Internet giant Alibaba and leading university Peking University have joined forces to set up a new consumer index, the China Online Consumer Brand Index (CBI). Consumer expert Ashley Dudarenok highlights how the attitude of consumers has shifted in the world’s second economy over the past few years, as noted in Jing Daily.Read More →

China’s technology, design, and culture are part of a fusion that reshapes the country, says innovation expert Ashley Dudarenok in an analysis by the state-owned China Daily. “It’s a holistic shift, where tech meets culture, design, and daily life, and this wave is just starting,” according to Ashley DudarenokRead More →

Branding expert Ashley Dudarenok follows brands from China as they are successfully taking on their global competitors. But global brands are not sitting idle, as rivals from China march on, she says in the Jing Daily. Stories about Luckin Coffee, Anta, Li-Ning, Perfect Diary, Haier, Midea, BYD, and Labubu.Read More →

Ask Chinese consumers what their leading platform is for purchases, both domestically and internationally, and they will point at the Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book, as it is called in English. It offers a lead against competitors like Douyin and is a leading source for travellers, although only available in Chinese. “Xiaohongshu wants you deep in niche rabbit holes with people who care about the same weird stuff you do. “This isn’t just a slogan change,” says branding expert Ashley Dudarenok in Campaign Asia, “it’s Xiaohongshu cementing its moat against rivals like Douyin.”Read More →

Luxury brands have been trying to win back markets like those in China. Still, new initiatives, like Dior’s Jonathan Anderson, creative director, unveiling the Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection, are unlikely to make a big splash among China’s consumers, says luxury brand expert Ashley Dudarenok,  in the BurdaLuxury.Read More →

US retailer Target ended its promise to its consumers to get the lowest price. But under pressure of the inflation, triggered off by the trade war with China, and other challenges, Target has changed its long-standing business model. It is the end of a safety net for consumers, says retail analyst Ashley Dudarenok in Time.Read More →

China veteran Kaiser Kuo examines the ten Chinese companies, which are booming in China’s economy, despite the pressure it is under. Most names might be new to the non-Chinese, but these ten are worth putting on your China watch list, if they are not yet, he writes at the World Economic Forum: CATL (宁德时代), Envision Energy (远景能源), Haier (海尔集团), Huawei (华为), JinkoSolar (晶科能源), LONGi Green Energy Technology (隆基绿能科技股份有限公司), Meituan (美团), Pop Mart (泡泡玛特), Seres Group (赛力斯), Xiaohongshu (小红书 / RedNote),Read More →

BYD surprised everyone by successfully taking on Tesla. Economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, explains how China’s approach allowed to take on Tesla and came out as a winner, he tells Dwarkesh Patel.Read More →

Consumer spending might only slowly recover in China, marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok sees interest in health and wellness booming, she writes in the Jing Daily, “This boom reflects a profound transformation in consumer priorities, with a growing emphasis on physical fitness, mental well-being, and preventative healthcare,” she adds.Read More →

China’s companies – large and small – are now exploring expansion into global markets, as the domestic market is only slowly recovering, says branding expert Ashley Dudarenok in the vlog. They are in the early phases of putting their brands on an international track, she says.Read More →