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Tag: consuming

  • Strong retail interest in Asia, but very little action

    Strong retail interest in Asia, but very little action

    More than 80 percent of Australian businesses have Asia on their radar, but most are failing to generate significant revenue from Asian markets, a new report from Asialink Business has found.

    Of the businesses surveyed, 83 percent generate less than half of their annual revenue from Asia, and 55 percent generate less than 5 percent of their annual revenue from Asia. This is because they haven’t taken the necessary steps to grow.

    These include hiring staff with the right language skills and experience to operate in Asia, keeping up with Asian customers’ fast-changing preferences and having a presence on the ground – three characteristics that top performers in the Asian market share.

    “The business opportunities that exist in Asia are well known and well versed. But while many Australians businesses are including Asia as part of their strategy, we know that majority of these organizations don’t optimize their operations to maximize revenue streams,” Jonathan Yeung, head of Asian business banking at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which sponsored the report, said.

    One business that is tapping into the Asian market successfully is Australian health and beauty brand G&M Cosmetics, which was profiled in the report.

    The Sydney-based business, which has been manufacturing and selling to national and global retailers for over 22 years, first started exporting to China in 1998, and now exports 600,000 units of skincare products to the country every week.

    CEO Zvonko Jordanov said it is crucial to understand the customer in each market you sell in.

    For instance, Emu oil-based products are best-sellers in Taiwan and Malaysia, but Lanolin is preferred in China. This changes quickly, though, and Jodanov said avocado, goat’s milk, and manuka honey products are on the rise.

    At its laboratory in Australia, G&M also looks at the suitability of certain skincare products for different markets based on local conditions, including weather and humidity.

    “We’re all humans. The number one thing is that you respect the consumer. Give them a proper product and don’t promise the impossible,” Jordanov said.

    According to the Asialink Business survey, businesses that tailor and adjust their product or service and marketing earn, on average, more than eight times the revenue from Asian markets than those that sell the same offering using the same marketing.

    Businesses that always mention these Asian language skills and experience in the Asian market in job ads earn, on average more than five times the revenue from Asia than those that do not.

    And 33 percent of businesses that earn more than 5 percent of their annual revenue from Asia undertook in-country visits at least once a month – more than double that of businesses earning less than 5 percent of their revenue from Asia.

    The businesses most likely to be doing well in Asia were professional services firms, according to the report, followed by private education and training organizations.

    China was the top Asian market for 44 per cent of respondents, followed by the ASEAN countries, which include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, and Myanmar, for 32 per cent of respondents.

    Overall business sentiment towards Asia remains positive, despite the ongoing China-US trade tensions, the report found.

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  • China’s Coffee Consumption Keeps Growing

    China’s Coffee Consumption Keeps Growing

    China’s coffee craze has gained pace with the growth rate in consumption on premise 25 per cent higher last year.

    According to research from Mintel, China’s on-premise coffee market value reached RMB64.7 billion (US$9.6 billion) last year, up 7.5 per cent on the year prior, when the growth rate was 6 per cent. It is predicting growth to resume to 6 per cent annually from this year until 2023.

    However, while sales by value are thriving, Mintel estimates that the number of on-premise coffee house outlets shrank by 2 per cent as fewer new stores opened than closed. But that is half the decline of a year earlier.

    “Like many industries across China, the on-premise coffee market is not immune to the influence of New Retail,” said Belle Wang, associate food and drink research analyst at Mintel.

    “The quick expansion of New Retail coffee businesses across the country has stimulated more coffee consumption among consumers, resulting in strong sales volume. With the growing momentum of New Retail coffee shops, and an increasing number of international and domestic brands entering the market, consumers today have more options when it comes to coffee. As such, the industry will see positive growth rates over the next two years.

    “However, this growth will slow down, largely due to Chinese consumers’ traditional behaviour of drinking tea and the country’s thriving tea shops,” said Wang.

    Mintel expects positive volume growth in the next two years, at 0.6 per cent from last year to this year and a further 1.2 per cent between this year and next, to reach an estimated 74,000 coffee houses by 2020.

    Convenience versus traditional

    When it comes to choosing where to get their caffeine fix, more Chinese consumers today are purchasing coffee from convenience stores than traditional coffee house chains. Mintel’s research reveals that 52 per cent of Chinese consumers (survey sample of 3000) buy coffee at convenience stores compared to just 44 per cent who purchase it from a traditional coffee-house chain.

    About 23 per cent of consumers who drink on-premise coffee at least once a month have done so at new retail coffee houses.

    “Our research shows that more on-premise coffee users get their coffee from convenience stores than from traditional chain coffee houses. This is perhaps due to Chinese consumers associating convenience stores with a full range of breakfast options. Convenience stores are also viewed as easily accessible and more affordable. Given this upward trend, other coffee vendors could introduce unique features, like providing various food and coffee pairings, in order to compete,” said Wang.

    “While New Retail coffee is experiencing a lot of growth at the moment, consumer engagement remains low – partially because they are still relatively new. However, there is an opportunity for New Retail coffee houses to catch up in terms of popularity by offering aggressive discounts and delivery service.”

    That said, big discounts alone will not be sufficient, as discounting is neither the best nor a sustainable strategy for a long-term business plan. There needs to be other merits such as offering healthy mix-and-match meal deals,” Belle added.

    Latte the top choice

    Mintel’s research reveals the favourite coffee beverages consumed in China’s coffee craze. More than half of on-premise coffee consumers order lattes (54 per cent) or cappuccinos (52 per cent). These are followed by mocha (45 per cent), Americano (38 per cent), flavoured coffee (36 per cent), espresso (26 per cent) and cold-brew coffee (23 per cent).

    A relatively new concept in China’s coffee craze is coffee mixed with plant-protein milk, with 22 per cent of on-premise coffee consumers ordering it.

    “Lattes and cappuccinos are the most popular drinks in coffee houses as they are generally very palatable due to their creamy texture and rich dairy flavour. Furthermore, as they are usually widely available, they are often a first step into coffee appreciation,” said Wang.

    “Once consumers fully appreciate these basic beverages, they are more likely to try non-milk based drinks, like an Americano or cold brew coffee. However, only offering basic coffee selections makes it difficult to stand out in the homogenous coffee marketplace and attract more coffee consumers.

    “As such, coffee houses can take inspiration from tea shop drinks by making their offerings more visually appealing and ‘instagramable’ in order to draw attention and pique consumer interest,” Belle concluded.

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  • Retail slow in January despite Luxury growth

    Retail slow in January despite Luxury growth

    While several retailers have talked about conditions improving since a somewhat dismal holiday trading period, the Australian Bureau of Statistics have released a more muted view of month of January, with retail sales having improved by 0.1 per cent.

    This increase followed a fall of 0.4 per cent over December 2018, and a 0.5 per cent increase in November off the back of successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events.

    “While January hasn’t proved to be a ground-breaking month by any stretch, on the plus side it does indicate that retail is slowly picking itself up and heading in the right direction,” National Retail Association chief executive Dominique Lamb said.

    Department store spending saw a 2.1 per cent decline over the month, while spending on clothing, footwear and personal accessories dipped 0.3 per cent.

    Food retailing and cafes, restaurants and takeaway services saw spending 0.3 per cent higher than the month prior, while ‘other retailing’, which brings together several industries such as pharmaceuticals, books and recreational goods, saw a jump of 0.7 per cent.

    The increase in cafe spending could be indicative of consumers beginning to feel more comfortable spending on ‘little luxuries’, according to Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman.

    “We hope this trend will continue to increase and spill into other retail categories across the retail sector,” Zimmerman said.

    The NRA’s Lamb went on to point to the upcoming Federal Budget, stating the importance that the Government puts a focus on encouraging consumer spending.

    “Measures such as tax cuts, infrastructure spending and initiatives that ease the burden on small businesses can all help improve the economy and assist retail in getting out of this sluggish phase it’s experiencing,” Lamb said.

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  • China’s Social Consumer Retail Sales Up 10% In October 2016

    China’s Social Consumer Retail Sales Up 10% In October 2016

    China’s social consumer retail sales in October 2016 reached CNY3.112 trillion, representing a year-on-year nominal increase of 10% and actual increase of 8.8% if deducting price factors.

    Meanwhile, from January to October 2016, China’s total social consumer retail sales reached CNY26.96 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%.

    By location of operating units, China’s urban consumer retail sales were CNY2.689 trillion in October, a year-on-year increase of 10%; while rural consumer retail sales were CNY422.6 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%. During the first ten months of 2016, China’s urban consumer retail sales were CNY23.183 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.2%; and rural consumer retail sales were CNY3.777 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.9%.

    By consumption type, China’s food and beverage sales in October were CNY349.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10%; and commodity retail sales were CNY2.763 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.1%. From January to October 2016, China’s food and beverage sales were CNY2.911 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.9%; and its commodity retail sales were CNY24.05 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%.

    In addition, during the first ten months of 2016, China’s Internet retail sales reached CNY3.929 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 25.7%. Of the total, Internet sales of physical goods increased by 24.9% year-on-year to CNY3.174 trillion, accounting for 11.8% of the total social consumer retail sales of China.

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