While massive amounts of money is being spent on marketing in the run-up to the Olympics to capture China 250 million strong emerging middle class, unfortunately most marketing campaigns are failing to deliver the results that the sponsors like Coca-Cola or Adidas were hoping for. My latest piece looks at the effectiveness of Olympics sponsorship and …
Read the rest of “Beijing Olympic Sponsorship’s A Waste” or post a comment >>
By Shaun Rein
This article originally appeared in Business Week
The subprime debacle has rattled retail sales in the U.S., forcing many companies to downgrade sales estimates as consumers shy away from checkout counters. Luxury retailers and credit-card companies in the U.S. have recently reported bearish projections for the coming quarters.
China, however, is a retail market on the rise. In 2007 China posted 17% growth in retail spending. Electronics retailers Guomei and Suning posted record numbers, and both paint positive pictures for the future as Chinese consumers continue to buy LCD TVs from LG Electronics and mobile phones from Nokia (NOK).
Much of this continued growth is fueled by Chinese under the age of 32. My firm, the China Market Research Group (CMR), conducted in-depth interviews with 500 Chinese between the ages of 22 and 32 in 10 cities to gauge whether fears of a global slowdown would influence their shopping habits. Read the rest of “China’s Rising Retail Market” or post a comment
Luxury retailing in China clearly presents tremendous opportunities, but also risks and challenges. In addition to heightening competition as is common among emerging markets, the most significant and relevant of challenges for luxury brands concern Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regulations, the time frame for a return on investment, low luxury brand awareness, booming Chinese tourism and limited retail infrastructure.
Read the rest of “Luxury Brands in China: Part IV” or post a comment >>
By Nick Debnam & George Svinos, KPMG
For certain luxury brands, China has already outstripped both Japan and Hong Kong as the largest single market in Asia Pacific. (37) But the growing presence of luxury brands in China is bringing with it greater competition. The country’s busiest streets, such as Nanjing Road in Shanghai, are witnessing fierce competition among the world’s luxury brands. While some have warned that the China market is becoming saturated, (38) for the time being the environment is still a positive one for potential entrants.
As most Chinese consumers have low levels of brand awareness, they also have low levels of brand loyalty. However this also means that sales staff can be an extremely powerful tool –with the ability to not only inform consumers of the benefits of their brand, but sway them towards making a purchase.
Read the rest of “Luxury Brands in China: Part III” or post a comment
By Nick Debnam & George Svinos, KPMG
While hard work and plain living have been revered virtues of the Chinese people for generations, there has been a growth in demand for foreign-branded or imported goods.(19) But running counter to the growing habit of consumption in China is the traditional propensity to save. Though luxury consumption is growing, for most the dominant social idea is still prudent consumption and undertaking no more than you can perform. (20)
Research suggests that while the emerging middle class will continue to save heavily, they will also spend increasing amounts of money. (21) This is consistent with trends that suggest that China’s younger generation of teenagers and twenty-somethings show less of the caution of their parents and grandparents, and far more inclination to spend than to save. Read the rest of “Luxury Brands in China, Part II” or post a comment
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