Show notes
Welcome back to the only podcast to ask: China, WTF?! What’s The Future? Arnold Ma, founder of Chinese creative agency Qumin https://qumin.co.uk/ , gets to the bottom of what tomorrow may look like, globally, by dissecting China's today. The podcast focuses on Chinese tech disrupters, people and cultures. Episode 3 is all about Chinese consumers!We always talk about people and cultures at Qumin, as it is the people who drive the platforms and innovations. Only if we understand the people behind the platforms will we be able to stay ahead of the curve. In this episode, we talk about the shift in consumerism, how consumers have evolved in China, how they've matured and how they are now leading the global economy. Selling to Chinese consumers is becoming more and more challenging for Western brands, so understanding them is fundamental. Marketing is downstream from culture, after all. Topics include:02:49 Qumin’s mission: ‘connecting the world to China’ 03:25 From copycats to innovators, the evolution of ‘Made in China’ 07:29 Chinese consumers are starting to get used to foreign brands in China. However, they see the brands (e.g. Burberry) differently to Western consumers, as they don’t have the attachment to brand legacy.08:58 The QR code format and why it hasn’t taken off in the West12:36 Chinese consumers had to deal with a lot more changes, a lot faster, compared to Western consumers15:09 Why WeChat has become so popular with Chinese consumers: An introduction to the Guanxi culture20:15 Independence culture vs collective culture: the difference between Chinese and Western consumer culture22:18 The evolution of true social commerce In China and how it’s driven by the consumers and not the platforms26:28 Why Chinese consumers never had brand.com websites and moved straight on to true social commerce31:14 Consumerism and mobile e-commerce is bridging the gap between the rich and the poor and the rural and the urban in China 32:12 Brands launching in China need to focus on lower-tier cities, as that’s where the growth is36:15 Marketing is downstream from culture: brands need to understand Chinese culture to understand the consumers39:50 Young Chinese consumers only know China as a superpower 42:00 Being a foreign brand is not a USP anymore as domestic brands are becoming more and more popular 43:32 Chinese consumers aren’t ‘cash cows’ anymoreIf you like this episode, hit subscribe for more!You can watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_c44aVaAuQQ