Ashley Dudarenok | How COVID-19 Has Changed The China eCommerce Landscape

<p>Today on The Negotiation, Todd speaks with Ashley Galina, a bestselling author, global speaker, and founder of two companies: the social media agency Alarice, and the marketing training organization ChoZan. She discusses how Chinese businesses will approach brand strategy as the world starts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and move towards the new normal.</p><p>Ashley says that first and second-tier cities in mainland China have already shown signs of recovery, as people are now back out on the streets, socializing, and shopping. However, many other lower-tier cities will be slower to recover. An air of uncertainty still grips many of these smaller businesses and their employees. As a result, they are more intent on holding on to their savings rather than looking to invest.</p><p>With this context in mind, Ashley recommends that brands ask themselves the question: “Who am I serving?” This includes going all-in on one target consumer with a particular set of wants and needs. At least in the short-term, brands cannot afford to serve everyone. Instead, brands should go all-in on a single message that they will base the entirety of their marketing around moving forward. “In China, there are so many consumer groups,” says Ashley. “There are 1.4 billion people and they all have different journeys. You need to investigate what the revised journey for your consumer group is, and then react.”</p><p>The economy is going to recover slowly in the wake of the pandemic. Companies who have a “boots on the ground” presence in China will always have an edge over those who simply observe trends from the outside. But even if a company is unable to be physically present to witness consumer behavior day-by-day, they can continue to thrive in the market as long as they act <em>fast </em>on the trends they are observing.</p><p>In order to hone in on your target customer’s new journey, it helps to do three things: In the short-term, focus on what matters to people today and exercise authentic compassion as a brand. In th