This document describes the China-Ready Certification Program offered by China Edge to help luxury brands and retailers prepare for the Chinese market. The program includes workshops in four areas: strategy and risk management, outbound engagement, cultural training, and digital engagement. Staff can become certified in each area. The goal is to increase sales to Chinese visitors through tailored strategies, marketing, and staff training on Chinese culture and customer service. Benefits include higher traffic, conversion rates, sales, and brand value in China.
Chinese Newsletter, 3 times a year, to highlight the China-Ready brands on Bond Street and the personal shopping services, private views & exclusive experiences offered (complimentary to maximise on the program). Published before the Chinese and summer holidays (Chinese New Year and National Day holidays)
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China edge newsletter
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Additional services (at additional cost) can be provided by China Edge to enhance the impact of the China-Ready Programme, and to support the Bond Street Association’s engagement with Chinese consumers, including:
Chinese landing page for BSA with pay-per-click Baidu promotion campaign
Set-up & management of Chinese social media platforms
Leverage key opinion leaders in China
Chinese consumers are now the biggest luxury consumer group in the world, and could make up one third of the market by 2015
This is a fundamental rebalancing that brands need to address – not just in China, but wherever they serve Chinese customers.
Act now, or someone else will eat your piece of the pie!
The UK government wants to reach 500,000 Chinese visits by 2015 (green line) but at current trends, we will only pass 300,000, compared to 210,000 in 2012
If the UK had addresses visa and marketing issues earlier and followed USA growth trends, it could expect to receive nearly 1 million visits from China by 2016 (red line).
France already gets 1.4 million visitors from China.
Despite a taking a recessionary dip in 2008-2010, growth rebounded with improving economic conditions.
Had the UK government supported a strong marketing campaign since 2005 and mirrored EU visa policy, as well as allowing for individual visitor visas, the visitor numbers could have followed the red line.
As it stands, reaching the government’s target of 300,000 visits by 2015 is not a certainty.
But we are making progress – thanks to lobbying and George Osborne's October visit…
Osborne announced improved processes and VIP “super-priority” processing. We also offer multi-entry visas through the Select Business Scheme, and dual-processing with Schengen.
Government reports 96% approval rate – just not enough applicants…
A lot of it comes down to marketing and perceptions – which we need to change!
Chinese already spend £300m (2012)
Modern business owners come from more developed and satellite cities (Tianjin, Dalian, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing)
International professionals prefer the cosmopolitan feeling of the large cities, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
Nouveau Riche stay close to their power centre in 2nd, 3rd tier cities
Traditional business elites live in the places that were first to industrialise and develop- southern China and eastern seaboard.
2nd generation rich and government officials can come from anywhere.
Roy and Jeremy highlighted size of market
Scale translates into amount of internet users
…
Briefly highlight a few main topics
digital creative, social, search and ecommerce
These along with other channels, will be the subject of each workshop
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First off are the difference in web design
Some things we use inhouse to explain some difference, they tie into one, i.e. accessibility, ICP, hosting & domain, regulations, etc.
Quick solution
Huge, diverse, western are banned
Niche platforms, easier targeting
Here are a few of the top ones
Some established brands – burberry worked to get their brand awareness, almost all of the top 8
Not about amount, squeeze the most out of one platform,
Chinese highest social + ecommerce of any country
Get your engagement and content strategies right
Really think about content categories, test your engagement plan
No google, at the moment still dominated by Baidu, but shifting
Shows the fast peace of Chinese digital industry
You can lose face by...
- Not living up to expectations
- Not keeping a promise
Inappropriateness of a request
in relation to one status
- Inappropriate humour
You can give face by...
- Being courteous and polite
- Giving service above and beyond
the call of duty
- Respecting hierarchies and age