How Western brands can earn Chinese shoppers’ trust

Around seven in 10 said it is through information in the flagship stores.

Western brands can gain the trust of Chinese shoppers by having their official presence on marketplaces and social channels, a report by e-commerce accelerator firm Pattern showed.

The report showed that 70% of the Chinese shoppers cited that Western brands they have not previously heard of can earn their trust for a purchasing decision by having brand information, awards and/or qualification on its flagship stores on marketplaces.

A total of 69% said scores, such as Tmalls’s detail seller rating score, on the brand’s flagship store, can also help gain their trust.

Word of mouth or product on social channels (64%), customer reviews or product on the platform (62%), customer service or live chat on flagship store (60%), brand ambassadors (45%), and influencer recommendations (40%) were some of the ways Western brands can gain Chinese shoppers’ trust.

Chinese shoppers are also searching for reviews of Western products on the brand’s official social media accounts (74%), storefronts (70%), and websites (59%).

In buying Western goods or brands, the top reasons Chinese consumers cited were strong product quality at 60%, a sense of uniqueness and matching their style or values both at 59%, and value for money at 57%.

The China Cross-border Shopper Report 2022 surveyed 1,000 Chinese shoppers who purchased on the border marketplace Tmall Global in the last 12 months.