The Chinese toys and games market
The Chinese toys market was worth US$ 14.9 Billion in 2019. China is one of the leading toy markets in the world and its potential growth has created a huge opportunity for domestic and international toy manufacturers.
The demand for toys in China is changing from traditional and decorative toys to electronic or remote-controlled toys. With inflating income levels of urban dwellers and rising standards of living, a shift has been witnessed from conventional toys to innovative electronic and plush toys.
Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the China toys market to exhibit strong growth during 2020-2025.
In a world where it is possible to meet millions of new people through the internet and retain new customers through social networks, trade fairs have not lost their importance for the enhancement of the company business.
This is because face-to-face relationships have maintained their value over time, allowing through a simple trade fair to earn leads and affirm the company’s personality.
However, due to COVID-19, the situation has changed and many fairs and exhibitions have been postponed, therefore it is important to understand how to create partnerships and contacts in a digital way.
The next most important Trade Shows for Toys & Games in China in 2020
According to the Fairtradedate website, the next Trade Shows for Toys & Games appointments in China are:
- CBME China Shanghai (04-06 October 2020)
The Children, Baby, Maternity Expo CBME China, being held in Shanghai is known as the world’s largest event of its kind. Lots of international suppliers from all over the world present more than 2000 brands of products for children, babies, and pregnant women. Therefore, the event offers great opportunities to meet other buyers, manufacturers, distributors, or suppliers. The fair is highlighted by an innovative product award where the most innovative and best products in different categories are determined. Primary buyers have the chance to participate in a private buyer meeting.
- G & A Zhongshan International Games & Amusement Fair Zhongshan (15-17 October 2020)
The G & A Zhongshan International Games & Amusement Fair is an international exhibition for gaming and entertainment and is held in Zhongshan. The fair claims to be the most effective and authoritative platform for information exchange and trade. It is a high-efficient platform for buyers to seek domestic and international suppliers as well as a new window for international outstanding enterprises to tap into China. Visitors can view the latest innovations and trends in the entertainment industry in the exhibition.
- Mega-Show Part 1 Hong Kong (20-23 October 2020)
The Mega Show Part 1 is an annual trade show order for household goods, gifts, and toys. All major producers in China are at this exhibition bringing together under one roof national and international visitors opportunities to show their business with Chinese manufacturers to expand.
- China Toy Expo Shanghai (21-23 October 2020)
The China Toy Expo is an international trade fair for toys and baby items in Asia. It is China’s market-leading platform and provides international manufacturers access to the Chinese market. The fair offers exhibitors the opportunity to get in touch with visitors, especially with buyers, and to deepen business relations.
Lead Generation to attract potential Chinese Toys distributors
What is Lead Generation?
The Lead Generation to create and organize a database of potential customers interested in the products and/or services offered is today, more than ever, central to the marketing strategies of any company, to increase commercial opportunities.
The use of digital marketing for Lead Generation activities amplifies and simplifies the possibilities, reducing costs and implementation times, for all companies that want to hire new potential customers to present offers and promotions.
On one hand, the offline world still uses word of mouth, cold calls, the purchase of advertising space on TV and radio, and participation in trade fairs and sector events. Online communication, on the other hand, has taken on impressive dominance and is today one of the most powerful means of lead generation and conversion.
Lead Generation is also the set of marketing actions that aim to acquire and generate interested contacts like distributors.
How a brand in the Toy industry can acquire potential distributors in China?
To obtain the desired results from lead generation campaigns, it is necessary to use the most useful tools. In the digital world, we are talking about SEO, SEM, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and recommendations.
In China, Lead generation can offer a huge competitive advantage to companies from the toy industry that understand how to include it within their marketing strategy.
SEO & SEM: A basic Marketing strategy to distribute Toys & games in China
In China, the website serves first of all as a guarantee of the authenticity of a brand.
Chinese users are used to checking information through the digital channels available to them, before creating contacts with other companies. For this reason, it is advisable to have a Chinese website hosted in China to ensure fast loading of your website.
Baidu is key to success in China’s B2B industry
In China, the leading search engine is Baidu, so if a company wants to reach Chinese partners, it must be present on Baidu.
Specific SEO and SEM activities, therefore, become fundamental. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) techniques are an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. In fact, they allow companies to improve their brand awareness and brand identity on the net.
In a nation where the Internet penetration rate reaches 59%, the power of a good SEO and SEM strategy cannot and should not be underestimated.
Localized Content Marketing
Content marketing is also important when trying to attract Chinese partners, as by getting closer to Chinese culture and their tastes you can show the brand value and increase the interest of potential partners.
Chinese consumers are very content-driven and brands have to pay more attention to creating localized content that emphasizes their story and unique selling points.
They rely on the creation of shareable, viral content that helps them solve different problems through customer interaction. Communicating the right values and creating unique experiences are the best tactics to retain your followers and keep them engaged.
Social Media Marketing & Toys are the perfect combos
Social Media Marketing is crucial to attracting and engaging the chosen target, building relationships with followers, generating leads, retaining customers, and maximizing conversions. This applies indiscriminately to B2B and B2C companies.
In China there are several social media platforms, however, Wechat and Weibo are the most suitable social media platforms for brands from the toy industry.
Having an account on these two platforms is important to increase brand awareness and engage with Chinese consumers. LEGO is using these platforms to do this, in fact, is a well-known brand in China.
To Sell Toys in China you Need Word of Mouth
In China recommendations mostly come from locals. Chinese people trust only Chinese people. That’s why it is important the presence of Chinese forums and to do PR.
Reviews on forums
There are many designated forums in China and all of them are Chinese forums in the Mandarin language. The most useful forums also for the toy industry are Zhihu and Baidu Zhidao.
The word of mouth has an incredible effect in China. Being present on Zhihu will allow you to answer questions about your field and educate your target audience about your brands/products in an undercover way. It is an excellent tool to increase your conversion rate and generate brand awareness.
PR
PR is one of the most cost-effective solutions in the Chinese market. It is a basic of marketing where the right people talk about you. In China, E-reputation is key to success. PR is a good way to build your credibility and attract potential Chinese partners.
Business to distributors (B2D) in the Toys Industry
Working with local wholesale parties, agents or distribution companies is a prerequisite for exports to China. Setting up your own subsidiary often turns out to be troublesome due to the many regulations. Because of the size of the country, your China sales agent or China distributor may be much bigger than your own company and require a different approach than you are used to.
Trade fairs and exhibitions can help you find various Chinese importers and distributors. However, due to the current lockdown, it is impossible to join these clothing fairs and Exhibitions. Therefore how can a company find potential distributors?
Searching Online
You can search for distributors online, but this can be a challenge. There are currently more than 85,000 distributors in China, to contact random distributors one by one can take a long time with a low success rate.
Tmall B2D
Tmall B2D is a platform where you can connect with 85,000 Chinese distributors. Tmall B2D gives brands great visibility in the current market.
Any entrepreneur can choose his distributor on the Tmall app. However, it is not easy to choose the right distributor for those who don’t have experience with distributors in China and for those who are not located in China.
The application is entirely in Chinese and 85.000 Chinese distributors are a huge number. Therefore it is better to be accompanied by professionals in this first step.
GMA could be your B2D partner
Finding the right distributor for the size of your company, your products, and your target clientele is not an easy task.
Fortunately, Gentlemen marketing agency is very familiar with the Chinese e-commerce market and its players. Local distributors have no secrets for us. Our expertise allows us to support you in your search for the best distributor, we can take care of the entire process for your company.
Use digital Marketing to increase the success rate of Toys trade fairs and exhibition
Before the trade show, your goal should be to promote the toy trade show to your current audience, including your customers, to encourage attendance and of course a visit to your booth.
Baidu SEO & SEM
Baidu is definitely the search engine on which to aim to make yourself visible in the Chinese market.
- Establish the domain of the site
Localized hosting is one of the main SEO optimization techniques on Baidu.
This allows it not to be penalized at the SERP level (Search Engine Results Page). In addition, the site will have a much faster loading than one with an unlocated domain. This will affect user traffic and on-site stay.
- Adapt graphics and content to Chinese standards
Having a Chinese domain, however, is not enough to do a good SEO on Baidu. You also need to have a site that is aligned with the content and graphic standards that Chinese consumers are used to.
- Choose the right keywords
Keywords are among the pillars of effective SEO optimization on Baidu and any other search engine. They should therefore be carefully chosen to bring as many visits to the website as possible.
For example, if Westerners prefer to use very short keywords, the Chinese perform longer queries. In addition, it should not be forgotten that in China some “sensitive” keywords are prohibited.
- Entrust the translation to a professional
You then need a careful and meticulous translation to convey the care you have for your product or service.
- Exploit the potential of SEM campaigns
Through Search Engine Marketing techniques it is possible to sponsor sites with targeted campaigns. In this way, your brand’s site will get a better online reputation, an increase in visitors, and of course a higher market return.
- Build a landing page
The “Landing Page” is an extra page on your homepage that provides detailed information about this exhibition and your embassies, presents the exhibition team, and simplifies the appointment agreement.
Social media marketing
Use social media to generate interest. For example, you can show your toy fair and exhibition details to your followers via Weibo, and send updates to groups of friends on Wechat.
H5 Wechat Brochure
It is an electronic brochure that is easy to share on Wechat. It contains the listing of all your products (in Chinese). It is one of our latest solutions for distribution.
QR CODE
Make good use of the QR code of your website as they are everywhere in China and people use it to scan and read information about the company. Making business cards with the QR code is very common in China.
Do you want to know more about How to use digital marketing to increase your success? Contact GMA a digital marketing agency, specializing in the Chinese digital market.
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