Client Stories

How is the Chinese love for wellness different?

Demystifying the stories around doing business with the Chinese.

“To some SMEs, developing business in China is an entrepreneur’s dream. But Crayfish.io made it very possible by demystifying the stories around doing business with the Chinese and creating strategies for cultural understanding and entry into one of the largest markets in the world. Their one-to-one customised service gave us the best the team had to offer. We can’t recommend them enough and are confident to expand in China because we know we have Crayfish.io as our partners.’’
CEO

Background

Love Wellness Company (LWC) is a British SME in the wellness sector, aspiring to reach large global markets like China.The company understands that China is a unique market and Chinese people have their own cultural preferences in terms of value, attitudes and perspectives, as well as their own favoured approach to choosing brands and products. Every touchpoint needs to be accurately translated – from presentations and contracts to websites and marketing content.

Recognising that it was vitally important to get the content right at the outset, LWC’s team was looking for external expertise that was not limited to simply translating all their marketing documents and subtitling all their promotional videos. They sought to truly ‘localise’ their products for China to introduce them to prospective consumers.

What was the challenge?

In assessing LWC’s requirements, Crayfish experts quickly identified several challenges. These included the need for:

A full-service partner to help with their localisation:

  1. Translation:it was important not just to translate between languages, but also to harness the essence of LWC’s marketing materials, to recreate them with in-depth cultural insights and knowledge of China.
  2. Product design: appropriate for the Chinese consumer
  3. Communications: setting up Chinese social media, e.g. Youku (the Chinese equivalent of YouTube)
  4. Fast turnaround:LWC faced a tight deadline with limited resources. wanting to have materials ready so it could attend the Best of British show in Shanghai.
  5. First-hand consumer insight: To understand both the UK and Chinese markets and culture was very important, so that LWC could establish a British brand that would be highly desired by Chinese consumers.

How did Crayfish help?

Crayfish collaborated with the brand team to consider consumer insights and localise LWC’s content, optimising cost-savings and efficiency. Together with LWC, we examined the company’s market entry strategy and approach to delivery, leveraging our comprehensive network of talent to assemble a full project team of Crayfish associates in China – people tuned in to both Anglo and Chinese cultures.

  1. Translation: Crayfish’s exclusive partner in China is one of the top translation agencies. This ensured we produced real Chinese marketing language, with at least 30% saving in cost. Some translations were even delivered overnight to meet the tight deadline.
  2. Product design: Crayfish helped the client to develop the design guidelines, entirely tailor-made for the Chinese audience, so they were not simply a ‘tweak’ of the existing design.

SMEs like LWC can find it very difficult to search for and evaluate relevant design capability. Fortunately, Crayfish located a creative director through its own network, whose experience included design initiatives for well-established brands such as Oreo and Dove. She consolidated all the information and took inspiration not only from market research and other design references, but also from local consumer interviews. The creative director noticed that consumers in the ‘mother and baby care’ category really like the ‘imported ’brands that claim their product ranges are made of natural, organic materials. She then identified a clear design direction for LWC, using illustrations of floral and herbal leaves to convey a classic British style, typically perceived as the essence of ‘Britishness’ in Chinese people’s eyes.

What was the outcome?

Under the new design guidelines, LWC’s British design agency was able to deliver a more vibrant ‘British’ themed design, tailored to Chinese consumers’ taste.

​At the Best of British show, LWC received a lot of praise for the design and the accurate translation of their marketing materials. Compared to a more traditional approach, LWC spent a fraction of the cost, and achieved a great deal. Aided by Crayfish’s network of talent on a strategic level and its great project management service, LWC now has fully localised content, with a clear direction for entering China.

What does the client say?

“To some SMEs, developing business in China is an entrepreneur’s dream. But Crayfish.io made it very possible by demystifying the stories around doing business with the Chinese and creating strategies for cultural understanding and entry into one of the largest markets in the world. Their one-to-one customised service gave us the best the team had to offer. We can’t recommend them enough and are confident to expand in China because we know we have Crayfish.io as our partners.’’

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