(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
As China’s retail evolves into a fully integrated O2O ecosystem, overseas brands that harness advanced quantitative research gain decisive advantages in assortment planning, customer retention, and channel strategy. From conjoint to predictive analytics, these methods deliver the precision needed to thrive amid fierce local competition.
- Category and Assortment Optimization
1.1 TURF Analysis for Product Lineups Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency: Apply TURF to survey data from 8,000–15,000 shoppers to identify the optimal SKU mix that maximizes category coverage. Recent retail studies reduced portfolio complexity by 30–40% while maintaining 95%+ reach, freeing shelf space for high-margin imported items.
1.2 Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter Four-Question Pricing Surveys: Deploy via mini-programs to determine acceptable price ranges for new product introductions. Results consistently place “too cheap” thresholds higher for overseas brands due to perceived quality halo.
- Loyalty and Retention Metrics
2.1 RFM Segmentation Enhanced with Surveys Recency, Frequency, Monetary Value Layers: Overlay survey-declared attitudes onto transactional RFM data to create predictive churn models. Quantitative benchmarks show emotional factors like “brand aligns with my values” add 25% accuracy to retention forecasts in luxury retail.
2.2 Net Promoter Score Tracking by Channel Multi-Touchpoint NPS: Measure NPS separately for app, website, livestream, and in-store experiences. Data reveals livestream hosts often drive NPS 15–20 points higher than static e-commerce pages.
- Livestream and Social Retail Quantification
3.1 Viewer-to-Buyer Conversion Studies Real-Time Polling + Sales Correlation: Embed polls during Douyin/Kuaishou sessions and link responses to purchase IDs. Metrics show interactive elements (polls, Q&A) lift conversion 2–4× in beauty and fashion categories.
3.2 KOL ROI Measurement Pre/Post Exposure Surveys: Quantify lift in brand consideration and purchase intent after influencer collaborations. Standardized scorecards help select partners with genuine impact versus vanity metrics.
- Regional Expansion Modeling
4.1 City-Tier Penetration Trackers Lower-Tier Growth Forecasting: Run geographically stratified surveys to identify rising consumption power in Tier 3–5 cities. Predictive models based on income proxies and spending intent guide phased store and platform rollouts.
Case Study: An American Cosmetics Giant’s Retail Revival
Facing stagnation, a major U.S. cosmetics brand commissioned a 25,000-respondent conjoint and TURF study focused on China’s retail channels. Quantitative insights proved “multi-benefit serums” and “cruelty-free + vegan” claims resonated most in Tier 1–2 cities, while lower tiers prioritized “brightening + affordable luxury.” The brand streamlined to 12 hero SKUs, launched Tmall Global flagship with livestream-first strategy, and opened experiential counters in Winworld department stores. Revenue in China tripled within two years, with social retail accounting for 55% of sales.
Advanced quantitative research is the compass overseas brands need to navigate China’s retail revolution. Leverage data to lead the market.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with overseas brands for many years, helping them understand Chinese consumers through in-depth insights and realizing significant market share gains. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
