How to win in the world's largest retail market. China is the largest e-commerce market in the world and the most digital of the major economies. At the same time, many international brands are intimidated by the China market given their lack of familiarity and the significant cultural and language differences. The Smart Business Guide helps bridge this gap by providing a how-to approach to the China e-commerce ecosystem. E-commerce provides a powerful tool for brands to reach consumers and offers the predictability and statistical feedback that dramatically reduces the costs of a brand to enter the China market. A quick, punchy read, The Smart Business Guide is a useful book for consumer brands, retailers, and entrepreneurs. It covers critical areas such as: -- How any brand can be a pure-play e-commerce brand in China -- How Chinese consumers are different from U.S. consumers -- The main platforms and social media channels -- Case studies of success and failure in China -- How to deal with market entry challenges, trademark registration, and product approval -- How to compete and win in the most challenging--and most promising--retail market in the world

Chinese-English company name index -- Company-industry index -- Industry-company index -- Introduction -- A guide to the top 100 companies in China -- List of abbreviations -- List of contributors -- About the editors.

China has a long history of confounding multinational companies. Many firms' strategies for China have failed and companies have been forced to revise plans to take into account the idosyncrasies of the Chinese market. This book examines the strategies that have succeeded and those that have failed, with chapters on the political and economic context, how to assess the market and manage corporate expectations and structures, how to negotiate legal and tax issues, manufacturing and distribution, making acquisitions, dealing with corruption and financial crime, attracting and retaining talent, the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships (guanxi), corporate governance and social responsibility, and the China of the future. With many businesses experiencing sluggish growth or even decline in their traditional markets, China seems to offer the chance of heady growth. For those who get their approach right it does, but there are many obstacles to be negotiated on the road to success. This book explores the difficulties of doing business in China and how to take best advantage of the opportunities that exist to achieve the level of success that every business aims for in China but not that many achieve. "The opportunities for those doing business in or with China may be growing but so are the challenges. This highly readable book, with its dozens of anecdotes of success and failure in the China market, highlights the key issues facing investors and how to deal with them."—Tim Clissold, CEO, Peony Capital and author of Mr. China "Sensible, informed and up-to-date information and advice on operating in China comes along surprisingly rarely. This book is a welcome antidote to the extremes of bullish hype and bearish despair that is typical of commentators on this huge market."—Stephen Green, Head of Research Greater China, Standard Chartered

A comprehensive business guide covering entire China with directory and other useful contacts.

Publisher description

China has hundreds of thousands of businessmen and women who are driving the fastest sustained national economic growth rate of any country in world history. After decades of being held back by their country's socialist history, the Chinese people are moving forward with the force of water bursting from a broken steam pipe. The intensity of their aspirations, joined with the plans of the government and the presence of the country's hundreds of millions of ordinary people, means that future developments in China will surpass even those of the recent past—and in an extraordinary manner. At the same time, the integration of Chinese business with global business is accelerating, meaning that no major enterprise or financial institution can avoid doing business with China, any more than they can avoid the United States. Success in China, either for a local entrepreneur or a global multinational, is now enough to transform a company's performance worldwide. This book explains the changing nature of China's business environment, its increasingly complex relationship with the rest of the world, and the global business. The China Strategy is uniquely positioned to help business leaders and other observers make sense of China. It provides a holistic view of the Chinese business environment, looking at consumers, competitive enterprises, the government, integration with the rest of the world, and the ways these elements interact. This book is thus the first to lay out a framework that puts together the different (and seemingly contradictory) trajectories of China's future. It shows how change is taking place in non-linear fashion: some factors (like Chinese entrepreneurship) are expanding exponentially, while others (like the value of China's labor arbitrage) may be reaching a plateau. And it shows how to build and execute a global business strategy in light of these changes. During the next few years, successful American and European businesses may have to move to become global businesses, incorporating China in particular into their core identity because it is the fastest-growing world hub of economic activity. They will need to become familiar with the Chinese financial systems, as well as its consumer markets, innovation capabilities, and labor force. These leaders could have no better guide than The China Strategy.