Market research in China – our capabilities.

Besides economic reasons (i.e. Tier 1 cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are ‘wealthier’ than others), there are lifestyle / cultural / local language nuances that can have a bearing on how consumers live their lives / do business in these cities. Since products and services that have the strongest relevance in consumers’ lives generally do better, it’s important to ‘dig deep’ and understand how Chinese consumers differ. This will ensure that the launched product or service will have the greatest chance of success in the market at large, rather than only having a niche appeal in certain cities.

The mobile ecosystem in China is very advanced and the consistent use of ‘super apps’ by Chinese consumers in their daily lives means a ‘mobile first’ strategy will ensure a higher level of participation amongst respondents. Also, their familiarity with the mobile interface means that survey design / layout can benefit from thoughtful incorporation of interesting touchscreen features (e.g. swiping, pulling down, etc.), rather than relying on archaic interaction methods.

From our many years working in the region, we understand the best methodologies to use in China and those that should be avoided. For instance, CATI is a very inefficient way of carrying out quantitative studies, since the market is so huge whereas mobile surveys can be capitalised to greater effect. From a qualitative perspective, door-to-door tends to be ineffective, as interviewers may find themselves being rejected at the entrance of the gated communities common in China, whilst Chinese consumers are generally quite open to participate in other forms of qualitative research – such as online ethnography to offline shopalongs. Based on your objectives, we can work with you to select the best methodology to use, based on our extensive experience.