FLA News: From the streets of Shanghai... An update from FLA's Shanghai-based General Manager - Greater China, Wen Liu

This month’s newsletter I’d like to share two new trends that have emerged in the China market.

1. Steak Revolution - SteakCup (pictured)

Sliced steak with rich BBQ sauce, a few pieces of carrots/cucumber and steamed vegetables served in a bowl sitting on top of a take-away coke…Yes, now Chinese have discovered another way to enjoy steak -STEAKCUP.

Lianhao Beef (AccessChina’16 delegation will visit their factory in Shanghai) recently launched their new product – Lianhao Steakcup. Delicious cups filled with steak…Why is it exactly that Chinese love this idea?

-        Great taste of a piece of Australian steak;

-        Quick to grab on the go for a work lunch, dinner, or even a snack;

-        Convenient to eat and individual size, etc.

I believe what makes our beef (and vegetable) suppliers excited is the branding and marketing effects it brings. Thinking about this - People holding a steakcup (with your logo printed) and walking on the the busiest Huaihai road in Shanghai – this sort of ‘moving advertising’ is definitely a smart way to build brand awareness and in the meantime, money saving as well.

Join AccessChina’16 and talk to Lianhao Beef face-to-face re potential opportunities of being a part of this STEAKCUP revolution!

2. Balcony Revolution - Mini Farm/Balcony Farm (pictured)

Mel Bartholomew developed the ‘Square foot gardening’ method of using square foot blocks of garden space which has created a more efficient and manageable way to garden with less work required. However, in China, Chinese have started to develop a few ‘square foot blocks’ at their balconies and they call them mini-farm/balcony farm.

The concept of mini-farm/balcony farm is getting more and more popular among Chinese families, especially Chinese families with kids.

Chinese families living in the cities don’t have the culture of gardening, so to them the purpose of growing herbs, spices, flowers, etc. are different from westerners. Since the majority Chinese are living in apartments with limited space, they try to make the best use of each inch for families’ indoor activities/entertainments. Balcony is considered to be the best venue for this horticulture/’access nature’ activity.

Kids water their plants every day after school, observe the growth and changes of their ‘babies’ and make diary entried about them, which is one of their homework tasks from teachers. Kids really love this homework.

The other reason that is accelerating the growth of this market is, sadly, because the air pollution (PM2.5) in China which sometimes stops people, especially kids doing outdoor activities/playing in the nature.

If we look at the statistics, In Shanghai alone there are 4.3 million families…So you can image how big this market is for horticulture and indoor plants.

These two ‘revolutions’ above both have typical ‘Chinese characteristics’. For Australian businesses to access the China market and to win this battle, it is important to understand the Chinse cultures/habits, design or/and tailor your products to suit this market and develop your market access/activation strategies particularly targeting this market.

FLA China is happy to be your ‘in-market consultant’ along your China journey. Any enquiries, feel free to contact me on [email protected].