Insights - Using influencers to gain popularity in China
In China, social influencers have the respect of the masses – it’s different from in the west – where they only dominate in industries such as fashion and beauty. Hundreds of millions of people on local platforms such as WeChat, Weibo and Tencent QQ get advice and inspiration from these key opinion leaders, or KOLs, as they sometimes are referred to. Naturally, it’s in the interest of an increasing amount of international wine brands to learn more about influencer marketing in China.
In last months `Regional Manager Report´ on China, Alex Yao (VINEX’s regional manager) wrote that the volume of alcohol sold online in China is growing by 15% a year, his estimation is that the online alcohol market will exceed 70 billion RMB in 2019. Today the leading Tmall and JD.com sites account for more than 70% of sales, but their dominance is likely to decrease. In-app purchases is the norm and some influencers are now selling directly from their own pages.
One of these influencers is Isabella Ko, who created `Oh My Dear Wine Boutique´ – her own online wine retail site. According to Sarah Heller, who is Asia-Pacific's youngest Master of Wine, female influencers such as Isabella Ko now play a critical role in China's wine trade.
VINEX has compiled key advice on how to gain social momentum for your wine brand in China:
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The top key wine opinion leaders in China are; Wang Schengen, The Chufei Churan twins, Zhao Wei, Carina Lau, Oliver Zhou, Yao Ming, Fongyee Walker, Terry Xu and Kent Tsang (China Wine Competition, 2019).
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Take inspiration from Wine Australia, who made headlines by lining up two Chinese social media stars – the so-called “Kardashians of China” – to showcase Australian wines to the Chinese.
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“If it's not luxe and does not have "wow factor" selling large volumes in China is not possible” Deborah Meiburg, wine journalist and educator based in Hong Kong.
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“In China, people are wanting something that's striking and classy. It is very important in the Chinese market that it is classy, particularly above a certain price point.” Sarah Heller MW, founder of Heller Beverage Advisory.
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The main reason the Chinese drink wine is for the perceived health benefits, only 32 percent of Chinese wine consumers drink wine because they actually enjoy the taste (Wine Intelligence, 2019).
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On the organoleptic point of view, the Chinese consumers appreciate the sweetness but do not support the bitterness in wines. It is therefore wise to propose fruity red wines (New Horizons Global Partners).
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“Brands can let influencers create blogs or videos on xiaohongshu/zhihu to promote their products and there can be a hyperlink direct to the brands’ website”, Katherine Zheng, journalist and expert on influencer marketing in China.