China’s most popular Canton Trade Good goes online, but finds few buyers

Standing before shelves loaded with colorful backpacks, a saleswoman promoted totes in the Canton Trade Fair’s webpage without knowing whether anyone was seeing seeing that the world’s biggest sales celebration opened in cyberspace to avoid the coronavirus pandemic.

The twice-a-year fair usually draws a lot more than 180,000 foreign buyers and 60,000 Chinese vendors to the southern city of Guangzhou. But with virtually all foreign guests barred from China, the event has changed itself into an e-commerce system with mini-shopping channels for almost 8,000 vendors.

The saleswoman for Honeyong Business Co.,Ltd. showed away backpacks for kids. Shark fins jutted out of a version for boys. A popular pink model for girls had lace flaring right out of the bottom such as a ballerina’s tutu.

“It will look like dancing girls whenever your litttle lady wears it,” said the saleswoman, who gave her brand as Sophia. “If you need more choices, please call me at this time,” Sophia explained, pointing to an instant message website link on the screen, “or send me an email.”

The good, founded in 1957, was for decades Chinese exporters’ main connect to foreign buyers. It faces developing competition from companies such as for example Hong Kong’s Global Sources and China’s Alibaba Group that hook up clients and exporters online. But the fair nonetheless is favored by retailers and some other clients who wish to meet latest suppliers and try out products.

Orders at last year’s spring program, which attracted 195,000 potential buyers, totaled 199.5 billion yuan ($29.6 billion), organizers tell you. Last November’s autumn program produced yet another 207 billion yuan ($29.4 billion) in deals.

This year, it isn’t clear yet how many buyers have followed vendors to the web site.

“Not many foreign customers check us out online,” said Honeyong’s revenue manager, Clare Wan. “Probably if they want to check out new products, they even now want to find them in person.”

To control its online bazaar, the Chinese federal government considered tech giant Tencent, operator of the favorite WeChat messaging service.

The video platform includes technology that produces a three-dimensional digital image of something that potential buyers can change around and see from distinct angles, according to Tencent. Prompt messaging and interpretation features happen to be designed to allow customers in other countries to talk right to sellers.

Tencent and Alibaba will work with industry events in China and abroad to place events online hoping of reaching more customers.

Last year, Alibaba create a video channel for Chinese vendors showing products to visitors at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the industry’s biggest total annual sales event.

The coronavirus pandemic “means we need to pioneer the 21st-century trade show,” said John Caplan, Alibaba’s president for THE UNITED STATES and Europe.

Still, the web is no replacement for meeting vendors personally, said Chris Sillitoe, who owns a sourcing business in Britain that buys tools and other hardware for retailers. Sillitoe offers visited every Canton Good within the last two decades.

“That’s unquestionably what it’s about,” said Sillitoe. “The digital fair isn’t a replacement for staying on the ground in China.”

On another channel, a worker of Five-Star Toy Co. held up a miniature check out for children and revealed how it could scan a mock fried potato and display the price on a display. Other brightly colored toys on the company’s page included a piano and a musical cellphone.

The 800-employee company in Shantou, close to Hong Kong, has taken part in the Canton fair since 2016, said its sales manager, Vicky Yu. She explained sales to america, Europe, SOUTH USA and Southeast Asia happen to be off by a lot more than 50% plus some customers who located orders are cancelling.

“We didn’t have many customers visiting us on-line,” said Yu. “Customers desire to see products personally.”

Honeyong exports 90% of its products to Europe, america, Africa and Southeast Asia, said Wan, the revenue manager. She stated revenue are down 30% to 40% from once last year.

Honeyong built a good studio and spent three months finding your way through its online revenue debut, said Wan.

“We still think that is worth it so long as more persons become familiar with our company and items,” she said.