YASO

YASO’s very own Adam Knight and Effie Chen will be attending Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna next week from March 20-23. We’re excited to connect, share our success cases, and explore new opportunities in the Chinese market. If you’d like to meet up, feel free to book a time here – https://lnkd.in/e3Vh2B3F Can’t wait to see you there! 🚀 #CosmoprofBologna #YASO

Last week, we launched the YASO portal beta to our clients! E-commerce operations in China are messy. ☹️ Each platform has its own reporting mechanisms, leading to time-consuming manual consolidation and countless spreadsheets. ☹️ Supply chain management is also challenging, with complex cross-border shipments and warehouse transfers. ☹️ Western brands often lack real-time visibility into their performance in China. This is going to change with YASO's tech solution. Our sales and supply chain dashboard provides a single source of truth, aggregating sales and stock data from all platforms for a real-time view of sales and stock movement in China. Key features in the beta include: ✅ Live sales analytics, updated every 15 minutes ✅ Breakdown by products, platforms, or sales details ✅ Real-time view of YASO’s stock holdings ✅ We’ll soon add other in-demand features like KPI tracking and advanced stock management. 🚀 Our vision? To create a self-service portal that enables end-to-end social commerce management in China. This is just the start. Stay tuned for more updates as we innovate the social commerce space in China! #BetaLaunch #Milestone #ecommerce #ChinaSales

Happy International Women’s Day from Team YASO!

#TheOrdinary enters China via Sephora. Can it still win over Chinese consumers? On Feb 13, The Ordinary announced its entry into China via an exclusive partnership with Sephora. The brand is now available via Sephora’s WeChat mini programme and stores across China, with Tmall and Douyin to follow in July. While it has been on Chinese consumers’ radars since 2019 through cross-border e-commerce on Tmall, this relaunch marks a shift to fully localised operations. The announcement was met with mixed reactions, with many Chinese consumers commenting that the brand is out of fashion: 📜 Regulation: Localised operations mean compliance with local regulations. The Ordinary has reformulated key products, including its Exfoliating Toner, which now contains 5% (not 7%) Glycolic Acid, raising concerns about its efficacy. 🧪 Trends: The skintellectualism trend in China has shifted. Once focused purely on high-efficacy, high-concentration ingredients, China’s skintellectuals now prioritise formulation safety alongside efficacy. Once a perfect fit, The Ordinary’s high concentrations may now raise concerns about being too harsh on the skin. ⏰ Timing: The brand peaked between 2017 and 2019 when its founder’s tragedy made headlines, but it missed its moment in China. Some even thought it had gone bankrupt after Estée Lauder acquired it. 🌓 Local competition: Domestic brand John Jeff, founded in 2018, offers products with similar efficacy but at much lower prices than The Ordinary. For Estée Lauder, The Ordinary fills a gap in its China portfolio by offering an affordable line. But will consumers still buy in? Share your thoughts below. Success in China requires perfect synergy between timing, strategy, and execution. YASO is here to help. Let’s talk! #ChinaInsight #ChinaEntry #TheOrdinary #Sephora Source: Jing Daily, BeautyNext

🍿 Is your brand ready to bet on IP collaborations in China? With a box office total of 12.3 billion yuan (US $1.69 billion) at the time of writing, China's "#NeZha 2" has become the highest-grossing animated film globally and leads China's box office, with earnings double that of the country's second-highest-grossing movie. Beyond its exceptional VFX and plot, what really stands out is how brands are capitalising on its commercial success. Here’s how some have hit the jackpot with IP collaborations: 💸 Popmart: Sold out instantly, with pre-sales extended to June. 🎊 MOMPICK (a Chinese mother and baby care brand): Launched a kids’ toothpaste, with viral content pushing GMV up by 383% in 7 days and by 50% in February. 🥤 Mengniu Dairy: Unveiled limited edition packaging and Easter egg ads, and both went viral. IP collaborations are a gamble. While these brands soared, others have missed the mark by betting on the wrong film. 🙁 This CNY, Creation of Gods II was among the blockbusters, yet its performance fell short, leaving brands like #LuckinCoffee with a missed opportunity. Beauty and skincare brands have also been relatively slow to hop on the trend, potentially losing a chance for growth and visibility. Want to explore IP collaborations in China and tap into youth culture? Get in touch with YASO. #CNY #ChinaInsight #BrandCollaboration

CNY retail breaks records again, a clear sign that consumer confidence is rebounding fast. 🔥 501 million domestic trips were made over the holiday, a 5.9% YoY increase and a 20.7% jump from pre-pandemic levels. 🛍️ Retail sales and catering grew +4.1%, while e-commerce sales climbed +5.8% YoY. What’s driving this resurgence? 📦 Smarter logistics & fulfilment: Brands and platforms have optimised inventory and logistics operations, ensuring smooth operations when most logistics workers are on holiday. Many Tmall stores remained business as usual during the entire CNY period, including our brand partners Cowshed, Pixi Inc. and Faith In Nature! 🧧 Festive marketing: CNY-themed promos, red envelope campaigns, and influencer flash sales kept the momentum high. 🛒 A shift in shopping habits: Consumers are now accustomed to shopping online year-round instead of waiting for peak events like Double 11 and 618. Plus, 2025 marks the first CNY since UNESCO recognised it as an intangible cultural heritage. Tourism boomed, with travellers embarking on trips to explore local culture. The hashtag #非遗里的中国年 (Chinese New Year in intangible culture) has garnered 395M+ views on RED! For global brands eyeing China, this is great news. The appetite for spending is back, and those who adapt to evolving consumer behaviours will win big. China’s growth continues—who’s ready to tap in? 🚀 Get in touch to learn how YASO can help. Source: Jing Daily #ChinaInsight #CNY #ecommerce

🏋️♀️ Athletes: The New Face of Beauty Since 2024, 15 beauty brands have signed Chinese athletes as their ambassadors. From domestic brands like #Florasis to global giants like #OLAY and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., athletes are becoming the go-to choice for beauty endorsements. 🏓 Sun Yingsha, Beauty Industry's Rising Star: Emerging as the industry's newest sensation, Sun secured four major endorsements in late 2024, including OLAY and La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique. Her brand deals span across household, skincare, and haircare categories. 👀 Why Athletes? Sports naturally embody health and beauty, making athletes ideal partners for beauty brands. In an era of seeking authenticity, elite athletes represent a safer, more positive choice for brand collaborations than idols, who are more likely to get cancelled. 📈 Fan Power: In order to showcase Sun’s commercial value, Sun’s fans have unsolicitedly prepared detailed purchase guidelines prior to OLAY and La Roche-Posay’s announcement, so that they can produce the optimal sales data on the day of the announcement. Working with athletes requires brands to diligently evaluate their best fit, which requires extensive cultural understanding. If you're interested in learning more about the nuances, get in touch with YASO! #ChinaInsight #BrandCollaboration #ChinaBeauty #Fandom Source: Future Beauty

The 2025 Douyin Chinese New Year Shopping Festival, which ran from January 2 to 22, was a record-breaking success. 📈 69% year-over-year increase in daily GMV 🟥 71 merchants exceeded ¥100 million ($14 million) in GMV 🚀 3,713 merchants exceeded ¥10 million ($1.4 million) in GMV 💥 477 livestream rooms exceeded ¥10 million in GMV 👀 2.26 billion impressions on the CNY shopping festival hashtag With the first wave of the post-00 generation entering the workforce, the primary consumers of CNY goods are shifting. Unlike older generations who prefer traditional items like pastries, candies, and dried fruits, younger consumers are increasingly drawn to products that prioritise "health" and "fun." This shift signals changing CNY shopping preferences, and brands must adapt to appeal to this new audience. This year marks the first Spring Festival since UNESCO recognised it as an intangible cultural heritage, and Chinese consumers have been participating in CNY activities more actively. In the first half of the CNY travel rush, an estimated 4.8 billion domestic trips were made, a 7.2% increase from the same period last year. This highlights a revival in the Chinese economy and consumers’ growing spending power. Get in touch to discuss your 2025 China strategy! #ChinaInsight #Douyin #SocialCommerce

Thinking About Expanding to China via a Distributor? Beware of These Hidden Risks! 🚨 China is an incredible market, but too many companies fall into the distributor trap, and it can be a costly mistake. At first, partnering with a distributor seems like the easiest way to enter the market. But in reality, it can limit your growth, trap your brand in bad agreements, and even kill of your business. Here’s why: 🔥 Lack of Transparency – Distributors manually report sales via Excel/PowerPoint, often inflating numbers, making performance tracking unreliable. 📉 Limited Growth – Your brand’s growth depends on distributor stock investment. If they prioritise other products, your sales suffer. ⛔ Exclusivity Clauses – Exclusivity contracts limit your ability to work with other partners, halting your China business if a distributor mismanages marketing or stock. 💰 Stock Dumping – If you leave, distributors may slash prices to clear inventory, damaging your brand and making it harder to find a new partner. ⚖️ Legal Risks – Chinese jurisdiction often favours local businesses, and distributors can sue you or your new partner, causing delays and reputational damage. 🚫 Loss of Storefront Control – Distributors control e-commerce stores, and if you leave, they can shut everything down, erasing reviews and momentum. 📌 Real-World Cases — Many skincare and cosmetics brands have lost millions due to distributor mismanagement. Don’t let your brand be next. A Smarter Approach: The Consignment Model Instead of giving up control, consignment allows brands to: ✅ Retain ownership of stock (no unsellable inventory) ✅ Prevent stock dumping (protects long-term brand value) ✅ Control e-commerce storefronts (secure your online presence) ✅ Scale at your pace (growth driven by your budget) ✅ Operate under English law (avoid legal risks in China) 💡 Expanding to China? Use YASO's solution to control your success. Let’s talk about how brands can grow without falling into the distributor trap. Have you seen these challenges before? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #ChinaMarket #Ecommerce #BrandGrowth #DTC #RetailExpansion

ARKIVE Shines on Hunan TV’s New Year’s Eve Gala 🎤 YASO has helped our brand partner, ARKIVE Headcare, secure valuable PR exposure on Hunan TV's New Year's Eve Gala, sharing the stage with A-list stars as we kick off 2025 in style! YASO's holistic brand-building strategy covers PR & media, elevating ARKIVE's credibility and unlocking the potential for powerful influencer partnerships. ARKIVE is just getting started, and we’re excited for what’s to come as the Year of the Snake unfolds! #PR #BrandAnnouncement #ChinaMarket