(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
Launching in China without understanding the consumer is the fastest way to burn millions. The brands that dominate today don’t guess — they start with hyper-accurate, real-time consumer data that reveals exactly who is buying, why, and on which platform. Here are the five most powerful data sources that top agencies use to build bulletproof China entry strategies.
1. Alibaba CBNData & Tmall Category Reports
1.1 First-Hand Consumption Trend Reports CBNData publishes “First Insight” reports 45–90 days ahead of the market, covering 300+ categories with exact penetration rates by age, city tier, and income bracket. Overseas brands use these to decide whether to target Gen Z in lower-tier cities or silver-generation consumers in Tier-1.
1.2 Cross-Category Purchase Linkage Data Discover that buyers of imported milk powder are 6.8× more likely to purchase European maternal supplements in the same month — insight impossible to get outside Alibaba’s ecosystem.
2. Tencent Marketing Insight (TMI) & WeChat Index
2.1 1.3 Billion-User Behavioral Database TMI provides anonymized audience portraits across WeChat, Video Accounts, and Mini Programs, including travel radius, brand preferences, and daily active time slots.
2.2 Real-Time Interest Heat Mapping WeChat Index shows exact daily search volume for any keyword nationwide, letting brands time their launch with natural demand peaks.
3. JD Consumer Index & JD Big Data Research Institute
3.1 High-Income Household Purchase Panel JD’s panel tracks actual spending of 150+ million high-income users, revealing that families earning over RMB 300k annually buy 73% of all imported durable goods.
3.2 Regional Preference Heatmaps See province-by-province preference for product features (e.g., Northeast China prefers larger packaging for imported snacks).
4. ByteDance Ocean Engine Audience Insights
4.1 Douyin + Toutiao 900 Million User Profiles Ocean Engine delivers lookalike modeling accuracy of 92%+ for overseas brands, showing exactly which 15-second interest triggers convert at the lowest CPA.
4.2 Short-Video Consumption DNA Understand that 18–24-year-old females in Sichuan watch 42% more “unboxing” videos than the national average — critical for content planning.
5. National Bureau of Statistics + Third-Party Enriched Datasets
5.1 Official City-Tier Population & Income Updates Monthly updated benchmarks prevent overseas brands from using 2020 population data in 2025 planning.
5.2 Enriched Mobile Device Datasets Companies like QuestMobile and Aurora add app installation behavior and LBS movement data to official statistics, creating the most accurate targeting segments available.
Case Study: Spanish Olive Oil Brand – From Unknown to Top 3 Imported Brand in 14 Months
A mid-sized Spanish olive oil producer used the exact five sources above with PLTFRM in early 2024. Data revealed that women 30–45 in Hangzhou and Chengdu had 280% higher search interest than Shanghai, driven by “Mediterranean diet” trends on Douyin. We launched exclusively on Tmall Global + Douyin with regional pricing and content. Result: RMB 210 million in first-year sales and #3 imported brand ranking.
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!
