Boutique consulting for the Chinese and European markets...
Monrah Consulting provides boutique management consultancy services to primarily:
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European multinationals with relations with Chinese or Asian businesses
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Asian companies looking to expand their operations in UK and Europe
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European or UK companies looking to enter or expand into the Chinese market
We offer an extensive and flexible range of consulting services tailored to your needs, specialising in consulting services for Chinese market entry and Chinese market expansion and Retail Fashion business consulting.
Our specialist knowledge base allows us to serve both public and private sector clients, including those from the Manufacturing, Construction, Retail, Hospitality, and Financial Services industries, and our bilingual expertise ensures a smooth process when operating between the Chinese and English-speaking markets.
Contact us today to see what we can do for your business.
OUR CLIENTS
CHINA MARKET ENTRY AND EXPANSION
Thinking about doing business in China or a Chinese-speaking country? Monrah Consulting specialise in China market entry and China market expansion services, which can incorporate a whole range of consulting services for business improvement from Supply Chain and Logistics through to Value Stream Mapping. And our expertise is not just restricted to China; our bilingual specialism means we can help you with any Chinese-speaking region of the Chinese-speaking market.
Our main focus areas at Monrah Consulting for China Market Entry are typically:
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Trading and Sourcing
Research and Strategy
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Global competitors and brands research
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Pricing, category, trend, demographic, geography product research
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Market entry strategy
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Business partner liaisons including platform visits
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Chinese brand name options and registration
Website Management
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Chinese website registration
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Website creation and one year hosting
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Domain and ICP registration
Social Media Management
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Weibo and WeChat account registration
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Dynamic QR code for site or product
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Key opinion leader marketing campaigns
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WeChat management including articles, posts, fan liaison and design changes
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Account support to manage client queries, content planning
Operations Optimisation
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Supply Chain and Logistics
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Supplier Management
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SLA and Contract Management
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IT Strategy
Business Analysis
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Project initiation & scoping
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Business Case development
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Requirement gathering
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Process and Data Modelling
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Project Implementation
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Quality review
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Agile working
Process Engineering
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Process Re-Engineering
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E2E Process Simplification
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Value Stream Mapping
DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA:
CHINA MARKET ENTRY AND CHINA MARKET EXPANSION STRATEGY
As a foreign brand there are some risks associated with China market entry or China market expansion. To minimise any potential dangers, Monrah Consulting provides information on key market trends and consumer behaviour to ensure our client’s operations in the Chinese market are healthy and long-lived.
Preparing your business for the Chinese market
To guarantee effective China market entry or expansion, a business must develop a solid brand identity that coheres to the Chinese market. Monrah Consulting listens to our client’s goals and formulates a plan tailored to their needs and capacities. We also create a detailed schedule helping our client prepare comprehensively for doing business in China. We will also brief them on how to meet Chinese regulations and trading rules.
China market understanding
In order to help our client, Monrah Consulting undertakes an extensive analysis of their competitors in the Chinese market. This analysis of the Chinese competitive landscape will position our client to carve out their niche. Our market research also enables clients clients to understand their Chinese audience. Monrah Consulting tells our clients which e-shops Chinese consumers tend to use for their product or service, the characteristics and behaviours of their target audience and the marketing strategies this audience will be most receptive to.
Digital Marketing strategy in China
To be successful online our client’s business needs to be visible. Monrah devises a digital marketing strategy for China market entry that demonstrates the most reliable methods of generating traffic to our client’s site and how to create effective, compelling online advertising. Our strategy also covers the ways to increase the chances of being shown on the first page of results of Baidu, China’s most popular search engine.
China Cross-Border e-Commerce
Cross-border e-commerce (or international e-commerce) is when consumers buy goods online from overseas sellers. Despite some challenges and obstacles, cross-border e-commerce in the Chinese market is an extremely lucrative venture for a foreign company; according to ChinaWatch, the value of Chinese cross-border e-commerce is set to surpass $1 trillion in 2016.
For foreign businesses, a more relaxed regulatory environment makes Chinese cross-border e-commerce appealing. However, in order to best profit from the opportunity, an understanding of local customs and cultural distinctions is indispensable. Monrah’s grasp of such cultural specificity can aid our clients to pursue an appropriate e-commerce strategy which will appeal specifically to Chinese consumers.
What China cross-border marketplace is the best fit? Tmall Global, JD Worldwide and WeChat
Monrah Consulting can help our clients benefit from Chinese cross-border e-commerce by advising them on how best to meet each marketplace’s demands.
Tmall Global is the largest international e-commerce marketplace, and access to it can greatly benefit foreign companies who want to reach China’s numerous consumers. However, while trading on Tmall Global is an exciting opportunity to expand our client’s reach, some necessary considerations must first be made. To trade on Tmall, brands require competitive potential, the sellers must be authorised to sell branded goods and products must be of a good quality and/or genuine. The e-shop also needs to provide a returns policy and language support for Chinese consumers.
JD Worldwide (Jing Dong Worldwide) is China’s second largest online marketplace. JD Worldwide offers fewer restrictions to foreign companies who want to set up e-commerce sites on its platform. It also provides marketing assistance on JD.com for foreign companies, as well as nationwide logistics expertise.
WeChat is the Chinese social media platform used by almost everyone in China. It also has huge marketplace potential, with 180bn sales in 2015, 360bn in 2016 and expected growth in 2017. WeChat operates has few regulations and is a unique platform with different challenges and opportunities for the store owner.
While foreign businesses do not need to have a bank account or physical presence in China to trade on JD Worldwide, they are still expected to have a significant market presence overseas. Companies are also expected to sell authentic goods and provide Chinese consumers with Chinese language customer services and mainland China returns facilities.
Want to operate in a niche China e-commerce marketplace?
In China, there are smaller e-commerce marketplaces, alternatives to Tmall and JD Worldwide, that offer the ability to sell products in specialised or exclusively business-to-business (b2b) markets: examples include Jumei Global, Tuniu.com and dangdang.com. Whatever their needs or targets, Monrah Consulting is on hand to find a Chinese e-commerce marketplace that is most compatible with our client’s business.
Interested in our services? Email Monrah Consulting at contact@monrahconsulting.com or phone us on +44 (0) 20 371 23922
Chinese e-Commerce Strategy
For a foreign business, deciding to enter the Chinese e-commerce market can be an overwhelming and daunting task. Monrah Consulting offers support and guidance to clients undertaking this process, providing a comprehensive and considered approach to the various modes of market entry.
The Chinese e-commerce market differs substantially to those of Europe and the US. Whereas Amazon is the go-to marketplace for online consumers in the Euro-American context, in China it is TMall and JD that are the major players, together holding close to 80% of the market share. A business can also use social media platform WeChat, as well as many other smaller alternatives.
Strategies for effective Chinese e-commerce
Whether our client wants to set up in a pre-existing marketplace like TMall, create their own e-shop or use an amalgamation of the two, Monrah Consulting can help them every step of the way. Through our tailored services, we carefully analyse our clients’ capabilities, helping them decide on the best e-commerce strategy for their needs.
Monrah Consulting also offers guidance on social media and branding strategies; for example, showing our client how to effectively link social media accounts to an e-commerce site or creating profitable digital marketing strategies for China’s most popular social networks (e.g. Weibo, Wechat and Youku). Such strategies are implemented while at the same time maintaining a coherent and recognisable brand identity across both the Chinese and international markets.
We're here for our client: ongoing support for e-commerce in China
Once a suitable e-commerce strategy is implemented we never leave our clients without support. At every stage of the plan, Monrah Consulting is always on hand to provide assistance, and stakeholders are continually updated on the business’ performance. This allows us to ensure that our client fulfils the long and short-term goals they have gathered and agreed with Monrah, further securing the long-term viability of our client’s endeavour.
Interested in what we can do for your company? Set up a consultation with Monrah Consulting today by phoning +44 (0) 20 371 23922 or emailing us at contact@monrahconsulting.com
China Market Entry
A successful fashion house with high brand recognition in the Euro-American context had aspirations to enter the Chinese retail market and eventually expand throughout Asia. However, despite being an established brand in the West, they were unable to access the local knowledge and expertise requisite for such a move, and this threatened the success of their endeavours.
Monrah’s services have led to the business successfully entering the Asian market with a legally compliant and economically scalable e-commerce site which also includes 3PL and local payment solution integration. The business now operates in Taiwan and South Korea and is positioning to enter the Chinese market as well.
If you’re interested in our services please email us at contact@monrahconsulting.com
Identifying issues
Monrah’s first task was to analyse the core competencies of the company, pinpointing qualities that would help or hinder their Asian market entry. Although the company possessed a strong brand identity, engaging digital content and the capital to confidently enter the market, an unfamiliarity with Asian retail trends and other external forces threatened their ability to build the brand overseas. Drawing upon our many years of expertise within the Asian economy, Monrah formulated a tailored timeline which would culminate in successful Asian market entry.
Red tape
The Chinese regulatory environment and so-called “red tape” can prove considerable barriers to market entry for foreign businesses. To ensure the company was fully briefed on all legal requirements we devised a thorough, comprehensive and legible plan for them to follow. We were also on hand to offer assistance throughout the entire process.
Assessing the market
The biggest issue facing our client as a foreign company was an understanding of their Asian customer base. To ensure that they had all the information they needed, Monrah documented and analysed the behaviour of local consumers. We found that, as with Western shoppers, the retail shopping experience was carried out mostly online and that “opinion lenders” (e.g., fashion bloggers) were extremely influential.
Monrah also conducted market research to help the fashion house better comprehend their potential competitors in the Asian market, and found that established brands like Liu2 and Me & City were threats to our client’s profitability. Once our client understood this, we were able to draw up ways in which they could distinguish themselves from competitors and gain a loyal customer base. By placing its products in a unique price range and deciding to initially focus on distributing their products solely online, the company was able to minimise external threats to market entry and carve out a distinct niche in the market.
Monrah then organised and accompanied the fashion house on supply visits to China. On these visits our client was able to effectively evaluate suppliers such as Boazun and Li&Fun. Monrah also drew upon our vast network of contacts to provide our client with well-reputed PR partners, distribution centres (3PL), digital agencies and marketplaces.