AsureQuality’s China Marketing Insight Series #4

Welcome to AsureQuality’s China Marketing Insight Series

This is the fourth in the series of our insights and learnings around the China marketing calendar.(external link)

In this edition, we cover:

1. Shopping trends and stats from the Chinese New Year festival
2. Kiwi brand promotions for the Year of the Tiger
3. Independent testimony of brand credentials via WeChat

Shopping trends and stats from the Chinese New Year festival

Chinese New Year’s Hottest Shopping Trends

The Lunar New Year holidays (from 31 Jan to 6 Feb) are one of the most important festivities in the Chinese calendar. Many brands and merchants take this opportunity to activate marketing campaigns and stock up on popular items in anticipation of a surge in demand.

Alibaba Group’s online marketplace Taobao released(external link) the most popular purchases for the Lunar New Year (based on search statistics, sales figures, and gross merchandise volume.

Some of this Luna New Year’s must-haves include:

• Traditional food items

• Modern snow-sports equipment - popularised by the Winter Olympics in Beijing

• Anything Tiger-related to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, with the tiger symbolising strength, bravery, and fearlessness, which people are wishing for after two years in the shadow of COVID

• Household items to make life easier, such as floor-cleaning machines

• Pre-made foods that are easy to cook

The Year of the Tiger – stats so far

The year-on-year search volume for the term “tiger” on Tmall and Taobao, leapt by 874%(external link) over the Spring Festival, according to the Tmall research. Searches for tiger-themed hoodies and bags jumped 500% month-on-month, while consumers are buying 257,000 tiger-themed phone cases every day.

On JD, the sales revenue of tiger-themed designer toys and musical instruments, such as building blocks, remote control toys, and other toys and musical instruments, has increased by more than tenfold, while sales of baby carriages and cribs have increased by 35.8 percent(external link) .

While the global economy is struggling to emerge from the impacts of COVID-19, China saw a strong rebound in 2021, with 8.1-percent economic growth(external link) . The pace is well above its target of "above 6 percent" and brought the 2020-2021 average growth at 5.1 percent.

Kiwi brand promotions for the Year of the Tiger 

Kiwis are the first to welcome in the Chinese New Year!

The AsureQuality Assurance Marks team have also supported our AQ Assured brands’ New Year promotions in various ways, including shooting a video to showcase the sunrise on the farm to show to consumers that New Zealand is the first in the world to welcome in the Chinese New Year.

This promotion demonstrates the pasture environment of the farm and supports Chinese consumers' understanding of the free-range dairy farming practices that underpin New Zealand’s high-quality dairy products.

Innovative Kiwi Company’s unique promotion for Chinese New Year

Hawke’s Bay-based apple producer, Rockit Global, have stepped outside the box – the traditional gift box, and crafted more than 100,000 innovative new year themed gift boxes for the discerning Chinese retail market with gift boxes containing three or six-packs of snack-sized Rockit apples, along with traditional door banners, masks, stickers, and gift envelopes. Their beautifully designed dual-purpose gift boxes are constructed to double as kids’ costumes. With the cardboard box itself transforming into an interpretation of a tiger’s head.

Independent testimony of brand credentials via WeChat

To support our customers’ brands in China, we’ve set up AsureQuality’s official WeChat account. On our official WeChat account, you’ll find a menu introducing AsureQuality, AQ Assured Transparency Programme, and AQ Assured products. This provides Chinese consumers an official and convenient way to see an AQ Assured brand’s trusted endorsement, their verified attributes, and transparent supply chain information.

We also roll out AQ Assured brand stories and technical articles from time to time, informing Chinese consumers with an independent New Zealand Government testimony of a brand’s credentials to help build trust and deliver a superior level of assurance in the complex China market.

Search our WeChat ID: AsureQuality_NZ or scan the QR code below to explore the China market with us:

Assurance Marks protect New Zealand brands’ enduring trust in the international marketplace and deliver a superior level of trusted assurance.

Free consultation with personalised solutions

We support brands with claim substantiation, verification, and with co-marketing activities that deliver a superior lever of trusted assurance to help build consumer confidence, engagement, and sales. 

You can book a free 15-minute consultation(external link) to find out how you can leverage AsureQuality's NZ Government-owned independent food assurance expertise within your China marketing mix. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Look out for the next issue of our China Marketing Insights coming soon, which covers top China marketing trends in the Year of the Tiger and more.

If you’ve missed previous issues of our China Marketing Insight Series, you can find them here(external link) .

We look forward to sharing more with you soon!