking at these near-term risks for they may well impact the fortunes, thereby spending and investment decisions, of Asian consumers this year.

So, what do Asian consumers need to be wary of in 2020? Economic growth and uncertainty related to international trade is a key concern. While there are hopes that trade disagreements among major economic powers, especially the United States and China, will get resolved, it is still early days to say anything. Until a resolution is reached, these tensions will weigh on trade and investment in Asia and likely on the region's economic growth, labor market, and personal incomes. And with household debt high in some economies, any decline in income growth will only add to consumers' woes. Consumers in many parts of the region are enjoying low interest rates, but if tensions in the Middle East escalate, crude prices will likely rise, causing inflation to flare up. In that case, central banks will be forced to raise interest rates, thereby pushing up the cost of borrowing and repaying debt for consumers.

Keep an eye on economic growth

Strong growth due to fiscal and monetary sops in the earlier part of the last decade-to overturn the worst effects of the Great Recession-has given way to slower, yet likely more sustainable, growth in Asia. This trend is likely to continue into 2020, according to estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Emerging and developing economies in the region grew by an estimated 5.6 percent in 2019, down from a 6.4 percent rise in 2018. Overall, the region's estimated growth in the last five years of the decade (6.4 percent) is lower than in the first five years (7.6 percent). Specifically, growth in China has been slowing steadily-by more than 4 percentage points over 2010-2019-and is expected to decline further this year as the economy matures, credit-fueled expansion slows under the weight of rising debt, and trade tensions with the United States add to uncertainty. In India, disruptions due to demonetization, introduction of a goods and services tax, and deterioration in banks' asset quality have pushed growth down to an estimated 4.8 percent in 2019 from 8.2 percent in 2016. Economic activity has also lost momentum in Indonesia, a key Asian market, with growth slowing from an average of 5.8 percent per year in 2010-2014 to an estimated 5 percent in the following five years. The trend is similar for Malaysia.

For developed markets such as Japan and South Korea, growth is unlikely to pick up sharply this year. While Japan is still struggling despite years of quantitative easing to escape deflationary pressures, trade tensions have weighed on South Korea's economy (figure 1).

Income growth has slowed in major economies

Slowing growth in key economies has impacted labor markets there. In India, for example, unemployment was 7.7 percent in December 2019 from a low of 3.8 percent in July 2017. In China, employment growth has been steadily declining since 2015-in fact, employment contracted by 0.1 percent in 2018. Unemployment has picked up, albeit slowly, in South Korea since August 2019. And in countries such as Malaysia, although unemployment has held steady of late, the figure is relatively higher than in the first half of 2010-2019. Given that GDP growth is unlikely to swing up sharply in 2020, improvement in labor-market conditions will likely only be gradual.

Slowing GDP growth, along with its impact on labor markets, has weighed on income growth in key economies in the region. According to estimates by Oxford Economics, growth in real disposable personal income in China is estimated to have fallen from an average annual rate of 11.4 percent per year in 2010-2014 to 7.0 percent in 2015-2019. Relative to 2018, growth in real disposable personal income in 2019 is estimated to have slipped in quite a few major economies in the region; it likely fell the most in Hong Kong (SAR), followed by Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Oxford Economics' forecasts for 2020 is a mixed bag-while real incomes are expected to grow faster year on year in countries such as India and Indonesia, they will likely not in China, Japan, and South Korea (figure 2).

Slower income growth and labor market strains, in turn, have slowed the pace of growth in consumer spending. Passenger vehicle sales fell 18 percent in India between April and November 2019 compared to a year before. In China, growth in the value of retail sales picked up in the first quarter of 2019 but has been on a broad downward trend since. A similar trend is evident for retail sales volumes in Indonesia and Thailand. In Japan, retail sales growth picked up sharply in September, before the sales tax hike in October 2019, only to then contract in October and November. In Hong Kong, political tensions took a toll on tourism and consumer spending. By November 2019, retail sales were down 32 percent from December 2018.

Don't forget household debt

For consumers in economies such as South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and China, there is yet another worry-high household debt. Household debt in these economies and a few others (figure 3) has surged over the past two decades, first picking up pace in the years leading up to the Great Recession and then in the subsequent recovery as governments there turned to consumers to drive economic growth through easy credit and fiscal incentives. The rush to take loans for everything from houses to cars pushed up household debt. Between 2010 and 2019, for example, total household financial liabilities are estimated to have grown by an average annual rate of 19.3 percent in China, 13.0 percent in India, 8.7 percent in Malaysia, and 8.4 percent in Thailand. With incomes not rising by as much as debt, households' debt burden has gone up.

Interestingly, while China's household debt burden appears less than some of its Southeast Asian neighbors', the surge has happened over a short period. In 2005, for example, household financial liabilities in the country amounted to 29 percent of disposable personal income; by 2019, that figure is estimated to have increased more than threefolds to 88.5 percent. While the risk from high debt is likely manageable in a low interest rates environment and a strong labor market, any uptick in the cost of repaying debt and strains on the labor market may take a toll on households and, hence, consumer spending.

Geopolitical risks may put inflation back in play

Consumers in major Asian economies enjoyed lower cost of borrowing in 2019 than in 2018. The Reserve Bank of India, for example, cut its key policy rate by a total of 135 basis points in 2019. Central banks in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and South Korea also cut rates that year. While monetary easing last year was due to a shift in focus to economic growth, what aided such rate cuts was benign inflation. Risks to inflation have, however, risen in recent months. Inflation is edging up in China and India, partly due to short-term supply constraints. A bigger risk to inflation though is any flareup in tensions in the Middle East, a major exporter of crude oil to Asia. On January 3, for example, the price of Brent crude went up by 3.4 percent due to rising tensions between Iran and the United States. Any escalation for an elongated period would push oil prices further up, thereby aiding consumer inflation in key crude importers in Asia. And if this is followed by a dent to currencies, imported inflation will likely go up. As of writing of this article, tensions appear to have eased for now and oil prices have receded.

Consumers in Asia will be hoping that the risk of potential conflict in the Middle East reduces and that risks in the near term give way to more healthier prospects over the medium to long term. After all, they can draw comfort from expectations that economic growth in key economies in the region is expected to pick up in 2021-2024, with the uptick likely to gain momentum if current trade-related disagreements are resolved. That would aid gains in household income and wealth and will ensure that the legions of the middle class keep expanding.

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As the memories of New Year's Eve festivities recede from people's minds, the dreary motions of everyday life take over. In Asia, as in other parts of the world, consumers are hoping for a better year-more jobs, more incomes, more wealth, and perhaps, less uncertainty.

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Asian consumers Long-term prospects top short-term worries | Deloitte

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Asian consumers Long-term prospects top short-term worries | Deloitte

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Back in 2008-2009, when global financial markets plunged into turmoil, many Asian economies turned to their domestic consumers for help. Over the next 10 years, Asian consumers-especially those in emerging markets in the region-ratcheted up spending, aiding not only their economies, but also world growth. Now, as a new year starts, global financial markets have turned choppy yet again with uncertainties related to trade and globalization adding to the confusion. Will Asian consumers come to the rescue of their region again, especially if global GDP and trade growth slump? A quick look at key consumer indicators in Asia reveals that consumers in the region may not be able to pitch in as much as they did nearly a decade ago. They appear to be holding back as they await the turn of economic events at home and worldwide.

Taking on water

One piece of economic news early in 2019 best sums up the concern about the state of consumers in Asia: Car sales in the world's largest auto market-China, not the United States-fell by 5.8 percent in 2018, the first decline in 20 years. The news follows a year of slowing economic activity in the country with real GDP growth declining to 6.7 percent (average) in the first three quarters of 2018 from an annual average of 8.1 percent in the previous 10 years. The slowdown in growth has impacted consumer spending-growth in retail sales (value and volume) and nominal household spending fell in 2018 compared to previous years.

China is not alone when it comes to worries about consumer demand. In neighboring India, consumer spending growth has slowed since a ban on old currency notes in end-2016 and after the introduction of a new Goods and Services Tax in 2017. In Japan, years of monetary stimulus through quantitative easing haven't brought about the kind of changes in consumer demand and wage increase that the Bank of Japan would have hoped for. In other Asian economies too, consumers appear to be under pressure-in Indonesia, for example, growth in consumer spending is on a broad downward trend while in South Korea, spending growth has been declining since Q1 2018.

What's bothering Asian consumers?

Slowing consumer momentum in Asia since last year does not come as a surprise given global and regional economic trends. Global growth has slowed, thereby likely weighing on consumer confidence. In its most recent update, the World Bank has forecasted global economic growth to slow to 2.9 percent in 2019 from a downwardly revised 3.0 percent in 2018; growth is expected to slow this year in China, Thailand, and Vietnam while remaining lackluster in Japan. Headwinds in international trade emanating from slowing global growth and policy-related issues, such as the current US-China trade tiff will further trouble key Asian exporters this year.

The year 2018 also witnessed a surge in the US dollar due to the reversal of global liquidity from emerging markets as investors sought higher yields in the United States, thanks to the rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. This meant that key emerging market currencies in Asia took a battering (figure 1). This not only tested market sentiment in the region but also raised the risks of imported inflation. Inflation had another ally in the first half of 2018-rising oil prices. Consumers in oil importing countries in Asia-such as India, which had tried to move away from years of subsidized oil prices to a more market-driven mechanism-had to bear the brunt of rising prices.

Global financial volatility also left its mark on Asian financial markets. Key equity indices either posted losses in 2018 (figure 2) or shed their gains from the previous year. This, in turn, dented the equity component of household wealth, a key contributor to consumer spending. Equity investors will likely be in wait-and-watch territory as they focus on the outcome of US-China trade talks, signs of global growth revival, and results of elections in 2019 in markets such as India and Indonesia.

The other key asset of households-housing-posted mixed results. Growth in house prices dipped in India and Malaysia, while in Singapore and Thailand, prices went up after suffering declines in 2017. In Hong Kong and parts of China, the elevated level of home prices may well mean that some consumers have stayed away from the housing market, thereby losing out on the addition of an important asset to their wealth portfolio. Overall, with household wealth under pressure, likely from both equities and housing, the boost to consumer spending from wealth is likely to weaken in Asia in the near term.

Consumers will also likely be wary of indulging in a credit binge as happened after the downturn of 2008-2009 when key economies loosened monetary policy to encourage domestic consumption. That spree of monetary easing led to high household debt in many parts of Asia (figure 3). With such elevated debt levels, many consumers in these economies may either be trying to deleverage or keep tabs on their spending. Also, as compared to a decade back, credit conditions do not seem conducive for a spending rise in some economies. In India, for example, the rise in nonperforming assets in the banking system has weighed on credit growth. And in China, efforts to curb shadow banking will continue to weigh on any recent moves to prop up credit.

Is it all gloom and doom then? Not really.

Consumer spending in Asia may be under pressure now, but policymakers can draw strength from favorable medium- to long-term economic prospects. The region is likely to continue growing at a healthy pace-the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects developing and emerging Asia to grow by 6.3 percent annually, on average, in 2019-2024; the corresponding forecasted growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (commonly referred to as ASEAN) is 5.2 percent. And even though the IMF expects China's growth to decline in that period, the forecasted annual average of 5.9 percent is nevertheless a healthy one.

Healthy growth expected over the next decade will likely aid consumer incomes in Asia. Forecasts by Oxford Economics, for example, point to strong growth in personal incomes for key Asian economies over the next 10 years (figure 4). And as more people come out of poverty in the region and scale up the income ladder, the size of the middle class will also surge. For example, the middle-class population in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to make up nearly 66 percent of the global middle-class population by 2030, up from 28 percent in 2009. Add to this mix, a young population-Japan is one exception-and one can find a great cocktail of rising purchasing power and growing ambition over the next decade.

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Back in 2008-2009, when global financial markets plunged into turmoil, many Asian economies turned to their domestic consumers for help. Over the next 10 years, Asian consumers-especially those in emerging markets in the region-ratcheted up spending, aiding not only their economies, but also world growth.

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How to Break into China as a Niche Beauty Brand

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How to Break into China as a Niche Beauty Brand

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SHANGHAI, China - The word "niche" often dooms brands to a sad fate - one where their products appeal to few and return little in the way of profit. In China, however, things are different.

The right kind of niche brand can have mass appeal in the mainland. And the prospect of reaching a critical mass starts to look very attractive when the local beauty market is worth $57 billion.

The country's burgeoning consumption culture - or what Beijing in 2015 coined its "consumption upgrade" - has broadened its younger and most lucrative shoppers' perceptions of value and status. Gone are the days where consumers covet brands on everyone's tongues; the coolest brand, for China's post-90's and younger cognoscenti, is one that no one has heard of yet.

"Consumers aren't buying [niche brand] lipsticks because they lack beauty products at home," says Ellie Wang, co-founder and general manager of Little B, lifestyle brand The Beast's new concept store in Shanghai. "They're buying them because the colour was spotted on an actress in a TV drama or posted by a celebrity on social media. It's a status symbol and niche brands feel more special."

This development is a big opportunity for foreign brands looking to break into the world's second biggest beauty market. "The younger Chinese consumers - especially well-travelled ones in tier one and two cities - are looking for niche brands," echoes Elisa Harca, co-founder and Asia chief executive of Shanghai-based digital marketing agency Red Ant. "I really think it's the moment for them to crack through."

But to assume that niche brands get an easy ride in China would be naïve. As is the case for any non-native market, navigating the Chinese market is fraught with challenges as well as opportunities, and for smaller brands, the stakes are especially high. Here's how to get started.
Niche Is What You Make It
"Niche in China does not have to relate to a business size, it's more about the identity being non-mainstream, bold, expressive and highly specialised," says Chloé Reuter, founding partner at Shanghai-based Reuter Communications. As such, just about any brand can position itself as exclusive and under the radar, be it a genuinely small independent name or a brand belonging to a multinational giant.

Case in point: self-proclaimed "slow perfumery" Le Labo is still perceived as niche to Chinese shoppers despite being owned by Estée Lauder, says Harca. Similarly, Wang lists Charlotte Tilbury as one of Little B's best-performing niche brands, though the line is available on Alibaba-owned e-commerce platform Tmall and is widely known in the West.

"[Le Labo] still has that cool edgy vibe, it's not over-exposed and you can't find it everywhere," notes Harca, who says limiting access to products is key. Avoiding travel retail, releasing special edition collections and limiting SKUs are good starting points, though developing a targeted long-term distribution strategy is necessary to sustain a brand's niche identity.

Choosing a good local partner can help elevate a brand to niche status. For Charlotte Tilbury - which hasn't set up stores in China due to local regulations clashing with its cruelty-free ethos - partnering up with hip, millennial favourite Little B has benefitted the brand by cultivating a 'need to know' identity while allowing it to test demand in the Chinese market.

Though brands should take advantage of the opportunity to appeal to Chinese shoppers with a niche identity, the country's top beauty consumers are a well-travelled bunch and can be put off by inconsistent marketing. "Brands still need to stay true to their original spirit," says Wang. "Targeting China shouldn't mean telling a different story."
Pace Yourself
China's beauty market is no quick win. "Whether niche or not, no brand should ever plan to 'enter quickly' into this market. That's simply a recipe for disaster," says Reuter.

"It's important not to rush," Harca agrees. "I met some of my clients around two years ago and we're just starting to work with them now."

It's very hard for brands to establish [themselves] on every channel and be present and active on every channel.

This doesn't mean that brands can afford to slack off. Rather, it is important to carefully identify the target audience within the Chinese market and be prepared for the level of investment needed to engage with them pre-launch, and focus on sustaining the momentum thereafter. "It's an extremely fast-moving market," says Wang. "Plan for stable growth and lay down a good foundation, but stay agile in targeting what consumers need."

This rings especially true for a brand's digital strategy. As Chinese internet companies churn out viral apps at an unprecedented speed, brands may be tempted to stay relevant by establishing themselves on every major platform from Douyin to Kuaishou.

However, Harca recommends that newcomers begin by focusing just on Weibo, WeChat and Xiaohongshu. "It depends on the brand, where their distribution is and how they measure their KPIs and objectives," she says. For example, Tmall's direct link to Weibo can be a benefit for brands stocked on the Alibaba-owned e-commerce site.

A focused approach is more sustainable than being everywhere, she says. "It's very hard for brands to establish [themselves] on every channel and be present and active on every channel."
Don't Underestimate Your Budget
Companies that generate buzz in the West will often have a presence on Xiaohongshu - reviews, demos and the like - before they formally enter China, but assuming that a brand can ride on its success outside China is a mistake.

"Brands are always surprised by how expensive China is," Reuter says. "Whether you're looking at digital solutions, marketing, engaging celebrities, the numbers are high [but] so is the opportunity."

In Harca's experience, even small brands would need to spend a minimum of 2.5 million yuan (around $355,000) in their first 12 months to cover agency fees for content, community and campaign management, advertising costs on WeChat and Weibo and hiring KOLs (the local moniker for influencers.) The latter can be especially costly when compared to influencers in the West, with a "good" KOL charging up to 50,000 yuan for a WeChat post (around $7,100) and 20,000 yuan (around $2,800) for a Weibo post.

Minimums can also limit a niche brand's activity. Although Weibo has no minimum cost for advertisements, brands must spend over 50,000 yuan (around $7,100) to run ads on WeChat.

According to Wang, niche brands should outline a channel-first strategy to inform their budgets. "Brands need to consider online and offline traffic channels and how much it'll cost for marketing and brand development to develop a realistic financial plan," she says.
Choose Your Storefront Wisely
Choosing one or more Chinese partners is one of the most important decisions a small brand will make. This is especially important in beauty: where local regulations prevent cruelty-free players from selling directly to consumers, third party options are a valuable workaround.

"The distribution channel a brand chooses makes the ultimate first impression," says Wang. "Consumers will automatically associate a brand with its distributor and a good partner can boost a brand's positioning... It's all in the details."

Brands may not make it on to Tmall because they can't afford the business development costs, or Tmall doesn't accept them.

Often, Harca says, brands will be fixated on Tmall or JD.com, the two largest e-commerce players in the country. Tmall in particular is popular with international beauty brands - skincare favourite Drunk Elephant recently announced it would be partnering with the platform for its China debut in September.

However, a partnership is not always meant to be. "Brands may not make it on to Tmall because they can't afford the [business development] costs, or Tmall doesn't accept them," she says.

Taking part in Tmall and JD.com's glitzy shopping festivals can be especially costly for smaller companies, and though it is not a well-trodden path, Harca reckons that brands can still find early success without the help of China's usual e-commerce suspects by opting with popular luxury beauty stockists Lane Crawford, Space NK, Joyce Beauty, or concept stores such as Little B.

Hosting pop-ups can raise consumer awareness and help brands test the waters. "Brands don't need to ink a deal [as soon as] they enter the market," says Wang. "It's more important to pinpoint the brand's core customer and the channels they engage with to grow steadily."
Localise Inside and Out
Considering the cases of consumer backlash that has befallen big players from Dolce & Gabbana to , most brands know better than to enter China without reading up on Chinese culture, be it beauty or business players.

In the long run, brands should of course aim to build a strong Chinese team. "Hiring a trustworthy and professional local team is the key to succeeding in the Chinese market," says Wang. Doing so will also help niche beauty brands compete with a plethora of local rivals, such as brushmaker Qin Zhi and makeup brands Yes!IC, Jill Leen and Hedone.

However, niche brands without extensive experience operating abroad can sometimes get blinkered. Setting up a Chinese team immediately "is not a life or death [issue], as long as [brands] have done their due diligence and have conversations with partners and get references with partner's other clients," says Harca.

"If you immediately create a team on the ground, you [immediately] have a human resource issue," Harca offers. "Who's going to manage that team? Are you going to send over someone from your home country or hire someone locally?"

This is why linking arms with a local agency or trade partner can be what some niche brands need to get started, she suggests.

To localise effectively, brands need to go beyond translating existing content or cut-and-paste strategies. They need to carefully and holistically reconsider both their identity and branding strategies through the lens of a Chinese consumer.

"Some western brands have failed after simply implanting their operations exactly as they were overseas, simply assuming that the brand itself is enough," says Reuter. "It isn't."
Additional Reporting by Aijing Wang. Asics Wants to Outrun Nike and Adidas in China
With the rise of the middle-class lifestyle in China, running is becoming a prominent pass-time among Chinese consumers, and Japanese sports group Asics wants to become the biggest player in the this market. According to Group President and Chief Operating Officer Guangtian Kangren, Asics is aiming to overtake Nike and Adidas to become China's number one running brand within the next 10 years. At present, China is the group's fourth largest market after Europe, America and Japan. It is expected that the group's Greater China sales will exceed 40 billion Japanese yen (around $376,400,000) this year, though they are targeting eventual annual revenue from China of above 100 billion yen, with half of that expected to come from e-commerce.
Dior to Show $14,500 Kid Couture in Shanghai
Baby Dior will show a special collection of its couture line to clients in Shanghai this September. The six-year-old couture line is priced from around $9,000 to $14,500 with most of their clientele coming from Asia, and especially China, according to Cordelia de Castellane, the creative director of Baby Dior. According to market research provider Euromonitor, the market for luxury childrenswear has grown steadily for the last five years, with the Asia-Pacific region market alone worth more than $1.2 billion in 2018. Its growth has consistently outpaced that of men's and womenswear over the past five years, with young middle and upper middle class parents even more willing to splurge on luxuries for their children than for themselves.
Uniqlo to Boost Store China Count and Add More Local Elements to Its Designs
Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing brand owned by Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, will add more Chinese cultural elements to its designs and increase its China store count to over 1,000 within the next three years, said China Chief Executive Pan Ning. Uniqlo already has more than 700 outlets in China and in July, they partnered with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation to launch a Miao embroidery programme, with the intention of including the traditional craft of the Miao ethnic group into its collections in China. Pan said the idea was to bring meaning to people's modern lives through a connection with traditional culture, but the plan will also provide over 400 job opportunities for women from the Miao ethnic group in western parts of Central China's Hunan province.
Faking Engagement on Video Apps Is Expensive
Every part of the Chinese internet relying on mass user engagement has developed a shadow ecosystem of fake engagement in order to attract advertising revenue, investment and even direct sales. Douyin, China's version of TikTok, and Kuaishou, Douyin's biggest Tencent-backed domestic rival, have become major targets of fake traffic generators as they attract increasing attention from advertisers and influencers. But unlike traditional platforms like Weibo, where the number of followers is a key determiner of visibility, these video platforms use algorithm-based content systems, weighing not only followers, but also views and likes. Traffic inflators have responded by mimicking real user behaviour on these platforms, at a hefty price. A "near real" zombie account currently fetches 400 yuan ($57) per 1,000 followers, compared to just 10 yuan per 10,000 zombie followers on Weibo.
Tencent to Challenge Douyin with $1.5 Billion Investment in Kuaishou
Tencent is in talks with short video app Kuaishou, about investing between $1 billion and $1.5 billion in the platform for a total stake of 30 to 40 percent. With its own short video platform Weishi underperforming and Douyin's market share increasing, Tencent could leverage Kuaishou to compete more effectively with Douyin owner Bytedance. The rumoured investment would push Kuaishou's valuation up to $26 billion, with insiders estimating 2019 revenue will top 40 billion yuan ($5.68 billion). Already, Tencent has removed restrictions on using Kuaishou within its WeChat app - users can now share videos directly to WeChat's "Top Stories" feed and their contacts can repost them at will.
KOL WeChat Campaign Spend Jumps
Between 2017 and 2018, the number of WeChat KOL campaigns spending over 100,000 yuan (around $14,192) jumped from 40 percent to 58 percent of total KOL investment, reflecting the fact that bigger influencers tend to yield a better return on investment for brands. It also reflects the fact that as the WeChat KOL market is maturing, as view traffic consolidates into fewer, larger accounts. Beauty and clothing were the two segments with the highest ROIs, with KOLs most effectively converting beauty and fashion recommendations into sales. (WalktheChat)
Government Outlines Consumption Boosting Plans
A meeting of China's State Council, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, has outlined numerous measures to boost domestic consumption. Among the moves, upgrading outdated retail infrastructure in the form of either malls or pedestrian streets was named a priority, as was expanding e-commerce further into rural areas and adjusting and expanding the list of retail import goods involved in cross-border e-commerce. Consumption contributes about 60 percent of the country's GDP growth and remains its most powerful growth engine. The government will be more reliant than ever on its big spending consumers to help it ride out its long-term trade war with the US.
Aldi and Costco Test China's Retail Appetite with Offline Expansion
Aldi opened its first two Chinese locations in June after selling to the country's consumers through Alibaba's Tmall Global e-commerce platform since 2017, while US-based Costco Wholesale - which has had a Tmall presence since 2014 - is set to open its first brick-and-mortar store in China at the end of August. Aldi and Costco will face competition from homegrown chains including Alibaba's Hema stores, which offer a hybrid of online and offline shopping. Foreign hypermarkets and supermarkets in China saw profit margins reach an average of 23.2 percent in 2018, higher than the sector's average, but analysts note the fortunes of foreign retailers in China depend on their ability to adapt to local consumer preferences. (Nikkei Asian Review)
China Retail Sales Soar in June
Official government figures show a 9.8 percent year-on-year increase for the month, higher than the 8.6 percent in May and 8.4 percent for the first half year. Auto sales rose markedly due to deep discounts on older models ahead of stricter emissions standards which took effect on July 1, and the 6.18 shopping festival was credited with boosting cosmetics, jewellery and appliance sales. Online retail goods sales sustained momentum with a robust 21.6 percent year-on-year growth during the first half of the year, accounting for 19.6 per cent of Mainland China's total retail sales. (Retail News Asia)
Shanghai Free Trade Zone Expands
Shanghai's free trade zone is being expanded to include an area called Lingang on the city's southeast coast, where Tesla is building its first overseas factory and the world's largest planetarium is under construction. This doubles Shanghai's free trade zone from 120 square kilometres to 240 square kilometres, marking the second expansion since the zone was created in September 2013. Nearly 60,000 companies are registered in the zone, a fifth of them with foreign investment totalling $25 billion. Lingang is a relatively new city, built to be a modern example of international competitiveness, and serves as a hub for science and technology, intelligent manufacturing and the government's "Made in Shanghai" campaign.
Forbidden City Revamp Signals China's New Pride in Its Past
As Beijing's Forbidden City (known locally as the Palace Museum) approaches its 600th birthday next year, it has been restored to its former glory for all to see. As recently as 2012, only 30 percent of the vast complex was open to the public. Now, 80 percent is accessible - filled with exhibition spaces, stylish restaurants and cafes, bookstores, and highly profitable gift stores, as well as quiet walkways and greenery. The revitalisation has coincided with a broader push to protect and project the country's cultural heritage - President Xi Jinping has pushed "cultural self-confidence" as one of his signature policies. His government has pumped money into reviving traditional cultural practices, including calling on the Palace Museum to better showcase its holdings.
China Lists 86 Patriotic Shows TV Stations Should Air for Its 70th Birthday
The shows on the list laud the achievements of the Chinese Communist Party, which established the republic on October 1, 1949 following the civil war. In addition to the list of celebratory TV shows, the National Radio and Television Administration also issued guidelines on what broadcasters should not air in that time frame, including any historical period shows or idol dramas that are "relatively entertaining." The new guidelines are another move by the Chinese government to tighten censorship over the entertainment industry, particularly in a year that is filled with sensitive anniversaries for the party.
China Decoded wants to hear from you. Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to our Shanghai-based Asia Correspondent casey.hall@businessoffashion.com.

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How to Break into China as a Niche Beauty Brand

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SHANGHAI, China - The word "niche" often dooms brands to a sad fate - one where their products appeal to few and return little in the way of profit. In China, however, things are different. The right kind of niche brand can have mass appeal in the mainland.

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Beauty Industry: has Asia become the next market leader?

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Beauty Industry: has Asia become the next market leader?

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The Beauty Market is a broad industry which encompasses both body care, hair care, make up, fragrances and cosmetics. In Asia, the beauty industry has long been praised by the media for its ability to create innovative products with exotic ingredients and unique textures, which managed to attract an extremely wide clientele. In addition to their unique creations, Beauty Companies in Asia have also been highly complimented for their ability to capture the needs of consumers and for redefining their product experience with tailor-made marketing strategies and aesthetically appealing packaging. With over 6.4% increased in beauty and personal care products in Asia in 2017, the beauty market has reached over $149 USD bn sales, and represents today one of the most valuable segment of consumer goods worldwide.
The Digital World as a Key Driver
The Asian beauty market is characterized by a rapid launch of new brands, new products and new technologies, all fueled by an adoption of the digital world. Today, the retail market is being completely reshaped by the internet. With over 9.9% of beauty product sales occuring online in Asia, it seems that digital channels have lowered barriers to entry, enabling consumers from all generation to purchase their desired beauty products anywhere.

Although online sales still account for a small part of the beauty market, the digital landscape is exerting an important influence over Asian consumers. In Asia, consumers' interest for beauty brands extend beyond product information and pricing, as Millennials are looking for beauty brands online to understand product usage (with key influencers uploading product videos), to roam through online referrals and admire marketing campaigns. Thus, online vlogs, editorial blogs, tutorials, consumer reviews and social media channels have become an important arena for consumer decision-making - and companies must ensure their online presence remains satisfactory since consumers perceive the internet as a crucial channel for knowledge.
Functional Beauty
South Korea, among the top 10 global beauty markets, representing nearly 2.9% of the global industry, has managed to achieve successful growth in the last decade by approaching the beauty sector with the strategy of functionality rather than brand awareness. In Korea, beauty products are not perceived as "treats", instead, beauty products are considered useful and life-changing.

Daily beauty cream are developed with sunscreen claims, cosmetics have anti-pollution filters, skin care products have elasticity boosting benefits, venom serum or snails skin facials are rejuvenating. It appears that the Korean market has quickly established itself as a market leader for innovation, a platform for companies to test on new ingredients and technologies.

South Korean company Glow Recipe is using aloe vera instead of water for intense nutriton in their " rubber face masks ", an important innovation technique for better nutrient absorption.

In Japan, Shiseido launched its newest range, Waso, a skincare product line with active components of key natural ingredients such as carrot, loquat, honey, tofu and white jelly mushroom mixed in innovative formulas. With a lower price point than competitive brands, this line is specifically designed to appeal to millennial consumers.

Waso the new skin care brand from Shisheido
Emerging Asian Markets
The influence of Asia over the Beauty Industry worldwide is not solely limited to its main market leaders such as Korea and Japan. It appears that Emerging markets such as Indonesia, The Philippines and Vietnam are catching up on key trends and improving their global sales after a period of low growth.

The beauty industry in Indonesia has witnessed strong growth due to rising spending power of the middle class. The strongest trend developed in the beauty sector is the rise of products with "halal" and "herbal" options, which strongly resonates with the Indonesian consumer (as an estimation of over 87.2% of Indonesians identify themselves as Muslims). Therefore, for beauty companies, developing "halal-certified" products has reached an utmost priority in order to tap into new opportunities and improve their yearly performances.

In the Philippines, the desire for skin whitening products continues to gain ground, as having a "dark skin" can lead to discrimination and backlash in younger population. An estimation by Mintel Research group shows that skin whiteners and lighteners recorded the highest retail value projection in 2016 (of about $240 USD), outperforming all other market segments. With a relatively young population average, Filipino Millenials and the iGeneration are investing in social media to discover new products and become more educated on beauty, allowing them to purchase whitening products with relatively " reduced-health risks " claims.

Finally, the Vietnam beauty market should not be underestimated by the business world. Market researchers have projected this industry to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of over 8.6% over the 2018-2021 forecast period, placing the country as leader for business expansion, worldwide.
So, what's next?
Amidst their successful business models and pioneering approach to beauty, the Asian beauty market needs to keep an eye for long-term challenges and consumer satisfaction. Today, Asian customers are becoming more knowledgeable and more demanding than ever, as their voices have become increasingly powerful online. Consumers are now extremely receptive to the latest trends, listening to both advocates of beauty brands in retail and online. Therefore, companies should continue to expand through digital channels, to ensure effective targeting.

Experience, Innovation and Functionality appear as the key drivers of growth in Asia. With new ingredients booming in everyday beauty products, the rise of new technologies and the importance of the digital world, the possibilities for innovation are endless. Hopefully, the Asian beauty success story will once be a source of inspiration worldwide.

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The Beauty Market is a broad industry which encompasses both body care, hair care, make up, fragrances and cosmetics. In Asia, the beauty industry has long been praised by the media for its ability to create innovative products with exotic ingredients and unique textures, which managed to attract an extremely wide clientele.

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6 Beauty Industry Trends in China Brands Must Know

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6 Beauty Industry Trends in China Brands Must Know

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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.

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6 Beauty Industry Trends in China Brands Must Know | Jing Daily

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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.

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Young Chinese Want ‘Green’ Beauty (But Who Will Give it to them?)

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Young Chinese Want ‘Green’ Beauty (But Who Will Give it to them?)

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The future of beauty in China is green. However, a recent report by AlixPartners demonstrates that cosmetics brands chasing the Chinese market with natural, clean, and ethically sourced products must navigate a complex web of consumer aspirations, purchasing behaviors, and product definitions to find success.

The report, titled Naturally Beautiful: Millennials and Preferences in Beauty and Personal Care Products, asked consumers how much importance they place on beauty products being "healthy," "clean," and "natural." Researchers surveyed a combined 4,500 consumers in five countries: China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Green beauty products are still a niche segment within the global industry for beauty and personal care products, accounting for around $11 billion of a $500 billion market. But growth in the green sector is outpacing the industry as a whole, and sales of natural and organic beauty products are predicted to reach $22 billion annually by 2024.

The AlixPartners survey found a common interest in natural and organic beauty products across the five surveyed nations, but Chinese consumers are more committed to green beauty than consumers in the other four nations. While 72 percent of all respondents said purchasing "healthy or clean products" was important to them, 90 percent of the Chinese consumers surveyed fell into this category. In contrast, only 56 percent of British consumers regarded green beauty products as important. Unsurprisingly, the report found millennial and Gen-Z respondents (18-34, by the report's parameters) to be more concerned with the green attributes of beauty products than older consumers.

Brands are used to hearing that consumers want their beauty products to be "clean," "natural," and "safe," however, defining terms is one of the challenges for brands developing a presence in the green beauty market. Standards for these terms may vary across borders (take "organic" for example) or there may be no standard definitions or regulations at all. This allows unscrupulous brands to mislead or confuse consumers, making it difficult for well-meaning brands to build consumer confidence.

Brands should start by understanding what consumers want. AlixPartners asked consumers how important each stage of the value chain is to them: ingredient sourcing, ingredient quality, manufacturing, logistics, and marketing. Quality of ingredients was the most important attribute to 77 percent of millennial and Gen-Z consumers, while a majority of 18-34-year-old respondents also cited the source of ingredients and type of manufacturing as important. Logistics and marketing were considered comparatively less important. Older respondents held similar preferences but were less likely to regard each of these factors as "important."

"Not only do [millennials] look for transparency and traceability of product ingredients, but they are also curious about where ingredients originate and how products are made," the report states. Product labeling is one arena where brands can demonstrate transparency, as beauty retailer Sephora's "Clean at Sephora" initiative in the U.S. aims to do. The brand has developed a list of 50 ingredients it regards as incompatible with its "Clean by Sephora" standard, and products that meet the standard are given a "Clean by Sephora" seal. An initiative like this helps the retailer build "green" credibility by providing consumers with transparent, actionable information and by setting a standard for what should and shouldn't be considered "clean."

Labeling is crucial, but social media is another key forum where brands can demonstrate transparency and build trust with consumers. In this context, transparency can mean telling the story of how the products are created, thereby demonstrating the brand's quality of ingredients or ethical sourcing practices.

Brands are already engaging Chinese KOLs to help them assist in this storytelling process. The number of KOLs mentioning green beauty brands on Chinese social platforms has increased by 134 percent between Q1 of 2018 and Q1 of 2019, according to a recent report by PARKLU. Interestingly, much of that growth was driven by "micro" KOLs with smaller followings rather than influencers with huge followings. This is likely because "micro" KOLs have built up a more authentic level of trust and intimacy with their fans than larger ones. Weibo and Xiaohongshu (the latter of which was recently pulled from Chinese app stores by the Chinese government) were the sources of most of this rise of activity, not including a fairly negligible contribution from WeChat. To date, mentions of 'green beauty' on Chinese platforms are currently being dominated by three companies: South Korea's Innisfree, the American brand Origins, and the homegrown brand Chando.

There are other barriers to purchasing that consumers may experience that beauty brands must address, whether they are real or imagined. Cost is one obvious issue. Most consumers say they are prepared to pay higher prices for green products, but price sensitivity can leave brands working with very thin margins. Natural products also have a shorter shelf-life, so sustained use costs consumers more in the long-term. Fortunately for beauty brands, the millennials that were surveyed by AlixPartners said they would willingly pay 18 percent more for green products. Chinese respondents were significantly less likely than other nationalities to report cost as a barrier from purchasing, clocking in at 36 percent against an overall average of 56 percent.

But brands still have work to do to convert customer enthusiasm into actual sales. The survey revealed a gap between consumers' stated enthusiasm for buying greener beauty products and their actual purchasing behavior. This discrepancy was relatively similar among all the nationalities surveyed. Of the Chinese respondents, 11 percent fewer had purchased green beauty products than those who said they wanted to. At the upper end, this gap was 15 percent (France).

Access to green products is a bigger issue for Chinese consumers, and 38 percent of Chinese respondents agreed that "products are not readily available where I shop," as compared to an overall average of 27 percent. Indeed, some green beauty brands that have earned a loyal overseas following are not available in China. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, the absence of some of the Western trailblazers in this category has created opportunities for local brands to fill the gap. One of them, Shanghai skincare brand Inoherb, has incorporated natural ingredients that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to create green beauty products while also playing on popular perceptions in China that Western brands use excessive chemicals. Another new-to-the-scene brand to watch is Native Beauty, developed by Lisa Qi, the founder of the e-commerce platform Daling Family.

Chinese consumers also reported having difficulty telling the difference between products that are "good" and "bad" for them. While an average of 31 percent of all respondents admitted problems in this area, 37 percent of Chinese consumers reported difficulties. Only 22 percent of American consumers said they had trouble identifying products that were good for them. This has given rise to a group of bloggers known as "Cheng Fen Dang" who have made their reputations by discussing the ingredients used in beauty products. These include male bloggers like Fang Junping and Huang Yan, who discuss the science of beauty products in depth. Brands may explore partnerships with influencers like these, who are authorities in the eyes of regular consumers in China.

The potential for green beauty brands in China is there, but beauty companies have no room for error. Brands have to carefully understand what "natural, clean, and safe" really means to Chinese consumers, and they have to be transparent and sincere in telling their stories. Not only are consumers increasingly discerning, but the government has kept an eye on how beauty brands are marketing themselves nowadays. Brands that can align their products and values with consumers' aspirations stand to gain ground in this blossoming segment.

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Young Chinese Want 'Green' Beauty (But Who Will Give it to them?) | Jing Daily

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The future of beauty in China is green. However, a recent report by AlixPartners demonstrates that cosmetics brands chasing the Chinese market with natural, clean, and ethically sourced products must navigate a complex web of consumer aspirations, purchasing behaviors, and product definitions to find success.

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Young Chinese Want ‘Green’ Beauty (But Who Will Give it to them?)

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Young Chinese Want ‘Green’ Beauty (But Who Will Give it to them?)

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The future of beauty in China is green. However, a recent report by AlixPartners demonstrates that cosmetics brands chasing the Chinese market with natural, clean, and ethically sourced products must navigate a complex web of consumer aspirations, purchasing behaviors, and product definitions to find success.

The report, titled Naturally Beautiful: Millennials and Preferences in Beauty and Personal Care Products, asked consumers how much importance they place on beauty products being "healthy," "clean," and "natural." Researchers surveyed a combined 4,500 consumers in five countries: China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Green beauty products are still a niche segment within the global industry for beauty and personal care products, accounting for around $11 billion of a $500 billion market. But growth in the green sector is outpacing the industry as a whole, and sales of natural and organic beauty products are predicted to reach $22 billion annually by 2024.

The AlixPartners survey found a common interest in natural and organic beauty products across the five surveyed nations, but Chinese consumers are more committed to green beauty than consumers in the other four nations. While 72 percent of all respondents said purchasing "healthy or clean products" was important to them, 90 percent of the Chinese consumers surveyed fell into this category. In contrast, only 56 percent of British consumers regarded green beauty products as important. Unsurprisingly, the report found millennial and Gen-Z respondents (18-34, by the report's parameters) to be more concerned with the green attributes of beauty products than older consumers.

Brands are used to hearing that consumers want their beauty products to be "clean," "natural," and "safe," however, defining terms is one of the challenges for brands developing a presence in the green beauty market. Standards for these terms may vary across borders (take "organic" for example) or there may be no standard definitions or regulations at all. This allows unscrupulous brands to mislead or confuse consumers, making it difficult for well-meaning brands to build consumer confidence.

Brands should start by understanding what consumers want. AlixPartners asked consumers how important each stage of the value chain is to them: ingredient sourcing, ingredient quality, manufacturing, logistics, and marketing. Quality of ingredients was the most important attribute to 77 percent of millennial and Gen-Z consumers, while a majority of 18-34-year-old respondents also cited the source of ingredients and type of manufacturing as important. Logistics and marketing were considered comparatively less important. Older respondents held similar preferences but were less likely to regard each of these factors as "important."

"Not only do [millennials] look for transparency and traceability of product ingredients, but they are also curious about where ingredients originate and how products are made," the report states. Product labeling is one arena where brands can demonstrate transparency, as beauty retailer Sephora's "Clean at Sephora" initiative in the U.S. aims to do. The brand has developed a list of 50 ingredients it regards as incompatible with its "Clean by Sephora" standard, and products that meet the standard are given a "Clean by Sephora" seal. An initiative like this helps the retailer build "green" credibility by providing consumers with transparent, actionable information and by setting a standard for what should and shouldn't be considered "clean."

Labeling is crucial, but social media is another key forum where brands can demonstrate transparency and build trust with consumers. In this context, transparency can mean telling the story of how the products are created, thereby demonstrating the brand's quality of ingredients or ethical sourcing practices.

Brands are already engaging Chinese KOLs to help them assist in this storytelling process. The number of KOLs mentioning green beauty brands on Chinese social platforms has increased by 134 percent between Q1 of 2018 and Q1 of 2019, according to a recent report by PARKLU. Interestingly, much of that growth was driven by "micro" KOLs with smaller followings rather than influencers with huge followings. This is likely because "micro" KOLs have built up a more authentic level of trust and intimacy with their fans than larger ones. Weibo and Xiaohongshu (the latter of which was recently pulled from Chinese app stores by the Chinese government) were the sources of most of this rise of activity, not including a fairly negligible contribution from WeChat. To date, mentions of 'green beauty' on Chinese platforms are currently being dominated by three companies: South Korea's Innisfree, the American brand Origins, and the homegrown brand Chando.

There are other barriers to purchasing that consumers may experience that beauty brands must address, whether they are real or imagined. Cost is one obvious issue. Most consumers say they are prepared to pay higher prices for green products, but price sensitivity can leave brands working with very thin margins. Natural products also have a shorter shelf-life, so sustained use costs consumers more in the long-term. Fortunately for beauty brands, the millennials that were surveyed by AlixPartners said they would willingly pay 18 percent more for green products. Chinese respondents were significantly less likely than other nationalities to report cost as a barrier from purchasing, clocking in at 36 percent against an overall average of 56 percent.

But brands still have work to do to convert customer enthusiasm into actual sales. The survey revealed a gap between consumers' stated enthusiasm for buying greener beauty products and their actual purchasing behavior. This discrepancy was relatively similar among all the nationalities surveyed. Of the Chinese respondents, 11 percent fewer had purchased green beauty products than those who said they wanted to. At the upper end, this gap was 15 percent (France).

Access to green products is a bigger issue for Chinese consumers, and 38 percent of Chinese respondents agreed that "products are not readily available where I shop," as compared to an overall average of 27 percent. Indeed, some green beauty brands that have earned a loyal overseas following are not available in China. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, the absence of some of the Western trailblazers in this category has created opportunities for local brands to fill the gap. One of them, Shanghai skincare brand Inoherb, has incorporated natural ingredients that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to create green beauty products while also playing on popular perceptions in China that Western brands use excessive chemicals. Another new-to-the-scene brand to watch is Native Beauty, developed by Lisa Qi, the founder of the e-commerce platform Daling Family.

Chinese consumers also reported having difficulty telling the difference between products that are "good" and "bad" for them. While an average of 31 percent of all respondents admitted problems in this area, 37 percent of Chinese consumers reported difficulties. Only 22 percent of American consumers said they had trouble identifying products that were good for them. This has given rise to a group of bloggers known as "Cheng Fen Dang" who have made their reputations by discussing the ingredients used in beauty products. These include male bloggers like Fang Junping and Huang Yan, who discuss the science of beauty products in depth. Brands may explore partnerships with influencers like these, who are authorities in the eyes of regular consumers in China.

The potential for green beauty brands in China is there, but beauty companies have no room for error. Brands have to carefully understand what "natural, clean, and safe" really means to Chinese consumers, and they have to be transparent and sincere in telling their stories. Not only are consumers increasingly discerning, but the government has kept an eye on how beauty brands are marketing themselves nowadays. Brands that can align their products and values with consumers' aspirations stand to gain ground in this blossoming segment.

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Young Chinese Want 'Green' Beauty (But Who Will Give it to them?) | Jing Daily

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The future of beauty in China is green. However, a recent report by AlixPartners demonstrates that cosmetics brands chasing the Chinese market with natural, clean, and ethically sourced products must navigate a complex web of consumer aspirations, purchasing behaviors, and product definitions to find success.

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China’s beauty trends: KOLs, organics, more make-up, and men 

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China’s beauty trends: KOLs, organics, more make-up, and men 

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"Chinese girls use make-up because girls want to be more beautiful, but it's not part of their 'style' or identity," Fu says. "Eventually, Chinese girls will create looks that are their own and differentiated from other countries. We will also see make-up, beauty, and fashion becoming a part of creating unique identities."

Lin Lin, independent director of China International Beauty Expo, believes organic ingredients and male consumers are the next big thing.

"We've estimated that in 2017, 70 per cent of mainland buyers will be looking for organic beauty products, which is an 8.9 per cent increase from 2016," she says.

As for men, in a recent HKTDC survey of Chinese beauty consumers, 63 per cent of male respondents reported using cleansing milk, lotion or face cream. China's gender ratio has been skewed by a traditional preference for boys, exacerbated by the one-child policy. The result has been an estimated 24 million to 34 million more men than women born in the country over the past 30 years. By 2030, projections suggest more than 25 per cent of Chinese men in their late 30s will never have married

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"If you look at single men, they have disposable income, they are starting to look at how to style themselves, they work out, they go out in different social situations and they want to look their best," says Lin, adding that as the beauty industry in China turns its attention to male consumers, they also need to be aware that purchasing behaviour among men is very different to that of women.

"If you are a successful man in your mid-30s to early 40s, you might not know a lot about beauty products, because you weren't brought up using them. They buy the most expensive one because it should be the best. If the packaging seems manly, looks OK in a man's bathroom, and it's not too greasy, that's enough."

Following Korea's lead - where men embrace beauty products and cosmetic surgery - Chinese men will be looking for cosmetic products such as foundation and concealer as well.

According to Euromonitor, the overall growth rate of premium brands reached 10 per cent in current value terms, or double the growth among mass brands, which stood at 5 per cent.

China's booming e-commerce sector is opening the door for many premium brands to reach deep into China's heartland without the expense of bricks-and-mortar retail. In 2016 and 2017, premium brands such as Guerlain, Cle de Peau, Fresh, Kiehl's, Amorepacific's Hera and Shiseido's Elixir brands have all opened flagship stores on e-commerce giant Tmall.

A major beneficiary of this trend was Estee Lauder (a group that owns brands including La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Origins and Clinique). Its recently released full-year sales climbed faster in China than in any other market, with strong double-digit retail sales growth, and a doubling of its online business.

"Historically, the Chinese beauty market was driven by skincare, but in recent years we've seen Chinese consumers become increasingly passionate about make-up, too. Lipstick has become an affordable luxury item, while innovations such as Face Cushion are becoming very popular," says Estée Lauder's Asia-Pacific president Fabrice Weber.

"Beauty growth in China is driven by prestige. Millennial consumers are eager to have the best, they don't want to settle for what's average, and as soon as they can stretch themselves, they will opt for higher quality and better performance."

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Beauty trends in China: KOLs, organics, more make-up, and men

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"Chinese girls use make-up because girls want to be more beautiful, but it's not part of their 'style' or identity," Fu says. "Eventually, Chinese girls will create looks that are their own and differentiated from other countries. We will also see make-up, beauty, and fashion becoming a part of creating unique identities."

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Why Natural Skincare Brands are Targeting China

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Why Natural Skincare Brands are Targeting China

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Skincare and beauty is big business in China. It's currently the second-largest beauty market in the world. Revenue for beauty products is expected to reach $53 billion by 2025, and with dozens of domestic, Korean, Japanese, and Western brands jostling for market share, one of the biggest areas of expected growth is natural skincare.

As Jing Daily recently noted, an AlixPartners survey earlier this year found, "a common interest in natural and organic beauty products" among five surveyed nations, including China. But, it also found that "Chinese consumers are more committed to green beauty than consumers in the other four nations." The survey found that 90 percent of surveyed Chinese consumers said purchasing "healthy or clean products" was important to them, higher than the 72 percent seen across the rest of those surveyed. Younger consumers between 18-34 were found to be more concerned with "green attributes" than older respondents. The results of the survey follow similar findings from recent years. In 2018, a survey by the consulting firm Clear found that 69 percent of Chinese respondents were willing to purchase a completely natural product at a "premium" price.

Looking to reach these consumers and develop an edge in such a competitive and vast market, brands have attempted to incorporate ingredients or philosophies that resonate with Chinese customers. One of the companies looking to fuse luxury skincare with traditional Chinese medicine is Cha Ling, which launched in 2016 by the luxury giant LVMH.

Beyond promoting their ingredients - which is a strategy also employed by the likes of Inoherb and BAYANKALA - brands are turning to Chinese influencers and KOLs to spread the word and increase interest in "green" or "clean" beauty. However, mentions of " green beauty " on Chinese platforms are currently dominated by three companies: South Korea's Innisfree, the American brand Origins, and the homegrown brand Chando.

It's in this market that another China newcomer is set to make its debut. This month, American skincare brand Drunk Elephant will launch at Sephora in Hong Kong, simultaneously selling in mainland China via Tmall's cross-border site. The brand will host a two-day pop-up in Hong Kong akin to others previously held in New York and London, making the Drunk Elephant line available at launch. According to the brand, Drunk Elephant expects the Greater China market to make up 10 percent of its total global sales.

Riding the wave of promotional help from Tmall and Sephora, Drunk Elephant is hoping for good word-of-mouth and a heavy focus on its ingredients to get Chinese customers interested. The brand has also hired a China-based general manager to drive its domestic expansion. Although they'll first in Hong Kong and sell via Tmall, the brand also wants to satisfy its fans outside of China, many of whom were concerned that China might force Drunk Elephant to comply with its animal testing policies. According to NYLON, this isn't the case, as "Hong Kong doesn't have the same animal testing laws as mainland China, so Drunk Elephant is able to sell its products without compromising its cruelty-free stance. By utilizing a cross-border commerce site like Tmall, the brand is also allowed to sell in China without submitting products for testing."

According to all of the signs, the demand for natural skin care products is rising, and the means to promote it are there. Now, the question is how brands like Drunk Elephant and fellow American newcomer FENTY can stand out and compete with massive global brands like Origins and Innisfree.

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Why Natural Skincare Brands are Targeting China | Jing Daily

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Skincare and beauty is big business in China. It's currently the second-largest beauty market in the world. Revenue for beauty products is expected to reach $53 billion by 2025, and with dozens of domestic, Korean, Japanese, and Western brands jostling for market share, one of the biggest areas of expected growth is natural skincare.

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Organic Beauty is Trending, But Who Can China’s Consumers Trust?

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Organic Beauty is Trending, But Who Can China’s Consumers Trust?

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Natural, organic beauty and skincare products are not new to Chinese consumers, but new research has shown that they're more desirable than ever in China-and luxury brands are looking to cash in.

The research was conducted by the global marketing and strategy consultancy Clear in order to gather insight for brands wanting to target consumers in the booming natural cosmetics segment. Of the 3055 US, UK and Chinese respondents who rated 470 brands, it was found that 69 percent of the Chinese consumers were willing to purchase a completely natural product at a "premium" price.

The shift towards higher spending on natural products is a relatively recent change that has occurred over the last few years, one that has been attributed to increasing concerns over poor air quality in first- and second-tier metropolitan Chinese cities.

Jing Daily reported previously, according to a Fortune report, that cosmetics & fragrance purchases recently ranked second amongst top luxury categories in 2017, leapfrogging the handbag category for the first time. This seems to be due to the "luxury mentality" of Chinese millennials, a large market that has also shown a propensity for rational purchases (the health benefits of premium skincare use, for instance, shows a higher potential return on investment than a luxury handbag purchase.

But, unfortunately, consumers have historically encountered barriers when trying to invest in organic skincare and beauty products. In 2012, the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) canceled the paid certification which was previously available to brands wanting to label their cosmetics as "organic".

This has created a challenge for cosmetic & skincare companies trying to communicate the benefits of their organic products to Chinese consumers. The Global CEO of Clear, Damian Symons, voiced concerns about advertising to this market, saying that "this audience is more informed, more engaged and more cynical than ever, so it's no longer enough to be 'non-GMO' or have some natural ingredients to win in naturals. Brands need to commit across every touchpoint."

Without an official seal of approval and armed with a strong immunity to the marketing jargon of organic and all-natural labels, consumers have begun to seek out other ways to validate their high-priced purchases.

Interestingly enough, that validation has come in the form of a group of male beauty bloggers who are presenting themselves as academic figures who seek to demystify beauty product formulas for their loyal followers. By leverage their own personal social media channels, these bloggers break down the lingering information gap that alienates consumers from brands. Some of these bloggers have even begun to build their own beauty lines in an attempt to take a slice of the organics pie away from established beauty brands, but conscious consumers rightly remain skeptical of any product that hasn't undergone the type of rigorous testing employed by big global brands.

Aside from suggesting the importance of communicating clearly and carefully to consumers about their production processes, Clear's report has also advised brands to draw inspiration from traditional Chinese remedies. That's because natural ingredients familiar to Chinese consumers can help facilitate a positive brand image. One brand that has closely followed that advice is Cha Ling, LVMH's high-end skincare brand launched in 2016.

According to the founder of the brand, also CEO of Guerlain (LVMH Group), Laurent Boillot, the antioxidant properties of tea have long been recognized in traditional Chinese culture. Not coincidentally, one of the key ingredients in Cha Ling is a rare tea called Pu'Er', which has long been revered in China for its anti-aging effects.

With the competition for sales of high-end natural products heating up in China, Cha Ling was created with one clear goal: to resonate with Chinese consumers.

It took the brand nearly a year and a half to test-market Cha Ling, which first launched at the Paris department store Le Bon Marché and then at Hong Kong's trendy Harbour City shopping district. The brand hit mainland China last June at the shopping center Taikoo Li in Shanghai where, according to the Chinese media outlet Luxe.co, the price point is significantly cheaper than in the aforementioned Hong Kong or Paris stores: about a couple hundreds of yuan cheaper for the same volume. But Cha Ling has also opened an e-commerce page on WeChat and is mulling a mini sales website as it continues to expand its retail stores in key Chinese cities like Beijing.

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Organic Beauty is Trending, But Who Can China's Consumers Trust? | Jing Daily

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Natural, organic beauty and skincare products are not new to Chinese consumers, but new research has shown that they're more desirable than ever in China-and luxury brands are looking to cash in. The research was conducted by the global marketing and strategy consultancy Clear in order to gather insight for brands wanting to target consumers in the booming natural cosmetics segment.

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Organic Beauty is Trending, But Who Can China’s Consumers Trust?

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Organic Beauty is Trending, But Who Can China’s Consumers Trust?

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Natural, organic beauty and skincare products are not new to Chinese consumers, but new research has shown that they're more desirable than ever in China-and luxury brands are looking to cash in.

The research was conducted by the global marketing and strategy consultancy Clear in order to gather insight for brands wanting to target consumers in the booming natural cosmetics segment. Of the 3055 US, UK and Chinese respondents who rated 470 brands, it was found that 69 percent of the Chinese consumers were willing to purchase a completely natural product at a "premium" price.

The shift towards higher spending on natural products is a relatively recent change that has occurred over the last few years, one that has been attributed to increasing concerns over poor air quality in first- and second-tier metropolitan Chinese cities.

Jing Daily reported previously, according to a Fortune report, that cosmetics & fragrance purchases recently ranked second amongst top luxury categories in 2017, leapfrogging the handbag category for the first time. This seems to be due to the "luxury mentality" of Chinese millennials, a large market that has also shown a propensity for rational purchases (the health benefits of premium skincare use, for instance, shows a higher potential return on investment than a luxury handbag purchase.

But, unfortunately, consumers have historically encountered barriers when trying to invest in organic skincare and beauty products. In 2012, the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) canceled the paid certification which was previously available to brands wanting to label their cosmetics as "organic".

This has created a challenge for cosmetic & skincare companies trying to communicate the benefits of their organic products to Chinese consumers. The Global CEO of Clear, Damian Symons, voiced concerns about advertising to this market, saying that "this audience is more informed, more engaged and more cynical than ever, so it's no longer enough to be 'non-GMO' or have some natural ingredients to win in naturals. Brands need to commit across every touchpoint."

Without an official seal of approval and armed with a strong immunity to the marketing jargon of organic and all-natural labels, consumers have begun to seek out other ways to validate their high-priced purchases.

Interestingly enough, that validation has come in the form of a group of male beauty bloggers who are presenting themselves as academic figures who seek to demystify beauty product formulas for their loyal followers. By leverage their own personal social media channels, these bloggers break down the lingering information gap that alienates consumers from brands. Some of these bloggers have even begun to build their own beauty lines in an attempt to take a slice of the organics pie away from established beauty brands, but conscious consumers rightly remain skeptical of any product that hasn't undergone the type of rigorous testing employed by big global brands.

Aside from suggesting the importance of communicating clearly and carefully to consumers about their production processes, Clear's report has also advised brands to draw inspiration from traditional Chinese remedies. That's because natural ingredients familiar to Chinese consumers can help facilitate a positive brand image. One brand that has closely followed that advice is Cha Ling, LVMH's high-end skincare brand launched in 2016.

According to the founder of the brand, also CEO of Guerlain (LVMH Group), Laurent Boillot, the antioxidant properties of tea have long been recognized in traditional Chinese culture. Not coincidentally, one of the key ingredients in Cha Ling is a rare tea called Pu'Er', which has long been revered in China for its anti-aging effects.

With the competition for sales of high-end natural products heating up in China, Cha Ling was created with one clear goal: to resonate with Chinese consumers.

It took the brand nearly a year and a half to test-market Cha Ling, which first launched at the Paris department store Le Bon Marché and then at Hong Kong's trendy Harbour City shopping district. The brand hit mainland China last June at the shopping center Taikoo Li in Shanghai where, according to the Chinese media outlet Luxe.co, the price point is significantly cheaper than in the aforementioned Hong Kong or Paris stores: about a couple hundreds of yuan cheaper for the same volume. But Cha Ling has also opened an e-commerce page on WeChat and is mulling a mini sales website as it continues to expand its retail stores in key Chinese cities like Beijing.

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Organic Beauty is Trending, But Who Can China's Consumers Trust? | Jing Daily

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Natural, organic beauty and skincare products are not new to Chinese consumers, but new research has shown that they're more desirable than ever in China-and luxury brands are looking to cash in. The research was conducted by the global marketing and strategy consultancy Clear in order to gather insight for brands wanting to target consumers in the booming natural cosmetics segment.

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Beauty brands bypass China animal test regime

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Beauty brands bypass China animal test regime

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Western cosmetics companies are using China's ecommerce platforms to bypass Beijing's requirement that their products be tested on animals, with pop star Rihanna's Fenty Beauty the latest to take advantage of an easing of restrictions.

Make-up must be tested on animals in government laboratories to be approved for sale in China. While big foreign brands such as L'Oréal, Estee Lauder, and Procter & Gamble have complied with the rules, other companies have chosen to avoid the Chinese market.

But since 2016 Beijing has permitted platforms run by ecommerce companies such as Alibaba and JD.com to allow consumers buy cosmetics direct from overseas, avoiding some inspection requirements including the animal testing regulations.

The platforms store goods in dedicated "free trade zones" before shipping them to consumers, with $23bn in products sold this way last year, according to consultancy iResearch. That has encouraged brands that oppose animal tests to sell in China.

"Lots of cruelty-free brands have entered the Chinese market through cross-border ecommerce," said Winne Xu, an analyst at consultancy ChemLinked. "The necessity to produce Chinese labels and toxicology test reports can all be avoided".

Sales of skincare products in China reached Rmb212bn ($29.8bn) in 2018, up 13 per cent from the previous year, according to consultancy Euromonitor.

Recommended

Fenty Beauty, launched in 2017 by Barbadian singer, businesswoman and actress Rihanna in partnership with LVMH, opened a store on Alibaba's Tmall Global platform on Tuesday. The brand said the move made its products "even more accessible to its digitally savvy Chinese consumers while staying true to its 100 per cent cruelty-free commitment".

Beijing has promoted cross-border ecommerce as an alternative to the widespread practice of daigou, in which consumer goods are imported by "personal shoppers" who generally do not pay import or sales taxes when they bring products into China.

Alibaba announced on Friday it had acquired rival cross-border ecommerce platform Kaola for $2bn from tech company NetEase. That will give it a 52 per cent share of the market, according to investment bank Jefferies, ahead of its main rival JD.com.

US cosmetics brand Jane Iredale, which was acquired by private equity firm San Francisco Equity Partners this year, launched a store on Tmall Global last month. It expects China to become its top market outside the US within three years.

"We had wanted to bring make-up to women in China but because we are a very animal-friendly company it was always something that we couldn't do ethically," said Theresa Robison, the brand's head of global development. "The advent of cross-border selling has really made it feasible for us."

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Beauty brands bypass China animal test regime

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Western cosmetics companies are using China's ecommerce platforms to bypass Beijing's requirement that their products be tested on animals, with pop star Rihanna's Fenty Beauty the latest to take advantage of an easing of restrictions. Make-up must be tested on animals in government laboratories to be approved for sale in China.

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How Guerlain Exemplifies the Art of Audience Engagement

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How Guerlain Exemplifies the Art of Audience Engagement

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In an age in which brands make serious investments to curry customers' attention, traditional forms of advertisement are no longer enough to stand out in the media landscape. Marketers today are expected to invent new ways to capture customers' attention in a shorter amount of time and keep them engaged longer. In our latest WeChat case study column, we analyzed a gamification WeChat campaign by French luxury cosmetics brand Guerlain that exemplifies the art of audience engagement.

To celebrate its latest lipstick, the KissKiss Matte collection, Guerlain partnered with a major player in duty-free shopping, Sunrise Duty Free, to create a gamification WeChat campaign. Within 10 days of its launch, the campaign attracted 18,582 page views and 10,000 players. In total, Guerlain has selected more than 300 winners.

Here is how it worked:

With unlimited attempts to go through multiple levels of difficulty, players have the chance to win a lipstick as long as they score over 5,000 points. At the end of the game, they are asked to submit personal information, such as name and phone number, to enter a lottery.

Takeaways:

Target small and know your audience

The campaign is created with a clear purpose: to raise awareness among travelers. Guerlain's reason for picking Sunrise to promote its lipstick is to attract a specific demographic: fashion and trendy customers who are keen on getting first-hand information about the latest products. Therefore, the offering of a free give-away lipstick is a perfect introduction to an entirely new collection.

This specific group of Chinese travelers is likely to be the target of Guerlain's travel retail initiative on a bigger scale in the near future, "We are constantly striving to digitally engage our customers in China in unique ways and we are starting to look at expanding our social and digital communication into travel retail," said Jessica Lau, Guerlain travel retail area China manager.

Make it fun and keep your audience engaged and invested

However, a highly targeted campaign will have limited exposure. Guerlain makes up for this by improving the entertainment aspect of the campaign. The campaign was designed as a highly addictive tetris game. Additionally, since the lipstick element frequently appears throughout the game, customers can be totally immersed in the product narrative created by Guerlain that makes consumers invest their time to learn more.

Winner takes all, collect valuable data

Guerlain asked players to fill in their personal information in exchange for a free gift. This gives Guerlain valuable customer data and can help the company target future campaigns and products at this specific demographic. However, the quality of customer data could be less than ideal because of the inclusion of a free giveaway. A promotion like this can attract the wrong customer demographic, those consumer only interested in a free prize and with little interest in buying in the future.
To learn more about successful WeChat campaigns and how brands can use WeChat marketing to optimize their sales in China, click here to download our latest WeChat report.

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3 Tips From Guerlain's Gamification WeChat Campaign | Jing Daily

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In an age in which brands make serious investments to curry customers' attention, traditional forms of advertisement are no longer enough to stand out in the media landscape. Marketers today are expected to invent new ways to capture customers' attention in a shorter amount of time and keep them engaged longer.

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In L2's Digital IQ Index: Beauty China 2018, Estée Lauder leads the ranking as the sole Genius brand for the second year in a row. The study tracks the performance of beauty brands across four dimensions: discoverability, consideration, path to purchase, and content. Below are the top 10 brands, which excel against their peers in areas like Tmall and JD.com visibility, WeChat functionality, and celebrity campaigns on Weibo and video platforms.

The only Genius brand on the list for the second year in a row, Estée Lauder generates strong social engagement, Baidu Index performance, and product demand with bets on a range of celebrity brand ambassadors. Its campaign featuring singer Hua Chenyu generated the top Weibo post among all Index brands, while its celebrity product collaboration with actress Yang Mi for a special-edition lipstick color drove massive online buzz. Estée Lauder products score high visibility on Tmall search result pages, and the brand also takes advantage of the e-tailer's functionality with a video live chat beauty advisor.

Adding to its impressive visibility on e-tailers Tmall, JD.com, and VIP.com, L'Oréal invests in omnichannel with a unique WeChat loyalty program that provides links to coupons and an offline store locator that has a scannable bar code. This makes the program accessible across the wide range of locations where the brand is sold.

Lancôme has developed high functionality on both Tmall and its brand site, with AR makeup try-on through Tmall and a loyalty program integrated across multiple online platforms and offline stores. The brand also targets the ever-important traveling Chinese shopper with ads linking to a store locator that shows global duty-free locations, and is following consumers' shifting viewing habits by shifting video ad spend to focus on OTT advertising through MI Box TV. Last but not least, Lancôme was also one of the first beauty brands to experiment with WeChat's new brand zone.

The top-ranking Chinese brand in this year's Index, Chando gained key social engagement and Tmall sales thanks to promotions featuring the ultra-popular Chinese boy band TFBoys. It strengthened its e-commerce presence by launching DTC sales, and partners with JD.com on data-sharing while maintaining high visibility across multiple e-tailers.

Maybelline has the highest product discoverability of all Index brands for the color cosmetics search categories thanks to strong performance across Tmall, JD.com, and VIP.com. Its Tmall store features reviews from popular beauty community site Kimiss, where its #TattooBrow sampling campaign generated buzz on the site and high Tmall sales. On WeChat, its official profile links to the VIP.com mini-app for purchase.

SK-II relaunched its loyalty program this year with synchronism across its brand site, WeChat, Tmall, and physical stores. It saw the highest Baidu Index growth among Index brands thanks to a range of multiple popular campaigns that led to sustained growth in interest among consumers. Its Tmall Super Brand Day for its R.N.A Magnetic booster drove more than double the previous month's sales in one day.

Part of a three-way tie for seventh place, the brand performed well among premium names for JD.com visibility. It also promoted an official launch on VIP.com at the beginning of this year with a campaign that offered a free gift with purchase.

Despite being a tough year for K-beauty in China, Innisfree was one of the top five most-mentioned brands on social and cross-border shopping app RED, where it maintains an official store. It also reached China's post-95 generation through partnering on an interactive mobile product collaboration campaign with the age group's preferred platform, Tencent's QQ.

The second AmorePacific-owned brand to make the top 10, Laneige tapped into the star power of Chinese actor Xu Weizhou to achieve high engagement on Weibo. It was an investment that paid off-although Xu's follower count of 4.7 million is tiny compared to some of China's mega-stars, he was able to achieve higher engagement for the brand than superstar Angelababy was able to achieve for Artistry with over 80 million followers.

The LVMH-owned brand went all-in on WeChat's increasingly popular mini-apps. Like several peers, it adopted a standard gift card format mini-app that allows users to buy virtual "gift cards" for specific products and send them to friends over WeChat. The gift card mini-app links to a second mini-app used by the brand for e-commerce. Dior was also one of the first beauty brands to try out Weibo's Snapchat-like Stories feature to promote its Rouge 999 lipstick.

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In L2's Digital IQ Index: Beauty China 2018, Estée Lauder leads the ranking as the sole Genius brand for the second year in a row. The study tracks the performance of beauty brands across four dimensions: discoverability, consideration, path to purchase, and content.

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Made in China: The five C-beauty brands that should be on your radar

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Made in China: The five C-beauty brands that should be on your radar

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We've written at length about the rise of C-beauty on this very platform - and as the Single's Day and Lunar New Year sales data pours in, it looks like this trend is going nowhere. So without further ado, we present the cosmetics industry equivalent to York Notes on the C-beauty brands that are trending as I type...

Repeatedly topping the bestseller lists, this heritage C-beauty brand, which was founded in Shanghai in 1931, rakes in annual sales in the region of CNY17.7 billion, boosted thanks to the brand's masterful use of KOLs to help push sales as well as some popular collabs with other well-known Chinese brands - most recently with retailer Hey Tea - which serves to emphasize its local roots. The brand's recent spike in popularity helped propel it onto Brand Finance's 2019 Brand Value list for the first time, ranking 23 rd, above the likes of Unilever's Axe (21) and L'Occitane (30), for example.

2. Hedone

Essentially China's answer to Glossier, Hedone is one of the new kids on the block in C-beauty terms. A digital native (especially to Weibo and Little Red Book), it's known for its playful lip glosses and attention-grabbing campaigns which appeal to Gen Z's more daring aesthetic and frequently feature men as well as women. Both marketing and sales take place almost exclusively on social channels.

3. Inoherb

China's second biggest skin care brand by sales, Inoherb only narrowly missed out on a top 5 spot in Kantar Worldpanel's ranking. The Shanghai-based brand is famed for its use of traditional ingredients such as rhodiola rosea, a plant oft used in Chinese medicine, and trades on its natural positioning.

4. Chando

Ranked ninth overall in China's skin care charts by Kantar Worldpanel, Jala's Chando frequently features on Tmall's bestseller lists and has struck a chord with Chinese consumers thanks to its use of hyper local ingredients sourced from the Himalayas and inclusive marketing. The brand entered the Brand Value list at number 40 last year for the first time.

5. Marie Dalgar Color Studio

The most popular C-beauty make-up brand by sales in 2019 (ranked seventh in the make-up category by Kantar Worldpanel, topped by multinationals such as MAC, Maybelline and Dior as well as Thailand's Mistine), Marie Dalgar is manufactured by Zhen Liang and was founded by Cui Ziaohong. The brand's claim to fame (and also its raison d'etre) is the invention of the world's first 'grafting mascara' which boosts lash length by 300 percent and was designed expressly for an Asian audience; at its peak, one was sold every 15 seconds. It's one of the few C-beauty brands to be stocked in Sephora and is widely tipped to be the marque that converts the rest of the world to C-beauty.

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Made in China: The five C-beauty brands that should be on your radar - Global Cosmetics News

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We've written at length about the rise of C-beauty on this very platform - and as the Single's Day and Lunar New Year sales data pours in, it looks like this trend is going nowhere. So without further ado, we present the cosmetics industry equivalent to York Notes on the C-beauty brands that are trending [...]

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Cosmetics market in China - Statistics & Facts

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Cosmetics market in China - Statistics & Facts

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The Chinese cosmetics industry is one of the most promising fields of business in China for the near future. Consumer demographics are shifting towards a younger, more affluent segment with an increased sense for luxury goods such as beauty and care products. The retail trade revenue of cosmetics in China grew from 19.5 billion yuan in March 2016 to 21.49 billion yuan in March 2017. The retail price of cosmetic products in the Chinese market is subject to strong fluctuation. Unit prices for high-end premium lipsticks sold in China ranged at around 99 U.S. dollars, while high-end premium eye shadow products were sold for around 84 U.S. dollars each. In the past few years, the market for cosmetic products in China has seen steady development. By the end of 2014, the cosmetics market in China was highly concentrated. In several subcategory markets, the leading ten cosmetics brands had a combined market share of 50 percent and above. Multinational players continue to dominate the cosmetics market in China, with nine out of the top 10 players being foreign companies. The top three players, Procter & Gamble (P&G) from the United States, L'Oreal from France and Shiseido from Japan, took up 25.3% of the overall value sales on the Chinese beauty and personal care market in 2014. Among other distribution channels, online distribution has developed quickly over the last several years. The sales of cosmetic on online shops in China had amounted to around 124 billion yuan by 2015, with a growth rate of 25.2 percent compared to the previous year. This rapid increase was paralleled by a sharp decline in department store sales, a strong hint that Chinese consumers of cosmetic products are putting growing emphasis on online retailing channels. In terms of international trade, China had exported cosmetic products with an overall value of 366 million U.S. dollars to Singapore, which was three million U.S. dollars more than the amount China had exported to Malaysia in 2015. In comparison, the value of personal care and cosmetics products imported to China from the United States amounted to about 393 million U.S. dollars in 2015. In the same year, Japan became China's biggest personal care and cosmetic products supplier. A major trend in the sector is the 'for men' segment. A study on personal grooming conducted in 2015 revealed that the average weekly time spent on personal grooming by Chinese men was around 2.2 hours in 2015, while Chinese women needed about 3.8 hours on average.

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The Chinese cosmetics industry is one of the most promising fields of business in China for the near future. Consumer demographics are shifting towards a younger, more affluent segment with an increased sense for luxury goods such as beauty and care products.

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Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024

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Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024

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Learn more about how Statista can support your business.

Website (axtoutiao.com). (November 10, 2019). Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in billion yuan) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111333/china-cosmetics-retail-sales-value-forecast/

Website (axtoutiao.com). "Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in billion yuan)." Chart. November 10, 2019. Statista. Accessed May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111333/china-cosmetics-retail-sales-value-forecast/

Website (axtoutiao.com). (2019). Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in billion yuan). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111333/china-cosmetics-retail-sales-value-forecast/

Website (axtoutiao.com). "Forecasted Retail Sales Value of Cosmetic Products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in Billion Yuan)." Statista, Statista Inc., 10 Nov 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111333/china-cosmetics-retail-sales-value-forecast/

Website (axtoutiao.com), Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in billion yuan) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111333/china-cosmetics-retail-sales-value-forecast/ (last visited May 06, 2020)

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China: cosmetics retail sales value forecast 2018-2024 | Statista

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Learn more about how Statista can support your business. Website (axtoutiao.com). (November 10, 2019). Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in billion yuan) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111333/china-cosmetics-retail-sales-value-forecast/ Website (axtoutiao.com). "Forecasted retail sales value of cosmetic products in China from 2018 to 2024 (in billion yuan)."

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Learn more about how Statista can support your business.

AskCI Consulting. (December 3, 2019). Market size of the skincare products in China from 2013 to 2018 with a forecast until 2020 (in billion yuan) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/824503/china-skin-care-product-market-size/

AskCI Consulting. "Market size of the skincare products in China from 2013 to 2018 with a forecast until 2020 (in billion yuan)." Chart. December 3, 2019. Statista. Accessed May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/824503/china-skin-care-product-market-size/

AskCI Consulting. (2019). Market size of the skincare products in China from 2013 to 2018 with a forecast until 2020 (in billion yuan). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/824503/china-skin-care-product-market-size/

AskCI Consulting. "Market Size of The Skincare Products in China from 2013 to 2018 with a Forecast until 2020 (in Billion Yuan)." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Dec 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/824503/china-skin-care-product-market-size/

AskCI Consulting, Market size of the skincare products in China from 2013 to 2018 with a forecast until 2020 (in billion yuan) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/824503/china-skin-care-product-market-size/ (last visited May 06, 2020)

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China: skin care product market size 2013-2020 | Statista

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Learn more about how Statista can support your business. AskCI Consulting. (December 3, 2019). Market size of the skincare products in China from 2013 to 2018 with a forecast until 2020 (in billion yuan) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/824503/china-skin-care-product-market-size/ AskCI Consulting.

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Ownership of foreign skincare products among female consumers in China as of July 2019, by country of origin 

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Ownership of foreign skincare products among female consumers in China as of July 2019, by country of origin 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.

Rakuten Insight. (August 19, 2019). Ownership of foreign skincare products among female consumers in China as of July 2019, by country of origin [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042242/china-ownership-of-foreign-skincare-products-among-females/

Rakuten Insight. "Ownership of foreign skincare products among female consumers in China as of July 2019, by country of origin." Chart. August 19, 2019. Statista. Accessed May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042242/china-ownership-of-foreign-skincare-products-among-females/

Rakuten Insight. (2019). Ownership of foreign skincare products among female consumers in China as of July 2019, by country of origin. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042242/china-ownership-of-foreign-skincare-products-among-females/

Rakuten Insight. "Ownership of Foreign Skincare Products among Female Consumers in China as of July 2019, by Country of Origin." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042242/china-ownership-of-foreign-skincare-products-among-females/

Rakuten Insight, Ownership of foreign skincare products among female consumers in China as of July 2019, by country of origin Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042242/china-ownership-of-foreign-skincare-products-among-females/ (last visited May 06, 2020)

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China: ownership of foreign skincare products among females 2019 | Statista

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According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in July 2019, 48 percent of female respondents in China stated that they use Japanese skincare products, followed by 44 percent of the respondents who claimed to use Korean beauty skincare products.

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China: skincare product information sources 2018 | Statista

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China: skincare product information sources 2018 | Statista

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Learn more about how Statista can support your business.

WalktheChat. (March 18, 2018). Leading information sources for skincare products in China as of January 2018 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/977941/china-main-skincare-product-information-sources/

WalktheChat. "Leading information sources for skincare products in China as of January 2018." Chart. March 18, 2018. Statista. Accessed May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/977941/china-main-skincare-product-information-sources/

WalktheChat. (2018). Leading information sources for skincare products in China as of January 2018. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 06, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/977941/china-main-skincare-product-information-sources/

WalktheChat. "Leading Information Sources for Skincare Products in China as of January 2018." Statista, Statista Inc., 18 Mar 2018, https://www.statista.com/statistics/977941/china-main-skincare-product-information-sources/

WalktheChat, Leading information sources for skincare products in China as of January 2018 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/977941/china-main-skincare-product-information-sources/ (last visited May 06, 2020)

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China: skincare product information sources 2018 | Statista

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn more about how Statista can support your business. WalktheChat. (March 18, 2018). Leading information sources for skincare products in China as of January 2018 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 06, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/977941/china-main-skincare-product-information-sources/ WalktheChat. "Leading information sources for skincare products in China as of January 2018." Chart. March 18, 2018.

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China Cosmetics Market 2019-2025 : Market Size is Expected to Surge from RMB361.6 Billion in 2017 to RMB62.61 Billion in 2022, showing an AAGR of 8.16% 

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China Cosmetics Market 2019-2025 : Market Size is Expected to Surge from RMB361.6 Billion in 2017 to RMB62.61 Billion in 2022, showing an AAGR of 8.16% 

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DUBLIN, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "China Cosmetics Market Report, 2019-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

China has already been the world's second-largest cosmetics consumer market only behind the United States, with the retail sales rising by 4.2% year on year to RMB261.9 billion in 2018. Spurred by urbanization, people's higher income, and mature consumer education.

Chinese cosmetics market witnesses the burgeoning online sales. The penetration rate of online cosmetics has been on a rapid rise in China since 2009, hitting 25.3% in 2018, far above the levels of UK (12.1%), the United States (10.9%) and Japan (9.2%). China's online penetration rate of cosmetics will range at 31.4% in 2022.

Online: The retail sales of cosmetics at Alibaba have grown apace, with fluctuations in recent months. Chinese brands have performed differently. Thanks to the industry's prosperity and fast e-commerce penetration, the retail sales of cosmetics at Alibaba swelled by 44.87% in November and 50.54% in December 2018, and 39.55% in January 2019. Compared with December 2018, the growth slowed down in January 2019, perhaps because the Spring Festival arrived earlier than the previous year. International brands and new Chinese brands made outstanding performance, while traditional domestic brands performed at varying levels.

Import: The high-end trend is apparent and China's import of cosmetics maintains fast growth. The imported cosmetics took a nosedive for the first time in November 2018 but resumed growth in December 2018. Amid the high-end trend of cosmetics consumption at home, the import value of cosmetics in China grew at a compound annual rate of 30% between 2008 and 2017 the monthly growth rate was over 50% in January-September 2018, but it stood at 16.84% in November and 37.98% in December.

From the perspective of Chinese cosmetics consumers, people born in the 1970s-1990s are the leading force whose consumption accounts for nearly 90%, of which nearly 40% is contributed by those born in the 1980s. In addition to traditional gifts such as flowers and chocolates, imported cosmetics, especially lipsticks, have become a new option for gifts, with the sales volume soaring by 76.5% year on year.

In recent years, people born between 1995 and 2000s have a growing demand for cosmetics as they enter colleges, universities, and society.
Compared with other age groups, they are featured as follows:

They are keen on online shopping with changing demand, diversified brand preference and focus on both high-end and affordable brands

They are brought up in Chinese and foreign cultural turmoil, but they have more confidence in Chinese culture

Amid the prevailing fandom and participatory culture, they like to try cyberstar products and new products. Changes in demographics, consumption upgrades, skincare and makeup habits will be crucial to the future Chinese cosmetics market.

So far, foreign-funded enterprises still play a dominant role in China's cosmetics market, an 86% share of the total retail sales. To cater to the demand of Chinese cosmetics consumers and gain more market shares in China, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Procter & Gamble, Shiseido, and other foreign companies have constantly adjusted the brand strategies and intensified the building of channels. Meanwhile, Chinese companies led by Jahwa and Marubi are also stepping up the layout of the cosmetics market.

Japanese, Korean, European and American brands have long dominated the cosmetics market in China. In 2017, only 3 Chinese brands ranked among the top ten cosmetics brands in China, namely Shanghai CHICMAX (sub-brands: KANS, One leaf, etc.), Shanghai Pechoin (sub-brands: Pechoin, Sansen, etc.) and JALA Corporation (sub-brands: CHANDO, MAYSU, etc.), while the rest were foreign brands.

Among listed companies, Shanghai Jahwa occupied 11th place in the Chinese cosmetics market with a market share of 1.9%, followed by PROYA with 1.0% and Yujiahui with about 0.5%.

The report highlights the following:

China's cosmetics market size, import, and export, product structure, channel structure, regional structure, tariff policy, etc.

Development status, market size and development trend of major cosmetics channels e.g. department store, supermarket, franchised store, e-commerce, direct marketing

Market size, competition pattern, channel development of major cosmetics segments e.g. skincare, make-ups, perfume, men's cosmetics, infant & child care products

5 global cosmetics companies (operation, development in China)

12 Chinese cosmetics companies (operation, development strategy, etc.).

1. Overview
1.1 Definition
1.2 Classification
1.3 Cosmetics Industry Chain

2. Cosmetics Market
2.1 Global Market size
2.1.1 Enterprise Pattern
2.2 Chinese Market size
2.3 Import and Export
2.3.1 Export
2.3.2 Import
2.4 Product Structure
2.5 Channel Structure
2.6 Regional Structure
2.7 Enterprise Pattern
2.8 Duties and Policies

3. Cosmetics Market Channels
3.1 Department Store
3.1.2 Characteristics
3.1.2 Mode of Operation
3.1.3 Development Trend
3.2 Supermarket
3.2.1 Development Status
3.2.2 Development Trend
3.3 Franchised Store
3.3.1 Development Status
3.3.2 Mode of Channel Development
3.3.3 Development Trend
3.4 E-commerce
3.4.1 Market Size
3.4.2 E-commerce Pattern
3.4.3 Main E-commerce
3.5 Others
3.5.1 Direct Marketing
3.5.2 Drugstore

4. Cosmetics Market Segments
4.1 Skin Care
4.1.1 Market Size
4.1.2 Market Structure
4.1.3 Competition Pattern
4.1.4 Mass Products
4.2 Make-ups
4.2.1 Market Status
4.2.2 Brand Pattern
4.2.3 Developments of Multinational Companies
4.3 Perfume
4.3.1 Consumption Status
4.3.2 Competition Pattern
4.3.3 Import and Export
4.3.4 Channel

5. Other Emerging Market Segments
5.1 Men's Cosmetics
5.1.1 Market Size
5.1.2 Market Structure
5.1.3 Competition Pattern
5.1.4 Channel
5.1.5 Market Characteristics
5.2 Cosmeceuticals
5.2.1 Market Status
5.2.2 Major Enterprise
5.2.3 Channel
5.3 Infant & Child Care Product
5.3.1 Development Status
5.3.2 Industry Structure
5.3.3 Channel

6. Major Cosmetics Companies Worldwide
6.1 L'Oreal
6.1.1 Profile
6.1.2 Operation
6.1.3 Revenue Structure
6.1.4 R&D
6.1.5 Cosmetics Business
6.1.6 Development in China
6.2 Estee Lauder
6.3 Procter & Gamble
6.4 Shiseido
6.5 Unilever
6.6 Development of Other Foreign Brands in the Chinese Market

7. Major Cosmetics Companies in China
7.1 Shanghai Jahwa United Co, Ltd.
7.1.1 Profile
7.1.2 Operation
7.1.3 Revenue Structure
7.1.4 Gross Margin
7.1.5 Channels
7.1.6 Brands
7.1.7 Development Prospects
7.2 Jiangsu LONGLIQI Bio-Science Co, Ltd. (Longrich)
7.3 Shanghai Inoherb Cosmetics Co, Ltd.
7.4 JALA Corporation
7.5 Zhejiang Osmun Group
7.6 Zhejiang Proya Cosmetics Co, Ltd
7.7 Tianjin Yumeijing Group Co, Ltd.
7.8 Softto Co, Ltd.
7.9 BaWang International (Group) Holding Limited
7.10 Guangzhou Huanya Cosmetics Technology Co, Ltd.
7.11 Guangdong Marubi Biotechnology Co, Ltd.
7.13 Shanghai CHICMAX Cosmetics Co, Ltd

8. Conclusion and Forecast
8.1 Enterprise and Brand
8.1.1 Enterprise
8.1.2 Brand
8.1.3 Foreign-Capital Development in China
8.2 Forecast

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9kgv2o

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager
[email protected]

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China Cosmetics Market 2019-2025 : Market Size is Expected to Surge from RMB361.6 Billion in 2017 to RMB62.61 Billion in 2022, showing an AAGR of 8.16%

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DUBLIN, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "China Cosmetics Market Report, 2019-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. China has already been the world's second-largest cosmetics consumer market only behind the United States, with the retail sales rising by 4.2% year on year to RMB261.9 billion in 2018.

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Shiseido | SocialMention | Web & Social mentions

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Shiseido | SocialMention | Web & Social mentions

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SHISEIDO. 2,690,583 likes · 759 talking about this · 336 were here. 資生堂が世界88カ国で展開するブランド「SHISEIDO」のアカウントです。

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Shiseido | Facebook comments | #boycottshiseido

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Shiseido | Facebook comments | #boycottshiseido

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140 years of The Japanese Vision of Beauty, influenced by our deep connection to nature, and a profound creativity that leads to innovation. In this, our her...

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Shiseido Instagram | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder | Facebook | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder | Facebook | Competitor Analysis

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Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. See actions taken by the people who manage and post content.

Confirmed Page Owner: ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED

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Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. See actions taken by the people who manage and post content. Confirmed Page Owner: ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED

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Estee Lauder Facebook | Negative Comments

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Estee Lauder Facebook | Negative Comments

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Estee Lauder Twitter | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder Twitter | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder Negative Tweet | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder Instagram | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder Instagram | Competitor Analysis

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Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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Estee Lauder YouTube | Competitor Analysis

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Estee Lauder YouTube | Competitor Analysis

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Estée Lauder is one of the world's most renowned beauty companies. Our skincare, makeup and fragrance products are innovative, technologically advanced and p...

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Estee Lauder | Social Mention | Social Mentions

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Estee Lauder | Social Mention | Social Mentions

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Estee Lauder - Social Brand Mentions results

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Social Mention is a simple to use social media search tool, part of BrandMentions, an in-depth brand monitoring tool designed to track online conversations in real-time.

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L'Oreal Paris Facebook | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal Paris Facebook | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oréal Paris. 35,488,585 likes · 191 talking about this · 684 were here. For more inspiration, more advice, more looks, more product reviews, more top tips - visit our website or sign up to our...

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L'Oreal Paris Twitter | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal Paris Twitter | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal Paris YouTube | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal Paris YouTube | Competitor Analysis

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l'oréal loreal "loreal paris" cheryl "cheryl cole" elvive ad beauty "make-up tutorials" "beauty secrets" "make over" "hints and tips" fashion "make up" "how to" cosmetics reviews skincare "tv advert" cosmetics hair "hair colour" beauty "casting creme gloss" revitalift "because you're worth it" "hair dye" styling

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L'Oreal Paris Instagram | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal Paris Instagram | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal Paris Instagram Comment | Competitor Analysis

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L'Oreal | Social Mention | Web & Social Mentions

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L'Oreal | Social Mention | Web & Social Mentions

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Patriotic Consumers Are Changing the Chinese Market. Here’s How.

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Patriotic Consumers Are Changing the Chinese Market. Here’s How.

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SHANGHAI, China - As countries around the world close their borders and see lives and businesses decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, nativism is an inevitable, if unsavoury, by-product.

A decades-long globalisation boom has now come under threat even as the world fights an enemy that respects no national borders, with international travel slowing to a trickle and trade facing unprecedented challenges.

"This whole situation is putting up so many barriers, much to the detriment of the global world we have all been living in. There is an increase in nationalism everywhere," said Chloé Reuter, founding partner at Shanghai-based Reuter Communications. "All of these barriers will really change the world."

In China - as in many other markets around the world - a turn inwards creates shifts in consumer behaviour that spell opportunities for some players and complications for others. How can global brands navigate a new era that is unfolding fast, one where consumers are more inclined to buy "China-first" and even more sensitive to perceived affronts to their national pride?
National Pride Peaks
Chinese national pride has been noticeably high in the month since President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicentre of the country's coronavirus outbreak, on March 10: a move widely seen as a "Mission Accomplished"-style flourish, a declaration of domestic victory against the virus.

"China seems to have quite successfully contained the coronavirus outbreak here, which is quite extraordinary for such a large country," explained Jason Yu, managing director Greater China at Kantar Worldpanel.

According to Yu, if the rest of the world fails to contain Covid-19 as successfully as China, this will further boost the collective sense of national pride, particularly among younger consumers, shaping China's consumer market in subtle but important ways.

In China, a turn inwards creates shifts in consumer behaviour that spell opportunities for some players.

"It will make them [prouder] of their choices, [prouder] of Chinese brands," Yu added.

It would be unfair to suggest that there isn't widespread and sincere empathy from China to the rest of the world as ongoing battles with Covid-19 rage elsewhere, but many here feel that, regardless of missteps at the beginning of the outbreak, China's homegrown systems - be it healthcare or politics - can be judged favourably against those abroad.

The impact of this mood can be seen across different business sectors in recent weeks. For example, the case of China's homegrown coffee giant, Luckin Coffee, has shown how post-pandemic Chinese consumers are prepared to rally around their own.

In early April, it came to light that the chain - which in January overtook Starbucks as the largest coffee chain in China, with 4,500 outlets nation-wide - uncovered, by way of an internal investigation, a $300 million inflation of sales data by its former chief executive. Luckin's stock price plummeted more than 80 percent, plunging its market cap valuation from $4 billion to a little over $1 billion.

But Chinese consumers seemed to respond with strong support despite the scandal. A week after the news went public, mobile intelligence service Apptopia noted a huge bump in downloads of Luckin's app. On April 3, Beijing News reported the app's servers received at least three times their normal level of traffic.

Online, the illegality was largely ignored by netizens, with a more common refrain centring on a "save Luckin" theme.

"What Luckin has been doing is basically exploiting the flaws of American capitalism to build Chinese communism. It also created hundreds of thousands of jobs. It will be missed if gone," one Weibo user wrote.
Pride and Prejudice
Hand-in-hand with this pride is a level of defensiveness that has become more pronounced in China since the outbreak and can be tied with attempts - by the likes of President Trump - to blame the country for the pandemic.

A rising tide of anti-Chinese and anti-Asian sentiment internationally has been documented in various online data analyses this year, but this defensive posture has existed for a while, with Xi Jinping's positioning of the trade war as an attempt by the US to thwart China's ascendance being one pre-pandemic example.

While China's fashion and luxury consumers have become vital for international brands, the perception that the rest of the world wants to keep China down has simultaneously gained prominence. This has created tensions that famously spilled over into the fashion market last year.

Things came to a head when Chinese consumers exercised their power over the bottom lines of many fashion and luxury companies by speaking out voraciously against incidents they perceived to be disrespectful. Numerous controversies saw brands from to Versace and Givenchy widely criticised for products that violated the "One China" policy or were deemed otherwise offensive and several Chinese celebrity ambassadors cut ties with brands as a way of protecting themselves from the blowback.

Foreign fashion brands will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to tapping into one part of the consumer psyche: patriotism.

In a post-coronavirus world, market experts believe that these sensitivities are only going to be heightened further, requiring international brands to be more careful than ever.

In a recent report from Reuter Intelligence, rising Chinese national pride was identified as a key trend that international businesses must come to grips with. The report suggests international firms continually conduct group-wide, "China-friendly audits" to ensure they aren't inadvertently putting themselves at risk of offending their largest customer base, as well as top-down training to each employee on the frontline of brand experience.

"Top positions [could be] occupied by leading Chinese businesspeople and entrepreneurs, more China-based innovation centres and HQs, and permanent socio-cultural ties would firm belief that [a brand's] love [for China] is real," it read in part.

But however loyal their Chinese consumers may continue to be and however well they navigate growing sensitivities, foreign fashion brands will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to tapping into one part of the consumer psyche: patriotism.
Patriotic Consumption
"Chinese consumer goods are expanding faster than their foreign competitors, and for sure the rise in pro-China sentiment has given them a boost," said Derek Deng, partner in Shanghai at Bain & Company. "More importantly, Chinese brands are no longer perceived by shoppers as inferior in quality or design. They are on par with fashionable foreign brands."

Broadly-speaking, Chinese homegrown brands have been chalking up gains in recent years. Since 2016, brands across 26 categories of consumer goods have grown their collective sales by 15 percent, outpacing foreign brands' 9 percent figure, according to Bain & Company.

The rise or turnaround of major mass market fashion brands in China, such as sportswear leader, , and down jacket giant, Bosideng, has provided a playbook for Chinese fashion brands looking to capitalise on the changing values of consumers at home.

Annie Hou, managing partner at brand consulting firm, Harrison & Sudacom, says that domestic brands are doing a better job of reaching young Chinese consumers in smaller cities, all the way down to the country's fifth-tier.

"Availability also creates awareness," said Hou. "If you are there you can be seen in their daily life and it makes you more relevant to them."

Those best placed to compete will be international brands that are willing to embrace hyper-localisation strategies.

This idea of personal relevance is more important than ever. "I think they are proud to be Chinese... they grew up as China was rising in global prominence and [think] Chinese brands are as good as foreign brands in some categories, but not in everything," Hou added.

The rise of domestic brands in China is not a universal trend across segments and price points, with mass market and prestige the sweet spots for fashion brands, and beauty increasingly dominated by strong local players.

According to Tmall, C-Beauty unicorn Perfect Diary, which recently saw its valuation top $2 billion after its latest cash injection earlier this month, was the overall top selling brand in the colour cosmetics category in 2019. Previously, Tmall's top selling beauty brand lists were dominated by international names such as L'Oréal, Estée Lauder and Maybelline.

Those best placed to compete in this environment will be international brands that can prove themselves equally as agile, flexible and willing to embrace hyper-localisation strategies to meet Chinese consumers on their own terms.
Luxury Spending Reshored
The luxury segment remains a stronghold for foreign players - particularly the heritage players who continue to dominate the market - and will be the last to be squeezed by local competitors. However, Yu, Reuter and Hou all predict a future in which homegrown luxury brands can one day compete with international rivals.

"If you are talking about the very luxury end of the market, I think it will take Chinese brands a few more years to build a brand name that is the equal [of international luxury brands]," Yu says.

Even if serious local competition is even further in the future than that timeline suggests, implications remain. International luxury players must quickly pivot to a new reality: one in which Chinese consumers are not only more 'China-first' emotionally, but physically as well for the foreseeable future.

Luxury brands have become accustomed to meeting a large percentage of Chinese consumers overseas. According to Bain, 73 percent of China's luxury spending took place outside mainland China in 2018. Since Chinese consumers already account for more than a third of luxury good sales worldwide and are predicted to make up 46 percent by 2025, there is a lot at stake.

With travel virtually at a standstill and increased concerns about anti-China sentiment likely to cause hesitation in Chinese consumers re-embracing the idea of travelling abroad, international brands need to rethink their approach to reach Chinese shoppers within China.

Moreover, as the mainland's economic growth is likely to contract for the first time in the post-Mao era, Chinese consumers are looking tighten their belts. Data from China Luxury Advisors suggests 86 percent of high net worth individuals surveyed plan to rein in spending to some degree in 2020.

This means a smaller total consumption pool to be shared among luxury players. Those who have deep ties in the mainland market (and good retail locations combined with innovative Chinese digital operations) are likely to emerge even stronger when the crisis abates, those who do not will suffer the most.
Shenzhen's Fledgling Fashion Week Continues on Douyin
Shenzhen Fashion Week has been rising over the past five years, with the city's proximity to China's traditional apparel supply chain stronghold in the Pearl River Delta region making it a hub for trendy up-and-coming domestic designer brands. This season's edition, originally postponed due to China's coronavirus outbreak, became the latest Chinese fashion week to migrate online with 70 short-video brand presentations broadcast via Douyin between April 10 and 17. (China Textile News)
Shiseido's New China R&D Centre to Focus on Green Products
This new centre, in Shanghai's "Oriental Beauty Valley" industrial park, will concentrate on developing "green" beauty products, a major trend even before the virus outbreak in China, and one that is likely to accelerate given the correlation in consumers' minds between the concepts of natural beauty and safe, non-toxic beauty. (Cosmetics Design Asia)
New Virtual Fitting App Launches with Luxury Brand Partnerships
Virtual fitting app Ada Online has inked partnerships with 30 international luxury brands, including Prada, Chloé, Balmain and Christopher Kane, to allow users to scan themselves to create a 3D avatar that can try on clothing from these brands. The plan is also apparently to allow users to shop via the app, but it appears the e-commerce functions are not online as yet.
Meituan Expands Delivery Services to Include Beauty and Clothing
Chinese food delivery giant Meituan Dianping has expanded its product categories to deliver a wide range of goods, including Huawei smartphones, beauty products, and clothes. Meituan will now deliver beauty products from cosmetics multibrand retailer Sephora in 16 cities around China, including Beijing and Shanghai. (Tech in Asia)
SaSa Closes Iconic Hong Kong Flagship
Cosmetics retailer SaSa International will close its iconic store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, and will not renew its lease. The 650-square-metre, two-storey store has been an iconic part of retail in Hong Kong, but the brand said closing its door would save HK$10 million ($1.29 million) a year, too much of a saving to pass up as retail in Tsim Sha Tsui has plummeted 90 percent on the back of political unrest and the coronavirus outbreak cutting off Chinese tourists from Hong Kong. (Irina Li for BoF China)
Parkson Shutters Kunming Department Store
Parkson Group, one of the longest-running foreign operators of department stores in China, is closing its second property in Kunming, the capital of China's southwest Yunnan Province, when its lease expires in May. Parkson will still continue to operate its Bailian Parkson property in Kunming for the foreseeable future and membership cards and points from the closing property will be honoured there, a spokesperson for the group told state media. Parkson Group's 2019 results show total sales fell 6.7 percent on the year, to 14.18 billion yuan ($2 billion).
Dogs Are Officially Reclassified as Pets, Not Livestock
China's Ministry of Agriculture has published a new "whitelist" of 31 terrestrial animals that farmers will be allowed to raise for food or other commercial purposes. The long-awaited document follows China's recent nationwide ban on eating wild animals. The proposal specifically states that dogs are "companion animals," and thus should not be grouped among livestock. Over the years, China's black and grey markets for dog meat have drawn heavy criticism from conservationists and animal welfare activists.
China-Africa Relations Sour Over Covid-19 Racism
African officials have reacted furiously to allegations of routine discrimination against African citizens in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, as alleged "carriers" of coronavirus. A video posted on social media showed people of African descent being evicted from homes and hotels, sleeping rough and being refused service in shops. One McDonald's branch was closed for sensitivity training after staff refused service to black customers. (Financial Times)
China Decoded wants to hear from you. Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to our Shanghai-based Asia Correspondent casey.hall@businessoffashion.com.

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Patriotic Consumers Are Changing the Chinese Market. Here's How.

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SHANGHAI, China - As countries around the world close their borders and see lives and businesses decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, nativism is an inevitable, if unsavoury, by-product. A decades-long globalisation boom has now come under threat even as the world fights an enemy that respects no national borders, with international travel slowing to a trickle and trade facing unprecedented challenges.

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Patriotic Consumers Are Changing the Chinese Market. Here’s How.

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Patriotic Consumers Are Changing the Chinese Market. Here’s How.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SHANGHAI, China - As countries around the world close their borders and see lives and businesses decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, nativism is an inevitable, if unsavoury, by-product.

A decades-long globalisation boom has now come under threat even as the world fights an enemy that respects no national borders, with international travel slowing to a trickle and trade facing unprecedented challenges.

"This whole situation is putting up so many barriers, much to the detriment of the global world we have all been living in. There is an increase in nationalism everywhere," said Chloé Reuter, founding partner at Shanghai-based Reuter Communications. "All of these barriers will really change the world."

In China - as in many other markets around the world - a turn inwards creates shifts in consumer behaviour that spell opportunities for some players and complications for others. How can global brands navigate a new era that is unfolding fast, one where consumers are more inclined to buy "China-first" and even more sensitive to perceived affronts to their national pride?
National Pride Peaks
Chinese national pride has been noticeably high in the month since President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicentre of the country's coronavirus outbreak, on March 10: a move widely seen as a "Mission Accomplished"-style flourish, a declaration of domestic victory against the virus.

"China seems to have quite successfully contained the coronavirus outbreak here, which is quite extraordinary for such a large country," explained Jason Yu, managing director Greater China at Kantar Worldpanel.

According to Yu, if the rest of the world fails to contain Covid-19 as successfully as China, this will further boost the collective sense of national pride, particularly among younger consumers, shaping China's consumer market in subtle but important ways.

In China, a turn inwards creates shifts in consumer behaviour that spell opportunities for some players.

"It will make them [prouder] of their choices, [prouder] of Chinese brands," Yu added.

It would be unfair to suggest that there isn't widespread and sincere empathy from China to the rest of the world as ongoing battles with Covid-19 rage elsewhere, but many here feel that, regardless of missteps at the beginning of the outbreak, China's homegrown systems - be it healthcare or politics - can be judged favourably against those abroad.

The impact of this mood can be seen across different business sectors in recent weeks. For example, the case of China's homegrown coffee giant, Luckin Coffee, has shown how post-pandemic Chinese consumers are prepared to rally around their own.

In early April, it came to light that the chain - which in January overtook Starbucks as the largest coffee chain in China, with 4,500 outlets nation-wide - uncovered, by way of an internal investigation, a $300 million inflation of sales data by its former chief executive. Luckin's stock price plummeted more than 80 percent, plunging its market cap valuation from $4 billion to a little over $1 billion.

But Chinese consumers seemed to respond with strong support despite the scandal. A week after the news went public, mobile intelligence service Apptopia noted a huge bump in downloads of Luckin's app. On April 3, Beijing News reported the app's servers received at least three times their normal level of traffic.

Online, the illegality was largely ignored by netizens, with a more common refrain centring on a "save Luckin" theme.

"What Luckin has been doing is basically exploiting the flaws of American capitalism to build Chinese communism. It also created hundreds of thousands of jobs. It will be missed if gone," one Weibo user wrote.
Pride and Prejudice
Hand-in-hand with this pride is a level of defensiveness that has become more pronounced in China since the outbreak and can be tied with attempts - by the likes of President Trump - to blame the country for the pandemic.

A rising tide of anti-Chinese and anti-Asian sentiment internationally has been documented in various online data analyses this year, but this defensive posture has existed for a while, with Xi Jinping's positioning of the trade war as an attempt by the US to thwart China's ascendance being one pre-pandemic example.

While China's fashion and luxury consumers have become vital for international brands, the perception that the rest of the world wants to keep China down has simultaneously gained prominence. This has created tensions that famously spilled over into the fashion market last year.

Things came to a head when Chinese consumers exercised their power over the bottom lines of many fashion and luxury companies by speaking out voraciously against incidents they perceived to be disrespectful. Numerous controversies saw brands from to Versace and Givenchy widely criticised for products that violated the "One China" policy or were deemed otherwise offensive and several Chinese celebrity ambassadors cut ties with brands as a way of protecting themselves from the blowback.

Foreign fashion brands will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to tapping into one part of the consumer psyche: patriotism.

In a post-coronavirus world, market experts believe that these sensitivities are only going to be heightened further, requiring international brands to be more careful than ever.

In a recent report from Reuter Intelligence, rising Chinese national pride was identified as a key trend that international businesses must come to grips with. The report suggests international firms continually conduct group-wide, "China-friendly audits" to ensure they aren't inadvertently putting themselves at risk of offending their largest customer base, as well as top-down training to each employee on the frontline of brand experience.

"Top positions [could be] occupied by leading Chinese businesspeople and entrepreneurs, more China-based innovation centres and HQs, and permanent socio-cultural ties would firm belief that [a brand's] love [for China] is real," it read in part.

But however loyal their Chinese consumers may continue to be and however well they navigate growing sensitivities, foreign fashion brands will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to tapping into one part of the consumer psyche: patriotism.
Patriotic Consumption
"Chinese consumer goods are expanding faster than their foreign competitors, and for sure the rise in pro-China sentiment has given them a boost," said Derek Deng, partner in Shanghai at Bain & Company. "More importantly, Chinese brands are no longer perceived by shoppers as inferior in quality or design. They are on par with fashionable foreign brands."

Broadly-speaking, Chinese homegrown brands have been chalking up gains in recent years. Since 2016, brands across 26 categories of consumer goods have grown their collective sales by 15 percent, outpacing foreign brands' 9 percent figure, according to Bain & Company.

The rise or turnaround of major mass market fashion brands in China, such as sportswear leader, , and down jacket giant, Bosideng, has provided a playbook for Chinese fashion brands looking to capitalise on the changing values of consumers at home.

Annie Hou, managing partner at brand consulting firm, Harrison & Sudacom, says that domestic brands are doing a better job of reaching young Chinese consumers in smaller cities, all the way down to the country's fifth-tier.

"Availability also creates awareness," said Hou. "If you are there you can be seen in their daily life and it makes you more relevant to them."

Those best placed to compete will be international brands that are willing to embrace hyper-localisation strategies.

This idea of personal relevance is more important than ever. "I think they are proud to be Chinese... they grew up as China was rising in global prominence and [think] Chinese brands are as good as foreign brands in some categories, but not in everything," Hou added.

The rise of domestic brands in China is not a universal trend across segments and price points, with mass market and prestige the sweet spots for fashion brands, and beauty increasingly dominated by strong local players.

According to Tmall, C-Beauty unicorn Perfect Diary, which recently saw its valuation top $2 billion after its latest cash injection earlier this month, was the overall top selling brand in the colour cosmetics category in 2019. Previously, Tmall's top selling beauty brand lists were dominated by international names such as L'Oréal, Estée Lauder and Maybelline.

Those best placed to compete in this environment will be international brands that can prove themselves equally as agile, flexible and willing to embrace hyper-localisation strategies to meet Chinese consumers on their own terms.
Luxury Spending Reshored
The luxury segment remains a stronghold for foreign players - particularly the heritage players who continue to dominate the market - and will be the last to be squeezed by local competitors. However, Yu, Reuter and Hou all predict a future in which homegrown luxury brands can one day compete with international rivals.

"If you are talking about the very luxury end of the market, I think it will take Chinese brands a few more years to build a brand name that is the equal [of international luxury brands]," Yu says.

Even if serious local competition is even further in the future than that timeline suggests, implications remain. International luxury players must quickly pivot to a new reality: one in which Chinese consumers are not only more 'China-first' emotionally, but physically as well for the foreseeable future.

Luxury brands have become accustomed to meeting a large percentage of Chinese consumers overseas. According to Bain, 73 percent of China's luxury spending took place outside mainland China in 2018. Since Chinese consumers already account for more than a third of luxury good sales worldwide and are predicted to make up 46 percent by 2025, there is a lot at stake.

With travel virtually at a standstill and increased concerns about anti-China sentiment likely to cause hesitation in Chinese consumers re-embracing the idea of travelling abroad, international brands need to rethink their approach to reach Chinese shoppers within China.

Moreover, as the mainland's economic growth is likely to contract for the first time in the post-Mao era, Chinese consumers are looking tighten their belts. Data from China Luxury Advisors suggests 86 percent of high net worth individuals surveyed plan to rein in spending to some degree in 2020.

This means a smaller total consumption pool to be shared among luxury players. Those who have deep ties in the mainland market (and good retail locations combined with innovative Chinese digital operations) are likely to emerge even stronger when the crisis abates, those who do not will suffer the most.
Shenzhen's Fledgling Fashion Week Continues on Douyin
Shenzhen Fashion Week has been rising over the past five years, with the city's proximity to China's traditional apparel supply chain stronghold in the Pearl River Delta region making it a hub for trendy up-and-coming domestic designer brands. This season's edition, originally postponed due to China's coronavirus outbreak, became the latest Chinese fashion week to migrate online with 70 short-video brand presentations broadcast via Douyin between April 10 and 17. (China Textile News)
Shiseido's New China R&D Centre to Focus on Green Products
This new centre, in Shanghai's "Oriental Beauty Valley" industrial park, will concentrate on developing "green" beauty products, a major trend even before the virus outbreak in China, and one that is likely to accelerate given the correlation in consumers' minds between the concepts of natural beauty and safe, non-toxic beauty. (Cosmetics Design Asia)
New Virtual Fitting App Launches with Luxury Brand Partnerships
Virtual fitting app Ada Online has inked partnerships with 30 international luxury brands, including Prada, Chloé, Balmain and Christopher Kane, to allow users to scan themselves to create a 3D avatar that can try on clothing from these brands. The plan is also apparently to allow users to shop via the app, but it appears the e-commerce functions are not online as yet.
Meituan Expands Delivery Services to Include Beauty and Clothing
Chinese food delivery giant Meituan Dianping has expanded its product categories to deliver a wide range of goods, including Huawei smartphones, beauty products, and clothes. Meituan will now deliver beauty products from cosmetics multibrand retailer Sephora in 16 cities around China, including Beijing and Shanghai. (Tech in Asia)
SaSa Closes Iconic Hong Kong Flagship
Cosmetics retailer SaSa International will close its iconic store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, and will not renew its lease. The 650-square-metre, two-storey store has been an iconic part of retail in Hong Kong, but the brand said closing its door would save HK$10 million ($1.29 million) a year, too much of a saving to pass up as retail in Tsim Sha Tsui has plummeted 90 percent on the back of political unrest and the coronavirus outbreak cutting off Chinese tourists from Hong Kong. (Irina Li for BoF China)
Parkson Shutters Kunming Department Store
Parkson Group, one of the longest-running foreign operators of department stores in China, is closing its second property in Kunming, the capital of China's southwest Yunnan Province, when its lease expires in May. Parkson will still continue to operate its Bailian Parkson property in Kunming for the foreseeable future and membership cards and points from the closing property will be honoured there, a spokesperson for the group told state media. Parkson Group's 2019 results show total sales fell 6.7 percent on the year, to 14.18 billion yuan ($2 billion).
Dogs Are Officially Reclassified as Pets, Not Livestock
China's Ministry of Agriculture has published a new "whitelist" of 31 terrestrial animals that farmers will be allowed to raise for food or other commercial purposes. The long-awaited document follows China's recent nationwide ban on eating wild animals. The proposal specifically states that dogs are "companion animals," and thus should not be grouped among livestock. Over the years, China's black and grey markets for dog meat have drawn heavy criticism from conservationists and animal welfare activists.
China-Africa Relations Sour Over Covid-19 Racism
African officials have reacted furiously to allegations of routine discrimination against African citizens in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, as alleged "carriers" of coronavirus. A video posted on social media showed people of African descent being evicted from homes and hotels, sleeping rough and being refused service in shops. One McDonald's branch was closed for sensitivity training after staff refused service to black customers. (Financial Times)
China Decoded wants to hear from you. Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to our Shanghai-based Asia Correspondent casey.hall@businessoffashion.com.

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Patriotic Consumers Are Changing the Chinese Market. Here's How.

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SHANGHAI, China - As countries around the world close their borders and see lives and businesses decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, nativism is an inevitable, if unsavoury, by-product. A decades-long globalisation boom has now come under threat even as the world fights an enemy that respects no national borders, with international travel slowing to a trickle and trade facing unprecedented challenges.

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TEA-BASED SKIN CARE MARKET RESEARCH REPORT 2020

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TEA-BASED SKIN CARE MARKET RESEARCH REPORT 2020

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The shortage of Chinese ingredients, raw materials, and semi-finished goods is the latest example of the global economy's dependence on products made in China, from iPhones to auto parts to pharma. Much of the fallout may still be hidden and is likely to play out over months. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, business investment was already in poor health in the United States. It fell in the last three quarters of 2019. Some analysts now expect more companies could soon announce reductions in their capital spending.
Trusted Business Insights answers what are the scenarios for growth and recovery and whether there will be any lasting structural impact from the unfolding crisis for the Tea-based Skin Care market.
Trusted Business Insights presents an updated and Latest Study on Tea-based Skin Care Market 2019-2030. The report contains market predictions related to market size, revenue, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market. The report further elaborates on the micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political landscape that is anticipated to shape the demand of the Tea-based Skin Care market during the forecast period (2019-2029).
It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis.
Get Sample Copy of this Report @ Tea-based Skin Care Market Research Report 2020 | Industry Report, Industry Analysis, Key Players, Trends, Revenue, Regional Segmented, Outlook Until 2030 Industry Insights, Market Size, CAGR, High-Level Analysis: Tea-based Skin Care Market
The global tea-based skin care market size was valued at USD 168.2 million in 2018 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period. Rising awareness regarding the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging properties of tea extract is expected to drive its application in cosmetics and skincare products. This factor is projected to fuel the market growth. Moreover, rising awareness regarding vegan beauty products in light of growing socio-economic concerns over animal will further drive the growth.
Tea contains high concentration of antioxidants, vitamin B, vitamin E, caffeine, tannin, folate, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. These ingredients prevent and delay the signs of aging and improve appearance of the skin. Vitamin E promotes cell regeneration, hydration, and nourishment. Tannins control sebum production and help treat oily skin. As a result, tea extract is used as an active ingredient in various skincare formulations. All these factors are anticipated to drive the demand for tea-based skincare products in near future.

Different types of tea including white, spearmint, oolong, hibiscus, and green are majorly used for tea-based skincare products. White tea extract helps retain moisture and prevent damage caused by sun exposure. Spearmint, oolong, and hibiscus tea help reduce skin problems, such as acne, eczema, and clogged pores. Green tea is the most popular ingredient used in the cosmetics industry owing to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Rising consumer preference for natural or organic beauty products is expected to bode well for the tea-based skin care market. The demand is driven by rising environmental awareness and concerns about the harmful effects of synthetic cosmetics. Furthermore, factors such as rapid urbanization and increasing purchasing power of middle-class population in emerging economies like China, India, and Brazil, are anticipated to fuel the demand for tea-based skincare products in near future.
Product Insights of Tea-based Skin Care Market
Facial skincare product segment held the largest market share of more than 65% in 2018. Face cream, moisturizer, cleanser, toner, mask, serum, sun care, and mist are among the popular products in this category. Rising demand for tea-based facemasks is anticipated to bode well for the segment growth. These facemasks are rich with antioxidants and vitamin B-2 that help reduce signs of aging and maintain collagen levels and firmness of the skin.
Rising demand for natural and organic products is anticipated to fuel the demand for tea-based skincare products. Manufacturers focus on expanding their product portfolio by introducing products such as body soap, body wash, lotion, and oil. For instance, in July 2018, Schmidt's Naturals, a U.S. based body care brand, launched its Jasmine Tea Body Wash.
Distribution Channel Insights
Offline distribution channel held the largest market share of over 75% in 2018. Supermarkets and specialty stores contributed to majority of sales of the offline retail outlets. Consumers prefer brick and mortar stores as they can physically view the products before buying. It also allows product testing and assistance from brand representatives. This factor is anticipated to drive the segment growth over the forecast period.

On the other hand, the online distribution channel segment is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 6.0% from 2019 to 2025. Convenience is the major driving factor for the segment. These websites offer a wide range of products, easy comparison and selection based on specific customer needs, and attractive discounts. Quick product delivery is also anticipated to bode well for the segment growth. Major e-retailers of tea-based skincare products include Amazon; Sephora; Ulta Beauty, Inc.; Strawberrynet; and Feelunique International Limited.
Regional Insights of Tea-based Skin Care Market
Asia Pacific held the leading market share of more than 30% in terms of revenue in 2018. The use of natural and organic ingredients in beauty products has gained remarkable traction in this region. South Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Taiwan, and Thailand are the prominent markets in Asia Pacific. Presence of key manufacturers, including AmorePacific Corporation, Lu Ming Tang, SkinYoga, Organic Tea Cosmetics Holdings Co Ltd., and Soh-cha, has played a crucial role in promoting product visibility in the region. Asia Pacific has a long history of tea culture, which has boosted the production sector due to easy availability of raw material. Green tea is the most popular ingredient used in the tea-based skincare products manufactured in the region. More than half of the tea-based skincare products in China contain green tea. White and green tea extracts are gaining significant popularity in Japan.
Tea-Based Skin care Market Share Insights
The tea based skin care market is fragmented in nature with the presence of a large number of small and local producers and a few large players. Major competitors operating in the market include AmorePacific Corporation; Lu Ming Tang; Organic Tea Cosmetics Holdings Co Ltd.; Natura & Co; L'Oreal S.A.; Avon Products, Inc.; Unilever; 100% PURE; SkinYoga; Schmidt's Naturals; and ArtNaturals. Leading cosmetics companies have been expanding their product portfolio to cater to the rising demand fororganic and tea-based skincare products. For instance, in June 2019, Unilever acquired Tatcha LLC, a Japan-based modern skincare brand to expand its natural product segment.

Segmentations, Sub Segmentations, CAGR, & High-Level Analysis overview of Tea-based Skin Care Market Research Report
This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels, and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, this market research report has segmented the global tea-based skin care market report based on product, distribution channel, and region.

Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

Facial Care

Body Care

Others

Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

Online

Offline
Quick Read Table of Contents of this Report @ Tea-based Skin Care Market Research Report 2020 | Industry Report, Industry Analysis, Key Players, Trends, Revenue, Regional Segmented, Outlook Until 2030
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Tea-based Skin Care Market Research Report 2020 | Industry Report, Industry Analysis, Key Players, Trends, Revenue, Regional Segmented, Outlook Until 2030

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The shortage of Chinese ingredients, raw materials, and semi-finished goods is the latest example of the global economy's dependence on products made in China, from iPhones to auto parts to pharma. Much of the fallout may still be hidden and is likely to play out over months.

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China Will No Longer Require Animal Testing On Cosmetic Products

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China Will No Longer Require Animal Testing On Cosmetic Products

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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.

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China Will No Longer Require Animal Testing On Cosmetic Products

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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.

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China's Millennial Consumers | Expected Income

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China's Millennial Consumers | Expected Income

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Average Income & Spending | China's Millennial consumers

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Average Income & Spending | China's Millennial consumers

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China's Millennial Consumers | Reasons for buying luxury products

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China's Millennial Consumers | Reasons for buying luxury products

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China's Millennial Consumers | Key shopping influences

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China's Millennial Consumers | Key shopping influences

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China's Millennial Consumers | Online shopping frequency

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China's Millennial Consumers | Online shopping frequency

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China's Millennial Consumers | Benefits of Online Shopping

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China's Millennial Consumers | Benefits of Online Shopping

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China's Millennial Consumers | Most popular online shopping portals

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China's Millennial Consumers | Most popular online shopping portals

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China's Millennial Consumers | Customer feedback

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China's Millennial Consumers | Customer feedback

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E-commerce has grown rapidly around the globe, especially in China, which boasts the world's largest e-commerce market, currently worth over US$1 trillion. Therefore, it is important that China takes steps to protect this market, and ensure it has a regulatory framework in place that will promote its continued development.

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the need to provide better and more efficient regulation of e-commerce. This includes the need to address issues of counterfeit goods, consumer fraud, privacy, intellectual property (IP) theft, tax evasion and promotion of competition and consumer protection. On January 1, 2019, China's new e-commerce law took effect.

The new law builds upon earlier reforms of China's legal system. One important feature of the new law is the requirement that online businesses must register their business and acquire all necessary licenses regulating particular activities, such as sale of therapeutic drugs. The framework of the new law is comprehensive. Individual chapters cover: e-contracts and e-payments; guarantees for e-commerce transactions; data protection and promotion of consumer protection, fair competition and mechanisms for dispute resolution; cross-border commerce; and the provision of substantial civil and criminal penalties.

E-commerce operators must also meet their tax obligations and are now required to issue a tax invoice (fapiao). The legislation also strengthens intellectual property protection and addresses the problem of manufacturing and sale of counterfeit goods. For example, the new law holds liable both the counterfeiters, as well as e-commerce operators who fail to "take necessary measures" to prevent and stop sellers in violation of intellectual property rights . Under the new law, operators can be fined up to RMB 2 million ($292000) in serious cases of intellectual property infringement.

Platform operators are also prohibited from imposing unreasonable restrictions, conditions or fees on merchants. In addition, these operators must keep transaction records, as well information of products and services provided, for at least three years.

The new law further fosters consumer protection and competition by requiring the e-commerce operator to disclose accurate product/service information and to avoid engaging in misleading and deceptive practices. E-commerce platforms will also have to establish a system to post consumer comments and introduce other measures to ensure accurate information. For example: prohibiting misleading promotions, fake reviews and other attempts to manipulate the market.

The new law further enhances China's regime of privacy protection. China's Cyber Security Law came into effect on June 1, 2017 and dealt with personal data protection, privacy and personal data protection. The new e-commerce law compliments this by also placing restrictions on abuses of consumer profiling, such as forcing consumers to "opt-out" of particular services.

The new e-commerce law enhances the protection of consumers, as merchants must provide greater disclosures, more transparency, and greater monitoring of fraudulent practices. By reducing counterfeit goods, consumers will have greater trust in the system. Legitimate product manufacturers and designers will also be encouraged to join China's online environment, knowing that they will be protected against the counterfeiting of their designs and theft of intellectual property. This includes more foreign participation which will both expand choice to Chinese consumers and work to address complaints that China has been too soft on IP protection.

In order for all the new law's goals to be achieved, all stakeholders will have to lift their game. E-commerce platform providers will have to be more diligent in regulating the information, content and conduct on their platforms. Businesses will have to engage in significant compliance program development, training and implementation to ensure their systems are compliant with the new regime.

One concern is the impact of the new law on small businesses which have fewer resources to implement the site development, training and business model adaptations required to be compliant in the new regime. The new law also creates a higher cost of entry which may dissuade some small players from entering the e-commerce market.

Government agencies will have to implement the rules and administrative procedures that provide the details for implementation. For example, many questions remain about how all of this will be implemented, especially in regard to foreign entities that seek to enter the Chinese e-commerce market.

Consumer interest groups, standards bodies, industry organizations, citizen action groups and others will have to be prepared to play their part in using the new legislation to better protect consumers, challenge bad actors and redress consumer grievances. The new law encourages self-regulation, the establishment and strengthening of industry and network codes of conduct. It notes the need for major e-commerce entities to promote business guides and encourage fair competition and greater trust among all stakeholders.

The law has for centuries struggled with and always limped behind advances in technology. The world of e-commerce and the underling technological advancements, especially in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), will require that laws, regulations, standards and other administrative machinery be continually revised and adapted to new realities.

Finally, e-commerce will account for an ever increasing share of China's foreign trade. The new e-commerce law raises the standard of commercial conduct in cyberspace and thus constitutes an important step along the road to the continued growth of China's e-commerce market.
Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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​china's new e-commerce law: a step in the right direction

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​China's new e-commerce law: A step in the right direction

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E-commerce has grown rapidly around the globe, especially in China, which boasts the world's largest e-commerce market, currently worth over US$1 trillion. Therefore, it is important that China takes steps to protect this market, and ensure it has a regulatory framework in place that will promote its continued development.

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CHINA’S POLLUTION OBSESSION GIVES RISE TO A NEW MARKET SEGMENT FOR COSMETICS BRANDS

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CHINA’S POLLUTION OBSESSION GIVES RISE TO A NEW MARKET SEGMENT FOR COSMETICS BRANDS

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Air pollution in China has become one of the most intensely discussed issues by its government for the past 3 decades. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang even declared a "war on pollution" at the Communist-controlled NPC parliament in 2014. Sadly after five years, average particulate levels in Chinese cities are still at least 10 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO)'s safety standard. However, the enduring environmental issues have opened up a new segment for cosmetics brands to develop skincare products that protect the skin against air pollution.

CHINA IS THE NEW LEADER OF ANTI POLLUTION SKINCARE

As air pollution continues to be a major concern in China, consumers are demanding protective skincare products. More than half of Chinese consumers wanted "to learn more about how to protect themselves from pollution" in 2016, according to a report by Mintel, a UK-based market research firm. The research also shows that 45 percent believe pollution to be a major factor of their skin problems.

Air pollution can be very damaging to the skin. It causes irritation, uneven skin tone, premature aging and even cancer. Everyday people in China face billions of pollution particles that damage their skin, clog pores and cause discolouration of the skin. Chinese consumers, especially the young and urban population, are well aware and very worried about the damaging health effects caused by pollution.

Therefore, anti-pollution ingredients are especially attractive to young urban professionals who are more environmentally conscious than previous generations and willing to invest in high quality cosmetics products to look healthier and younger for longer.

In China, around 30% women had bought skincare products with an anti-pollution claim and approximately 40% would be interested in sampling these items, according to Mintel.

A GROWING NUMBER OF PRODUCTS CLAIMING TO BE "ANTI-POLLUTION"
Cosmetics brands, international and local ones, are investing in meeting consumer demand for improved skin health through anti-pollution ingredients.

In 2016, of all the new beauty products launched worldwide that came with anti-pollution claims, 38 per cent were launched in Asia-Pacific , up from 28 per cent the year before.

Sephora already offers dozens of anti-pollution products such as Ren's Pollution-Proof Kit, Murad's City Overnight Detox Moisturizer, and UltraBeauty.

Kiehl's, Dior, and Sunday Riley have also launched their anti-pollution product lines such as scrubs or anti-oxidant creams.

Since 2005, Elizabeth Arden's Prevage line has offered several anti-pollution products, including its Detox Mask and Anti-aging Essence.

Inexpensive and colorful make-up brand, E.l.f Cosmetics, launched its Beauty Shield skin care series, including Vitamin C Essence and Night Cream.

And others.

"ANTI-PM2,5" IS A NEW MARKETING STRATEGY

There are many different anti-pollution skincare products carrying a wide range of claims, which makes it difficult for customers to determine which one is actually effective and suited to them.

Anything which contains antioxidant ingredients can claim to have some kind of environmental protection effect. Many cosmetics already contain botanical ingredients with antioxidant properties. Some brands have reformulated their skincare products by adding plant extracts and vitamins to make anti-pollution claims. The problem is that these ingredients have been familiar to cosmetics for years without carrying the anti-pollution claims. As a result, consumers find it challenging to distinguish between simple marketing strategies and real anti-pollution products.

To further emphasize their anti-pollution benefits, brands are now using more specific environmental language to target consumers, such as the Chinese brands Hua Niang and Fumakilla integrating the words"anti-PM2,5" (PM2,5 refers to a certain size of harmful particulate matter in the air) directly on their packaging. However, no official tests can prove the real link between these products and their actions on PM2.5.

This opens up opportunities for brands to rethink their communication strategy and give clear messages about the benefits of their anti-pollution ingredients to avoid losing consumers' trust in their products.

HOW TO MARKET YOUR ANTI-POLLUTION SKINCARE PRODUCTS?

We would like to introduce a few key things you should include in the marketing plan for your anti-pollution skincare products.

1/ Build your (nicely Design) Chinese website, mobile friendly

A website is the most important factor for any Western business looking to promote their products in China.

First thing first, it should be hosted in China and use natural Mandarin- the local language. By this way, Chinese customers will be able to read and apprehend what you want to communicate as well as your website can be optimized for Baidu search engine.

Beside the language, the design should be appealing to Chinese's unique aesthetic standards and the content should be a proper mixture of branding and educational information based on a thorough understanding into Chinese consumers' concerns regarding skincare and beauty.

To succeed online in China, you can't simply just add another language to your international site. You need to create a specific website, with its own domain name, its own localized content and integrate it with Chinese social media and e-commerce third-parties. Always keep the targeted user in mind when approaching how to design a Chinese website.

2/ Expand across social media platforms: because Chinese girls are WeChat addict

For all cosmetics and personal care brands, social media platforms have been very effective approaches to branding in China. These online channels have successfully built trust and reputation among Chinese consumers. Considering that more than 50% of China's digital consumers use social media to do product research or get recommendations before making any purchase, social media platforms are essential to international brands in order to engage with local consumers.

WECHAT : build your close community on WeChat

Wechat is the most powerful social media in China, with more than 1 billion user accounts and 800 million monthly active users.

Wechat was originally a messaging app (just like Whatsapp) but then has developed a suite of various functions such as Moment (newsfeed similar to Facebook), online payment (Wechat pay), Wechat stores for e-commerce... and is connected to a wide range of 3rd parties, enabling users to perform multiple daily activities without leaving the app, such as buying movie tickets, ordering food or topping up mobile phones...

Despite diverse functionalities, Wechat's core value lies in its "close-knit network" natur e. You are only friends on Wechat when you know each other or have met at least once. That means Wechat communities are trustful and thus influential when it comes to advice, product review, usage tips or brands comparison.

For brands, having an official account is the first step. Wechat allows brands to push information to their followers in a personal way just as friends message each other as well as enables followers to inbox brands directly if they have any concern. Therefore, Wechat is the best platform to engage and nurture customers' interest as well as collect personal feedback from them.
Clinique's Wechat official account
Besides, cosmetics brands should also find a strategic way to stipulate, involve and monitor all discussions as well as mentions revolving around them and related skin concerns.

On Wechat, the popular discussion are advice on picking products based on need, how to use certain products, and comparing different brands.

WEIBO : maximize your exposure on Weibo

Weibo is the number one platform for beauty KOLs and cosmetics influencers. KOLs prefer to build their communities on Weibo thanks to the platform's "open" nature with hashtag algorithm, convenient like/comment/share functions... Weibo allows brands and KOLs to reach a huge base of users as well as get their contents viral (not the case of Wechat).

3 key types of content that work on Weibo

Celebrity-endorsed: Celebrity endorsements and participation are very efficient at attracting public attention to a brand or a product.

Reward-oriented: Giveaway campaigns are an efficient, common way to appeal to new followers and engage existing followers. In these campaigns, brands encourage followers to perform a certain action in return for a chance to win one of the brand's products.

Information-oriented: When people are motivated to purchase a product, they seek feedback and product comparisons through keyword searches on Weibo. Therefore, brands can monetize on these searches by creating useful in-depth product information/reviews, usage tips... or cooperate with bloggers to produce these articles. One angle which can be further exploited is how your products can, clinically, protect the skin from air pollution, ingredients to look for in an anti-pollution cream, new skincare habits to fight against this environmental issue ...

Brands can categorize and diversify their Weibo contents according to these 3 types to attract, engage and convert followers effectively.
More information on Cosmetics Branding in China
3/ KOLs is a driving force

In China, KOL (Key Opinion Leaders) marketing can represent over 30% of marketing resources for global/mature brands, and 80% of marketing resources for new smaller brands attempting to win the Chinese market. For international brands, KOLs are a huge part of modern Chinese product promotions. Consumers of beauty sector are highly influenced by shared opinions and experiences of KOL's. Many of these KOL's have a tremendous following in Chinese social media. In the cosmetics and personal care industry, they mainly consist of fashion writers and models, makeup artists, brand founders, and cosmetic formulators.

4/ Maximize online shopping trend in China

Supermarket and e-commerce have occupied half of the distribution share for cosmetics in 2017. E-commerce platforms make up 23% of sales channels, but this percentage is growing due to the expanding usage of online platforms, this channel is experiencing continuous growth.

Xiaohongshu is shaping online consumer discussion

Xiaohongshu 小红书 is a popular new social media and e-commerce platform. As of June 2018, the crowd-sourced review site has over 100 million registered users, 30% of which are under 30 years of age . It allows users to post and share product reviews, lifestyle blogs and articles using photos and short videos. It is also a very popular site for celebrity and KOLs endorsement, thus attracting many users looking for recommendations in the cosmetics and beauty care industry in China. The platform is especially popular amongst Chinese women as well and is a great way for brands to promote their products. By using mainstream social media and e-commerce platforms such as Xiaohongshu, brands can effectively build a good relationship with Chinese consumers by increasing trust and exposure within the Chinese community.

JD or Tmall are good Solution...

Brands can sell on big e-commerce platforms such as JD or T-mall. People usually go e-shopping there when they are looking to purchase international brands since these 2 e-retailers ensure the genuineness. Therefore, they have the highest conversion rate compared to other kinds of e-commerce such as brand website, or collected brand site.

However, to setup, an inland official store maybe complicated. A lot of documents needed to submit and lots of tests to process before a store can be opened. So, a majority of international brands may choose cross-border e-commerce option which is available on T-mall or JD/ international area. This way shortens the application process as well as lower the set-up cost.

Additionally, some brands may choose to have a store on Wechat which is connected to their own official account to drive traffic and create sales directly from that traffic. Wechat's mini programs is an interesting tool that brands should explore.

OUR CASE STUDIES WITH COSMETICS BRANDS

Isdin is a Spanish cosmeceuticals brand, that develops in China via cross-border business.
Context:
To develop their Awareness and boost their sales in China, they asked GMA to launch a KOL Smart Marketing campaign on the hottest Social Commerce App of the Moment. Little Red Book
Mission:
Promote the brand by cooperating with KOLs on the little red book.
Results:
The exposure of brand rapidly increased and attracted nearly 2000 customers.

Dr. RIMPLER solution is the right care product for every type of skin. This German Brand is quite new in China. Context: German beauty salon/ Professional skin-care brand. they Contact GMA to leverage KOL for boosting their Branding in China.

Mission:

Promote brand by cooperating with KOLs on "little red book".
Results:
Cooperate with 20 KOLs
Average KOL views 133,000
average KOL exposure is around 190,000

Jose Marti Tor created a Marti Tor pharmacy which custom-made antioxidant skin care products for clients in 1952. In 1989, antioxidant formula was promoted in the form of ampoules with high concentration VC and protein-polysaccharide to market. And it was so welcome that we could call it the earliest ancestor in cosmetics industry. Till now, it has 65 years development history.

In 1997, in order to promote products widely to the mass market, Jose Marti Tor had set up Brand "Marti Derm". After discussing with the famous dermatologists and pharmacists, Marti Derm launched these ampoule products.

GMA Mission:

KOLs Marketing

Social Commerce

Create a Positive Image about the products

Results:
-20 Top KOL Reviews
-High quality Content & Testimonials
-Positive ROI (Return On Investment )

ABOUT US

Gentlemen Marketing Agency is based in Shanghai.

70 Marketers in June 2019

700 customers that already trust us.

Great experience in the Cosmetics industry

Results Driven Philosophy

Our WeChat

Contact us today

To know more about our Agency /Services

To see our Case Studies

To see our latest Solution for Cosmetics/healthcare brands

for a free consultation!

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China's Pollution Obsession Gives Rise to a New Market Segment for Cosmetics Brands - Marketing China

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Air pollution in China has become one of the most intensely discussed issues by its government for the past 3 decades. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang even declared a "war on pollution" at the Communist-controlled NPC parliament in 2014. Sadly after five years, average particulate levels in Chinese cities are still at least 10 times higher [...]

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Best Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses - EMERGE App

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Introduction

If you don't have a business presence in China, we don't blame you for being envious when you see the mind-boggling sales achieved during the Chinese shopping holidays. A spectacular feat of engineered marketing, they match the ease of mobile shopping apps along with a spending frenzy by a growing class of technology-enabled and hungry consumers.

Alibaba's Singles' Day, for example, saw customers spend a total of US$25.4 billion in a single day on 11 November 2017. Macy's, an established brick-and-mortar American department store chain, by comparison, earned US$24.8 billion in revenue for the fiscal year 2017. You do the math.

To better understand this shopping phenomenon, we'll cover popular shopping days in China. We'll also review some efforts to grow sales even further. Finally, we'll see that China and the rest of the world share common issues in bridging the gap between online and offline purchases, and making the shopping experience a seamless one.

The Big Five Chinese Shopping Holidays

Let's start the countdown with the biggest shopping dates in China. These are the ones that you need to know and that make headlines with eye-popping sales figures and high-frequency e-commerce transactions.

1. Singles' Day

Singles' Day on 11th November every year is easily the world's largest online shopping day. The event is about four times the size of America's biggest shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Alibaba's Tmall features prominently in Singles' Day promotions but it had humble beginnings from 1993.

Back then four single university students wanted to celebrate the joy and pride of being single. So they organised activities for single male and female students. It was said that 11 November was chosen as the numeral ones represent four singles standing alone.

Today, Singles' Day is largely synonymous with Alibaba because they started their first annual sale with just 27 merchants in 2009. The exponential growth of this shopping day saw Alibaba eventually trademark the Chinese characters for "Double 11" in 2012.

Interestingly, Singles' Day is not a public holiday in China. Outside of online marketplaces, 11 November is heavily promoted by brick-and-mortar businesses. These include traditional retailers, restaurants, karaoke joints and just about any business where singles might be tempted to part with their money.

2. 618 Shopping Festival

The 618 Shopping Festival was created to commemorate the founding of JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce marketplace in China. The number 618 is an abbreviation of 18th June. Sales start on 1 June and are held over 18 days.

To date 618 is fast becoming a popular mid-year shopping date to counter the year-end holiday sales. For 2017 JD.com saw a record US$24.6 billion in sales over the 18-day festival. What is more astonishing is the speed and frequency of sales. Orders of mobile phones hit 10,000 units in eight seconds and US$15.5 million in 30 seconds.

3. Double Twelve

12th December is another shopping holiday created by Alibaba for its Tmall and Taobao online shopping websites. Unlike the business-to-consumer-focused "Double 11" day, the aim of Double Twelve is to drum up online demand for products sold by smaller retailers and then translate them into actual purchases at brick-and-mortar stores. This is done by sending Alipay wallet promotions to customers who then use these discounts at participating retail stores.

4. Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival is the biggest and most important week-long public holiday in China. Businesses and factories shut down in anticipation of the mass migration from cities to hometowns. The period of 15 days before the Lunar New Year has been described as the largest annual human migration in the world. It is the time to reunite with families for an obligatory Reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year. Consumer spending during this time tends to be on food, clothing and travel.

5. Christmas

Christmas is not a public holiday in China but it is a commercial marketing event in major cities. Just like other shopping districts around the world, Xmas decorations in the streets and malls get consumers in a festive mood. As just like the rest of Asia, Christmas is a time to shop, feast and party. For the younger generation, it is seen as a romantic time to date and exchange gifts.

What Can We Learn From Chinese Shopping Holidays?

For small and medium-sized businesses around the world, getting a foothold in the vast Chinese retail market is challenging. Language, culture, staffing, regulations and logistics are just some factors to consider if you want to sell in China. Going it alone might not be the best idea but forging a lasting partnership also has its risks.

What about e-commerce market outside of China? What can the rest of the world learn from Chinese shopping holidays? Do they represent future trends that will find their way into other countries and online marketplaces? Are we doing things any differently from e-commerce sales in China?

1. You Can Create As Many Shopping Holidays As You Like

Many large and small Chinese shopping holidays populate the calendar. Some coincidence with public holidays. Others are marketing dates engineered by large companies that dominate the online and offline marketplaces. As you have seen, you can create as many shopping holidays as you see fit and as your marketing budget allows.

Popular dates such as Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Women's Day, Children's Day and Christmas are shared alike by all retailers and businesses. Everyone participates in the festivities and spending mood, and no one company owns or dominates these days. We call these common shopping holidays. The rest of the world observe these dates as well, although not always in a commercial way.

Other dates such as Double Eleven, Double Twelve and 618 are commercial shopping days created by e-commerce conglomerates. Outside China, e-commerce companies have also created their own commercial holidays. In Australia, the second Tuesday of November sees the Click Frenzy annual online sale. It's Australia's biggest and most iconic online shopping event. It was launched back in 2012 drawing inspiration from America's Cyber Monday. Large brick-and-mortar retailers advertise deals along with "Go Nuts" and "Go Wild" discounts offering 99% off big-ticket items.

2. Brick-And-Mortar Stores Are Not Left Out

Despite the eye-popping numbers from China's daily and week-long sales, e-commerce only makes up about a quarter of retail sales in China. That leaves about three-quarters of sales still taking place in brick-and-mortar stores. In the States the e-commerce share of retail sales is about 10%. This offers incredible headroom for further online sales growth. Thus, you need to be creative in tailoring marketing campaigns and shopping services to target the products that are still purchased at traditional stores.

Capturing Traditional Retail Sales Requires a Rethink

Chasing physical shoppers and changing their intent at retail stores requires a new strategy. This means capturing foot traffic and converting their offline purchases to an online one. It involves bridging the online and offline purchasing experience and making it a seamless one. For Singles' Day in 2017, Alibaba opened 60 pop-up stores in shopping malls across China. These "new retail" stores were powered by state-of-the-art retail technologies including augmented reality and mobile payments.

Also, Alibaba's Double Twelve day is a nod to small-and-medium-sized retail businesses who do not have a presence on Double Eleven day. Since it is safe to say that everyone now has a smartphone in their pocket, consumers enjoy a discount wherever and whenever they may be when they scan their purchases with the AliPay digital wallet. This encourages spur of the moment purchases as few buyers would resist a discount or promotion when they see one.

Elsewhere around the world, a common tactic is to allow convenient pick-up of online purchases at your nearest local store. This is a way of converting online purchases to an offline one. Generally, payment is made online for greater convenience, shipping is not charged and products are typically available for pickup within hours. Decathlon, the biggest sports store in the world, offers Click & Collect at their retail stores and allows a generous amount of time to pick up orders.

Multi-Channel Sales is the Way Forward

As you can see, banking purely on growth in e-commerce sales is probably not the best way forward to grow your total sales. You need to recognise that traditional retail in the form of shops, pop-up stores and kiosks still have a part to play in consumer spending. And some areas - such as entertainment, food and drink - are not likely to be replicated online anytime soon. Your business needs a multi-channel sales strategy as well as an inventory management system that can handle just about any sales channel thrown at it.

3. Adaptation Is The Key To More Sales

If a particular day doesn't quite fit your marketing goals and target customers, then just adapt the day for another date. For example, International Women's Day falls on 8th March every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women's rights. As such it is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women around the world.

However, in China, this day is largely associated with married middle-aged women. Young women felt left out so yet another group of university students created Girl's Day on 7th March to celebrate girl power. It is also a day when men express appreciation for women. While it is largely an unofficial day, e-commerce marketplaces have not ignored the collective purchasing power of young people.

Elsewhere, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan celebrate what is called White Day on 14th March. In these countries, women shower men with gifts and chocolates on Valentine's Day. Exactly one month later on White Day, men are expected to return the favour and gift women with white-coloured thing. They may be cookies, jewelry, chocolate, lingerie or marshmallows. White Day actually started back in late 1970s Japan when an enterprising sweets company started marketing marshmallows as a means for men to pay back women who gave them gifts.

4. Shopping Holidays Are Not Unique to China

Mass consumption and commercialism are hallmarks of China's shopping holidays. The deals and promotions serve two purposes alone. Firstly, to fit the theme of the day that the shopping holiday falls on. Secondly, to drive sales for products and services around the theme. However, you could say the same for global shopping holidays around the world. As such, shopping and gifting days are not unique to China alone.

Outside of China, Amazon's Prime Day is the most obvious example of a shopping holiday created by an e-commerce behemoth. It started back in 2015 to celebrate Amazon's 20th anniversary. As the name suggests, it's a sale exclusively for Prime members in 17 countries around the world. The day-and-a-half of Prime Day sales features lightning deals, discounts and promotions.

Of course, we couldn't finish without mentioning Black Friday in the United States. It marks the start of the official holiday shopping season after Thanksgiving and all the way to Christmas. The sheer scale and volume of Black Friday sales brings along restocking issues as well.

Conclusion

We've seen that many shopping holidays populate the Chinese calendar. Many are well-executed marketing campaigns created by large e-commerce conglomerates. Commercial shopping days, however, are not unique to China. Other countries have adopted shopping holidays to suit their own purposes although on a much smaller scale. And e-commerce retailers in China and the rest of the world face similar issues in capturing a larger piece of the traditional retail pie. Going forward, multiple sales channels will be the new norm as retailers juggle both online and offline purchases for greater synergy and sales.

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What the Rest of the World Can Learn from Shopping Days in China

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introduction If you don't have a business presence in China, we don't blame you for being envious when you see the mind-boggling sales achieved during the Chinese shopping holidays.

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Best Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses - EMERGE App

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction

If you don't have a business presence in China, we don't blame you for being envious when you see the mind-boggling sales achieved during the Chinese shopping holidays. A spectacular feat of engineered marketing, they match the ease of mobile shopping apps along with a spending frenzy by a growing class of technology-enabled and hungry consumers.

Alibaba's Singles' Day, for example, saw customers spend a total of US$25.4 billion in a single day on 11 November 2017. Macy's, an established brick-and-mortar American department store chain, by comparison, earned US$24.8 billion in revenue for the fiscal year 2017. You do the math.

To better understand this shopping phenomenon, we'll cover popular shopping days in China. We'll also review some efforts to grow sales even further. Finally, we'll see that China and the rest of the world share common issues in bridging the gap between online and offline purchases, and making the shopping experience a seamless one.

The Big Five Chinese Shopping Holidays

Let's start the countdown with the biggest shopping dates in China. These are the ones that you need to know and that make headlines with eye-popping sales figures and high-frequency e-commerce transactions.

1. Singles' Day

Singles' Day on 11th November every year is easily the world's largest online shopping day. The event is about four times the size of America's biggest shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Alibaba's Tmall features prominently in Singles' Day promotions but it had humble beginnings from 1993.

Back then four single university students wanted to celebrate the joy and pride of being single. So they organised activities for single male and female students. It was said that 11 November was chosen as the numeral ones represent four singles standing alone.

Today, Singles' Day is largely synonymous with Alibaba because they started their first annual sale with just 27 merchants in 2009. The exponential growth of this shopping day saw Alibaba eventually trademark the Chinese characters for "Double 11" in 2012.

Interestingly, Singles' Day is not a public holiday in China. Outside of online marketplaces, 11 November is heavily promoted by brick-and-mortar businesses. These include traditional retailers, restaurants, karaoke joints and just about any business where singles might be tempted to part with their money.

2. 618 Shopping Festival

The 618 Shopping Festival was created to commemorate the founding of JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce marketplace in China. The number 618 is an abbreviation of 18th June. Sales start on 1 June and are held over 18 days.

To date 618 is fast becoming a popular mid-year shopping date to counter the year-end holiday sales. For 2017 JD.com saw a record US$24.6 billion in sales over the 18-day festival. What is more astonishing is the speed and frequency of sales. Orders of mobile phones hit 10,000 units in eight seconds and US$15.5 million in 30 seconds.

3. Double Twelve

12th December is another shopping holiday created by Alibaba for its Tmall and Taobao online shopping websites. Unlike the business-to-consumer-focused "Double 11" day, the aim of Double Twelve is to drum up online demand for products sold by smaller retailers and then translate them into actual purchases at brick-and-mortar stores. This is done by sending Alipay wallet promotions to customers who then use these discounts at participating retail stores.

4. Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival is the biggest and most important week-long public holiday in China. Businesses and factories shut down in anticipation of the mass migration from cities to hometowns. The period of 15 days before the Lunar New Year has been described as the largest annual human migration in the world. It is the time to reunite with families for an obligatory Reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year. Consumer spending during this time tends to be on food, clothing and travel.

5. Christmas

Christmas is not a public holiday in China but it is a commercial marketing event in major cities. Just like other shopping districts around the world, Xmas decorations in the streets and malls get consumers in a festive mood. As just like the rest of Asia, Christmas is a time to shop, feast and party. For the younger generation, it is seen as a romantic time to date and exchange gifts.

What Can We Learn From Chinese Shopping Holidays?

For small and medium-sized businesses around the world, getting a foothold in the vast Chinese retail market is challenging. Language, culture, staffing, regulations and logistics are just some factors to consider if you want to sell in China. Going it alone might not be the best idea but forging a lasting partnership also has its risks.

What about e-commerce market outside of China? What can the rest of the world learn from Chinese shopping holidays? Do they represent future trends that will find their way into other countries and online marketplaces? Are we doing things any differently from e-commerce sales in China?

1. You Can Create As Many Shopping Holidays As You Like

Many large and small Chinese shopping holidays populate the calendar. Some coincidence with public holidays. Others are marketing dates engineered by large companies that dominate the online and offline marketplaces. As you have seen, you can create as many shopping holidays as you see fit and as your marketing budget allows.

Popular dates such as Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Women's Day, Children's Day and Christmas are shared alike by all retailers and businesses. Everyone participates in the festivities and spending mood, and no one company owns or dominates these days. We call these common shopping holidays. The rest of the world observe these dates as well, although not always in a commercial way.

Other dates such as Double Eleven, Double Twelve and 618 are commercial shopping days created by e-commerce conglomerates. Outside China, e-commerce companies have also created their own commercial holidays. In Australia, the second Tuesday of November sees the Click Frenzy annual online sale. It's Australia's biggest and most iconic online shopping event. It was launched back in 2012 drawing inspiration from America's Cyber Monday. Large brick-and-mortar retailers advertise deals along with "Go Nuts" and "Go Wild" discounts offering 99% off big-ticket items.

2. Brick-And-Mortar Stores Are Not Left Out

Despite the eye-popping numbers from China's daily and week-long sales, e-commerce only makes up about a quarter of retail sales in China. That leaves about three-quarters of sales still taking place in brick-and-mortar stores. In the States the e-commerce share of retail sales is about 10%. This offers incredible headroom for further online sales growth. Thus, you need to be creative in tailoring marketing campaigns and shopping services to target the products that are still purchased at traditional stores.

Capturing Traditional Retail Sales Requires a Rethink

Chasing physical shoppers and changing their intent at retail stores requires a new strategy. This means capturing foot traffic and converting their offline purchases to an online one. It involves bridging the online and offline purchasing experience and making it a seamless one. For Singles' Day in 2017, Alibaba opened 60 pop-up stores in shopping malls across China. These "new retail" stores were powered by state-of-the-art retail technologies including augmented reality and mobile payments.

Also, Alibaba's Double Twelve day is a nod to small-and-medium-sized retail businesses who do not have a presence on Double Eleven day. Since it is safe to say that everyone now has a smartphone in their pocket, consumers enjoy a discount wherever and whenever they may be when they scan their purchases with the AliPay digital wallet. This encourages spur of the moment purchases as few buyers would resist a discount or promotion when they see one.

Elsewhere around the world, a common tactic is to allow convenient pick-up of online purchases at your nearest local store. This is a way of converting online purchases to an offline one. Generally, payment is made online for greater convenience, shipping is not charged and products are typically available for pickup within hours. Decathlon, the biggest sports store in the world, offers Click & Collect at their retail stores and allows a generous amount of time to pick up orders.

Multi-Channel Sales is the Way Forward

As you can see, banking purely on growth in e-commerce sales is probably not the best way forward to grow your total sales. You need to recognise that traditional retail in the form of shops, pop-up stores and kiosks still have a part to play in consumer spending. And some areas - such as entertainment, food and drink - are not likely to be replicated online anytime soon. Your business needs a multi-channel sales strategy as well as an inventory management system that can handle just about any sales channel thrown at it.

3. Adaptation Is The Key To More Sales

If a particular day doesn't quite fit your marketing goals and target customers, then just adapt the day for another date. For example, International Women's Day falls on 8th March every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women's rights. As such it is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women around the world.

However, in China, this day is largely associated with married middle-aged women. Young women felt left out so yet another group of university students created Girl's Day on 7th March to celebrate girl power. It is also a day when men express appreciation for women. While it is largely an unofficial day, e-commerce marketplaces have not ignored the collective purchasing power of young people.

Elsewhere, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan celebrate what is called White Day on 14th March. In these countries, women shower men with gifts and chocolates on Valentine's Day. Exactly one month later on White Day, men are expected to return the favour and gift women with white-coloured thing. They may be cookies, jewelry, chocolate, lingerie or marshmallows. White Day actually started back in late 1970s Japan when an enterprising sweets company started marketing marshmallows as a means for men to pay back women who gave them gifts.

4. Shopping Holidays Are Not Unique to China

Mass consumption and commercialism are hallmarks of China's shopping holidays. The deals and promotions serve two purposes alone. Firstly, to fit the theme of the day that the shopping holiday falls on. Secondly, to drive sales for products and services around the theme. However, you could say the same for global shopping holidays around the world. As such, shopping and gifting days are not unique to China alone.

Outside of China, Amazon's Prime Day is the most obvious example of a shopping holiday created by an e-commerce behemoth. It started back in 2015 to celebrate Amazon's 20th anniversary. As the name suggests, it's a sale exclusively for Prime members in 17 countries around the world. The day-and-a-half of Prime Day sales features lightning deals, discounts and promotions.

Of course, we couldn't finish without mentioning Black Friday in the United States. It marks the start of the official holiday shopping season after Thanksgiving and all the way to Christmas. The sheer scale and volume of Black Friday sales brings along restocking issues as well.

Conclusion

We've seen that many shopping holidays populate the Chinese calendar. Many are well-executed marketing campaigns created by large e-commerce conglomerates. Commercial shopping days, however, are not unique to China. Other countries have adopted shopping holidays to suit their own purposes although on a much smaller scale. And e-commerce retailers in China and the rest of the world face similar issues in capturing a larger piece of the traditional retail pie. Going forward, multiple sales channels will be the new norm as retailers juggle both online and offline purchases for greater synergy and sales.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What the Rest of the World Can Learn from Shopping Days in China

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Introduction If you don't have a business presence in China, we don't blame you for being envious when you see the mind-boggling sales achieved during the Chinese shopping holidays.

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RETAIL LOYALTY PROGRAM: AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO BRING MARKET COMPETITIVENESS IN CHINA

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RETAIL LOYALTY PROGRAM: AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO BRING MARKET COMPETITIVENESS IN CHINA

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86% of Chinese respondents agree that all other factors equal, they will buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without; 84% respondents in China prefer use loyalty program mobile apps
A retail loyalty program can be an effective way to create competitive advantage by reducing customers' likelihood to switch stores. Indeed, most respondents(72%), in Nielsen's Global Loyalty-Sentiment Survey Chinese respondents in particular (86%), somewhat or strongly agree that, all other factors equal, they will buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.

"Today's retail market is highly competitive and retailers face a major challenge in holding on to existing customers as well as attracting new ones. Loyalty programs are key tools to increase consumer purchase transactions, margins and top line revenues," said Vishal Bali, managing director of Nielsen China.

"The ultimate goal for using loyalty data is to provide consumers better shopping experience so as to attract more consumers. To improve the shopping experience, retailers need to consider exclusive rewards and in-store experiences that are unique to their location or brand positioning and make it engaging and fun to participate for all generations of consumers."

The Nielsen Global Retail Loyalty-Sentiment Survey polled more than 30,000 online respondents in 63 countries to understand what drives consumers to participate in retail loyalty programs.

According to Nielsen report, Chinese Consumer are not actively participating in retail loyalty program right now comparing to the consumers in other countries. On average, the number of retail loyalty programs that each person participate in is only 2.14 in China, while the number worldwide is 2.39. And the participation rate in Greater China (61%) is a bit lower than the figure worldwide (66%), and much lower than the percentage in India and Southeast Asia, where more than seven in 10 consumers with online access say they participate in one or more retail loyalty programs (74% and 72%, respectively).

However, the situation might be changed, as Chinese retailers are now focusing more on loyalty programs. First, e-commerce is growing fast, and off-line retailers are under intense pressure to protect their share and their consumers. Finally, more Chinese consumers are paying greater attention to the quality of products and the overall shopping experience. Based on these reasons, we saw the potential of the retail loyalty program grow in China.

"Loyalty programs are intended to increase a retailer's share," said Vishal. "But loyalty programs cannot be designed in a one-size- fits-all manner. There are big differences in loyalty program preferences and habits across countries, and across consumer groups within countries. These differences include how consumers want to use technology to engage with their loyalty program, what tangible benefits they are seeking from loyalty programs, and even how much they care about loyalty programs. Retailers need to determine who they want to bring into the store or onto the website more, and design a loyalty program for them."

Despite the participation rate of retail loyalty programs is not very high in China, Chinese still show a high passion for the features of such program and are willing to join. This means that retail loyalty programs have a bright future in China.

Loyalty programs can help drive more frequent visits and heavier purchasing. The report found that 82% of Chinese respondents say that they would pay a little more for a product from a retailer with a loyalty program than from a retailer without one. The percentage that loyalty programs make consumers more likely to continue doing business with a company among Chinese participants is also 82%, while globally the percentage is 74%.

"For the Chinese consumers, we really have to follow their likes and make adjustments to their needs in order to bring more benefits to business through improving the retail loyalty programs," said Vishal Bali.

An interesting finding in this report is that Chinese consumers especially love loyalty program mobile apps. According to the report, Asia-Pacific has the highest percentage of loyalty-program participants in the worldwide study who say store-specific loyalty mobile apps are somewhat or very appealing (69% versus 60% globally).

Mobile apps are particularly popular in China (74%), only slightly lower than that in India (80%) and Thailand (78%). The report found 84% respondents in China like to use loyalty program mobile apps that can automatically earn and use points or rewards.

As Weibo and WeChat develops, sharing products and pages on social networks to win points and awards is also popular in China. About 78% of Chinese respondents say that they like it very much, much higher than that worldwide, which is 61%.

"To carry out valuable, differentiated loyalty programs, retailers must leverage digital tools that create value for consumers, and digital interactions must be aligned with how much or how little consumers want to be contacted," said Vishal Bali.

"The future lies in integration-combining granular, internal loyalty data with rich contextual media and market data to make more insightful decisions."

The findings in this survey are based on respondents with online access in 63 countries. While an online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides a perspective on the habits of only existing internet users, not total populations. In developing markets where online penetration is still growing, respondents may be younger and more affluent than the general population of that country. In addition, survey responses are based on claimed behavior, rather than actual metered data. Cultural differences in reporting sentiment are likely factors in the outlook across countries. The reported results do not attempt to control or correct for these differences; therefore, caution should be exercised when comparing across countries and regions, particularly across regional boundaries.

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Retail Loyalty Program: An Effective Way to Bring Market Competitiveness in China

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86% of Chinese respondents agree that all other factors equal, they will buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without; 84% respondents in China prefer use loyalty program mobile apps A retail loyalty program can be an effective way to create competitive advantage by reducing customers' likelihood to switch stores.

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RETAIL LOYALTY PROGRAM: AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO BRING MARKET COMPETITIVENESS IN CHINA

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RETAIL LOYALTY PROGRAM: AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO BRING MARKET COMPETITIVENESS IN CHINA

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86% of Chinese respondents agree that all other factors equal, they will buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without; 84% respondents in China prefer use loyalty program mobile apps
A retail loyalty program can be an effective way to create competitive advantage by reducing customers' likelihood to switch stores. Indeed, most respondents(72%), in Nielsen's Global Loyalty-Sentiment Survey Chinese respondents in particular (86%), somewhat or strongly agree that, all other factors equal, they will buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.

"Today's retail market is highly competitive and retailers face a major challenge in holding on to existing customers as well as attracting new ones. Loyalty programs are key tools to increase consumer purchase transactions, margins and top line revenues," said Vishal Bali, managing director of Nielsen China.

"The ultimate goal for using loyalty data is to provide consumers better shopping experience so as to attract more consumers. To improve the shopping experience, retailers need to consider exclusive rewards and in-store experiences that are unique to their location or brand positioning and make it engaging and fun to participate for all generations of consumers."

The Nielsen Global Retail Loyalty-Sentiment Survey polled more than 30,000 online respondents in 63 countries to understand what drives consumers to participate in retail loyalty programs.

According to Nielsen report, Chinese Consumer are not actively participating in retail loyalty program right now comparing to the consumers in other countries. On average, the number of retail loyalty programs that each person participate in is only 2.14 in China, while the number worldwide is 2.39. And the participation rate in Greater China (61%) is a bit lower than the figure worldwide (66%), and much lower than the percentage in India and Southeast Asia, where more than seven in 10 consumers with online access say they participate in one or more retail loyalty programs (74% and 72%, respectively).

However, the situation might be changed, as Chinese retailers are now focusing more on loyalty programs. First, e-commerce is growing fast, and off-line retailers are under intense pressure to protect their share and their consumers. Finally, more Chinese consumers are paying greater attention to the quality of products and the overall shopping experience. Based on these reasons, we saw the potential of the retail loyalty program grow in China.

"Loyalty programs are intended to increase a retailer's share," said Vishal. "But loyalty programs cannot be designed in a one-size- fits-all manner. There are big differences in loyalty program preferences and habits across countries, and across consumer groups within countries. These differences include how consumers want to use technology to engage with their loyalty program, what tangible benefits they are seeking from loyalty programs, and even how much they care about loyalty programs. Retailers need to determine who they want to bring into the store or onto the website more, and design a loyalty program for them."

Despite the participation rate of retail loyalty programs is not very high in China, Chinese still show a high passion for the features of such program and are willing to join. This means that retail loyalty programs have a bright future in China.

Loyalty programs can help drive more frequent visits and heavier purchasing. The report found that 82% of Chinese respondents say that they would pay a little more for a product from a retailer with a loyalty program than from a retailer without one. The percentage that loyalty programs make consumers more likely to continue doing business with a company among Chinese participants is also 82%, while globally the percentage is 74%.

"For the Chinese consumers, we really have to follow their likes and make adjustments to their needs in order to bring more benefits to business through improving the retail loyalty programs," said Vishal Bali.

An interesting finding in this report is that Chinese consumers especially love loyalty program mobile apps. According to the report, Asia-Pacific has the highest percentage of loyalty-program participants in the worldwide study who say store-specific loyalty mobile apps are somewhat or very appealing (69% versus 60% globally).

Mobile apps are particularly popular in China (74%), only slightly lower than that in India (80%) and Thailand (78%). The report found 84% respondents in China like to use loyalty program mobile apps that can automatically earn and use points or rewards.

As Weibo and WeChat develops, sharing products and pages on social networks to win points and awards is also popular in China. About 78% of Chinese respondents say that they like it very much, much higher than that worldwide, which is 61%.

"To carry out valuable, differentiated loyalty programs, retailers must leverage digital tools that create value for consumers, and digital interactions must be aligned with how much or how little consumers want to be contacted," said Vishal Bali.

"The future lies in integration-combining granular, internal loyalty data with rich contextual media and market data to make more insightful decisions."

The findings in this survey are based on respondents with online access in 63 countries. While an online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides a perspective on the habits of only existing internet users, not total populations. In developing markets where online penetration is still growing, respondents may be younger and more affluent than the general population of that country. In addition, survey responses are based on claimed behavior, rather than actual metered data. Cultural differences in reporting sentiment are likely factors in the outlook across countries. The reported results do not attempt to control or correct for these differences; therefore, caution should be exercised when comparing across countries and regions, particularly across regional boundaries.

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Retail Loyalty Program: An Effective Way to Bring Market Competitiveness in China

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86% of Chinese respondents agree that all other factors equal, they will buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without; 84% respondents in China prefer use loyalty program mobile apps A retail loyalty program can be an effective way to create competitive advantage by reducing customers' likelihood to switch stores.

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Number of students from China studying abroad | Statista

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Number of students from China studying abroad | Statista

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This Valentine's Day, a much larger share of young Americans will be spending the holiday with a partner than those in Italy. According to the international marriage data collected by the United Nations, the average Italian person now gets married at almost 34 years old. In the US, it is just over 28. As a result, over 50% of Americans are married in their early 30s compared to less than 40% of Italians.

The United Nations data shows that typical marriage age varies hugely across the world. Quartz examined marriage ages for countries with at least 5 million people, and for which the United Nations had data for men and women. The very oldest to get married are in Bulgaria at 34, while the youngest are in Niger at almost 21.

What does that average number actually mean? It is not, as you might expect, the expected marriage age for a person born today or the average of all married people, but rather what statisticians call a " singulate mean" (pdf)-a calculation similar to what is used for life expectancy. Basically, the researchers look at the likelihood of people alive today being married at every age from 15 to 54. They then use that to estimate an average for the population at this very moment.

Marriage age is highly correlated with wealth. People in poorer countries like Malawi and Laos tend get married earlier than in richer countries like Norway and Singapore. As a country gets richer, the population tends to starts marrying later. For example, the average marriage age in China rose from just 22 for women and 24 for men in 1990, to 25 and 27 respectively in 2016-a period when the country experienced rapid economic growth.

Not only does the age of marriage tend to get higher with more wealth, the age difference between men and women also declines. The difference in average age of marriage for men and women is less than 2 years in rich countries like Japan, Australia, and the US, but over 6 years in poorer Cameroon and Morocco.

Economics don't explain everything, though. The Netherlands and Austria have similar GDP per capita, but people in the Netherlands get married about five years later, and the average marriage age for women and men is a year closer. Demographic research suggests that, beyond income, education level and share of people who live in cities are important determinants of marriage age. And some of the difference is a matter of local culture and history, not easily explained by statistics.

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The ages that people get married around the world

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This Valentine's Day, a much larger share of young Americans will be spending the holiday with a partner than those in Italy. According to the international marriage data collected by the United Nations, the average Italian person now gets married at almost 34 years old. In the US, it is just over 28.

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As you may expect, dating is a little bit different in China than it is in most Western countries. The basics are the same-people are people everywhere-but there are still a few differences regarding culture and social cues to note.

Serious Dating Starts After School

Because of China's rigorous college entrance examination, dating is rarely tolerated among high school students. They simply have too much work to do. That doesn't mean that Chinese teens don't have high school crushes or even relationships (mostly secret ones). But in general, Chinese students leave high school with a lot less romantic experience than their American counterparts. For a lot of Chinese people, serious dating starts after they've finished school.

Pragmatic Purposes

More so than Westerners, many Chinese view dating as a pragmatic affair. It's not always about finding love so much as it is about finding a potential marriage partner who fits with one's own ideals. For example, although many men get married without a house and a car, Chinese women will often say that they're looking for these things because that's the sort of person who probably has a stable career and will be able to provide for her and their future children in the long-term. It's not always about love. As one contestant on China's most popular dating show put it, "I'd rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle."

Parental Involvement

Every parent is different, of course, but in general Chinese parents expect to be more involved in their children's relationships. It's not uncommon for parents and grandparents to set their children up on blind dates with suitable matches they've found.

If their child's significant other doesn't meet with the parents' approval, continuing the relationship will be very difficult. That's why if you're dating someone who is Chinese, it's very important you make a good first impression with the parents!

In general, sex before marriage in China is less common and considered more serious than it is in many Western cultures. Attitudes toward sex are changing, especially in more cosmopolitan cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but in general, many Chinese women see sex as a sign that a relationship is headed towards marriage. Additionally, many Chinese men say they would prefer to marry a woman who hasn't had premarital sex.

The ultimate goal of most relationships in China is marriage. Young Chinese adults are often under a lot of pressure from the elders in their family to find a good husband or wife and get married relatively early.

This pressure is particularly acute for women, who can be called "left-over women" if they pass the age of 26 or 27 without finding a husband. Men can find themselves similarly left-over if they wait too long to get married.

This is a big part of why dating is often taken so seriously. Chinese young people often feel like they don't have the time to "play the field" that their Western counterparts are afforded by society.

Expectations

The actual experience of dating in China can also be somewhat different. For example, you'll often see Chinese couples wearing matching outfits, which is almost unheard of in the West. Many Chinese couples do not share the Western expectation that two people dating will maintain their own separate social lives and friend circles.

Chinese couples also sometimes refer to each other as "husband" (老公) and "wife" (老婆) even when they're not actually married-another indicator of the serious implications dating in China.

Of course, these are all just generalizations, and they don't apply to all Chinese people. More than tradition, society, or culture, dating in China is governed by what the specific individuals in the relationship think and feel, and it's not too hard to find Chinese couples that don't fit all or even any of the general observations above.

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Dating in China...Helicopter Parents in Tow

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As you may expect, dating is a little bit different in China than it is in most Western countries. The basics are the same-people are people everywhere-but there are still a few differences regarding culture and social cues to note. Because of China's rigorous college entrance examination, dating is rarely tolerated among high school students.

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Your padlet, and research is looking amazing! Well done Hannah!

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Cracks Appear in China’s Fashion Magazine Landscape

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Cracks Appear in China’s Fashion Magazine Landscape

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HONG KONG, China - Last month's long-awaited news of Vogue entering the Hong Kong market comes at a time of volatility for fashion media in the wider Greater China region. Its debut, slated for early 2019, marks almost 30 years since other international fashion titles, such as Harper's Bazaar and Elle, entered the Hong Kong market, and 13 years since Vogue launched in Mainland China to much fanfare.

Unlike many other markets, Hong Kong's unique fashion and luxury eco-system - a concentrated population of long-time luxury consumers and strong print advertising performance in the face of digital competition - has largely protected its existing fashion media infrastructure. The city's special administrative status and its British colonial legacy also left a sophisticated bilingual publishing environment that adds to the anomaly.

"[Hong Kong] has been insulated and print is competitive and unusually strong, but as with every other market, it will change and we are well positioned because of our experience in other markets that we can capture the digital market as well," Markus Grindel, managing director of global brand licencing at Condé Nast International, told BoF following the announcement.

"Because it's so mature, it's really good timing to get into the market, it's time for bringing something new and disrupt the market in that sense."

Tommy Tse, an assistant professor in media and culture at The University of Hong Kong's department of sociology speculates that Vogue's appearance in Hong Kong is related to the rumoured discord among the local Chinese offices, regional Asia-Pacific hubs and the global headquarters of fashion, luxury and media conglomerates.

According to Tse, the new publication may seek to streamline mainland and Hong Kong sentiments within the fashion landscape - a possibility when one appreciates the news surrounding Vogue China's restructuring in a wider context. He notes conflicting understandings of celebrities and KOLs, media budgets, artistic direction, consumers' tastes and preferences.

"The conflicts between headquarters of global fashion conglomerates and their Chinese offices ...make me wonder whether the actual role of Vogue Hong Kong will be in mediating the 'right' fashion sensibility to their target consumers across Asia and Greater China," says Tse.
Trouble at the Top
As Tse mentioned, Condé Nast China has seen numerous changes in its senior roles in 2018, with both Anita Chang, publisher of Vogue China, and Feng Wang, editorial director of GQ China, leaving the company in April after 14 and eight years respectively, replaced by Li Bao Jian as Vogue China publisher and Zeng Ming at GQ China.

Rumours throughout the year that Angelica Cheung - who has been editor-in-chief at Vogue China since its inception in 2005 - was set to leave were so widespread that Condé Nast released official denials, only fuelling the rumour mill further. Condé Nast China declined to comment for this article.

Like major Western magazine markets, China's fashion titles are helmed by powerful and often long-standing figures, such as Cheung and Elle China's , who has been editorial director of the magazine since 2006 and CEO and editor-in-chief since 2017.

In other major industry moves of 2018, Trends Media Group - publisher of 18 titles, including the Chinese editions of Cosmopolitan and Esquire, as well as Harper's Bazaar China - revealed in March that its president and CEO was resigning for "personal reasons" after 20 years with the company. In the same year, Wang Feng left his role of editorial director at GQ China and joined Trends as its vice president and chief content officer.

Our numbers were very positive, but year-on-year, I just don't know how sustainable that will be.

Feng Chuxuan, founder and publisher at Huasheng Media Group - responsible for Chinese editions of magazines such as Wallpaper, Nylon, Kinfolk and T Magazine China - has similarly seen his company rocked by recent turbulence at the top. Dan Cui, who had been editor-in-chief of T Magazine China since he made the leap from GQ China at end of 2017, was unexpectedly relegated to a co-editor position.

"How can I find editors like they have in international editions of Surface or Wallpaper?" Feng asks, rhetorically. "It's hard to find an editor [in China] that is overseeing truly excellent content."

The recruitment challenge doesn't end there. Jerri Ng became editor-in-chief of InStyle China when the title rebranded from Modern Lady in 2017, and it was the first InStyle in the world to be published weekly. She left that role over the summer, suggesting to BoF that the grind of leading a print publication in a digital world was one of the reasons for her departure.

"Print media is less and less relevant to the Chinese market," she says, even for InStyle China, which made major concessions to the new media world by populating its pages with QR code links to e-commerce and multi-media content, as well as an army of influencers contributing to the publication, dubbed "InStyle Girls."

"Our numbers were very positive, but year-on-year, I just don't know how sustainable that will be," Ng explains.
When Pixels Trump Print
The fault lines infiltrating mainstream print magazines in China should look familiar to Western observers. The impact of digitisation and new generations of consumers looking to social media for influence and advice, for example, combined with slowing growth in revenue from advertising are problems faced by print media publications around the world.

Despite the malaise currently plaguing the magazine business in China, print is still a relatively profitable business, with total magazine revenue (including both consumer and trade publications) expected to reach $6.13 billion by 2020, according to data from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

At an estimated 1.8 percent compound annual growth rate over the period between 2015 and 2020, however, it's easy to see that the squeeze on revenues is only too real.

One way in which the Chinese environment differs to that in the West is the pace of change. Its fashion magazine industry is relatively young, with Elle China, the first international fashion title to enter the China market, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The readership wasn't as solid when we transformed to the new digital era, so our problems are even worse than in Western countries.

"The readership wasn't as solid when we transformed to the new digital era, so our problems are even worse than in Western countries," says Leaf Greener, former fashion editor at Elle China and current publisher of Leaf, a digital magazine available via WeChat.

The second major difference is in the culture of publishing in China, which never had the same strong delineation between editorial and advertising content as the Western media.

As such, newfound pressure on ad revenues has led to an even faster breakdown in whatever division did exist, blurring the lines between advertising and editorial in ways that many claim has led to a poorer reader experience.

"Every single page, even the cover story [is for sale]," says Lily Chou, 24, the Shanghai-based editor of niche fashion bookazine Rouge Fashion Book.

"Why are you losing so many readers? Because they don't want to read a whole magazine of advertiser pages. It's not even Dolce & Gabbana's fancy advertisements, it's cars and phones. Why should I spend money on this?"
The Downside of Leapfrogging
This relatively short life-span of "traditional" fashion media in China has, in many ways, made it even easier for young people to disengage with printed information, turning instead to pervasive social media platforms, such as WeChat and Weibo.

"There really is a shift - in China everything moves in fast forward," says Chloe Reuter, founder of Reuter Communications agency and The Luxury Conversation, a newsletter and research project focused largely on China's luxury industry.

"In a way, because they started off later, they are quicker to adapt."

When post-90s consumers in China were surveyed about their luxury consumption behaviour at the tail-end of 2017 by The Luxury Conversation, not one of them had purchased a physical magazine in the previous 12 months, says Reuter.

There is potential to win these digital natives back to a printed product, some insiders believe, by targeting the generation of Post-90s individualists with more specialised information to help differentiate themselves from their peers.

The example of new indie publications such as Rouge Fashion Book, now up-and-running for a year, as well as the entrance of global niche fashion magazines bringing localized editions into China in recent years, has raised hopes that consumer interest in magazines isn't necessarily waning, but rather shifting away from mass-market titles.

However, China's unique publishing environment makes the proposition of a proliferation of niche, independent magazine titles difficult to imagine. Even if there was broad customer demand for the product, media is tightly controlled in the country, with publishing licences linked to state-owned enterprises.

All titles with a Chinese international standard book number [ISBN] are subject to local censorship dictates (avant-garde fashion magazines can run into trouble if nudity is involved in risqué photo shoots or if content is deemed immoral for depicting a less-than-idealised clean-cut vision of society).

Chou's publication side-steps this issue by printing part of each run with a Chinese ISBN for sale within normal Mainland China channels, and another portion printed with an international ISBN. This limits distribution of the latter to international retailers, as well as the few bookstores around China licenced to distribute foreign materials. It also gives the title more leeway in terms of uncensored content for that version of the bookazine.

Contrary to the message that young people aren't reading print publications, both Chou and Feng say a large percentage of their readers are young people. Chou was shocked at the proportion of high school-aged students reading Rouge Fashion Book, especially considering its RMB 200, or $30, price tag is a rather significant sum for students.

"If you are born with an iPhone in your hand, maybe a book is a really fresh thing. Like the iPad was for [people] when it first came out because they hadn't seen it before," Chou says.

Over at Harper's Bazaar, Sha Xiaoli - who has been with the magazine since 2001 and took on the role of general manager and editor-in-chief following Su Mang's departure - believes that although this generation has come of age attached to mobile and connected devices, there is also room for magazines in their information gathering habits, as long as the information and its format is special enough to prompt the additional effort and expense.

"I believe we will always have a print version of Harper's Bazaar. It has value as something you can own or keep, but the magazine of the future needs to be more inspiring than a useful shopping guide," she says.

"In the future, for the younger generation, a printed magazine may become something like a luxury bag. You might not buy it every day. But when you invest in it, you treasure it."
Reasons for Optimism
Both Sha and Feng point to the growth of lower-tier cities as hope for the future of traditional fashion media, with a population of rapidly maturing consumers outside of major cities on the eastern seaboard hungry for information and guidance from trusted authorities.

Sha also believes the size of China's market means there are still opportunities that remain untapped, with many consumers working their way into the middle class requiring the kind of mass market fashion and luxury lifestyle education provided by major fashion titles.

If we don't go through this, publishers won't make necessary changes.

"For us, the digital revolution actually brings more opportunities because we can use this bigger platform to reach more readers and educate them from zero about trends in fashion, culture, art and design," she says.

Feng likewise remains hopeful, saying the painful process of adjustment currently facing the magazine business in China will result in positive outcomes for the industry if it forces publications to evolve.

"If we don't go through this, publishers won't make necessary changes. You have to experience war to appreciate life," he says.

"Magazines are running a marathon, they need to continuously make an effort, continue to endure, continue to study, in this way you can continue to make a magazine. [I don't know what] a successful magazine will look like in the future, but I think it will be targeted to a more divided and specific market."
Related Articles: Media Exodus Risks Chinese Fashion Upset Vogue's Angelica Cheung on How to Reach the Elusive Chinese Millennial Will Digital Media Break China's Fashion Magazine Oligarchy?

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Cracks Appear in China's Fashion Magazine Landscape

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HONG KONG, China - Last month's long-awaited news of Vogue entering the Hong Kong market comes at a time of volatility for fashion media in the wider Greater China region. Its debut, slated for early 2019, marks almost 30 years since other international fashion titles, such as Harper's Bazaar and Elle, entered the Hong Kong market, and 13 years since Vogue launched in Mainland China to much fanfare.

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The Reason for the Success of Chinese Beauty Brands

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The Reason for the Success of Chinese Beauty Brands

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How does the Chinese Beauty Market landscape look like?

China is the world's second-largest beauty market after the U.S. in terms of revenue and consumption value. As a result of urbanization, growing disposable income, and social media influence, the beauty, and personal care market is facing a burgeoning demand for higher quality, premium, high-end brand products.

It's an extremely profitable industry, as a matter of fact, revenue in the beauty market amounts to over $55 million thus far in 2020. The market is expected to grow annually by 7.1 percent through 2023.

China Consumers Behaviors when buying Cosmetics

Because of changes in consumer behavior/sales patterns and the greater proliferation of e-commerce, to be successful within the Chinese beauty industry, you don't have to be a big cosmetic brand like L'Oréal, Estee Lauder or SK-II; smaller brands still have the opportunity to excel as long as they understand the value of branding.

Chinese beauty shoppers are steadily on the pursuit of the latest and greatest cosmetics to match their consumer-centric lifestyles. This means that brands should utilize innovative and personalized strategies to draw the attention of these consumers.

This change did not happen overnight and marketing strategies are a key point in this situation.

UNDERSTANDING CHINESE BEAUTY CONSUMERS

The rise of the millennial generation has played an important role in the growing demand of the cosmetics market together with the awakening of health-conscious consumers. This has also caused changing attitudes in terms of brand loyalty in the cosmetics sector. Modern Chinese beauty consumers are far less loyal to major international brands because of their growing curiosity with niche brands.

These beauty consumers really take the time to research and analyze product reviews before making a purchase decision. The decision generally depends on the desire to obtain products with better ingredients and improved functionality rather than the price.

MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR BEAUTY BRANDS IN CHINA

When a brand wants to enter in the Chinese market, there are several steps to follow to achieve its goals and to be successful. This is even more true when it comes to the beauty market. Chinese girl love to buy a foreign brands because it is better, more quality, higher status.

GMA can help you through the best marketing strategies for your brand. Below you will find some important points for success :

These are important for a brand to share its brand story, value and products. WeChat & Weibo will always be great picks when it comes to brand recognition because they are some of the first social media platforms that Chinese users will use to learn more about your products and brand. Livestreaming might be the perfect choice when it comes to showcasing the personalization and authenticity of your beauty products.

Hire the right KOLs: Whether you are interested in boosting awareness or generating leads, a KOL can do wonders for reaching your ideal audience. Your KOL search should consist of choosing an influencer that has quality content and deep insights into their viewers.

Manage online comments and interactions

Create your branding/brand awareness through :

GMA can help you to improve your traffic in e-commerce platform, more traffic means more sales. Given the reputation of e-commerce in China, it is essential to have a strategy that creates a seamless experience for self-care products. Your brand must include items such as free samples, exclusive products, discounts and some form of loyalty program when buyers visit your products online. You should offer a quality customer service experience.

TOP CROSS-BORDER PLATFORMS FOR BEAUTY BRANDS IN CHINA

The Chinese cross-border e-commerce sector has become extremely popular with beauty consumers and one of the main doors to buy international cosmetic products. Cross-border e-commerce can be an efficient and inexpensive way to showcase your beauty products without setting up an offline store. Here are some of the best platforms to consider to sell your products:

Kaola is an e-commerce company part of the NetEase group (group listed on NASDAQ).

The platform provides online sales of various imported products via cross-border e-commerce. The products range from cosmetics, household products, food supplements, to clothing, and accessories.

Cosmetics and fashion brands often consider Kaola as the gateway to the Chinese beauty and skincare market. It provides international companies the opportunity to sell their products securely to Chinese consumers and is known for cost-effective and trustworthy products among shoppers since the platforms buy products directly from foreign companies.

Meizhuangxinde has become a great reference platform for cosmetics in China where users share their experiences and advice on the best use of beauty products. Some of the platform's main functions include branding discounts, cosmetics' ranking lists, and testing, and a product library.

RED's user-generated content plays a big role in helping Chinese consumers shape brand perception and build brand loyalty. It encourages users to share their personal experiences with products, gives tips, and provide discounted information. This app is turning into the social commerce hub for beauty beginners and professionals alike.

JD.com is an eCommerce platform that boasts an incredibly wide range of products that includes categories such as cosmetics, fresh food, clothing, and much more. The fastest-growing products in terms of sales are cosmetics, food and electronic products. Therefore JD offers incredible opportunities to foreign suppliers.

TOP-SELLING CHINESE BEAUTY BRANDS

Pechoin is a skincare brand of SPDC. The package of this product is often a small round iron box in yellow or blue. In 2008, it won the title of Famous Trademark of China. And before that, it had already won the title of Famous Trademark of Shanghai.

The brand is widely seen as a pioneer of tailored digital marketing strategies, which opened the company up to a novel demographic and a younger consumer base. In fact, the brand's repositioning on the market as a millennial-friendly brand was achieved by creating a successful visual brand identity with creative and memorable ads.

One leaf took only a few years to become a market leader in China thanks to its best selling mask sheets. Its natural message has been very tempting for Chinese consumers looking for healthy and reliable products.

As mentioned, the success of One Leaf was based on a product (their mask sheets), so the brand could concentrate its resources on this highly targeted product instead of dispersing them between the launch of seasonal products and various departments.

Chando has been one of the most successful players in the domestic market.

Some of Chando's marketing launches received high engagements, such as the Chando Love Lines campaign, which was launched for Mother's Day and was reminiscent of Dove's Real Beauty campaign. The ads encouraged women to embrace their "natural beauty" lines and marks instead of chasing cosmetic procedures.

Mask Family·1908 is another Chinese skincare company that became a household name thanks to its sheet masks and sleeping masks.

The line is available in specialty stores, cross-border e-commerce sites (Tmall, JD.com, Aliexpress), and apps like WeChat.

Herborist, a premium cosmetics brand takes advantage of traditional medicines and natural ingredients and enhances the intrinsic characteristics of organic ingredients through innovation.

Considering how much Chinese consumers mistrust synthetic ingredients and chemical compounds,

it is not surprising his conquest of a greater market share.

Today, its products can be found at over 1,500 stores and counters.

Do you want to know more about How to sell your beauty products in the Chinese market? Contact GMA a digital marketing agency, specialized in Chinese digital market.

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THE REASON FOR THE SUCCESS OF CHINESE BEAUTY BRANDS - Marketing China

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How does the Chinese Beauty Market landscape look like? China is the world's second-largest beauty market after the U.S. in terms of revenue and consumption value. As a result of urbanization, growing disposable income, and social media influence, the beauty, and personal care market is facing a burgeoning demand for higher quality, premium, high-end brand [...]