L’Oreal bought this week a second Chinese cosmetic company to strengthen its market position in China, a strategy becoming more common among foreign brands, says branding expert Ben Cavender to Reuters. Fierce domestic competition and a sluggish consumer market are the basis of this change of strategy.Read More →
TikTok, Temu, and Shein are better in branding than most Western brands, argues branding expert Björn Ognibeni on his weblog. The result of this miscalculation is evident in performance differences: While many Asian platforms boast strong user retention and high time spent on site, Western providers are struggling with declining conversion rates and rising acquisition costs.Read More →
Sharon Gai, author of Ecommerce Reimagined: Retail and Ecommerce in China, started her career in Alibaba’s early days and now watches the e-commerce evolution in both China and the US. She discusses her career with Grace Shao, touching on AI, branding, and innovation.Read More →
Starbucks sold 60 percent of its China business earlier this week, hoping that local input could help its operation. But Shanghai-based business analyst Ben Cavender sees that the US company still has major difficulties in cracking the Chinese market, he writes at WHTC.com.Read More →
Europe could have been a winner in the trade war between China and the US, says political analyst Shaun Rein at the Thinkers Forum. Not only did they lose the opportunity to win from the trade war, but they are going to be the larger economic losers of the next decade, becoming an open-air museum, he adds.Read More →
China’s wealthy individuals are shifting away from displaying big brands to showcase their wealth, notes luxury expert Ashley Dudarenok at Jing Daily. “Their new currency is not cash, but time; their new status symbols are not displayed on a shelf, but experienced in the mind and body,” writes Dudarenok.Read More →
Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein explains why China has the upper hand in the current trade war with the US. For anything the US does not want to send to China, China has an alternative to hit back, he says at the Thinkers Forum.Read More →
Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein reports on the latest research on China’s consumers. While spending might be down for the next months, consumers are not driven by nationalism, he tells CNBC. It is economic anxiety that makes the difference, he says.Read More →
Technically, the trade talks between China and the US, and even meetings between Xi and Trump, are on the agenda, but the US has quietly curtailed US exports to China in September, says business analyst Arthur Kroeber in the South China Morning Post. The ramifications of the US rule change became vividly apparent on September 30, when the Dutch government seized control of the chip firm Nexperia.Read More →
While many foreign brands have a hard time selling to China’s consumers, some are able to crack the code, says branding expert Ashley Dudarenok at CNBC. “Brands are moving beyond superficial nods to Chinese culture,” Dudarenok said.Read More →
Marketing guru Ashley Dudarenok dives into China’s B2B marketplaces and their latest key trends, including the top-10 platforms trying to get hold of the global market, at her website Chozan. “Trust is becoming a brand asset. Alibaba’s Trade Assurance, DHgate’s escrow, and Yiwugo’s secure payments provide buyers with additional protection. Video reviews, verified supplier programs, and standardization efforts help reduce fraud while ensuring shipments clear customs smoothly,” she writes.Read More →
Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok explains the difference between TikTok and its Chinese sister Douyin at her website Chozan. In 2025, Douyin was named China’s most valuable brand, with a valuation of US$105.8 billion. That marked a 26% increase from the previous year, driven by the platform’s deep integration into everyday digital life. In March 2025, Douyin reached 1 billion monthly active users in China. What exactly is Douyin?Read More →