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Marketing in China - Think Its Unique Digital Ecosystem to Win the Market

Updated: Dec 30, 2022

After decades of rapid development, the Chinese consumer environment is far more diverse than it once was.


China built its own ecosystem that is completely different from markets elsewhere in the world in many aspects.


This unique ecosystem is subtly influencing Chinese consumers' habits, preferences, and purchase journeys.


Different Digital Ecosystem


We believe that many international firms are used to advertising on google and other platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote their businesses.


For many complicated reasons, however, google and other international web giants don't work in China for years.


This is the first difference between China and other markets - a unique digital ecosystem. You can find alternatives to those platforms banned in China.


The following Chinese platforms share some similarities with international web giants but also have their unique features.


Therefore, a completely different digital ecosystem determines your marketing strategy in China.


Mobile-first is the key to China's marketing


China's Internet has achieved amazing development in the past decade, which is mainly because of the popularity of the mobile Internet.


It is noticeable that more than 90% of online interaction in China happened largely via mobile phones.


This is the second difference. When it comes to marketing in China, mobile-first is one of the first principles.


In terms of advertising, your website including the landing page and ads creatives should consider mobile usability first because most paid traffic is from mobile devices instead of desktops.


Here are examples of when brands advertise on Baidu.


Search Ads on Baidu


Chanel's landing page in China


Social Media Platforms


While Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter continue to dominate the western world, China has its own counterparts like WeChat and Weibo and some innovative emergers such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu.

Despite the different platforms, influencer marketing is also one of the most dominant marketing methods on Chinese social media platforms.


However, it's not an easy thing for international businesses especially SMEs to find suitable Chinese influencers. Instead of spending a lot of time looking for influencers on Weibo,


Xiaohongshu, and other platforms alone, let the experts who are familiar with the Chinese influencer market help you choose and this expert can be Baidu Du Xing Xuan.


Du Xing Xuan is Baidu's influencer marketing solution. It helps brands find suitable Chinese influencers.


E-commerce Platforms


In many western countries, DTC is becoming more and more popular and the growth doesn't show any signs of slowing.


In China, however, DTC doesn't work at all. Chinese customers are used to making purchases on third-party e-commerce platforms like Tmall and JD.com. In addition, unlike the dominant Amazon, competition among various Chinese e-commerce platforms is also very fierce.


As a result, many international brands are choosing to set up online stores on platforms such as Tmall to sell their products in China. Similar to Amazon ads, there are also many advertising resources on Tmall.


However, if you want to reach more users, then you shouldn't limit your store promotion to the platform. With billions of users on Baidu, famous brands like Apple and Samsung are also using Baidu Ads to promote their products.


Baidu offers various e-commerce advertising resources and marketing solutions for stores from platforms like Tmall and JD.com.


Your Marketing Foundation - Baidu



Last but not least, Baidu, the biggest search engine in China, is the final flux of many other platforms. In other words, people prefer to use Baidu to search for what they are watching, listening to, reading, etc. which means advertising on Baidu is a great opportunity to promote your brand in China.


In a word, there are many differences between China market and others, having a reliable local agency like us can guide you with deep insights and help you avoid unnecessary mistakes.

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