As China opens up once again, many global businesses that had postponed or toned down their activities and engagement with this market will start thinking about the future. Here are three things that have changed over the last 3 years Within the space of a week in December, China relaxed all the COVID restrictions thatContinue reading “China 2023: Navigating changing tides”
Category Archives: English
The coming cinema boom in China
China was the biggest box-office market in 2021 (partly aided by lockdowns in the US) and with the lifting of COVID measures, is likely to come roaring back in 2023 It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a movie hall in China. The last time I went, every alternate seat was blocked off,Continue reading “The coming cinema boom in China”
Fake meat and non-alcoholic beer – why one does well while the other struggles
Quick – which do you think is doing better in the market? Plant-based meat or non-alcoholic beer? It may not be the one you read about more often these days… In recent times, companies like Beyond Meat have brought plant-based meat substitutes into the public eye considerably. However, when examining some facts and figures aboutContinue reading “Fake meat and non-alcoholic beer – why one does well while the other struggles”
Famous in China (9)
The largest selling brand of BEV (battery electric vehicles, basically 100% electric) is the Chinese brand BYD (比亚迪) which has recently overtaken Tesla – a classic example of a brand that’s famous in China and actually leads its category, but isn’t known in the rest of the world. Sales of electric vehicles continue to growContinue reading “Famous in China (9)”
Lockdown Creates Time to Find Opportunity
Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do. – Chess Grandmaster Savielly Tartakower As Shanghai enters its 8th week of city-wide lockdown, and other cities are just beginning their COVID measures, times have never been tougher for many businesses.Continue reading “Lockdown Creates Time to Find Opportunity”
Shanghai lockdown – lessons for consumer businesses
We’re now on day 36 of lockdowns in Shanghai (longer in Pudong) and it’s been very educational watching what consumers do, what they buy, which businesses manage to create opportunities for themselves and so on. Here are some key lessons we learned. 1. The importance of diversified supply chain Shanghai is, after all, just oneContinue reading “Shanghai lockdown – lessons for consumer businesses”
Inhospitable times for China’s hospitality industry
As Shanghai enters the 12th day of what was originally billed as a 4 day lockdown, the impact on businesses is very visible. We have clients who are affected and looking at their struggles and financial reforecasts for the year gives us a sense of the pain that many industries will face in China thisContinue reading “Inhospitable times for China’s hospitality industry”
Think global or local? Confused?
MNCs often find it hard to manage their China business. Local teams insist that it’s different and needs a unique approach. Regional and global teams are worried about departing from a brand framework and business strategy that’s proven successful everywhere else in the world. How can you frame this interaction positively and help the businessContinue reading “Think global or local? Confused?”
Awash with data, athirst for insight
As we look back on the client projects we worked on through 2021, one thing that stands out as a common theme across many of them is that the client already had more than enough data or research or information of various sorts to make good strategic decisions. Yet, somehow, they were usually in oneContinue reading “Awash with data, athirst for insight”
China’s Double 11 shopping festival cooling is an opportunity for brands to re-think
Unlike previous years, there is no barrage of real-time reports and chest-thumping assertions of being even bigger and better than ever before. Double 11 (November 11th) became famous as the world’s biggest online shopping day, dwarfing any such event anywhere in the world in terms of revenue. While it’s gone from a single day toContinue reading “China’s Double 11 shopping festival cooling is an opportunity for brands to re-think”
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