Seminar hears about lightning-fast product development that keeps enormous market interested.
Chinese companies are getting branded products onto the market in just three days, a phenomenon known as China Speed, a workshop on that country’s changing food sector was told.
That was one of several facts about the Chinese market revealed at a recent seminar hosted by the New Zealand China Council and the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
Presenters included NZ-raised Christiana Zhu, an alternative dairy entrepreneur based in Shanghai; Mark Tanner, who heads China market strategy for China Skinny; Cleo Gilmour, co-founder of LILO Desserts; and James Robertson, chief of staff at Fonterra.
They told the seminar that China Speed gives Chinese brands an advantage, allowing a concept or idea to enter the market in a few days compared to the 12 months of product and market development by companies in countries such as NZ.
Equally, products may not stay on the Chinese market for long, an intentional policy as producers constantly strive to find the Next Big Thing.
Flexibility is a tool of survival, the seminar was told.
Speakers described China as a country that has embraced technology with orders by mobile phone, robot room service in hotels, beggars displaying QR codes, and 400 million parcels delivered each day, or 5000 a second.
These are carried by 12 million drivers who deliver orders within 48 hours.
Consumers make food purchase decisions primarily based on taste but also emotional attachment to brand stories and provenance.
The main attraction of sustainably produced food for Chinese consumers is more its healthy impact on people and their families rather than on the planet.
Product traceability is seen as a storytelling tool and not just a compliance requirement, but the speakers noted competing international suppliers have similar promotions, with advertisements for Irish dairy products looking just like those for NZ.
Their message to NZ exporters was to have a crack, that their creativity and innovation can generate success in China but they need to understand their target consumer market and should not chase every trend.
They also noted that the Chinese government and businesses are adept at setting up and pursuing long-term goals
This was evident on city streets, which are quiet because the Chinese Government and auto-makers have adopted policies that support the manufacture and use of electric vehicles, with sales exceeding combustion engine vehicles since April 2024.
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