In 2016, Chinese people aged 18-34 made 82 million trips abroad. To put this into perspective, American travellers of all ages made only 75 million trips last year. Looking to attract Chinese travellers to your business? Here are some insights and suggestions to get Chinese tourists into your store.

Understanding the Chinese Millennial Traveller

The Chinese Millennial Traveller is a bit different from the typical North American Millennial. Born into a time of economic prosperity, Chinese millennials have extra money to spend and a positive outlook on the economy (unlike Western millennials, who were born into a recession). In addition, China’s one-child policy means these millennials are only-children. Generally, their families have invested lots of money into their education and they don’t have the student loan debt that many Western millennials carry, allowing them to spend more on consumer goods. According to the April 2018 report by iResearch, Chinese millennial travellers are willing to spend considerable amounts of money while abroad.

What are Chinese travellers looking for?

Contrary to popular belief, Chinese travellers — and millennials in particular — don’t want to just buy luxury brands. Chinese millennials are often interested in expressing their personal style through small, unheard-of brands. Especially when buying things abroad, they’re looking for niche products that will set them apart from the rest of their friends.

Make sure that your business emphasizes the uniqueness of its items, in addition to their connection to Canada. Chinese tourists want to buy things that are tied to the country they’re visiting. 

When catering to Chinese millennials, it’s also important that you emphasize the quality of your brand. Millennial travellers want to gain prestige from their purchases, so they’ll only buy high-quality items, no matter the price-tag. 

Mobile Payment and Chinese Social Media

Chinese millennials are used to doing everything online.  97% of Chinese millennial travellers plan their trips online before they travel and 94% of Chinese millennials use WeChat while shopping abroad so social media engagement should be the first priority for your business. If you are able to successfully engage with Chinese millennials while they are still in the trip planning process, they will incorporate a visit to your shop in their plans! 

Print advertising is almost obsolete in China — your business should be advertised to Chinese millennials over Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat or Weibo. 

Mobile payment options are also an important factor when catering to Chinese millennial travellers. Mobile payment options such as WeChat Pay and Ali Pay are their preferred payment option.

Service

Because Chinese millennials are used to the speed and interactive features of online shopping, customer service is held to especially high standards. Used to having special attention and quick service, it’s very important that your business caters to Chinese travellers in specific ways. Consider the following:

  • Provide a personal shopper to help assist your Chinese guests.
  • Include QR codes around your store so that guests can access online information, integrating a mobile experience into your store.
  • Offer customization options for your goods such as an embroidery service. This personal aspect is always a hit with Chinese millennials looking for individualization.
  • Make sure you are aware of the Chinese culture and service preferences to avoid committing any damaging faux pas.

The best part of providing good service to your Chinese guests? Good customer experiences equal good reviews on social media, and given the word-of-mouth nature of Chinese society, good reviews lead to return visits and mentions on WeChat and other popular platforms, which are guaranteed to generate new Chinese customers.

Next steps

Catering to Chinese millennials can be overwhelming. From being on Chinese social media platforms, to properly serving Chinese travellers, there’s a lot to figure out and learn. If you are ready to get started but are needing a helping hand, contact us. We offer a variety of packages to help businesses better understand and interact with this market, from Chinese cultural awareness training, to WeChat training, to turn-key Chinese social media marketing packages where we handle every detail for you.Â