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I was invited to be on CCTV-America, the America bureau for China Central Television, to discuss China’s middle class and what it means to Western brands. Here is a clip: Apparently, CCTV-America was launched last February in the United States. It broadcasts a daily program from its Washington DC production center.
Eight years after Burger King first entered the China market in 2005, the world’s second largest burger chain restaurant has only 63 restaurants in the country, falling far short of its own plan of opening 250 to 300 restaurants by 2012. Many analysts pointed to Burger King’s uphill battle with its competitors. Both Yum! Brands and McDonald’s entered China much earlier and both have established significant presence in the country. Yum! China has more than 4,000 KFCs and 750 Pizza Huts, in addition to its China-based units East Dawning and Little Sheep. McDonald’s China division has more than 1,500 locations. However, there is plenty of demand for more than two big American restaurant chains in China’s $29 billion fast food market, thanks to a growing Chinese middle class. Here are a few things Burger King can do to catch up: Myth that Chinese Don’t Eat Beef Burger King has failed to play up the advantages of its traditional beef dishes. Instead, it added chicken burgers, believing Chinese prefer chicken to beef. The reason many Chinese consume more pork and chicken is because they are more affordable and readily available. Chinese farmers typically raise pigs and chickens to sell in the market, while cows are used mainly for farming. The truth is that Chinese consumers consider beef a quality meat because it has less fat. Continue reading What You Can Learn from Burger King’s Missteps As 2012 comes to an end, pundits and analysts alike are making predictions for 2013. Many things could happen in 2013, but one thing is almost certain: China will be the largest e-commerce market in the world. Already, the country has the largest population of online shoppers. In June 2012, people who shopped online in China reached 210 million, compared 179 million in the United States. Chinese consumers have always been a mystery to many Western companies. Little is known about their spending behavior and buying habits. As they come of age, certain characteristics are starting to emerge. Here are five new trends of Chinese consumers: Value Seekers A quintessential trait of Chinese consumers is that they are value seekers. They will search hard for the best deals, to make sure they get good value for their money. That means they will spend a lot of time researching products and comparing prices. They tend to resist impulse buying (despite some conspicuous spending), and are more likely to get cues from their friends as to which products to buy. This trait actually applies to both high- and low-income groups, although it is more apparent in consumers with lower incomes. I know this intuitively, and from first-hand experience. Having lived in the West for over 20 years, I am still “good at saving money” (as my husband put it) when it comes to a purchase. For example, I eyed a giclee painting from ZGallerie for several months before I bought it on sale. I searched on the Internet for comparable paintings, and was willing to wait for holiday sales to make the purchase. I am not the most frugal person you can find in the world, but like most Chinese, I am naturally good at finding good deals. Continue reading Five New Trends of Chinese Consumers And how American companies can seize the opportunities…The Chinese middle class is expanding rapidly, reaching 474 million this year, according to my latest calculation. Many people may challenge this number. But it’s just arithmetic. In a recent report “Consuming China,” McKinsey indicates that 83 % of households in China’s mega cities (cities with population of over 10 million: Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Tianjin) and 66 % in the rest of the cities are middle class families. By the end of 2011, China’s urban population reached 691 million. Do the simple math, and you will get the same number I got: the population of the Chinese middle class was 474 million, with 88 million living in mega cities, and 386 million in smaller cities. This means the Chinese middle class accounts for 68 percent of urban population, which is believable to me. Assuming two percent are super rich, still about 30 percent of the people in urban areas are poor. Some would argue that there are different criteria to measure the size of the Chinese middle class. A simple and important rule of thumb, as stated in my book The Chinese Dream, is that of a household with a third of its income for discretionary spending. These people have passed the threshold of survival and have disposable income to spend on leisure items. As I travel around China, it’s very clear to me that the majority of people in urban areas have reached this stage. Chinese Consumers Love “Made in USA” Products The rising Chinese middle class is the biggest story of our time. However, many US companies are missing the opportunity. US exports to China account for only 6 percent of China’s total imports. The major categories of US exports to are in industrial sectors such as power generation equipment, aircraft, and medical equipment. The biggest opportunity, however, is in the consumer sector. On November 11, China’s “Single Day” shopping festival, online retailers Tmall (B2C) and Taobao Marketplace (C2C) generated a record revenue of $3.1 billion, more than the total sales in the U. S. on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Before long, China will become the world’s largest consumer market, and its consumption could reach $13 to $16 trillion by 2020. Better yet, Chinese consumers love American goods and are willing to pay more for them. Continue reading The Chinese Middle Class Approaches Half a Billion |
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