Today’s millennials and their offspring in China are much like their counterparts in the West–very individualistic and highly digital. Thanks to affordable and ubiquitous smartphones, telecom coverage, online payment (Alipay and Tenpay), prevalent social media (Wechat), millions of APPs on all living aspects, and unbelievably cheap logistics, digital life is deeply central to today’s Chinese – and more advanced than the West.. Unlike their parents, this new generation of customers is more willing to spend on surrounding lifestyle, self-indulgence, and self-improvement–for entertainment, sport, vacation, art, language, and skills.
Enabled by cutting-edge IT, companies must use data analytics to redefine the traditional core elements of retailing–people, products and places–and the relationship among those elements to upgrade current selling formats and enhance customer experiences onor offline. Six steps to survive or excel in the future:
Based on my observations and narratives shared by experts, the top three common mistakes companies make when entering Chinese markets are:
What is the most promising new business model that you have come across lately?
Leveraging asymmetric information and the "buy low sell high" business model is long gone in today’s China. Smart companies, 2B or 2C alike, have now recognized the importance of managing a customer’s life-cycle–selling the right products at the right time, place and price. The starting point is data. Transaction data from CRM is no longer enough. Online/Offline sale data plus social media customer tweets and chats allow companies to "know" their customers intimately. Cross-sell business opportunities naturally emerge. For example, a mobile phone manufacturer in China is ready to work with its over 25 thousand local retailers to cross-sell P2P personal loans, thanks to its ability to track phone usage behaviors. It sounds disconcerting , but the big data’ practice is under the self-imposed company discipline and scrutiny of the public and government on privacy protection.
Amazon vs Alibaba: Who will win the race and why?
It is difficult to define a "win" in any conceivable business context for these companies because, figuratively and literally speaking, Amazon and Alibaba are not on the same racing track at all. Both companies are dominating in their respective e-Commerce markets with very insignificant overlapping businesses. Despite temporary disruptions caused by recent Sino-US trade dispute and anti-globalization movement, most experts believe continuing global trade growth is inevitable. This means more opportunities for Amazon and Alibaba to collaborate, rather than compete–a "win-win" situation.
Chiang Jeongwen will be speaking at the 69th International Retail Summit at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute on 5 and 6 September 2019. Sign up with early bird discount, now!
More Retailing, Less Retailers: New Purpose In a New Ecosystem