Marketing to Chinese consumers is considerably different from marketing to British consumers. It is imperative for localised marketing and an alternative strategic approach, writes Jack Porteous of TONG Global
China’s vast consumer market, in particular its e-commerce channels, which accounted for approximately £1.1 trillion of purchases from nearly one billion internet users in 2024, are an attractive proposition for many global consumer brands, including those from the UK. The UK’s e-commerce sales totalled £97 million in 2024, making China’s total market ten times larger, although spend per capita is only around half of that in the UK.
Many of both the marketing channels and points of sale – from TV advertising and subway billboards, through to retail stores and online platforms – look similar, but are sufficiently different to derail strategies which have not been sufficiently localised. Whether online or offline, understanding the variance in routes to market, consumer behaviours, and consumer preferences of China versus the UK is vital for any retailer looking to achieve breakthrough success.
Digital Journey: Marketplace vs DTC
Online sales represent just over 30% of total retail sales in the UK, versus a slightly higher 37% in China. However, the digital shopping habits of these two nations’ consumers are shaped quite differently.
Many UK brands launch to market through a direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategy, creating an optimised, highly converting website, and driving traffic through social media campaigns and search engine marketing, email marketing, and affiliate activity. This offers trackable ROI, reduced overheads, and a direct relationship with customers – all attractive qualities in a go-to-market strategy for brands.
China, meanwhile, has a separate digital ecosystem, which has created a different user journey for customers. Rather than on a search engine, consumer search typically starts on either a marketplace, such as Alibaba’s Taobao or JD.com, or on social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) or Douyin (Tiktok). Many of these platforms operate in silos – making effective tracking of marketing investment more challenging. Chinese consumers are also accustomed to the convenience of shopping on marketplace apps or indeed natively on social media apps, with almost no sales occurring through brand-operated standalone websites.
Consumer Behaviour: Trust in Recommendations vs Trust in Brand
Chinese shopping behaviour has been shaped by a cultural preference for receiving personal recommendations from trusted sources – whether family and friends, celebrities, or in the digital age, Key Opinion Leaders (‘KOLs’). Gen Z and millennial shoppers, who comprise 65% of China’s online consumers, rely on KOL recommendations and peer reviews on platforms like Little Red Book. Trust in brands is built through social proof, with 80% of Chinese shoppers citing user-generated content as a key purchase driver. This has also driven the inexorable rise of livestream shopping, with livestreamer talent vouching for quality and providing real-time replies to customer queries during their streams.
In the UK, trust is more commonly built through relying on online review sites like TrustPilot – used by 75% of online shoppers – or in physical retail settings through brand partnerships with trusted retailers such as John Lewis. Heritage retailers such as Fortnum and Mason can rely on centuries-old reputations for quality. Influencers play a different role – often brand discovery among younger consumers – but consumers are often wary of content that is seen as too commercial from online stars they follow.
Cultural Nuances
In both the UK and China, aligning your brand with consumers’ daily lives and cultural habits can be a powerful way of building loyalty. Differences in the cultural calendar – Christmas vs Lunar New Year, or the different timings of Valentine’s Day for example – are the basic building blocks of a localised marketing calendar.
Centring Chinese faces and voices as part of any campaign is vital to creating a deep connection. Chinese beauty consumers, for example, seek reassurance that the products are adapted for their skin tone and specific skincare needs, and fashion aficionados want to be sure that garment sizing has been properly adapted.
Cases of marketing messaging which has fallen foul of cultural values – from campaign fails from brands like Dolce & Gabbana, through to backlash for global positions taken by brands like H&M on Xinjiang cotton, demonstrate the need for careful localisation and planning for any player entering the Chinese market.
Functional Retail vs Retailtainment
Many shopping districts in the UK – from retail parks to high streets – prioritise the functional, and above all, sales. Brands rarely venture outside of their niche or dedicate expensive retail floorspace to non-commercial goals, although more integrated O2O solutions, such as click-and-collect, a preference of 60% of shoppers, is starting to bring the digital revolution to British high streets.
Chinese stores are increasingly experiential, and many major brands view them as a marketing channel first and sales opportunity second. From the explosion of pop-ups offering immersive brand experiences, through to stores converted into brand-focused exhibitions, which centre storytelling around brand history and values, and the incorporation of cafes into luxury boutiques, China’s retail environment is at the cutting edge of store design and function.
Malls, meanwhile, are competing for footfall with increasingly entertainment-focused offerings – from trendy restaurants, through to more unusual offerings such as equestrianism experiences. These offers supplement the shopping options and increase time spent in-store, improving both customer experience and sales performance.
Marketing Investment Strategies
In China, marketing investment is heavily skewed towards digital advertising, with social and KOL work taking up approximately 60% of total budgets, versus around 40% in the UK. China’s fast-paced digital environment means users expect quicker reactions to trends, and rapid new product development and launch.
Livestreaming is a perfect example of China’s need-for-speed. This sales channel, which has become the main growth driver of e-commerce sales in China in the past five years, offers merchants an opportunity to generate huge sales in a matter of minutes. However, opportunities to partner with high-profile livestreamers emerge and disappear quickly, with only brands with sufficient light-footed adaptability able to take advantage.
The golden 60:40 rule for allocation of brand marketing versus performance marketing in the UK has shifted towards a preference for performance marketing in recent years – with the ratio now close to 50:50. In China, brands have over-invested in performance marketing – with the ratio closer to 25:75, during the boom years of online e-commerce. In a lower-growth environment, we’re seeing brands shift their focus to longer-term brand building, favouring customer loyalty over continually acquiring new audiences at scale.
Key Takeaways
Brands looking to succeed in China’s competitive consumer marketing landscape in 2025 must ensure they understand their customer journeys, localise their messaging and marketing materials, and work with market experts to navigate a nuanced and sophisticated market. Building long-term success relies on aligning your brand with consumer needs, and a long-term commitment to nurturing customer relationships.
Jack Porteous is the Commercial Director at TONG Global (www.tong.global), a marketing and strategy helping bands to connect with their Chinese customers. Follow him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackporteous/) for more insights on China’s consumer economy, digital ecosystem, and marketing ecosystem.
