Food in China, understand the basic of this Market

How can a brand effectively cut through the competition and succeed in the China market F & B? From the scandals of national milk 2008 and the trough scams oil 2010, a mysterious floating pigs last year in Shanghai, saying it has been a challenge for some years the market for food and beverages in China is an understatement . issues of food security aside, there are also complexities of marketing in China. Because of the long history of Chinese food is intertwined with regional flavors and very different cultures, it can be a difficult task for brands to reach a wide appeal of their products with such different geographical preferences. An expert of the Market conducted a series of research studies consumer food thoroughly to extract conclusive data and reveal the top positive triggers that respond to consumers in China. The forward trend report 2014 Food is based on interviews with more than twenty experts recognized throughout the country food and a survey of Chinese consumers more than 750 adults.

Here are 5 tips  to help you to market your brand  in China:

Natural products

Promote natural options The importance of living a healthier life will have a greater influence on decision-making purchase of food and beverages this year. 41% of Chinese consumers say they are paying more attention to additives to make a choice club, ranking it as their number one concern ahead of fat (30%) and salt (13% ). Consequently, the research reflects this sentiment with consumers indicating that seasonal products (65%) and local products (55%) are important motivators in buying groceries. Over 55% of consumers surveyed said they buy organic food often or always do. This is especially pronounced for products aimed at mothers, where more than 62% say they inspected the labels of additives and ingredients before buying. The bottom line here is that if the product contains beneficial organic or other natural ingredients it is best not only to promote this in the usual channels of communication, but also on the front labels and back of the product.

Do not forget ecommerce

Like shopping e-commerce continues to gain popularity among consumers in China, marks that might have previously relied solely on traditional retail channels should consider strategies to promote and sell their products online. The most often purchased online are non-perishable products, such as cookies and chips, with four out of five buyers (80%) say online buy snacks. However, the market size for perishables almost half (47%) choosing to buy dairy products line and no slouch. For foreign products, there are several specialized websites oriented food import and tootoo.cn and yiguo.com that can be used to reach audiences special niche. Therefore, selling products on e-commerce web can be a great strategy to not only increase the amplitude of availability but also to provide further brand credibility and drive more online retail. The star power of celebrities and opinion leaders (KOL)

Trust is the key in F&B

Although not all brands in China will be able to recruit a celebrity A-List to become its ambassador, the importance of defense factor of influence among the top positions high in building a marketing strategy. The popularity of the defenders remains extremely strong among Chinese consumers with nearly three out of four respondents (73%) say they are more likely to buy a product or visit a restaurant endorsed by a celebrity spokesman or other advocate, such as KOL . More than half (56%) of respondents say that these endorsements influence to buy food or visit the restaurants two to three times or more per month. Strengthen food safety claims through alternative methods. When you start to have a brand that consumer doubt about it, you are almost dead. For example this online Supermarket in this forum

Food security

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As food security issues remain at the top of the minds of Chinese consumers, buyers are looking for multiple sources of information for their purchasing decisions. For foreign food manufacturers, the good news is that the origination is at the top of the list with 84% saying that the origin is extremely important in the choice of foodstuffs. However, discussions on social media reveal that there are some suspicions about the authenticity. Therefore ensure the safety of import channels is as important as the promotion of safety at the source. Second, the approval of the inspection government agency was also considered important by more than half (56%) relying on government inspections, so that any promotion of national certificates of inspection and approval can help increase trust in a brand. Finally, as recommendations from friends (34%) and online reviews (26%) were also significant considerations for consumers to make decisions about food safety has never been more crucial to have a strong online presence and build a social community of fans and followers.

Link to the lifestyle, traditions and family

70% say that cooking and eating out are extremely important for social life, therefore, communication of how a brand can help reunite friends and family as part of a social campaign and lifestyle oriented can be very shocking. Moreover, family traditions remain a driving force for consumers when they take decisions about what and where to eat. Almost three quarters (74%) of all respondents agree that approval by traditional recipes is very extremely important. Therefore links to traditional Chinese recipes and foods can help increase behaviors and buying interest.