(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
One wrong analytical decision can cost years of market share in China. Many overseas brands apply Western assumptions to Chinese survey data and pay dearly. Here are the five most dangerous mistakes — and exactly how the pros avoid them.
1. Treating All Cities the Same
1.1 City-Tier Weighting Is Non-Negotiable Shanghai respondents are over-represented in most panels by 400%. Proper weighting using National Bureau of Statistics benchmarks prevents Tier-1 bias.
1.2 Regional Subgroup Analysis Mandatory Findings that hold in Beijing often reverse in Chengdu — always run significance tests by region.
2. Ignoring Social Desirability Bias on Sensitive Topics
2.1 Indirect Questioning Techniques For income, luxury, or health topics, use randomized response or list experiments — direct questions underestimate actual behavior by 30–60%.
2.2 Face-Saving Response Options Include “Prefer not to say” and “It depends on the situation” to reduce dropout and lying.
3. Using Global Net Promoter Score Benchmarks
3.1 Chinese NPS Averages 15–20 Points Higher A global score of 40 is mediocre in China; you need 60+ to be competitive in most categories.
3.2 eNPS Calibration Against Tmall Reviews Correlate survey NPS with actual review scores to create China-specific thresholds.
4. Running Conjoint Without China-Specific Attributes
4.1 “Made in Country X” Always Needs Testing Country-of-origin effects can swing share by ±35% in China — never assume levels from Europe or the US.
4.2 Platform-Specific Attributes Matter Include “Tmall Global authentic guarantee” or “Douyin live demo available” as levels.
5. Reporting Averages Instead of Simulated Market Scenarios
5.1 Decision-Based Reporting Clients don’t want p-values — they want “If we price at RMB 499 and add free shipping, we gain 18% share from competitor A”.
5.2 Automated Market Simulators Deliver interactive Excel or online simulators on day one of readout.
Case Study: French Cosmetics Giant – Saved RMB 120 Million by Fixing One Mistake
A French beauty conglomerate almost launched a RMB 1,299 serum based on unweighted Tier-1 data showing 78% purchase intent. Re-analysis with proper city-tier weighting and indirect questioning dropped realistic intent to 34% nationally. Price was adjusted to RMB 899 with bundle incentives — campaign ROI ended 280% higher than original plan.
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 Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
