Attracting Chinese tourists without a physical presence in China is entirely feasible by implementing strategic measures that cater to their preferences and behaviors. Here are some practical tips to help your business appeal to Chinese travelers:
Leverage Chinese Social Media Platforms
If you own a restaurant, as dining while traveling is one of the ways for tourist to experience the place and the culture, you may want to start translating your Food and Beverage collaterals such as menus, advertisements, and food descriptions.
Just like any other tourist, having to read the menu in your own language makes all the difference—consumers are likely to purchase a product or service if they understand it and feel like home.
According to Harvard Business Review, based on Common Sense Advisory’s survey. 50% of consumers consider language more than the price.Establish a presence on popular Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin.
2. Localize payment channels
Another way to attract more tourist is to have localized payment channels in your stores or shops. One of the widely used payment method – which only takes a few seconds to pay someone via mobile phone – is via WeChatPay.
Chinese travelers are accustomed to the speed and ease of mobile payments, with platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay dominating their daily transactions. Imagine a tourist, used to paying for everything with a tap of their phone, suddenly having to fumble with cash and currency exchange. It’s a jarring experience that can deter spending and leave a negative impression.
The cashless society does exist. And living and traveling within China is so convenient that you don’t need to bring cash when paying merchants.
And once you go out of China, it’s quite strange to go back to paying merchants using cash, which is a bit hassle because you need to change currency when traveling.
Would it be nice if merchants overseas, especially if they are really serious about attracting Chinese consumers would accept WeChatPay or Alipay both for brick-and-mortar shops and also in their online portals?
Did you know most consumers use WeChatPay in retail shops, restaurants, and traveling?
3. Explore offline to online promotional strategies
While most companies today see the potential of digital marketing strategies to help them grow their business, one of the things that they can also learn from Chinese companies like Alibaba is the combination of offline and online strategies to attract more customers.
For brick and mortar shops and also restaurants, this could be a gateway for engaging customers by providing real-life, meaningful customer experience, and then with a continuity of the cycle by engaging them online via mobile strategies.
A quick win for companies is to use QR codes in their ads as opt-ins for tourists that can lead them to a Chinese landing page about other products and services they offer.
China, as CNN Money put it, can’t get enough of QR codes as these are the most effective ways to promote and sell products and services.
Maximize your potential with the Chinese travel market and contact us for personalized strategies!
