Insight | Digital Marketing Opportunities Driven by Technology

Due to the rapidly changing atmosphere in digital China and the emergence of new tech giants, China has gained global recognition for its economic and technological growth. What opportunities and ideas of digital marketing is the new eco-system going to bring for international brands in China?

Key Words: Technology, Mobile Devices, Social Platform

Mobile payment has become a part of Chinese daily life. WeChat Pay and Alipay, China’s two biggest mobile payment platforms, have recently formed partnerships with tax refund companies to enable Chinese tourists to obtain rebates on their purchases via their respective mobile apps. Within the year, WeChat also plans to offer instant in-store refunds on overseas purchases. This would allow for the company to actively compete for the rising amount of Chinese tourists spending abroad.

Also notable is the popularity of mobile games. Tencent Holdings, one of Asia’s more valued companies, has a video game with more than 500 million daily Chinese gamers. Tencent’s differentiating factor is the company’s ability to allow gamers to directly access the games through QQ and Wechat. One of the most recent examples is the mobile version of PUBG [referred to 吃鸡 online], which is rapidly spreading through all social fabrics within China.

Besides, the use of short video apps, like Douyin, has skyrocketed amongst China’s Gen Z population. This new technological trend affects what Chinese Gen Z consumers qualify as entertaining and engaging media content. As their time has become more divided across media platforms, they want something short, entertaining and interactive. Brands have been slow to take advantage of these growing platforms. A recent example of effective marketing using these short video apps was the Michael Kors “THE WALK” campaign.  

The upcoming Chinese consumer relies on technology and social media platforms for information daily. Not only is it in the best interest for brands to effectively use these technological platforms, but it will become a necessity. Brands will need to keep up with the technological advances and trends in order to continue engaging and attracting new Chinese consumers. 

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