Wechat is a powerful platform that has enabled 1.6 trillion RMB in transactions through micro programs (MPs) alone (in 2020). Membership schemes, gift cards, O2O retail, and even an online store are all possible with mini programs. All of this is available to followers without the need to download anything from the app store.

However, in terms of bringing in traffic that you do not already own, WeChat does not compare to a platform like Tmall. The brand is responsible for acquiring every single follower. Meanwhile, Tmall is where you will most likely acquire the majority of your customers. It is designed to entice new customers into stores.

Tmall and WeChat differ in a variety of other ways as well. Let’s take a look…

Pros & Cons Of WeChat

Pros:

1. Its Free:

Using WeChat is free and does not incur any costs. It means that as long as it is connected to the internet, it will provide all of its services to users. This is one of the reasons it has hundreds of millions of daily active users.

2. Sharing Is Easy:

WeChat makes file sharing a lot easier. You can send or receive documents up to 100Mb. It supports PDF, Slideshows, and other file extensions.

3. WeChat Pay:

WeChat Pay is a convenient and efficient alternative to cash payments. Users can pay by scanning the QR code, confirming the amount, and paying after the payer confirms the password. It is a fast and efficient method of transaction. Furthermore, it is secure. WeChat now permits non-Chinese users to use its services.

4. The Magic Of Moments

WeChat, like other similar applications, supports basic messaging. Aside from that, there is a feature called “Moments” that allows users to share their stories and status updates with their friends. You may also share your location with your pals and play mini-games with them.

Cons:

1. Concern About Privacy:

Tencent has access to all of your personal information. Furthermore, Tencent works with the Chinese government. As a result, it is safe to assume that the government is monitoring your activity on WeChat. However, keep in mind that you consented to its policies when you created a WeChat account.

2. Security concerns

To share messages, WeChat does not employ end-to-end encryption mechanisms. As a result, it is possible that a third party will see or misinterpret your message.

Pros & Cons Of Tmall

Pros

1) Because Tmall is such a well-established, top-of-mind marketplace brand, U.S. retailers can enter the market quickly and focus on selling. Retailers who run their own online store typically have longer time horizons. They concentrate their efforts on targeting Chinese consumers through direct brand exposure, sales, and brand building, while preserving greater control over their online operations. Their e-shop is an excellent beginning point for a multichannel strategy and stationary expansion, and sellers may integrate their chosen online payment methods into their website.

2) Because Tmall is a well-known brand among Chinese customers, using the platform to sell your products might help you quickly gain part of that trust for your own brand.

3) Tmall has partners who can assist you with anything from trade rules to translation.

Cons

1) Does not offer a diverse choice of SKUs at competitive prices.

2) You would not have your own storefront on the platform. Instead, you sell your products through a Tmall store.

Mini Programs

Mini Programs (MP) are light apps that operate on top of a mobile app. Top Chinese digital businesses have created and managed their own mini-program frameworks, with the most prominent being the WeChat platform and Alibaba (Alipay platform; Taobao platform). As of October 2020, more than half of China’s top 100 mobile apps had generated mini-programs.

Digital Crew is a Tmall & WeChat marketing partner that can help you set up and grow. Get in touch with us with any further queries you may have regarding these 2 platforms.

The post Tmall Vs WeChat – Where Should You Start Your Ecommerce Business In China? appeared first on Digital Crew.

The Shanghai-based startup bills itself as the internet home for ACG (Anime, Comics, and Gaming) aficionados. The company offers a platform for China’s Millennials and Generation Z to consume pre-made content as well as produce their own videos.

It’s one of China’s fastest-growing social networks, with a thriving community that marketers can’t afford to overlook. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Chinese Internet Audio & Video Market

While Youku (owned by Alibaba), iQiyi (owned by Baidu), and QQ Video (owned by Tencent) appear to dominate China’s online video business, short-form videos receive the most of the attention these days. It reaches 83% of the Chinese internet population, while other video formats and live streaming account for +70 and +60%, respectively.

Another intriguing trend in China’s internet audio and video business is the increase in users paying for this type of content (as we will see with Bilibili), with more than 45% of users paying. 60% of these users were born after 1990.

Bilibili User Statistics

Bilibili’s unique selling point is its ability to build a highly sticky community in the ACG culture niche market. Because of its rapid user growth, the company has moved into a variety of new industries, including advertising, mobile gaming, and e-commerce.

China’s  Young & Dynamic Gen Z Demographic

More than 80% of users are classified as Gen Z, or those born between 1990 and 2009. The average age of current Bilibili users is 21 years old, and the average age of newly registered users is 19.8 years old, with the majority of them living in second-tier cities and below.

All of this is exciting for businesses interested in China’s Generation Z customer, and even more so when considering Bilibili’s user engagement.

Aside from anime and gaming, Bilibili also has beauty, fashion, entertainment, advertising, and digital sectors. Users on Bilibili enjoy live streaming, which opens up potential for companies to collaborate with popular KOLs who are active on the platform.

Whatever industry a brand is in, there’s probably a way to use Bilibili’s strong content culture for customer acquisition and engagement.

Original & High Quality Content

Bilibili is a one-of-a-kind video portal that features both mainstream and non-mainstream anime, as well as original documentaries. In comparison to other video uploading services, this site stands out due to its extensive content offering.

This is due, in part, to Bilibili’s lower investment in original anime production compared to Youku and Tencent. As a result, Bilibili is able to license a wider range of anime than its competitors, which China’s Generation Z customers like.

Bilibili unveiled over 50 new Chinese anime titles during ANIME MADE BY BILIBILI 2021-2022, which took place on November 20 in Shanghai last year. The annual news conference highlights Bilibili’s past accomplishments as well as new plans for Chinese animation. To better encourage industry talent, the business recently developed the “Light Catcher Initiative.”

The great quality of the content is at the heart of Bilibili, and it is the key reason why its user base is not just loyal, but also motivates them to become premium customers.

Strict membership rules ensure passionate and knowledgeable members

Currently, the Bilibili Site is China’s sole large-scale video-sharing platform with rigorous access requirements.

If a new user wishes to become an official member, they must first take a 100-question quiz covering topics ranging from corporate history to Japanese manga artists. Although such a rigorous access method inhibits overall user growth, it essentially ensures the quality of Bilibili users.

These high-end users have strengthened the dynamics of the Bilibili-Platform community culture, which is shown vividly in Bilibili users’ usage time and retention rate.

Core Advantages Of Bilibili

1) High conversion, with the News Feed Ads on the homepage and Traffic Native Ads over the whole website

2) Special CPT(Cost-Per-Thousand) advertising space with competitive daily payment

3) Supports external connections, entry of e-commerce and direct mail for a single product, entry of games, product recommendation by the uploaders, and the conversion driven by fans.

4) Orientation for specified video keyword

A Highly Interactive Same-screen Social Experience Called Danmu

The most distinctive feature of Bilibili is Danmu. This is a user dialogue system designed for Niconico in which time-synced comments are superimposed directly on top of the video as it plays.

Here’s a picture of Danmu.

The Danmu system offers a dramatically social viewing experience akin to being in a boisterous movie theatre: during critical times in a video, reactions flood over the video in a dense tidal wave, frequently completely covering over the source content.

People visit Bilibili for the community as well as the videos. It provides Bilibili an advantage because customers report feeling as if they are viewing their favourite episodes with friends.

Bilibili Target Sectors

One of Bilibili’s primary value propositions is its ability to capitalize on trends that are important to younger Chinese consumers. The platform has its origins in China’s ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) subculture, which has been popular among young Chinese consumers, and it has now extended into more general lifestyle categories such as food, travel, and fitness. With that growing user base has come a torrent of brand investment, particularly in the IT, food and beverage, and sports sectors.

China’s ACG community is expanding steadily across all age groups. Bilibili has also become one of China’s most popular beauty marketing platforms, thanks to its creators’ makeup lessons, cosmetics reviews, unboxing videos, and other content. The number of beauty businesses with an official Bilibili presence more than doubled between June 2020 and June 2021.

Growing visitor volumes on video platforms have prompted organizations to reassess their traditional digital marketing efforts and shift their focus to this medium of communication. Most businesses in China have already adopted ByteDance’s Douyin and WeChat’s Channels. But, there is still an unexplored video platform that luxury brands can look to leverage. That platform is Bilibili.

Ads & Mini Programs

There is also the option of placing ads in KOL channels or running typical display ads to market products on Bilibili. This assists advertisers in gaining the attention of their target demographic.

Since Alibaba’s investment in Bilibili in April 2019, the platform’s focus has shifted from user acquisition to e-commerce. This is primarily due to the introduction of new e-commerce miniprograms on Bilibili, which are now the most efficient way to sell on the platform.

Bilibili also started a mini-program in 2019 where celebrities sell cosmetics.

Some Tips To Summarise

1) Users can purchase things by clicking on the “commodities” column on the homepage, rather than going to third-party websites. So, make sure you open a store in this column.

2) Creators of content can include links to their products in “Danmu” or under the videos.

3)Collaboration with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) or Key Opinion Customers (KOCs) might be an excellent way to market your company on Bilibili.

4)The collaboration between Taobao and Bilibili gives the latter the opportunity to investigate “content-related e-commerce,” allowing Bilibili to employ Taobao analytics tools to improve the user experience.

And finally, when it comes to your Bilibili marketing strategy, we say- If you’re going to do it, do it well. To generate winning video content, you need a competent team. If you want to see viral videos on your channel, you must have the correct director, scriptwriter, actors, equipment, and storytelling. Contact us today to get started.

The post Bilibili Marketing – A 2022 Guide appeared first on Digital Crew.

It’s common to think of WeChat as just a messaging app and compare it to WhatsApp, but it has so much more to offer.

WeChat’s most popular features, apart from its messaging service, also include games, video chatting, phone calling, and QR code scanning. Not to mention the user-friendly payment system — WeChat Pay.

What is WeChat Pay?

WeChat’s virtual wallet payment system was introduced in 2013, is extremely user-friendly, and is integrated within the app itself. This means that users can pay for things without leaving the app to visit another website.

It allows users to connect their bank accounts and purchase daily items with a single tap on their phone.

This service analyses and optimises o2o consumer experience, and delivers professional internet solutions for physical business when combined with WeChat official accounts. It is one of the default mobile payment systems used by the Chinese consumer.

WeChat Pay has-

1)Quick Pay
2)QR Code Payment
3)In-App Web-based Payment
4)In-App Payment
5)Mini Program Payment, to fulfil different payment situations.

How safe is it?

WeChat Pay offers full transaction insurance 24 hours a day, seven days a week to protect users. It also incorporates data encryption, internet phishing protection, and payment limitations as security measures.

User behaviour is also continuously monitored for suspicious activity, and multi-step verification systems are in place to ensure users can make secure payments.

Can overseas businesses benefit from WeChat Pay?

WeChat Pay is now accepted in 13 foreign currencies. Retailers in 28 countries and regions have adopted it as a payment mechanism for online and offline transactions.

WeChat Pay is an app created specifically keeping the Chinese consumers, who want to travel and shop abroad, in mind.

Here is how overseas vendors can improve the quality of the service they provide to Chinese customers, through WeChat Pay.

a) Real Time Currency Exchange

WeChat Pay enables Chinese customers to pay in RMB while making a purchase abroad.

Let’s say the products are in GBP. WeChat Pay uses the China Construction Bank’s (CCB) real-time exchange rate to transfer GBP for Chinese customers to pay with. This method is quite convenient because it removes the need to exchange foreign currency and so saves the additional exchange fee.

The merchants will receive GBP as the settlement currency rather than needing to exchange money. WeChat provides a cross-border payment solutions, and functions as a bridge between Chinese clients and international merchants in this process.

b) Overcoming The Language Barrier

Because they are headquartered in another country, merchants may encounter significant challenges when working with Chinese customers. Aside from communication issues, Chinese customers’ buying habits and styles are quite foreign to merchants abroad.

For starters, during the purchasing process, a fluent communication with a payment processor they are familiar with, can assist international merchants in providing a better service and experience to their Chinese customers.

Once the Chinese tourists have departed, the foreign businesses can utilise WeChat’s promotional products to retain long-term communication and contact with them, perhaps opening the door to future transactions.

In Closing

Given the number of users WeChat has, and the endless possibilities and features like WeChat Pay that it possesses, it would be highly helpful if local and international companies began to use this platform to build their business.

This can be accomplished by establishing a WeChat E-commerce or, as it is also known, a WeChat store, which we shall discuss in a future blog. So, stay tuned

The post WeChat Pay & Its Striking Benefits For Foreign Businesses in 2022 appeared first on Digital Crew.

Xiaohongshu is largely used by young Chinese females to provide reviews on cosmetics, beauty items, fashion, and so on. You’ll notice a lot of Xiaohongshu KOLs pushing various items and sharing their thoughts on them.

Why are KOLs necessary?

KOLs are considered trustworthy. Users pay attention to high-quality content shared on a brand account, but they will always value user-generated content more. Many consumers rely on KOLs to help them cut through the noise and make speedy purchasing decisions.

KOLs understand how to develop the appropriate type of content for the platform. They can write in a conversational, informative tone that appears genuine.

KOLs confirm desirability. If a consumer goes to Xiaohongshu to investigate your goods and finds little to no user-generated content about it, they become dubious about the product’s quality. KOLs also aid in the discovery of new audiences for your business.

The 3 Types of  Xiaohongshu KOLs 

1. Loyal platform users who organically developed an audienceThese influencers, whether micro or top-tier (explained below), are likely to have a solid understanding of the platform, and a strong connection to its audience.
2. Other platform influencers – Example: Weibo and WeChatAs Xiaohongshu grows in popularity, an increasing number of established influencers have launched accounts on the platform. Working with them has the advantage of allowing them to post material for a single campaign across several platforms; however, unless they’ve been on Xiaohongshu for a long time, they may not be as effective as a ‘homegrown’ influencer.
3. CelebritiesMany celebs, both from China & the West, have joined Xiaohongshu. Chinese celebs use it to connect with fans; content is generally more behind-the-scenes and casual, compared to what you see on their Weibo accounts.

Here is a classification based on follower count & average cost:

Gifting & Price Negotiation

Because RED is an open forum for product evaluations and suggestions, product seeding is an excellent approach for brands to obtain exposure on the network. Gifting is an excellent way for brands to engage KOLs for product seeding, especially for brands that are new to the market.

There will always be KOLs that refuse a non paying gig, but with enough effort, marketers can always discover KOLs who understand the value in your product or brand and are prepared to conduct free content seeding in exchange for gifting. If the collaboration is easy and the content is compelling, try working with them on subsequent sponsored campaign as well.

This content will be far more authentic than a paid collaboration. The table above shows the typical pricing range for KOL content if you pay for it.

In Closing

Dealing with Xiaohongshu KOLs  for content seeding is less expensive than working with WeChat KOLs, who charge exorbitant fees. Working with the correct KOLs to provide interesting content, similar to Weibo and WeChat, is the key to a successful campaign.

At Digital Crew, a multicultural marketing agency in Sydney, we help you leverage your brand presence among KOLs through our advertising strategies that include sponsored posts, product reviews, KOL giveaways and other KOL campaigns. Get in touch with us today.

The post KOLs on Xiaohongshu – What You Need To Know To Get Started in 2022 appeared first on Digital Crew.

Here are some updates, insights, and a behind-the-scenes look, that will give you a deeper understanding of how China’s biggest retail extravaganza was put together this year.

1) A large number of SMEs (about two-thirds of the 290,000 retailers) participated. This meant more options for consumers.

2) Apple and cosmetics brand L’Oréal sold more than RMB100 million ($15.6 million) between midnight on November 1 and 00:45 on November 11.

3) As esports becomes more popular, gaming desks and seats, mouses, graphics cards, and gaming laptops were among the most popular items for this year’s 11.11.

4) Consumers From Smaller Cities and Rural Areas powered this year’s 11.11. Spending by these consumers increased by nearly 25% compared to last year.

5) During the first two hours of 11.11 pre-sales on October 20, more than 20,000 buyers purchased green home appliances, saving 300 tonnes of carbon emissions that would otherwise be emitted by the manufacture and use of inefficient appliances.

6) Thousands of brands ramped up special privileges to engage their top customers. This included limited-edition goods and member-only vouchers, as well as complimentary after-sales maintenance and repairs.

7) Tmall Global businesses incorporated short films from influencers and Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) on their product sites, thanks to recent enhancements. And, a newly created warehouse network enabled next-day deliveries in China.

8) More than 200 premium and designer labels took part, including, for the first time, Hermes and Saint Laurent.

9) Consumers could buy one shoe for half the price of a pair on Tmall’s brand flagship stores. This was part of the “One Shoe Program” that aimed to make shopping more accessible to people with disabilities.

10) Taobao Live, which is used by brands to sell their products on Taobao’s virtual marketplace, introduced a number of new livestreaming capabilities, including content marketing tools and brand channel membership programs.

11) Taobao Deals and Idle Fish launched Mini-Programs on WeChat, while Youku, Damai, Ele.me, and Kaola used WeChat Pay to handle platform transactions. This 11.11, shoppers were able to make purchases using UnionPay and other payment partners for the first time.

12) This year, Alibaba donated RMB1 for every 11.11 purchase that was successfully shared on social media by users. The proceeds from this year’s 11.11 will primarily benefit three groups of people: the elderly living alone, kids left in rural places while their parents work in cities, and low-income households in emerging regions.

13) To enable contactless delivery, it also used robots to manage its smart warehouse and deliver items directly to people’s doorsteps.

14) Taobao’s senior mode features larger texts and icons and voice-assisted technology, making it easier for senior citizens to search for products using voice commands.

Digital Crew is a Chinese digital marketing agency that can help your business successfully provide the best shopping experience to your consumers during all major holidays. Get in touch with us today.

The post Singles’ Day 2021 – Sustainability, Inclusivity & $84.54 bn in sales! appeared first on Digital Crew.

Oyo and Ctrip enter a mutually beneficial relationship for a stronger grip over the hotel industry in China and India. This move is among one of the biggest ones by a Chinese investor in India’s OTA (Online Travel Agency) space and has struck at a time when India’s online travel segment has forecasted to touch $48 billion (Rs 3.3 lakh crore) by 2020.

The move, however, is more of a complementary one where both the companies benefit equally across multiple areas of business, that include demand generation by providing access to customers of both brands, online-to-offline services integration, data operation and branding.

Oyo said the partnership will enable Ctrip to leverage the Indian company’s “volume of low-cost assets” while Oyo will benefit from Ctrip’s distribution network and the platform ecosystem.

Chinese Investor Strategy

Ctrip has also invested in Make My Trip, India’s largest travel company. India’s budget hotel chain Oyo isn’t the only one that has received Chinese funding. Chinese investors have been backing up Oyo’s rival – Treebo hotels as well as smaller companies in the segment, such as the Gurugram-based HappyEasyGo.

“As two large developing countries and major emerging market economies, China and India both have a huge domestic market.” Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce. “The economies of both countries are highly complementary to each other, creating enormous potential for co-operation.”

Why The Interest In India?

Ctrip is cashing in on the upward momentum in India’s online travel market according to analysts. When MakeMyTrip set up operations in 2000, it was solely focused on the US-India expat travel route and Indians were still fairly new to the internet, extremely hesitant to carry out transactions online. That changed very quickly with the fresh force of tech-savvy millennial consumers.

How Ctrip Benefits From Oyo

“Oyo is becoming very popular with young people there (in China),” said Ritesh Agarwal, owner of Oyo rooms. “How do we create a unique experience at a price point of 100 to 150 yuan ($15) per night, which is what they appreciate? So, it makes sense for Oyo Jiudian (Oyo’s name in China) and Ctrip to form a deeper relationship.”

Agarwal pointed out that Ctrip is focused on secondary and smaller cities in China, which complements Oyo’s supply.

“Ctrip gets access to our quality inventory in tier two to tier five markets in China,” he said. “Additionally, China is the world’s fastest-growing outbound travel market, so we expect more traffic for India, UK, Southeast Asia, and other markets where Oyo is present.”

In China, Oyo said it has become the second largest hotel chain in room count over the past 18 months. It claims 450,000 rooms in China from 10,000 hotels in 320 cities, surpassing the scale of traditional and established hotel chain brands in the country such as Home Inn and Hanting.

Agarwal said Oyo enjoys a good relationship with online travel agencies in China, including Fliggy. “Ctrip is a completely new size and impact,” he said.

Many other OTA players from the hotel segment in India have drawn Chinese interest. Hongkong’s Ward Ferry owns a 6% share in Treebo. Digital payments firm Paytm that is also backed by Alibaba, is making inroads in flight and hotel bookings in India

China and India continue to grow their relations across the business landscape and this growing relationship with Indian OTA players is symbiotic with Chinese investors looking to make their mark in the world’s second-most populous country.

The post Indian Hospitality Chain Oyo Strikes A Chord with China’s Ctrip appeared first on Digital Crew.

Meituan Dianping aka China’s Ubereats is its largest on-demand food delivery firm that also offered bike sharing and ride hailing services initially. The app successfully managed to raise $4.2 billion earlier this year through its initial public offering in Hong Kong.

Meituan currently has about 340 million active users who are able to use the platform to order meals, book hotel rooms and arrange various forms of transport. It combines a range of services with similarities to Groupon, Yelp and UberEats through the 4.7 million merchants that have joined the platform, which in turn allows Meituan to earn its revenue through commissions and delivery fees.

Why Did Meituan Decide To Ditch Bike Sharing & Ride hailing?

In April, Meituan tried to break into the bike-sharing fray that was initially dominated by DiDi Chuxing prior to the passenger murders. It also managed to face off Alibaba-backed Ofo. Over the past few years, Mobike and Ofo were burning through large sums of investor money in a bid to win users from subsidized rider, but both have shown signs of slowing down their ride games.

Overcrowded With Competitors

Mobike is downsizing its fleets to “avoid an oversupply” as the bike-sharing market falters, Meituan’s chief financial officer – Chen Shaohui said during the earning call. Ofo has also scaled back by closing down most of its international operations.

Meituan stated that it has no plans to expand car-hailing beyond its two piloting cities – Shanghai and Nanjing – after venturing into the field to take on DiDi Chuxing last December.

Revenue From Food Delivery Services?

Meituan’s major source of income is from the food delivery business that accounted for 62% of its revenues in 2017. Meituan’s competitors are going all out to lure consumers away with steep discounts in what has effectively become a race to the bottom. Alibaba’s food-delivery unit – Ele.me has set aside hundreds of millions of dollars for cheaper meal access. The ride-sharing giant DiDi Chuxing is also expanding its food-delivery service known as DiDi Foodie, which is now available in four Chinese cities since its beta-launch in April.

Scope For The Food Delivery Market In China

Aside from fending off heavy competition, Meituan also has to spend to attract new users. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the food-delivery market only accounts for less than 10% of China’s total dining market. To grow the market further and get more people to use its app, Meituan has been subsidizing meal purchases so that consumers have greater incentives to go order online.

Route For The Future?

Meituan’s latest filing says that it is currently focused on “expanding our customer base, satisfying unmet customer needs and enhancing our network, rather than prioritizing monetization now.” A spokesperson said that the company has no comment on the pricing of its shares and the investments from Li and Lau.

The post China’s UberEats – Meituan Dianping, Abandons Bike Sharing And Ride Hailing appeared first on Digital Crew.

Digital Crew At CIIE: The Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is like a huge “four-leaf clover”, became a weather vane for China to open to the world.

China’s first import fair ended on an impressive note,  exceeding all expectations. Digital Crew, the multilingual digital agency was present amidst entities like Facebook, Google and 3600 organisations from 172 countries, with more than 4,00,000 domestic and foreign buyers at the expo. China’s president Xi Jinping and Australia’s trade minister graced the expo with their presence to further encourage a rules-based multilateral trading system that allows for the effective flow of goods and services between Australia and China.

Digital Crew’s general managers Carmen Zhao & Jhin Chan from the Australia and China team hosted the audience at the booth. The multilingual team assisted visitors with enquiries about the global market, trade, wechat and weibo services overseas etc. The visitors interacted with the booth through a digital screen stationed at the venue.

Statistics from the China International Import and Export Expo shows that the first import fair traded a fruitful harvest, with a cumulative figure of $57.83 billion. As a ground-breaking platform for co-operation, the Expo was an important public product that China provided to the world for all countries to benefit. The 60-page list of exhibitors in the Expo had businesses from categories that included services, automotive, smart and high-end equipment, consumer electronics, home appliances, clothing, medical equipment, healthcare, food and agricultural products.

Digital Crew displayed their services alongside major entities like Google & Facebook in the technological services sector as it bridges communication gaps between China and the rest of the world thereby, functioning as a portal for trade and digital development.

President Xi Jinping, at the opening ceremony stated that ‘China’s economic growth over the past 40 years has been achieved with a commitment to opening-up. In the same vein, high-quality development of China’s economy in the future can only be guaranteed with greater openness. I have made it clear once and again that China’s door will never be closed. It will only open still wider. China will not stop its effort to pursue higher-quality opening-up! China will not stop its effort to pursue an open world economy! And China will not stop its effort to pursue a community with a shared future for mankind!’

You can reach the entire speech here -> http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/05/c_137583815.htm

‘As a multilingual team, we encourage businesses to grow and expand to countries with massive potential and lend all the support they need through our marketing services for effective communication’ Carmen Zhao, general manager – Digital Crew.

The post Digital Crew At CIIE 2018, An Expo That Welcomed 2,00,000 Global Citizens appeared first on Digital Crew.

The Alibaba Hema Store

The onset of Alibaba Hema stores have now added a new twist to the old Chinese joke that said ‘The Chinese people like to live near good public schools’ but now it’s replaced with ‘The Chinese people want to live close to the Hemas, because they can now get everything delivered to them very easily!’

The Chinese tech giant that is valued at $500 million plans to go after the offline world to establish its presence. The investments in physical retail stores has helped the company fulfil its ‘New Retail’ vision with Hema.

What Is Hema?

This video that is self-explanatary gives you a gist of what we tell you about Hema

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEbYNJZ9iJ4

The fresh food-focused supermarket offers customers the ability to shop in-store or on its app, see the origins of the products in the store, have food delivered for free or prepared for pickup within 30 minutes, and pay with facial recognition technology.

The name Hema stands for ‘Boxed/packaged freshness and liveliness”. The clever name choice happens to be its selling point even in the long run keeping in mind the ‘stale food’ stigma that inhibits online food purchase for most Chinese people. It promises ultra-fresh meat, veggies, fruit and sea food.

Where are they located?

There are over 65 Hema Xiansheng locations in China. Most are located in high-end shopping malls or mixed-used developments close to where Chinese people both work and live. Core to Hema’s model is that it offers free 30-minute grocery deliveries to a 3-kilometer radius.

How Does It Work?

In order to shop at Hema, you have to download the app, which logs all of your purchases, saves your preferences and delivery address, and allows you to pay with Alipay, Alibaba’s mobile payments provider. After shopping at Hema, you’ll have a personalized product page based on your preferences and purchases.

Unique Selling Point Of This Store

Freshness is a big deal in the Chinese culture. The two words for freshness in Mandarin, namely one for ‘crisp’ fruits and vegetables that is ‘新鲜’ and another for freshly butchered meat and fish that is  ‘鲜嫩’. That’s how particular the Chinese are about their groceries and Hema has managed to blur this line with convenience.

The most important attraction of the Hema store is its expansive live seafood section that is equal to a traditional outdoor supermarket and the best part? Customers can select their produce and also get it cooked on the spot to for customers to consume it. The in-dining option certainly reinforces a customer’s faith in quality produce.

In-Dining Section

In addition to its traditional grocery items, Hema has an expansive prepared foods section. It’s a little like a high-end food court, with enough space to seat 100 people. Because Hema stores are usually near office buildings, it’s a very popular lunch spot.

Customized Robot shopping

Thanks to Alibaba’s deep trove of data on consumers — the company had nearly 500 million active consumers on its platforms in 2017 — as well as the data collected by the Hema app, each Hema store is able to tailor its stock based on the spending habits of those who frequent the shop.

Product Information

All items in the store have a barcode that can be scanned in the app to provide information about a product’s origin, the company behind the product, cooking instructions, nutritional information, and pricing. Customers can even add a product to an online order to be delivered at another time

Fast Delivery?

The Key to changing consumers’ mindsets around online purchasing is Hema’s ultrafast delivery, which promises grocery deliveries in under 30 minutes for those living within 3 kilometers. Some stores offer 24-hour 30-minute delivery.

What is the aim of this store?

The supermarket offers around 3,000 different products in each store, while the Hema app has over 50,000 items. Prices are synchronized between online and offline via electronic shelf labels. The goal of the store, according to founder Hou Yi, is “to drive offline customers to shop online.” 85% of sales in China still happen offline.

The post Alibaba Reinforces Its New Retail By Hema appeared first on Digital Crew.

The movie ‘Dying To Survive’ hit $451.1 million USD at the box office. After four days of successful previews, worth $48 million, the film was given a maximum push by exhibitors Releasing with 167,000 screenings, it raced off to a soaring $36.1 million, according to data from Ent Group. Later that week, it expanded to 187,000 sessions for $57.8 million, and was followed by $57.2 million from 193,000 screenings.

Why was it such a hit?

The movie highlighted a pressing issue about strict policies on cancer drug imports from India. It took into confidence a strong social issue and broke tradition with its comical take on illegal imports for a good cause.

Dying to survive tells the tale of a health supplements peddler, played by comedic actor Xu Zheng, who smuggles unapproved drugs from India to sell to leukaemia patients for more affordable prices. While Xu’s character initially goes into the trade purely for its lucrativeness, his motives begin to change and become more altruistic as he realizes the significance of his work and the lives he could save. The movie was inspired by a real-life incident in China. In 2015, a man called Lu Yong was charged for importing and selling a cheaper, “knockoff” version of Gleevec, a leukaemia medication. Lu himself suffered from leukaemia and began purchasing Gleevec tablets produced by an Indian pharmaceutical company for other patients who couldn’t afford the “real,” sanctioned drug. The indictment was later quashed after the patients that had benefited from Lu’s actions petitioned the court to lessen the sentence and release him.

How did a film that was based on a very touchy subject get the green light in China?

China’s censors rarely green-light mass releases of films on touchy subjects

But the key villain in Dying To Survive is the pharmaceutical industry, and the Communist Party apparently saw the propaganda value of a movie that portrays the government as responsive on the issue

The government announced earlier this year that it would lift tariffs on many cancer treatments, and the buzz around the film’s release has coincided with yet more changes

In late June, it was announced that dozens of previously-barred imported drugs had been added to national medical insurance

After the release of Dying To Survive rekindled the discussion, China’s drug administration said it also would remove hurdles to foreign generic drugs “to better satisfy the medication need of China’s patients”

Bai Feng, the original prosecutor in Lu’s case, told a government-run news portal after the film came out that Lu’s case helped change government thinking

“It promoted a transition in our concept of justice and the perception of how we enforce the law,” Bai said.

A Shift In China’s Movie Market Is A Sign Of Searing Government Reforms

The movie’s social realist themes also recall a hit Bollywood movie Dangal, a wrestling drama film, which dealt with issues of gender discrimination in sports that went on to become the highest-grossing Bollywood movie in China’s box office history. Critics have noted that the strong box office performances of movies like Dying To Survive and Dangal and the positive reception by movies such as Angels Wear White and Twenty-Two signals a change in China’s movie market, where more domestic movies are embracing the challenge of tackling difficult social issues.

The post Here’s How The Movie ‘Dying To Survive’ Moved Regulations On Cancer Drugs In China appeared first on Digital Crew.