The new powder milk scandal in China
Officials
from Yongxing County in Chenzhou are investigating the sale of a protein drink
known as Bei An Min allegedly passed as a milk formula at an outlet in China.
Parents of
five children have advised the county market surveillance authority that:
- their children have developed eczema, a condition that makes the skin red and itchy,
- they have had dramatic weight loss,
- they developed a swollen head after drinking milk.
According
to Hunan TV, parents went to the store to buy amino acid-based milk powder for
their children who were allergic to the normal formula and the store staff
recommended Bei An Min, saying it was the best formula in the store and she had
been fed many children with allergies.
Foreign brands are the first choice
Due to the
current scandal, the 2003 scandal in Fuyang, when 13 babies died and 171
required medical treatment after being fed substandard milk and the 2008 Sanlu
group milk scandal, when six babies died and 300,000 others were taken ill by
baby milk laced with melamine, a toxic chemical used to make plastics. Chinese
parents rely mostly on foreign baby milk powder brands like Aptamil, Globemilk
and others.
Cross-border
e-commerce is the new opportunity for brands
Due to the
increase in costs and risks, more businesses could move towards cross-border
e-commerce, where retailers and international brands ship the products one by
one directly to Chinese consumers.
How to best sell on cross-border e-commerce platforms?
A good e-reputation is crucial to sell in China
In China
more than everywhere else the reputation of a brand is what will make the
difference. Chinese consumers don’t trust new brand and are not risk taker,
resulting in a very low conversion rate. Therefore, e-reputation should be the
base of your marketing strategy when doing cross-border e-commerce in China,
whatever platform you choose.
How to create a good e-reputation in China?
A presence on Baidu help you to get visibility
A presence
on Baidu, the Chinese search engine, where people go to find brands and
products information is the first step.
You should focus
on Baidu Seo, knowing that Baidu knows only Mandarin and gives priorities to
websites hosted in China. In addition, the website culture is different,
therefore you need to adapt your content/design to the local expectations.
Moreover, Baidu
PPC is also a great tool to use in your marketing strategy because it gives you
credibility and also bring your first visitors to your website.
PR, KOLs and Forums create brand-awareness
Let others
talk about you and your brand. KOLs and communities are powerful and widely
listen to the Chinese internet, in fact, their opinion matters the most.
Social media are the best place where to interact with consumers
Social
media in China are the best place to work on your branding and storytelling.
The most
used Chinese social media are Wechat, Weibo and the short-video platform
Douyin.
Cross-border e-commerce channels
Cross-border
websites allows consumers to buy products online from merchants located abroad.
This kind of online shopping is more and more popular in China because consumers
can buy foreign products that have not a physical presence in China.
The main
cross-border e-commerce in China: JD Global, Tmall Global, Ymatou, Vip
international and Kaola.
For more
insights about opportunities for international brands in the milk market in China,
read the article below:
