With the increasing concern of the China population regarding health issues, the awareness of maintaining good health continues to grow. This surge in health consciousness has led to the expansion of the Nutrition and Supplement market in China, with both the elderly population and the younger generation becoming significant driving forces behind the industry’s growth.
For the nutrition and supplement industry in China, traditional e-commerce platforms such as Tmall, Taobao, and JD.com play crucial roles. Additionally, social media platforms including Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) have become vital channels and platforms for shaping consumer preferences and influencing purchasing decisions.
Continuous Growth of the Nutrition and Supplement China Market
The China’s Nutrition and supplement market primarily includes health foods, health drugs, and health products. According to market size data, in 2022, the sales of health foods in China reached 68 billion yuan (approximately 8.7 billion euros), showing an 8.45% year-on-year growth. By 2023, it reached approximately 72 billion yuan (about 9.2 billion euros). Sales of health foods in 2024 are projected to further increase to 77.8 billion yuan (approximately 10 billion euros). The market size of health supplements in China is steadily rising.
In recent years, with the continuous increase in China’s aging population, consumers’ awareness of health for themselves and their families has been strengthening, indicating enormous potential for the development of the Nutrition and Supplement market in China. Nutrition and Supplements are gradually becoming the fourth meal in Chinese family life. Furthermore, the post-90s generation and Generation Z are leading a new trend in Nutrition and Supplement consumption among the younger generation in China.
Meanwhile, the comprehensive development of China’s digital economy has intensified the channel revolution in the Chinese Nutrition and Supplement market. Nowadays, Chinese e-commerce platforms have surpassed the influence of traditional direct sales, becoming one of the primary consumption channels for the Nutrition and Supplement industry. During the 2023 “Double 11” period, the sales of nutrition and health categories on platforms like Tmall and JD.com exceeded 14.8 billion yuan (approximately 1.9 billion euros).
Key Platforms for Marketing in Nutrition and Supplement in China Market
Since 2020, e-commerce has been replacing direct sales as the primary channel for Nutrition and Supplement consumption in China. Among these, Tmall, JD.com, and Pinduoduo are developing the fastest. Meanwhile, high enthusiasm for health supplements on platforms such as Douyin (TikTok), WeChat, and Xiaohongshu has driven increasing consumer attention towards health and wellness.
Tmall
A comprehensive shopping website and a B2C retail platform created by Taobao, integrating thousands of domestic and foreign brand manufacturers to provide a one-stop solution for both merchants and consumers. Complementing Taobao’s coverage of almost all aspects, Tmall mainly gathers flagship stores of brands and sellers with good credibility.
JD.com
It targets users who already have relatively clear shopping needs and demand certain product quality and after-sales service. Starting with 3C digital products, JD.com primarily sells computers, digital products, and home appliances, but in recent years, it has expanded into various product categories and types, no longer limited to 3C products.
Pinduoduo
It positions itself as a C2B-focused third-party social e-commerce platform specializing in group buying. Its core business model is “social + e-commerce.” With WeChat as its foundation, Pinduoduo’s core business model relies on social sharing. Users can achieve low-price procurement of goods by initiating group buying with family and friends. By leveraging social connections, Pinduoduo not only generates more traffic but also enhances user trust and stickiness.
Douyin
The platform lies in pioneering short videos and live streaming. In an era of oversaturation with textual content, Douyin has successfully garnered over 600 million Daily Active Users through short videos and live streaming. In 2021, Douyin e-commerce pioneered the concept of interest-based e-commerce, connecting potential interested customers and merchants through algorithms.
Xiaohongshu
It started as a community platform primarily focusing on beauty and personal care. However, it gradually expanded into sharing information about travel, hotels, restaurants, and other aspects of lifestyle, touching on various aspects of consumer lifestyle. Xiaohongshu’s uniqueness in e-commerce lies in its word-of-mouth marketing. Nothing boosts conversion rates better than genuine user-generated word-of-mouth, much like how consumers always check user reviews before making purchases on platforms like Taobao. Xiaohongshu has a community of real user-generated word-of-mouth shares, making the entire platform a vast repository of user reviews.
As the social platform with the largest MAU base in China, brings significant marketing influence through its features such as Mini Programs, WeChat Official Accounts, and WeiDian. By the third quarter of 2023, the number of WeChat users had reached 1.311 billion. With increasing attention on WeChat Mini Programs, its user base shows a year-on-year growth trend. Meanwhile, the transaction amount achieved by WeChat Mini Programs has also been steadily increasing, with the DAU base of China’s WeChat Mini Programs reaching 691 million by the third quarter of 2023.
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Marketing Strategies for Nutrition and Supplement in China Market
WeChat Official Accounts
WeChat Official Accounts serve as the foundation for enterprises to conduct marketing on the WeChat platform. Therefore, establishing a WeChat Official Account is essential. However, merely setting up an account is not enough; optimization of the account is necessary. Similarly, targeted promotion can be done through the WeChat advertising platform to precisely deliver content to the target audience. WeChat private domain marketing is an effective strategy to attract potential customers. By optimizing the account settings, creating high-quality content, actively interacting and building communities, as well as targeted promotion and cooperative linkage, more potential customers can be attracted and stable customer relationships can be established.
Douyin
On the Douyin platform, the key to attracting potential users lies in creating creative and interesting content, and building interactive relationships with potential customers is crucial for success. Collaborating with appropriate KOLs/KOCs and establishing a cooperation relationship is a good choice.
Before utilizing KOLs/KOCs on the Douyin platform for marketing, it is essential to clearly identify the brand’s target audience, understand their interests, needs, and behavior patterns. Once the potential customers are identified, brands can better select suitable KOLs/KOCs as partners and develop content strategies tailored to them.
Xiaohongshu
To tap into potential users on Xiaohongshu, operators need to have certain note-publishing capabilities and use content to attract the public’s attention as much as possible, which can to some extent convert potential user traffic into actual traffic. At the same time, collaborating with KOLs/KOCs on the Xiaohongshu platform can help expand the brand’s influence and exposure. Through collaboration with them, products or services can be recommended to more potential customers with the help of their fan base and influence.
KOL & KOC
Regarding content marketing in cooperation with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) / KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers), collaborating with KOLs can increase brand awareness and exposure. According to Launchmetrics’ research, about 80% of brand managers believe that cooperation with KOLs can increase brand awareness and exposure
The influence of KOCs mainly lies in product recommendations and user word-of-mouth. This indicates that the influence of KOLs is more extensive and public, while the influence of KOCs is more direct and personal. The credibility of KOLs comes from their professional knowledge and influence in specific fields, while the credibility of KOCs comes from their real usage experience and word-of-mouth recommendations. Since KOCs have a similar identity to ordinary consumers, their opinions resonate more with other consumers. According to Nielsen’s data, 92% of consumers are more inclined to believe in other consumers’ opinions rather than the brand’s own propaganda.
In terms of influence scope, KOLs have a broader influence scope as they have a large number of fans on social media, directly influencing more consumer groups. This allows brands to gain broader exposure and influence. The influence scope of KOCs is relatively smaller, mainly concentrated on their personal communities and fans on social media.
KOLs and KOCs play important roles in today’s online marketing. In practical application, companies need to choose KOCs or KOLs to cooperate with reasonably according to their own needs and the characteristics of the target audience to achieve the best marketing effect.
Successful Cases of Digital Marketing for Overseas Nutrition and Supplement in the China Market: Tmall and Xiaohongshu
Blackmores, Australia’s largest natural health brand, entered China in 2012. Until 2014, with the successive introduction of the bonded zone policy in China, foreign brands could finally enter China through cross-border e-commerce. At the end of that year, Blackmores began preparing for its overseas flagship store on Tmall International, gradually clarifying its development path in the Chinese market. In the 2023 Tmall “Double Eleven” overseas Nutrition and Supplement sales ranking, Blackmores ranked second in brand sales.
In terms of digital marketing, Blackmores actively utilized the promotion resources of Tmall International and platforms like Xiaohongshu. Especially after reaching a strategic cooperation with Xiaohongshu in 2015, it continuously increased its promotion efforts on the Xiaohongshu channel. By collaborating with high-quality KOLs/KOCs, Blackmores successfully gained more brand exposure and product promotion opportunities, further enhancing sales volume.
The importance of digital marketing for overseas brands is self-evident. With the vigorous development of the Chinese digital market and the intensification of globalization trends, the competition for overseas brands entering the Chinese market has become extremely fierce. In such an environment, the support of professional digital marketing agencies is crucial for the success of brands in the Chinese market.
STAiiRS, a digital marketing agency, has rich market experience and in-depth industry insights. We have a deep understanding of consumer behavior, trends, and preferences in the Chinese market, helping overseas brands develop targeted marketing strategies to effectively communicate with target audiences. Moreover, we possess professional digital marketing skills and technical support. STAiiRS is familiar with various digital marketing tools and platforms, providing comprehensive services and support in SEM (SEO+SEA), social media marketing, content marketing, etc., helping overseas brands establish a strong online brand image in the Chinese market.
Future Trends in the Nutrition and Supplement China Market
With the improvement of Chinese residents’ income levels and quality of life, and the growth of the aging population in China, consumers’ demand for a healthy and quality lifestyle is becoming increasingly prominent. The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has further enhanced the health-consciousness of Chinese people, accelerating the growth of the market demand for nutrition and health-related products in the post-pandemic era. Despite the challenges, in the rapidly developing digital age, Chinese e-commerce platforms and social media marketing have become closely integrated, becoming crucial components of the commercial domain.
As people’s health awareness increases, personalized nutrition has become one of the important trends in the nutritional supplement market. Consumers are paying more attention to their own health needs, hoping to find customized products and services that meet their specific needs and goals. Therefore, brands need to provide customized products and services based on the personalized needs of different consumers to meet their specific health goals and preferences.
At the same time, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Advertising (SEA) marketing on content-sharing platforms have become increasingly important. In China’s increasingly digital market environment, search engines have become one of the primary channels for consumers to obtain information and products. Through effective SEM and SEA strategies, brands can increase online exposure, guide target audiences to their websites or online stores, and promote sales conversion. This precise marketing method can help brands attract more potential customers and enhance their influence.
Conclusion
The Chinese Nutrition and Supplement market is experiencing rapid growth. With both the elderly population and the younger generation becoming significant driving forces, the prospects for the Nutrition and Supplement market are increasingly promising. Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Tmall, Taobao, JD.com, as well as social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and WeChat, have become key channels for shaping consumer preferences and driving purchase decisions. The advent of the digital age has accelerated the channel revolution in the Chinese Nutrition and Supplement market, with e-commerce platforms becoming one of the main channels for Nutrition and Supplement consumption.
If you want to learn more about the ChinA Nutrition and Supplement market and explore effective Chinese social media marketing strategies, feel free to contact us anytime. The professional International Digital Marketing team of STAiiRS will provide you with detailed answers!
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