In recent years, in consumer goods areas such as travel tools, clothing and textiles, and electronic products, some Chinese brands have closely followed the needs of foreign markets, seized opportunities, gone global, and significantly improved their international brand recognition. Some have even become emerging forces leading fashion trends. Behind the surge of high-quality Chinese goods going global is the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry and its deep integration with the service industry, reflecting the growing confidence of Chinese brands.

Travel Tools:

High cost-effectiveness, green travel

Outside a bicycle shop in Rotterdam, Netherlands, resident Susanna Piet joined a long queue waiting to buy an electric bicycle. Susanna told reporters that she works in Delft, 12 kilometers away. Affected by the epidemic, she decided to replace her usual train commute with cycling. "I checked online, and many people say that bicycles made in China are of good quality, so I came here today to buy an electric bicycle from a Chinese brand."

The Netherlands is known as the "bicycle kingdom" of Europe, with over a quarter of residents relying on bicycles for transportation. During the epidemic prevention and control period, bicycles, which reduce social contact and are environmentally friendly, have become even more popular. According to the Dutch news website, since the outbreak, the utilization rate of bicycle path searches on Google Maps in the Netherlands has increased by 51%. A salesperson at this bicycle shop said: "We have bicycles from many countries in our shop, and Chinese brand bicycles have the highest cost-effectiveness and are the most popular among consumers." Phoenix and Sava are two popular Chinese brands among local consumers.

Not only in the Netherlands, but many European countries have also introduced "bicycle-friendly" policies. Marco Tebromerlst, a scholar of urban planning and transportation at the University of Amsterdam, told reporters that during the epidemic prevention and control period, many European countries began to emulate the Netherlands, opening up more urban space for bicycles, improving cycling conditions, and even providing subsidies for cyclists. Riding on the "east wind" of bicycle-friendly policies in European countries, Chinese brand bicycles, with their high quality, diverse products, and smooth sales channels, have entered the daily lives of more and more Europeans.

Taking sales channels as an example, during the epidemic prevention and control period, online consumer demand surged, and Chinese bicycle brands that had already entered cross-border e-commerce platforms gained a first-mover advantage. Data from a Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform shows that in May last year, bicycle sales in the Spanish market increased by more than 22 times year-on-year, while the Italian and British markets also increased by about 4 times. Matthew Vander recently purchased a Phoenix bicycle through cross-border e-commerce. He told reporters with great satisfaction: "This bicycle has a fashionable appearance and high cost-effectiveness." According to reporters, many European youths like Matthew have purchased Chinese brand bicycles through e-commerce platforms. Some Chinese bicycle brands have also opened up sales channels to Europe through China-Europe freight trains. Not long ago, reporters visited the Liege Airport logistics park in Belgium and saw many boxes of Chinese bicycles, all of which arrived in Europe via China-Europe freight trains.

In addition to bicycles, Chinese manufacturers have also keenly captured changes in market demand and launched electric bicycles and electric scooters. "Chinese brand electric vehicles and electric scooters are both fashionable and practical and are the preferred choice for green travel, and sales have increased significantly." Frederic Baldan, CEO of the Belgian Saibei Si Sino-European Business Consulting Company, told reporters that recently, sales of Chinese electric scooters have increased nearly ninefold in Italy, nearly eightfold in the UK, and nearly fourfold in France.

Clothing and Textiles:

Focus on quality, lead fashion

Last winter, American fashion editor Emily Miller purchased a long Bosideng down jacket from a Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform. After receiving the package, she excitedly wrote on social media: "Bosideng's quality is comparable to international brands costing thousands of dollars, but the style and price are more competitive."

Founded in 1976, Bosideng, once an "old brand" worn by parents, has now become a "new national trend" favored by young people and has gone global, opening a flagship store in London, England, and also having boutiques in Milan and Rome, Italy. Emily said that three years ago, she was invited to attend the Bosideng debut show at New York Fashion Week, and she was very surprised by the fashion sense of this down jacket brand from China. Since then, she has begun to pay attention to this Chinese brand.

From 2005 onwards, the international luxury industry saw a rise in the popularity of down jackets, with fashion becoming a unique label for the future development of the industry." Bosideng Co., Ltd. founder and chairman Gao Dekang told reporters that by recognizing the changes in international fashion, Bosideng seized this opportunity, continuously improved product quality and technological content, and achieved global leadership.

In recent years, Chinese brands have been actively exploring overseas markets. How to win both orders and brand recognition in the fiercely competitive overseas market? Gao Dekang said that this requires a "dual-engine drive": one is to focus on fashion, and the other is to focus on quality.

Odorless goose down is a high-quality material for making down jackets. Bosideng uses Swiss Blue Label certified large goose down, with a down content of 90% and a fluffiness far exceeding industry standards. In terms of product craftsmanship and design, it also strives to achieve the highest industry standards.

In order to enhance product fashionability, domestic products also need to be "inclusive." Bosideng has collaborated with well-known designers from the United States, France, Italy, and other countries, fully introducing fashion design concepts from function and style to color, and also expanding its brand recognition by participating in fashion weeks around the world. After its debut at New York Fashion Week in 2018, Bosideng also participated in Milan Fashion Week in 2019 and London Fashion Week in 2020. During London Fashion Week, at a time when China was battling the epidemic, after the fashion show, the designer led the models to hold up the Chinese national flag and walked onto the runway that displayed the words "Add Oil, China," drawing a warm response from the audience.

Today, leading fashion trends and achieving brand upgrades remain important tasks for Chinese clothing and textile companies going global. Chen Hui, general manager of Nantong Huiyi Textile Products Co., Ltd. and president of the Nantong Textile Alliance, told reporters that currently, about 500 larger Chinese clothing and textile brands are selling overseas. Chinese clothing and textile companies have gradually transitioned from OEM production to independent design and development and exports of their own brands, making significant progress. In the future, Chinese brands still need to formulate long-term strategies, "cultivate and maintain" brands, and maintain determination. "We hope that when people mention Bosideng products, they will associate them with craftsmanship and fashion professionalism." Gao Dekang said.

Cross-border E-commerce:

Online interaction, precise "fan acquisition"

Can you go global without physical stores? Germany's Spiegel Online recently reported that since the epidemic, Chinese brands have been making rapid progress in Western markets, and their tool is online stores. Chinese retailers are more knowledgeable about how to successfully utilize online stores, tailoring products for customers with appropriate pricing and content.

Shein is a rapidly rising Chinese cross-border e-commerce brand in the European and American markets, mainly selling fast fashion women's clothing. When a reporter opened Shein's European and American website, the first thing that caught their eye was the attractive discount window, and the fashionable and diverse clothing styles were dazzling. With its high-quality and affordable products and accurate positioning of customer needs, the brand quickly gained popularity among young girls abroad. According to European media reports, Shein's sales reached $150 million in 2015 and exceeded $8 billion in 2020.

Regarding her shopping experience on Shein, a French girl wrote on Twitter that the website is very friendly to young girls who love beautiful clothes. She would spend several hours browsing the website, enjoying discounts every time she shopped, and had a feeling of 'being unable to stop'. Many French consumers have also expressed their love for Shein on social media. Shein also pays attention to enhancing its brand awareness through the sharing of "internet celebrities" on social media. The reporter observed that the brand's social media accounts are very active, updating more than ten pictures and texts every day, and the interaction rate of the "internet celebrities'" fitting photos and experiences is very high. Currently, the brand has over 250,000 followers on Twitter and over 18 million followers on Instagram, and has also opened separate accounts in different countries.

Oliver Wyman's research predicts that online stores will account for 50% of all e-commerce by 2030. Chinese brands like Shein, which have no physical stores and rely entirely on online sales, mostly possess a strong supply chain system covering everything from design to delivery. This not only gives full play to the advantages of e-commerce platforms such as fast production, new styles, and high delivery efficiency, but also leads a new fashion trend in consumption among young people in Europe and America.

In addition to clothing, many Chinese electronics brands also pay great attention to online interaction with consumers. Xiaomi's French website "Mi Community" is very popular. Whether it's product introductions, model comparisons, photography contests, or online discussions, many French "Xiaomi fans" actively participate. One user commented that the Xiaomi community website allows users to keep abreast of the brand's latest news, exchange usage experiences, and solve some technical problems, which is very convenient.

Some analyses suggest that the wave of high-quality Chinese goods going global benefits from the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry and its deep integration with the service industry, and also reflects the growing confidence of Chinese brands. In the vast ocean of the international market, Chinese brands are embarking on a new journey towards high-end and fashionable products.