A global leader in wireless communication devices for motorcycle riders. Known for innovations like the first motorcycle Bluetooth communicator and the Packtalk series.
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
● Limited brand recognition in China.
● Local competitors with an established presence.
● Complex regulatory and distribution environment.
Opportunities
● Growing demand for premium motorcycle communication products.
● Expanding e-commerce platforms and D2C channels.
● A strong appetite for innovative global brands among Chinese consumers.
Our Strategy for Success
E-commerce Store Launch
● Set up flagship stores on JD and Tmall Global.
● Optimized listings with localized content, high-quality visuals, and competitive pricing.
Product Pipeline Strategy
● Curated a product mix suitable for the Chinese market’s preferences and price sensitivity.
Selling Proposition
● Positioned the brand as a premium, high-quality solution for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Distributor Management
● Partnered with trusted distributors to build a reliable network.
Customer Support Management
● Localized customer service to address inquiries, RMAs, and technical support.
D2C Channel Development
● Created a direct-to-consumer channel to build closer customer connections and enhance loyalty.
Add Your Heading Text Here
50% YoY Growth
● Achieved significant year-over-year growth in sales.
Market Leadership
● Elevated the brand’s visibility and market share in the Chinese motorcycle communication segment.
Consumer Trust
● Positive feedback from customers on product quality and support.
D2C Success
● Established a sustainable D2C channel for ongoing consumer engagement.
Key Takeaways
Success Drivers
● Localized strategy tailored to the Chinese market.
● Seamless execution across e-commerce, distribution, and customer support.
● Strong collaboration with the brand’s global team.
Lessons Learned
● Localization is critical for global brands entering China.
● E-commerce platforms are essential for initial brand penetration.
What Made it Work
Proven Track Record
● Successfully launched and scaled the brand in China.
Comprehensive Services
● We manage everything from e-commerce setup to customer support.
Market Expertise
● Deep understanding of Chinese consumer behavior and regulatory environment.
Value-Added Solutions
● Build sustainable D2C channels for long-term growth.
A U.S. male health supplement brand, a hot seller on Amazon and GNC’s annual product.
Brand Information
● Headquarters: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
● Established: 10 years ago
● Focus: Provides professional nutritional solutions tailored to men’s various needs and scenarios (fitness, sports, intimacy, workplace, etc.).
Domestic Market Entry from Scratch
● Diverse Product Line: Offers nutritional supplements targeting men of different ages and life stages. ● Flagship Product: Men’s Vitality Capsules, designed for quality-conscious men aged 28 and above. ● Strong Brand Credibility: Features two patented ingredients, clinically verified, exclusively serving men.
What We Did
Tmall Global Flagship Store
Link Planning
Optimize the layout of the entire store’s links and SKUs, and develop individual product strategies, including pricing, marketing, target audience, and promotion strategies.
Cold Start
Build the store’s initial sales and reviews through various internal and external channels, such as Taobao affiliates, trial platforms, and public accounts (WeChat, etc.).
Operational Strategy
Tmall In-Channel Promotion Strategy
1. Keyword Selection
● Leverage backend data to identify relevant keywords for the brand and product.
● Focus keywords: Brand-name, testosterone-boosting fitness.
● Optimize the product detail page around core promotional keywords by emphasizing:
✓ Unique selling points like “Star product under GNC.” ✓ Celebrity endorsements, e.g., renowned baseball players. ✓ Superior product efficiency: “Testosterone-boosting efficiency is 2-3 times that of similar products.”
2. Increasing Exposure
● Deploy various promotional tools tailored to different product needs:
✓ Search demand: Promote with primary and industry-recommended keywords. ✓ Activity demand: Use tools like Wanxiangtai to target discount-sensitive audiences. ✓ Targeted audience demand: Focus on specific demographics such as fitness enthusiasts and male office workers using tools like Wanxiangtai.
3. Driving Conversions
● Strategically schedule marketing campaigns during platform-wide events to maximize conversions.
✓ Example: During Tmall’s March 8th event, a “Buy 2, get 30% off” promotion boosted the conversion rate above the industry benchmark. ✓ Result: Cumulative event payments reached 70,000 RMB.
4. Reviews and Q&A Section
● Offer personalized one-on-one service to early-stage customers to establish a strong store reputation.
● Ensure visible reviews and Q&A content are high quality, enhancing trust and significantly boosting conversion rates.
5. “Guangguang” Content Posting
● Post high-quality consumer reviews in the platform’s “Guangguang” section to amplify word-of-mouth marketing.
● This strategy helps achieve a “product finds the customer” approach, targeting the right audience effectively.
6. Short Videos and Live Streams
Out-Channel Campaign Overview
Promotion Strategy
● USP Positioning
✓ Highlight the product’s unique selling point: “Restore vitality in one bottle, safe and worry-free.” ✓ Address men’s health needs, helping them regain control of their lives.
● Promotion Channels
✓ Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) & Douyin: Focus on high exposure and traffic through viral, fast-consumed lifestyle content. Leverage KOLs and KOCs to boost brand popularity and reach—emphasis on exposure over conversions. ✓ Bilibili: Drive conversions with creatively embedded product selling points in long-form videos. Leverage KOLs to build brand assurance and long-term validation. ✓ Zhihu: Establish credibility and trust through endorsements by KOLs and KOCs. Content highlights professional insights and medical support to bolster brand reliability.
Influencer Content Strategy
● Target Audience Precision
✓ Focus on the Brand’s core demographic: men aged 28+ with an interest in fitness (e.g., Showmi football channel). ✓ Use influencers who resonate with this group, such as fitness-focused KOLs and KOCs.
● Content Style and Integration
✓ Create relatable content by integrating realistic daily scenarios with a premium tone and style. ✓ Add value by including actionable tips for a healthier lifestyle. ✓ Seamlessly integrate product highlights to maximize conversions, achieving an ROI of 1.4.
● Professional Alignment
✓ Leverage the brand’s U.S. origin and scientific credibility. Articles adopt a professional tone, addressing men’s health needs with evidence-based insights for trustworthiness (e.g., Zhihu content).
● Fitness-Focused Approach
✓ Maintain alignment with fitness themes. ✓ Deliver persuasive, high-quality content that flows naturally, clearly presenting product benefits with precise and concise selling points.
Project Key Highlights and Results
Monthly Promotion Data
Viral Post 1: Over 8,700 interactions, reaching over 640,000 general traffic exposures.
Viral Post 2: Over 1,200 interactions, reaching over 60,000 general traffic exposures.
Data Summary
1. Bilibili KOL Video Campaigns: Sales conversion exceeding ¥14,000, ROI 1.4.
2. Monthly Search Popularity: 1,721, a 644% increase compared to the previous month.
3. Monthly Search Heat Index: 3,271, a 373% increase compared to the previous month.
4. Keyword Sources: Searches were mainly driven by terms like “Brand’s name”, “testosterone”, “testosterone booster”, and “Vitality Capsules”, peaking during Bilibili KOL video releases.
1. Luxury high-end skincare brand available at physical counters in Hong Kong and Macau.
2. There are some negative reviews on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu.
3. The price per unit ranges from 500 to 10,000 USD.
What We Did
Quickly addressed negative feedback regarding sales scams and high prices, finding a breakthrough by amplifying product advantages and collaborating with precisely targeted KOLs to produce high-quality content, swiftly resolving the negative word of mouth.
After One Year
Brand Seeding
Due to collaborations with multiple high-quality KOLs for product seeding, consumers began proactively inquiring about the products and requesting purchase links.
Customer Growth
Implemented a refined operation across all sales channels, including Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and SCRM (Social Customer Relationship Management), achieving customer growth.
The BrandAn American skincare and internal supplement company with two product lines: skincare products and nutritional supplements.
The founder has a professional medical and academic background and advocates for the “Three-Layer Skin Philosophy,” which aims to suppress inflammation and combat aging through internal supplements, external skincare, and diet.
The product structure is unbalanced, with an over-reliance on dietary supplements; in 2023, skincare products accounted for 15% of the total.
What We Did
Adjusted hero product selection and reworked the store’s visual identity and all products’ selling points.
The membership system will be maintained, and comprehensive strategies for acquiring new members, stimulating activity, and re-engaging members will be developed.
The brand has determined that the main skincare focus will be the “Morning Vitamin C, Evening Vitamin A” combination. This will be promoted through external grass-root marketing and in-platform promotion to increase the Morning Vitamin C and Evening Vitamin A series sales.
Through collaborations with influencers and CPC ads, the brand aims to increase external traffic for targeted keywords. This resulted in a 156% achievement rate for the search volume of brand keywords on Taobao in January 2024, with 7,632 searches.
After One Year
Sales Growth
The sales share of skincare products has increased by 22%.
Core Product
The sales of the Esterified Vitamin C cream have increased by 300,000 yuan compared to last year, with a 200% growth in sales for this single product.
Member Loyalty
In 2024, member sales account for 57.2% of total sales.
China’s oral care market is expanding rapidly due to increasing awareness of oral hygiene, rising disposable incomes, and a demand for premium products.
The market is highly competitive, with international and local brands vying for market share. Significant opportunities lie in e-commerce and social media marketing, driven by high internet penetration and consumer preference for online shopping.
The Brand
A leading international oral care brand that looked to switch its TP in China to expand its market presence, increase sales, and enhance customer loyalty in the Chinese market.
What We Did
E-commerce Expansion
We have established a comprehensive e-commerce presence with six stores: Tmall, JD flagship, JD self-operated, Douyin, Pingduoduo, and Taobao.
Sales and Distribution
Doubled monthly sales within three months. Defining and monitoring offline and online distributors’ pricing.
Customer Support
Enhanced customer support for better user experience.
Redesigning and Localization
Redesigned products to cater to local tastes. Localized marketing and product strategies.
New Product and Marketing Mix
Implemented a new product mix strategy. Created a marketing mix strategy involving industry KOLs and professional leaders.
Customer Loyalty
Built customer loyalty infrastructure from scratch.
Our customer loyalty initiative led to a remarkable surge in loyal customer sales.
Social Media Management
Took over social media accounts (WeChat, Weibo, LRB, Douyin) after three months of cooperation.
Brand Strategy Alignment
Aligned brand strategy and communication across all stores and social media platforms to boost market penetration.
Social Media Campaign
Orchestrated a series of impactful social media campaigns, notably a 28-day initiative centered around children’s toothpaste and oral care tips. This innovative concept not only garnered significant engagement and exposure but also led to a noticeable increase in product sales.
Technology
Integrated all platforms into Digate, our DMP, to obtain user, sales, and marketing insights. Integrated logistic channels to ensure enhanced stock management. Monitoring competitors to build a more precise go-to-market strategy.
The Result
Sales Growth
Monthly sales doubled within three months.
Loyal customer sales increased by 500%.
Customer Loyalty
Repurchase rate increased from 8% to 17%.
Social Media Campaign
Successful 28-day social media campaign that increased engagement and brand exposure.
Market Penetration
Enhanced brand presence and alignment across multiple platforms.
Social Media Campaign
Effective handling of social media accounts and e-commerce stores, ensuring consistent brand communication and strategy execution.
Vitabiotics, the UK’s largest & No. 1 Vitamins company, launched in China in 2014. Initially with a Mother Baby Store on Tmall Global.
Vitabiotics have a significant range with over 350 SKUs across Mother-baby, Healthcare, and Beauty categories. The decision to launch with Mother & Baby (M&B) was initially driven by demand from Daigou (private re-sellers) in China. Brands like Pregnacare also had the strongest international presence, with a substantial equity in the UK (Vitabiotics pregnancy range holds a 90% + market share in the UK). Additionally, at that time, M&B was the most popular category for overseas brands in China, driven by the success of international infant formula brands.
Tmall & Distribution
Once Vitabiotics was established on Tmall, they signed with several distributors, the primary partner being a key supplier of Aptamil to China. This further increased penetration through more channels & nationwide distributors. The success in distribution catalyzes further re-investment into brand equity & marketing, which further drove up sales.
Developing new categories
With an established base of revenue, Vitabiotics then sought to open new verticals, firstly in Health Care & then Beauty. Vitabiotics trade partner for Mother Baby was a specialist in their field but had limited experience in health. The challenge for Vitabiotics was the brand became associated with M&B in China despite its significant footprint as a Healthcare supplements player, boasting far more SKUs in this category.
Vitabiotics had to seek a Trade Partner with the right track record in Health Care.
Enter Up2China
Vitabiotics sought an entrepreneurial team that could devote the resources & attention required for the launch of pivotal brands, including Wellman, Wellwoman, Feraglobin, Ultra & Visionace.
Vitabiotics opened a separate healthcare store but needed another ‘springboard’ into this new category, an area they could carve out a reputation that would serve as a leader for the range. The choice was Visionace, with Lutein as a successful sub-category. The formula was comprehensive, price competitive & marketing plan key to Visionace’s success on Tmall.
Winning with Visionace sales (approx 10,000 units sold a month) – Vitabiotics Healthcare store was quickly well indexed & up-promoted. This led to greater visibility for the launch of other brands like Wellman, Wellwoman & Feraglobin.
Recruiting own marketing team
From day one, Vitabiotics took the marketing of the brand very seriously. Up2China acted in partnership as an incubator for the initial Vitabiotics team, supporting the hiring of their first operations manager, designer & social media manager. The staff was in the Up2China offices & the team quickly grew to 10 people as Vitabiotics developed live streaming resources, distributor development, e-commerce & marketing collateral.
The Up2China team welcomed this hybrid model. Supporting in hiring, training & best practices for the Vitabiotics team.
Developing distribution network
With more SKUs in the market, Vitabiotics needed to develop its distribution network. Primary distributors could upsell to their sub-distributor networks, but with Mother & Baby, these were less relevant. Up2China supported Vitabiotics in sub-distributor development through Taobao distribution platform & others. They also endorsed with trade fair representation.
Success in e-commerce was a driver for further distributor uptake, with managing these relationships key.
Emerging channel development
Vitabiotics was one of the first overseas brands to launch on Douyin (China’s TikTok); this new flagship healthcare store was launched in partnership with Up2China. Co-investing & sharing revenue.
The live streamer resources were developed with transparency & full visibility, giving Vitabiotics a solid competitive edge. They could build relationships directly, only partially reliant on a TP partner. Live streamers find direct brand collaborations such as this favorable. The live streamer network was very time intensive initially, but with repeat streams, more frequency & brand equity driving uptake, Vitabiotics got into a virtuous cycle of sales & engagement on Douyin.
Up2China was at the forefront of Douyin’s overseas market entry, later opening one of the first authorized multi-brand stores for less established brands to avoid such barriers to entry while allowing access to an extensive live streamer network for sales.
Wellman & Wellwoman Tmall Store Development
As the relationship grew, Vitabiotics also launched with Up2China, their Wellman & Wellwoman stores on Tmall—these sub-category stores allowed for more profound keyword optimization & more effective, targeted traffic.
In Conclusion
Vitabiotics is widely seen as a successful British case study in China. They took an innovative, brave approach to expanding by category in the market & through building brand equity, were able to get into a virtuous cycle of creating demand for sales to further invest for more demand. Up2China has been a pivotal part of this journey, incubating the team from 1 to now 30 people in Vitabiotics’ own office.
Up2China is open to offering such hybrid partnership solutions to serious brands with high growth potential. Leveraging our extensive resources to build a meaningful relationship & project that goes beyond ‘making a fast buck.’
Being one of the pioneers on Douyin Cross-border channel, we built one of the most impressive case studies for International brands selling on the platform.
Why Douyin？
The platform’s GMV from live streaming has proliferated and has reached 1.4 Trillion CNY in 2022.
Douyin Live-streaming platform generated more sales than any other Live-streaming platform in China.
Douyin’s active user base is growing quickly and steadily. It is expected to exceed 800 million users by 2025.
With more than 300K brands, 1M stores, and over 3M active KOL, Douyin is a platform worth exploring.
It took only two years for Douyin to generate over 1 Trillion CNY. (compared to JD.com – 14 years, Taobao- 10 years, and Pindoudou- 4 years)
Dietary Supplement is the fastest growing category on Douyin, with a particular interest in skin-health-related products.
Background
One of the largest dietary supplement brands entered the Chinese market five years ago via cross-border e-commerce. After establishing a solid presence and realizing the potential for further growth, they strategically decided to expand their sales channels. To achieve this, they have recently launched their own Douyin Store, a popular social media platform in China. This move allows them to tap into a vast user base and leverage the platform’s features to enhance sales and reach a wider audience.
What we did
By leveraging the platform’s strengths, we designed and implemented a product strategy tailored to its dynamics. One of our key tactics involved creating concise yet impactful videos featuring relevant content to effectively target our audience and amplify product promotion while expanding our brand’s reach. To maximize our impact, we established partnerships with hundreds of Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOC), collaborating with them to conduct monthly live streams showcasing our products. Through these efforts, we successfully nurtured organic sales growth and significantly improved our sales profits. Additionally, leveraging our enhanced store ranking, we negotiated better contracts with the KOLs, further optimizing our marketing approach and overall performance.
Increased customer loyalty, higher lifetime value, and superior retention rates
A Customized WeChat MiniApp combines a loyalty program and membership club, providing brands with a powerful tool to interact with and manage their customers. By harnessing the capabilities of WeChat MiniApp and cutting-edge technology, this solution enables brands to effectively identify and engage with their high-value customers. It offers an automated yet personalized experience, enhancing the brand’s overall performance.
Background
A brand with several flagship stores on different platforms had a relatively low lifetime value and retention rate, although a significant customer base. The brand focused on increasing customer engagement and loyalty by building brand awareness and improving customer experiences.
Using Our SCRM Solution
Our platform allows brands to consolidate their customers from multiple platforms into one centralized private traffic pool. With the aid of proprietary AI technology, brands are able to identify valuable customers and provide them with personalized experiences. The Smart CRM system automates engagement processes, improving efficiency and effectiveness in reaching out to customers. Additionally, by leveraging the power of WeChat MiniApp, the brand enhance customer engagement through this widely popular social media platform. Through our SCRM, the brand track and analyze customer behavior, which in turn provides valuable insights for enhancing the overall customer experience. Our aim is to foster stronger customer engagement and loyalty while gaining a deeper understanding of customers’ needs and behaviors.
After One Year
The brand saw substantial improvements in customer engagement and loyalty. These improvements were marked by a 25% increase in retention and the result of personalized campaigns that enhanced the customer experience.
Additionally, the lifetime value of its customers increased by 20% as a result of an increase in customer spending. The use of the SCRM also helped the company boost brand recognition and reputation, which further added to the overall success of the company.
Another substantial benefit was the savings achieved through the automation and optimization engagement processes, which streamlined operations and reduced costs.
* DiGate is a digital intelligence and performance platform which provides a central platform to visualize, analyze, and optimize all aspects of your online business in China. For more information, visit- https://www.digate.ai/
Established in 2012, the beauty brand specializes in skincare and makeup products. Over the years, it has expanded its product line, offering innovative and high-quality beauty products. The brand has gained a strong reputation for using natural and organic ingredients in its country of origin.
Objective
The brand aimed to broaden its customer base in China and establish a presence in the market. To test the waters of the Chinese market, the brand adopted a multi-faceted approach, entering multi-brand stores on Tmall Global and Douyin (TikTok) while implementing an offline-to-online (O2O) strategy.
Strategy
To reach Chinese consumers, the beauty brand partnered with two multi-brand stores. The first partnership was with a well-established and traditional channel, Tmall Global, while the second was with Douyin, a popular emerging platform. This allowed the brand’s products to be made available to Chinese consumers.
An O2O approach was also launched, enabling customers to purchase products online after experiencing them in physical stores. Social media marketing and influencer collaborations were leveraged to create excitement and generate interest in the brand’s offerings.
(Holistic Solution – Our Core Cycle)
Operation
Tmall Global served as the platform for a more conventional e-commerce approach, focusing on driving traffic through traditional performance marketing. Simultaneously, the brand implemented the O2O strategy, seamlessly transitioning customers from offline to online purchases.
Collaboration with multi-brand stores facilitated social media marketing and influencer partnerships to promote the brand and generate buzz effectively.
Key Insights and Benefits
Through its partnership with multi-brand stores on Tmall Global and Douyin, the beauty brand successfully expanded its customer base in China. Within just six months, it established a significant presence in the market.
Leveraging the customer base of the multi-brand stores enabled the brand to reach new customers and increase its visibility.
The O2O approach bridged the gap between online and offline shopping, providing customers with a convenient and personalized shopping experience.
Social media marketing and influencer partnerships created a buzz, increased visibility, and drove sales.
This strategy effectively validated the Chinese market with a fast and low-risk cooperation model. Furthermore, as a testament to its success, the brand eventually opened its flagship store to solidify its prominent position in the Chinese market.
An international brand was making sales in China through Daigou (oversea personal shopper) and wanted to harvest this opportunity directly. They opened their Tmall Global flagship store and now had to win over the existing customer base while conquering and retaining new ones. Daigou’s low selling price was a significant challenge to face. The brand had to take back ownership of the pricing structure and restore its premium pricing without antagonizing its fan base.
What we did
We build a loyalty program designed to provide both short- and long-term benefits facilitating migration to our store while providing diverse long-term incentives to stay with us without dragging down pricing. We then employed our machine learning capability to identify and segment our customers to create personalized promotions and maximize re-targeting campaign results. High customer engagement and satisfaction with our program made it possible to launch a successful “word of mouth” campaign and gain significant KOC endorsements on social media platforms.
After one year
The loyalty program exceeded thirteen thousand club members, of which 41% had multiple purchases from our store, with an average order value more than two times greater than non-club member customers. We segmented club members into more than 90 different groups, and our accurate re-targeting led to high retention and sales growth. Tmall acknowledged the store performance, and they awarded us with the “Star of marketing innovation” for excellent customer acquisition and retention results.
%
Increase in retention rate within 1 year
%
Club membership growth
Times
Higher average order value for club members
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