In early May, I’ll be running a series of free breakfasts, discussing why and how companies should be looking to move into the Chinese market.

China represents a huge opportunity for Western businesses, with the world’s largest internet population (751 million users), rising incomes, rapidly changing demographics and spending habits, and the world’s largest online retail events.

The opportunity to gain market share in China is exciting, but market entry into China is hard. Growing your customer base and revenue, guided by someone who has intimate knowledge of the market and the Chinese consumer, is the way to go.

SSW has over a decade of experience delivering technology solutions locally in China, and knows how to ‘Chinafy’ a software service to empower you to enter and succeed in the world’s most lucrative market.

What does it mean to ‘Chinafy’ a website or application?

To Chinafy your website or mobile application is to localize it for the Chinese market. This isn’t a simple translation exercise, but includes many factors such as:

1. UX – Adapting design and content for the Chinese user
   To appeal to Chinese customers you will need to reconsider your website or mobile application design, and step away from some generally accepted Western norms. For example:
   • Minimalist design employing lots of empty space (so popular in the West) is not a generally accepted
   • Design approach in China. Chinese users prefer more busy, text-heavy interfaces that show them all available functions
   • Animated interface elements are very popular, as are bright colours
   • Text displayed in Chinese typically requires 30% less space than English
   • QR Codes are extremely popular and most apps will have them integrated
   • Colours have a particular meaning in China and differ from the associations they hold in the West

     

     

2. Translation – Performing localization services
   Translation can be tricky, and automated translation services cannot deliver a high-quality experience. You should seek to engage a diverse team of both locals and native speakers living outside of China to get your translations right. This will ensure your message is translated correctly, while respecting local syntax and terminology and at the same time staying true to your brand

   

3. Payments – Configuring local payment methods
   Western payments methods such as credit cards and PayPal are rarely used in China, so you need to employ local payment tools such as Alipay and WeChat Pay.
   
4. Marketing – Promoting your offering without the familiar Western Social Media
   Imagine promoting your offering in a world without Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Google, eBay or Amazon. That’s exactly the challenge in China and you need to master the Chinese equivalents of these tools including WeChat, Weibo, Youku, Baidu, Alipay, Tmall, Taobao and more.

   

When you use SSW to Chinafy your app you will overcome each of these challenges. It equips you with the tools and expertise to quickly and cost-effectively deploy your website or mobile application in China, and then to market successfully to grow your customer base and revenue.

How can I make SSW Chinafy work for me?

SSW has maintained a local presence in China for over a decade, and we recently opened our second China office in Hangzhou, near Shanghai. Hangzhou is like the Silicon Valley of China – the home to many of China’s tech giants such as Alibaba. It is outstripping both Beijing and Shanghai as both a technology hub and centre for tech start-up communities.

SSW employ a team of local experts, working in conjunction with our Australian team, to help you DEVELOP, DESIGN, TRANSLATE and MARKET your website or mobile application for the Chinese market.

• SSW Developer Team
  Our consulting team has over 25 years experience developing Microsoft solutions that today build on top of Angular, Azure, SharePoint, .NET, Dynamics 365 and SQL Server.
• SSW Design Team
  Our UI/UX experts have a reputation for awesome design, and can transform your Western design into something that will resonate with your China customers.
• SSW Translation Team
  Translation services are performed in Beijing, Hangzhou and our Australian offices by a team of local and expat Chinese language specialists.
• SSW Digital Marketing Team
  The SSW Digital Team will help you launch your website or application in the Chinese market, then provide you with the tools to manage and grow your customers and revenue.

I’ll be running a series of breakfasts to talk more about SSW’s experience in China, and ways we can help Australian businesses enter and succeed in this exciting market. I look forward to seeing you there.

Get your *free* ticket now at https://ssw.com.au/ssw/Events/Chinafy-experience.aspx