The Strategic Guide to market your Home Decor Brand in China

In the coming few years, China market for home decor & furniture products has been facing a booming time compared to other industries.

The home decor market in China is experiencing a growth in 2023-2024, driven by a combination of cultural, technological, and economic factors (Chinese consumers have more money to buy furtnuture)

What CEO & Top management need to know about this Home Decoration market:

1. Rapid Urbanization: Increasing migration to urban areas is fueling demand for modern home decor as consumers seek comfortable and stylish living spaces.
2. Growing Middle Class: The expanding middle class with rising disposable incomes is more inclined to invest in home decor to enhance living standards.
3. E-commerce Expansion: Online shopping for home decor is booming, thanks to the convenience and the wide range of options it offers, making it easier for consumers to find and purchase items that fit their style.
4. Social Media Influence: Platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) are crucial in shaping consumer preferences as users look to influencers for the latest trends and ideas in home decoration.
5. Sustainability Concerns: Eco-consciousness is on the rise, with more consumers opting for sustainable and ethically sourced products, impacting purchasing decisions in the home decor sector.
6. Technological Integration: The integration of smart home technology into home decor items is becoming increasingly popular, reflecting the broader trend towards smart living solutions.
7. Personalization and Customization: Consumers are seeking personalized home decor solutions that reflect their personal style and preferences, driving demand for customized furniture and decorations.
8. Cultural Influence: There is a growing appreciation for traditional Chinese elements in home decor, blending modern aesthetics with cultural heritage to create unique living spaces.
9. Luxury Market Growth: The luxury segment of the home decor market is expanding, with affluent consumers looking for high-end, exclusive home decor products.
10. Innovative Retail Experiences: Retailers are creating immersive shopping experiences (both online and offline) that make purchasing home decor more engaging and interactive.

These trends highlight the diverse influences shaping the home decor market in China, from digital innovation and e-commerce to cultural heritage and sustainability, indicating a robust growth trajectory for this industry.

Both manufacturers and imports/exports will lead to an increase. With the rising conscience in citizens’ minds, new housing projects, and improving living conditions, there is growing consumer confidence in home decoration products in China.

China’s market for home decor products offers opportunities for producers, imports/exports sectors, in the past decade, rising consumer consumption in China has transformed China’s society and economy. China is one of the world’s major producers of home decor and its related consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the world’s fastest-growing market for the consumption of goods and services, related home decoration products in China are a significant part.

China’s home decor and its decor furniture market are full of marketing opportunities and business expansion.

Take the home decor furniture replacement market as an example. According to statistics, there were about 440 million households in all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China.

Chinese people’s increasing purchasing power has driven home decor products, especially the furniture market to develop in leaps and bounds in China.

The total retail sales of home decor furniture products by wholesalers and retailers above a certain scale grew 13.9% to Rmb227.30 billion in 2014, according to the related industry report.

DIY Home Decor is trending

DIY home decor goes trending mostly is owing to the freedom of creation by consumers themselves. Furthermore, it ranges from living area, dining area, bedrooms, study, decoration, art, lighting, carpeting, curtains to the textile. This more than 4-trillion-yuan market is usually described as “a cake too huge to be ignored”.

Marketing DIY home decoration is apt to rely on the Internet and digitalization. A report in2016 polled more than 1,000 consumers across China. More than 60 percent of them said they are willing to use Internet-based platforms to purchase products and services for home decor.

Home Decor marketing slogans
Home decor advertising ideas
Target market for home decor
Content for home decor business
Decoration advertisement Quotes
Starting a home decor business online

How to sell your own home decor Brand in China?

Understand how the distribution works in China at first:

In China, you probably know well that commerce and branding, and tourism already go to digitalization, but the power of digitalization is it is everywhere.

Usually, when Chinese consumers buy home decoration products, they go to furniture shops or supermarkets. For the imported products, they are mainly sold in specialized shops or premium shopping malls. But, e-commerce is increasing and gain in awareness because e-commerce provides consumers, with new shopping experiences.

E-Commerce in China is quickly growing and offers many opportunities for foreign brands.

M-commerce cannot be neglected, which is really popular in the furniture market. M-commerce creates new opportunities for consumers. It’s the perfect balance between distribution supply online and offline. Chinese consumers know how to do a lot of research online before buying something. The online part allows them to find information.

Distributors in China, How they find new partners oversea?

The online Chinese furniture market should be a vector of stimulation in the close future. The number of online shoppers in China contributes to this increase.

Work on SEO

In China, the number one search engine is not Google but Baidu with more than 80% of the market share. Baidu became the most important search engine you need to include in your SEO strategy if you want to succeed in the Chinese market.

SEO on Baidu is mandatory if you want to build a long-term strategy due to 75% of the research are done on Baidu. You have to be visible on Baidu. Keywords are the key, but they have to be in mandarin because your consumers will always try to find information using mandarin keywords.

In addition, your website needs to be hosted in China if you want to be ranked on Baidu. Notably, all your contents have to be responsive design because Chinese users are very connected and surf a lot on their smartphones.

Turn to Social Media

If you want to raise the reputation of your decoration products, it is costly and paying back little by using traditional media. However, new social media like WeChat can ease your promotion problem, especially for small businesses.

WeChat is the most popular social media with more than 80 million daily users. It’s the perfect place to communicate with your consumers and publish content. You also have to know that WeChat provides to brands an e-commerce part. You can build your own e-shop and sell directly on the platform.

In China, Chinese consumers are used to sharing their purchases on their WeChat profiles. It’s a good way to improve your awareness and gain recommendations.

Weibo is another efficient way to promote your brand. It’s a microblogging platform where consumers are used to expressing themselves. It’s really convenient to communicate with your consumers and potential consumers.

And Weibo is easy for startups to spread their reputation. You only have to create your Weibo Official Account which allows you to develop a strong and smart communication strategy to target a lot of consumers.

Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu) for Marketing Home Decoration Brands in China

Little Red Book, known as Xiaohongshu in China, is a dynamic platform blending social media and e-commerce elements, making it an influential channel for marketing home decoration brands. Its user base predominantly consists of young, urban women who are highly engaged in lifestyle, beauty, and home decor, making it a lucrative market for home decoration brands.

Influence of Female KOLs on Xiaohongshu

Female Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) play a pivotal role on Xiaohongshu. They significantly influence home decor trends and consumer purchases through their posts that blend personal lifestyle insights with professional decor advice. These KOLs often showcase their home aesthetics, DIY projects, and review home decor products, thereby guiding the purchasing decisions of their followers. Their influence is potent because their recommendations come across as genuine, well-informed, and trustworthy.

Five Tips for Effective Home Decor Marketing on Xiaohongshu in 2024

1. Encourage Unique UGC Content: Develop campaigns that motivate users to create and share their home decor stories or DIY projects. Unique user-generated content (UGC) such as makeover challenges or decor before-and-afters can drive engagement and bring authenticity to your brand.
2. RED SEO: Use Xiaohongshu’s search function to your advantage by incorporating popular and relevant keywords into your content.
3. Native Advertising: Seamlessly integrate native ads into the user feed that not only promote your products but also provide value through decor tips or design inspiration. Ensure these ads fit naturally within the platform’s content style to enhance user engagement without disrupting their experience.
4. Recommendations: Create a community ethos where users are encouraged to recommend and review your products. Implementing a reward system for reviews or featuring user reviews prominently can enhance credibility and attract new customers.
5. Engage Actively : Maintain active engagement by responding to comments, participating in discussions, and even featuring user questions in your posts.

By integrating these Tips, home decoration brands can effectively leverage Xiaohongshu to increase visibility, engage with a targeted audience, and enhance their brand presence in the competitive Chinese market. This approach not only boosts brand awareness but also directly influences sales through a platform that values authenticity and peer recommendations. Look at this video

Home decoration brands: how to Sell to Consumers in China directly

Sell on popular e-commerce platforms

One of the best ways to sell your products is selling on some popular e-commerce platforms in China, because Chinese people love to check their demands on e-commerce platforms than real stores, such as Tmall.

Tmall is the most reputable cross-border e-commerce platform in China. Chinese people trust Tmall because this platform volunteers to sell consumers only quality and authentic goods.

A Tmall.com storefront is essential to the China retail strategy of leading global businesses. It’s the most effective way for China’s market penetration. But Tmall only accepted brands that have already a significant presence and realized high sales in China. That’s why a lot of companies are rejected by the platform which wants to keep a high standard.

There are two ways to join Tmall’s platform: If you are a company with China in-country business operations, you can apply to Tmall. com;  If you are a company with overseas licenses, you are eligible to Tmall Global.

In addition, selling on other cross-border e-commerce platforms is also favorable and lucrative, such as Haitao or Little Red Book(Xiaohongshu).

INFLUENCERS CAMPAIGN

Influencers or KOLs are really powerful in China. They are simply users who drive traffic on their pages with good and interesting content. Chinese consumers love following KOLs on social media and they listen to their advice.

You can partner (pay) KOL in your communication strategy. He or she will be the image of your brand and can help you’re to develop your image toward Chinese consumers. It’s an effective way to develop your awareness and brand image in China because Chinese consumers trust more KOLs than brands.

in 2024, all KOL are not worth their price, be carreful explain Marcus Zhan GMA

Gentlemen Marketing Agency

Gentlemen Marketing Agency is specialized in digital marketing in the Chinese market. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss any projects in China.