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China’s super consumers are the biggest and most important consumer class in history. In his new book China’s Super Consumers: What 1 Billion Customers Want and How to Sell it to Them,Tompkins International Principal Michael Zakkour explores the extraordinary birth of consumerism in China and explains who these super consumers are. Take a look at 10 interesting insights from the book:
- No matter what products or services you are selling, you cannot succeed in China or with Chinese consumers without first mastering culture, history, language, and philosophy.
- There is no “how to succeed in China” formula. Every company must start with the above to determine strategy, then implement structure and adjust every six months.
- China is not a “market,” but rather it is comprised of 22 distinct market clusters. The old model of marketing to Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III cities no longer applies.
- China has the second highest number of billionaires, only surpassed by the US. It also boasts 2 million millionaires and the world’s largest middle class at 350 million (will grow to 500 million in the next 5-10 years).
- China went from Sandpaper to Sephora and Feudalism to FENDI in 30 years. Consider this: in the late 1970s, Chinese women used sandpaper on their faces because there was no makeup. French cosmetics retailer Sephora now has more than 250 outlets in China.
- There is now a “China Global Consumer Demographic.” Companies must have a “China-US-World” strategy to engage them everywhere, not just in China.
- China has more e-shoppers (400 million) than the US has people (320 million).
- Alibaba, the world’s largest e-commerce company, generated $100 billion more in revenue than the second and third largest e-commerce companies (Amazon and eBay) combined in 2013. (Click here to watch The Alibaba Effect)
- The Chinese are thirsty—they drink more beer and wine than any country on Earth and have made China Starbucks’ #2 market in the world.
- Companies must rethink their global, regional, and local supply chains for China as the country is now a market as well as a production hub.
Click here to order your copy and visit www.chinasuperconsumers.com to learn more.
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