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NZTE recently hosted a forum in Auckland to explore the growing Chinese commerce channel known as daigou. Literally translating to “buying on behalf of”, a daigou is a shopping agent buying products to send back to clients in China, and there are opportunities for New Zealand companies and daigou to work together.Keynote speakers at the China Digital Forum, as well as a group of panellists representing New Zealand brands and daigou wholesalers, shared their expertise on navigating the daigou channel.
Livia Wang, CEO of ACCESS CN, a Chinese marketing firm based in Sydney, has been active in the daigou space and recently organised the Daigou Expo in Australia. At this week’s forum Livia focused on how to reach and engage Chinese consumers. Her biggest piece of advice? “Think about your brand story, how you position daigous in your whole export journey, and give the daigous information and collateral that will help them run their business effectively.”
Watch highlights from the event here:
https://www.nzte.govt.nz/en/news-and-media/blogs-and-commentary/2016/12/22/spotlight-on-chinese-e-commerce-channel-daigou/
Jerry Clode is Director of SMART@Resonance, a social media and strategy company based in Shanghai working with some of the world’s top luxury and lifestyle brands. Jerry zeroed in on how companies can build a strong brand story in China at last week’s forum: “The most important thing about building a brand story is that it’s truly differentiated from others. Quite often brands are focused on the idea of pleasing their consumers but they need to do be doing that from their own unique starting point.”
Daigou is just one part of the e-commerce system in China and shouldn’t be used in isolation. Instead, New Zealand brands wanting to connect with consumers in China should take the lead in building strong brand stories in China. Finding reliable partners and establishing the supply chain are just the first steps; regulation compliance and smart marketing strategies are also needed.
New Zealand brands also need to ensure their IP rights are well secured, including a Chinese name to use in brand messaging. Also, think about the consumer – what are their needs, wants, desires, now and in the near future. Ask yourself, how can you satisfy these needs better than my competitors?
By Mike Arand, China Buiness Development Advisor, NZTE
Feb 1, 2017