Why Route-to-market (RTM) in China has changed, and a few perspectives on how to navigate it
The pace of change and the intertwining of online and offline sales make China route-to-market projects all the more complex in 2026. 1. The retail landscape is being constantly redrawn Things are changing fast in retail in China. Pangdonglai (胖东来 in Chinese), a provincial grocery chain from Henan, which was unknown outside of China only […]
China’s OTC market: How Chinese self-care is being redefined
China’s OTC market has matured around traditional symptom-relief and household medicine categories. However, growth is increasingly coming from more specialized self-care needs, while changes in consumer lifestyles, treatment priorities, and purchasing channels are reshaping which products gain prominence. China’s OTC market is mature, but growth is shifting between categories China’s OTC market remained at approximately […]
Will GLP-1 drugs help control China’s impending obesity epidemic? Behind the burgeoning popularity of Ozempic in China
Introduced for type-2 diabetes in the diabetes treatment market in China, Ozempic is a brand name for semaglutide, a member of the GLP-1 drug class. GLP-1 drugs mimic a natural hormone that stimulates insulin production, reduces glucagon release, and helps regulate blood glucose levels. Side effects of these drugs, such as delayed gastric emptying and appetite suppression, turn […]
Tencent AI: Can ecosystem reach beat model performance in the enterprise market?
Tencent runs one of China’s largest digital ecosystems, spanning consumer communications, digital content, payments, gaming, cloud services, software, and AI agents. By the end of 2025, Weixin and WeChat together had about 1.4 billion monthly active users. This reach gives Tencent AI in China a distribution edge over other AI firms within its consumer and […]
Haircare market in China: The shift from basics to targeted care and scalp care
China’s haircare market reached RMB 67.8 billion in 2024 full year, and RMB 34.1 billion in the first six month of 2025, with a CAGR of 3.4% since 2019. In this article, haircare products include shampoo, conditioner, hair masks, scalp care, hair dye and perm products, and styling products. In the first half of 2025, […]
Quick commerce market in China: 30-minute delivery reaches RMB 1 trillion
China’s quick commerce market is a structurall shift in e-commerce. The quick commerce market in China reached an estimated RMB 971.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to pass RMB 1 trillion this year, heading for RMB 2 trillion by 2030. The format means ordering online and having the order filled offline from local retail […]
China’s gelato market: How Yeah Gelato made gelato scalable in China
China’s ice cream market is expanding beyond convenience and supermarket products towards freshly prepared frozen desserts. While industrial ice cream still dominates the market, its growth has slowed as China’s gelato market expanded. Founded in Beijing in 2011, Yeah Gelato (野人先生) spent more than a decade developing its products, supply chain, and store model before […]
The underwear market in China: A competitive market with no clear leaders
The underwear market in China reached RMB 254.3 billion in 2024, with women’s underwear at RMB 172.9 billion and men’s at RMB 81.4 billion. In this article, underwear includes bras, underpants, thermal underwear, sleepwear, and shapewear. Across these categories, Chinese consumers bought 4.57 billion pieces in 2024 at an average price of RMB 55.7 per […]
How South Korea’s gaming industry leads even as player numbers drop
South Korea generated KRW 23.85 trillion (around USD 16.3 billion) from the gaming industry, a 3.9% year-over-year increase. Games are the single largest category of Korean cultural exports, which make up around 60% of the country’s total content exports. In Korea, however, game participation dropped to 50.2% in 2025, down from 74.4% in 2022. While […]
NOWWA Coffee’s China strategy: The shop-in-shop model that turned convenience stores into a coffee chain
On December 11, 2025, NOWWA Coffee announced its global store count had crossed 10,000, the fourth Chinese coffee chain to get there after Luckin, Cotti, and Lucky Coffee. It did not get there through conventional franchising. Over 90% of its locations are store-in-store counters inside partner venues, and Meijiyia convenience stores alone host roughly 3,600 […]
China’s eye makeup market: Away from heavy filters to more natural and culturally authentic looks
In 2024, eye makeup only made up 14% of the overall color cosmetics market in China, compared to 53% for face makeup and 31% for lip makeup. However, it is expected to grow rapidly at a CAGR of 17.3% from 2024 to 2029. By segment, mascaras make up the largest segment at 36%, followed by […]
Affordable Luxury in China: Why value-led luxury is winning
Affordable luxury in China is not about compromise, but about credibility. Consumers seek status, quality, and brand recognition, and clear justification for higher prices. As Chinese luxury buyers grow more discerning, they prefer products that blend credible design, practicality, social value, and reasonable pricing. The ‘old-money’ fashion trend （#老钱风） has gained significant popularity in China. […]