East seen from the west

China is adding Christmas to its annual calendar

Many Chinese added Christmas to their annual calendar. And brands and e-commerce platforms are ready to take the chance: partnerships with KOLs and pay-per-click adv campaigns can be rewarding if well-planned. But before starting, you must make sure you master the local culture and habits, which may not be easy. Some notions are essential when planning a targeted campaign: only big cities embraced the festive occasion, decorating malls and organizing European-style Christmas markets, while Christmas is mostly appreciated by female buyers in their 20 or 30 and celebrated with gifts by couples and groups of friends.

Families, instead, embrace the festive atmosphere by hanging paper lanterns and preparing for the Spring Festival, especially if it happens in January. As it is an occasion to look into the new year, this period is the best for preparing for the consuming trends of 2021, in food, as well: Christmas rhymes with food at any latitude. During 2020 many rediscovered the joy of home cooking, that boomed on social media, a trend that is not likely to fade anytime soon: in fact, predictions for the new year foresee a surge of semi-finished meat products. But health will dominate the market: high-protein products (especially yoghurt) and plant-based alternatives will continue growing. Western goods are still appealing, but their status is starting to decrease: foreign companies must be prepared to align their products to more traditional Chinese narratives, values and references.

Therefore, knowledge of the local culture, food habits and shopping trends is essential for companies working with (or in) China: success requires a constant update of such a complex and fast-evolving universe. As experts of the localization strategies for the Chinese market and deeply rooted in the local culture, we can provide reliable support to Western companies wishing to benefit from the multiple selling occasions throughout the year.