Last month a client called me from Paris, half asleep, asking why a JD account manager had messaged her on WeChat at 11pm offering to waive commission fees for six months. She had not even launched on JD yet. That is 2026 for you. Tmall and JD are fighting hard for Western brands, and the […]
Douyin e-commerce deep dive: Social commerce strategies to open and run a successful store, driving high sales conversions.
Mobile payment in China is essential for success. We guide international brands through platforms, setup, and strategy to win Chinese consumers.
Every year someone asks us for “the number”: how big is China’s online advertising market, really. There is no single number. There are three or four, depending on who is counting and what they count as advertising. Below are the ones we trust, dated, sourced, and flagged where they disagree. Olivier Verot has run GMA […]
The alarm that goes off in a new Chinese mother’s head when she picks up a tin of infant formula is not the same alarm that goes off for a shopper buying shampoo or sneakers. Few consumer categories carry as much emotional weight, safety anxiety, and family pressure as maternity, baby, and childcare products in […]
China’s advertising industry never sits still, but the question foreign brands ask me has changed. In 2017 it was “should we go digital or stay with TV.” Nobody asks that anymore. The real question in 2026 is which digital channel, out of five or six that all claim to be essential, actually deserves the first […]
Cleaning products used to be one of the least glamorous categories in retail. You bought whatever bottle was cheapest, and that was that. Not anymore in China. Household cleaning has turned into a real consumer category, with premium lines, scent stories, eco claims, and smart devices. For a foreign brand, that shift is the opportunity. […]
For a long time, jewelry houses believed the internet was not for them. Luxury lived in the boutique, behind glass, with a well-dressed sales assistant. Selling a diamond ring through a phone screen sounded almost rude. That idea is dead in China. Today the phone is the boutique, the showroom, and the cash register all […]
People keep asking me the same question. “Philip, is it too late to sell online in China?” My answer in 2026 is the same as it was five years ago, only louder: no, but the game has changed again. China is still the largest e-commerce market on earth. Online retail here passed 15 trillion RMB […]
Douyin and TikTok share a parent company, nothing else. Compare users, content, and commerce in 2026, and see when your China plan needs its own Douyin strategy.
