The most popular foreign products in China

Greater access to imported products

Chinese buy many imported products for several reasons. With the democratization of the means of access to imported products, imported products consumed by China is increasing rapidly.
Since the launch of Global Tmall by the Alibaba Group, the Chinese consumers have direct access to imported products. This new B2C platform enables  Western brands to settle in China efficiently and at the same time allows Chinese to buy imported products difficult to find in China or at more affordable prices. Tmall Global is convenient because it guarantees the delivery of products in China in a short time.

 

What are the products consumed by the Chinese?

Luxury goods are only part of the history of Chinese consumption. Apart from the Hermes bags and Rolex watches, what do our dear Chinese consumers look for ? Babies and motherhood for products. After the big scandal in 2008 around the powdered milk, the Chinese are being far more careful to food safety. The other most consumed by Chinese products: cosmetics, skin care, clothing, furniture,  electronics, food and nutritional supplements according to a study by Tmall.

 

What the Chinese do appreciate in western products?

Because of many food scandals, the Chinese are turning to imported products that ensure their food security. Who says said imported is authentic, Chinese associate foreign products to best quality products. in China there are a lot of counterfeit and toxic products. 61% of Chinese are willing to spend more for products made in the US according to The Boston Consulting Group.

 

Who are the Haitao?

“Haitao” is a Chinese word that literally means “sea research”, which is the desire of Chinese consumers to buy foreign products on the internet. This is a very popular phenomenon in China.

There are two groups of people who buy Western products:

The first group is composed of young women who buy mostly cosmetics and clothing. This is not really a need but rather a desire, the Chinese like  to have foreign products to show off their wealth. According to a survey by Tmall in 2014, 40% of Chinese consumers buy clothes, while 38% buy cosmetics.

The second group is that of married women when they are pregnant, they are looking for quality maternity products such as vitamins.
Once you get the baby, they will start to buy milk powder manufactured abroad and other products for infants.

ECommerce is very popular in China, these same women will continue thereafter to buy other products for their families because they trust more imported products than local products.

Consequences for Western retailers:

The lifestyle and tastes of the Chinese middle class continue to evolve, allowing foreign traders to profit. New opportunities for these traders are coming if they get to meet the demands and desires of Chinese consumers always looking for quality and authentic products.

The popularity of foreign products gives great opportunities for foreign companies to establish themselves and innovate in products to incentive more customer