Chinese distributors play an essential role in the process of entering the Chinese market, and are key partners for international beauty brands. These distributors possess in-depth knowledge of local culture, consumer habits and regulatory requirements, enabling them to tailor market strategies and product positioning for international beauty and skincare brands.
Simultaneously, their extensive distribution network in China ensures efficient product distribution, guaranteeing accessibility in all regions of the country. Their role also encompasses important responsibilities such as brand promotion, distribution channel management and supply chain coordination. This article will discuss the key role of Chinese distributors as partners for international beauty and skincare brands in the Chinese market.
The Potential of China’s Beauty and Skincare Market
（Data sources: iResearch)
According to the analysis report of iResearch Consulting, the scale of China’s beauty market is showing a continuous growth trend, and will achieve a market scale of 97.4 billion yuan in 2023. The main driving force for this growth comes from the active consumption of cosmetics and skin care.
The diversification of sales channels has led to the continuous expansion of the main consumer groups in China’s beauty market. With the fashion of professionalization and high-end beauty, international beauty and skin care brands are now at a rare opportunity to enter the Chinese market.
Why Cooperate with Chinese Beauty and Skincare Distributors to Sell in the Chinese Market?
As one of the most important beauty and skincare consumer markets in the world, China contains unlimited business opportunities and potential. In this market full of opportunities, the role of cosmetics and skincare distributors is becoming more and more important. They play an indispensable role in expanding market share and increasing sales.
- Distributors fully understand the local beauty and skincare market
They understand Chinese consumers’ cultural preferences, buying habits, and market trends. This allows them to tailor their marketing strategies for international brands, ensuring that their products fit the needs of local consumers. From product positioning to publicity and promotion, beauty and skincare distributors can provide valuable advice and guidance in marketing.
- Distributors play an important role in the distribution network of beauty and skincare products
The extensive distribution network they have established in China can quickly deliver products to various regions, ensuring a wide supply chain of products. Regardless of whether it is a first-tier city or a remote area, the distribution channels can all deliver products to consumers, thereby effectively increasing sales.
- Distributors also play a key role in branding beauty and skincare products
They know well the local media, social platforms and publicity channels in the Chinese market, and can provide promotion strategies for international brands. Through local advertising, promotion and other activities, distributors can effectively increase brand awareness and attract more consumers’ attention.
How to Find a Suitable Distributor of Beauty and Skincare Products in the Chinese Market?
Brand Positioning and Objectives
Taking into account factors such as geography, culture, and economy, there are quite differences between China’s beauty and skincare market and Europe’s. Therefore, when a foreign brand enters the Chinese market, it should clarify the core value conveyed by the brand and the specific target audience to formulate a more targeted marketing strategy.
Similarly, when choosing a suitable distributor in the Chinese market, it is necessary to ensure that its distribution strategy fits the brand positioning, cover the target audience area, and integrate the brand with the local culture to ensure that the product is accessible and attractive.
Ways to Find Chinese Beauty and Skincare Distributors
The following are some commonly used methods and channels to provide strong support for brands to successfully enter the Chinese market:
- Exhibitions and Expositions
In different industries, there are various related exhibitions, such as China International Import Expo and China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair). For beauty brands, China Beauty Expo and others are particularly important, providing an excellent opportunity for companies to find distributors.
- Professional Associations and Chambers of Commerce
These associations bring together professionals in the industry and have a wealth of industry information and resources. In China, a social atmosphere that emphasizes human relations, with these resources and support, companies can better map out market entry strategies and further promote business development and growth.
- Online B2B Platforms
Alibaba, JD.com, Global Sources, etc. These platforms gather suppliers and buyers from different industries and provide diversified product categories and distribution services. For the beauty sector, Uxin Beauty stands out as the leading B2B e-commerce platform in China. It is dedicated to providing online sales, supply chain services, and market promotion opportunities for cosmetic product suppliers and brands.
- Selecting Partners Through Intermediary Agencies
The agencies play the role of intermediary in this process. They usually have professional industry knowledge and resources, and can find suitable distributors or partners according to the needs of the brand. They can provide background information about cooperators, market reputation, business stability, etc., thereby reducing the investment risk of brands and speeding up the matching process of partners.
- Market Research— An Effective Choice Method
Brands can engage market research, competitive analysis, and consumer feedback to understand performance and reputation of potential partner’s in the local market. This helps brands better understand the strengths of their partners’ businesses and whether they align with the brand’s values and goals.
When making strategic decisions, the integration of brand goals, product attributes and market needs is critical to brand success. When choosing cooperation methods and channels, brands should consider brand positioning, market strategy and goals, and formulate corresponding dealer search plans. By observing the cosmetics market from different angles, the brand can establish a solid base in the Chinese market and pave the way for sustainable growth.
Establish Good Relations with Beauty and Skincare Distributors in China
When entering the Chinese market, it is very important to establish a good cooperative relationship with distributors. This kind of partnership is not just a transaction, but also based on mutual trust, common goals and long-term development.
China is a society where nepotism has a significant influence. Building good interpersonal relationships will facilitate your collaboration and give you considerable advantages in obtaining resources and opportunities. In this interdependent and close partnership, both sides can achieve a win-win situation and jointly drive business growth and success. STAiiRS team has many years of experience in Chinese market research and will help you succeed in entering China.
Training and Support for Beauty and Skincare Distributors
Distributor training plays a key role in a successful partnership. Through targeted training, the brand can enable distributors to deeply comprehend the brand’s core values, product features and market positioning, so as to more effectively convey the brand image to end consumers.
Training not only helps distributors to have a deep knowledge of the brand’s history, culture and vision, then to represent the brand more confidently and deliver the expected image. Training also enables distributors to fully understand product features, functions, and benefits, to improve their communication skills with potential customers, and to ensure the accurate transmission of product information. This comprehensive knowledge base makes distributors more confident and professional, and better able to represent brands and products in the Chinese market.
Marketing and Branding of Beauty and Skincare Products
Through brand marketing and promotion strategies, companies can effectively expand the influence and popularity of their brands in the Chinese market, so as to make the brand image deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese and communicate to a wider audience. These strategies not only help to increase the exposure of the brand, but also can establish an emotional connection between the brand and the consumers, standing out among the highly competitive business environment.
With the arrival of the digital age, in a market with a huge online user base, making full use of various social media platforms, such as Douyin, Little Red Book, WeChat, etc., has become an essential promotional strategy for international companies. Through targeted content creation and interaction with users, brands can quickly attract people’s attention and achieve high brand awareness, which will directly affect consumers’ purchasing decisions, thereby driving sales.
Future Challenges and Strategies for Beauty and Skincare Industry
Finding appropriate distributors in China may face a series of challenges because of the huge differences in cultures, language communication habits, and diversified market competition between China and western countries. These challenges affect the business contacts and cooperation methods between brands and local Chinese distributors. In the face of these challenges, it is necessary for brands to adopt targeted solutions and strategies to ensure the stable and sustainable development of partnerships.
No need to be worried, when facing these challenges, STAiiRS team is fully aware of their importance and will take targeted measures for you to ensure that the brand has more confidence in the process of finding suitable distributors in the Chinese market. We formulate clear cooperation strategies, establish effective communication and collaboration with the help of professional consulting and data analysis, which will help brands succeed in establishing and developing long-term partnerships.
We are the official distributor for a new Korean Skincare brand who has been awarded the Best Brand in the “Clean Beauty” category for 2 consecutive years. The brand uses only natural ingredients which are Eco-friendly, Hypoallergenic, Antimicrobial, hydrating and also has skin-brightening features.
Hi there, we are a consulting and sourcing company in China focus on beauty markets, and would like to get in touch with you to see if you have interests in other International beauty brands. Please feel free to contact us at shinhwamichelle@gmail.com for more information!