Chinese consumer habits

Brands are gaining in importance for purchasing decisions in China. Their attraction for consumers stems from their quality, international origin, good service and cost effectiveness. This is the conclusion reached in the new Chinese consumer report from Roland Berger Strategy Consultants entitled, “Brands and Buzz: Understanding How to Reach Today’s Chinese Consumers”. It reveals that 74 per cent of respondents are prepared to pay more for quality and 82 per cent for good service. The growing volume of online discussions among internet users (known as Internet Word of Mouth or IWOM) has a direct influence on the categories of “brand recognition” and “purchasing decision”, since 56.3 per cent of consumers hear about a brand for the first time through IWOM and 58.7 per cent decide in favour of a product on the basis of IWOM. The total number of internet users in China has increased over the past ten years from 23 mio in 2000 to 384 mio in 2009.