China’s big and it’s hard to know who likes what. However, one thing is certain. Research and data from getchee show that people in northern China seem more like sportswear people than those in the south. Based on the major cities in each of the five China regions, take a look at how many people each Nike, Adidas, Li Ning, and Anta store could pack in.

Discussion Questions
1. What will it take to boost sportswear brand penetration in southern China?

I never had a chance to try this awesome vegetable, Shansu, until I moved to Taiwan. I think I first tried this light and crispy vegetable at one of the many ‘quick stir-fry’ places here. Most dishes in these places go for about 100NTD (3USD) a piece. Shansu is generally slightly more expensive. It usually maxes out at 150NTD per order.

Browsing a Wellcome supermarket one day, I found a package of Shansu for about a third of the price. On another day, I found it at Jason’s for a little bit more than Wellcome. Recently, I’ve been shopping at wet markets and noticed Shansu is cheaper there than at supermarkets. Surprisingly, I also found it at Costco. It was a decent deal since it was cheaper than the supermarkets and wet markets but not quite as fresh.

Even though the price was right, I didn’t buy it owing to the lack of freshness and the bulk quantity was just too much for me. However, just standing there, I wanted to know how many people were buying that pack of Shansu and who these people were. Many Taiwanese restaurants owners have started shopping at Costco since the prices of things like cooking oil and cleaning products are attractive. But are any stir-fry restaurant owners buying Shansu from Costco now instead of straight from the farms or wet markets out of convenience? How far do these owners travel to get to Costco? How much impact has Costco had on wet markets, supermarkets, and the neighboring RT Mart hypermarket?

I had to stop myself. Not enough information and just too little time to be thinking about this kind of stuff on a Sunday night. I would need geocoded demographic data and wealth intensities, Costco’s point of sales data, and third party purchasing data to answer all those questions. Then again, if a Tostitos Asia brand manager also had all this information, he or she would know that I was going to Costco to buy tortilla chips instead of Shansu for my homemade salsa. Things would be much easier if the Wellcome by my house sold tortilla chips. Oh well.

Also interested in learning about restaurants and supermarkets in Shanghai or Chengde? Local demand for tortilla chips, salsa, and sweet potato? Let me know. Thanks. -Eddie

According to the Epoch Times, the gap between the rich and poor in China is widening. In addition, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao states that the situation is very complex. It looks like there’s a lot of work to do. I hope they fix it soon.

In the meantime, let’s find out where the rich population live and shop so we can offer products and services they like. At the same time, let’s locate the lower to middle class so we can offer them products and services they need. In honor of Expo 2010’s slogan ‘Better City – Better Life’, here’s a glimpse of some geocoded Shanghai income demographics and points of interests (banks and convenience stores). Instead of waiting around for China to fix its government monopolies, let’s work on getting the right products and services in the hands of their target customers no matter rich or poor.

We’d love to know what you think. Leave your comments below. Useful links to resources providing additional insight are especially appreciated. Thanks from Eddie at getchee. =)

Here’s a picture I took at Costco in Taiwan. It was Saturday around 3pm. This is the most challenging time to go shopping at Costco. There are hundreds of people fighting for free samples.

When’s the best time to go? I’m not sure. There are just as many people or more during the weekdays. But what do these customers like other than free samples? What are they buying? Where else do they shop? We know.

We’d love to know what you think. Leave your comments below. Useful links to resources providing additional insight are especially appreciated. Thanks from Eddie at getchee. =)