Food plays a central role in Chinese people’s lives as a source of well-being and enjoyment. The taste and texture of food are important parts of the enjoyment and the Chinese expect experiences from every single mouthful. In addition, relaxation and social gatherings are more emphasised compared to the Nordics, where people sometimes let food serve only as fuel and as a necessity to keep them going.

Above all, for the Chinese, food should always taste good and be delicious. Looking from the Nordics, this is considered hedonism but from the Chinese perspective, it is simply a starting point. Good taste and enjoyment are being taken for granted and people are not willing to give up tasty food for health or environmental reasons. The Chinese are masters at mindful eating and people describe food as a source of happiness. Nordic people might feel shame about their emotional eating but the Chinese happily stimulate their taste buds to feel better. As the old Chinese saying goes, food is the sky.

机会

OPPORTUNITY: The Chinese expect a lot from food and their flavour preferences differ from ours. Push your products, make them rich in flavour, and indulgent and explorative in texture. Dare to challenge the usual and be original, but combine the newness into a flavour, format or context that is familiar to the Chinese. Make use of the curiosity of the Chinese and share knowledge: the Chinese are endlessly interested in food. Especially with snacks, they experiment with new products and brands, while with staple foods people they can be more loyal to known brands.

Hectic days full of stress and demands are something that determine life equally in Shanghai and Stockholm. Although the Chinese consider success and financial freedom to be major goals in life, the underlying motive is universal: to gain a balanced and good life. When the present moment is sacrificed for some hard work, the need for balancing experiences is paramount.

Food allows the Chinese to connect with the present and enjoy life right here and now. It is a way of recuperation and a delightful counteract for work and other demands. The Chinese make sure they have enough time for a proper meal, no matter how tight a deadline might be. The occidental habit of having a working lunch or just snacking through the day would not be appreciated. Skipping lunch or dinner is out of the question.

And the Chinese do not feel bad about seeking comfort or relaxation from food after a hard day at the office. In the Nordics, relaxation comes after the week is done. People tend to separate holidays and weekends from the ordinary everyday: at the weekends people are willing to spend more time around food, while during the week the emphasis is rather on food’s functional value.

机会

OPPORTUNITY: Whereas in China the awareness of stress-related risks are on the rise, those in the Nordics are connected to the simple things and life quality. Young professionals in particular are starting to question the meaning behind making sacrifices for working hard and are seeking simple life solutions without stress. The idea of “less is more” is becoming more and more mainstream. Therefore, there is great potential for a Nordic product that offers an indulgent experience for the hectic Chinese lifestyle. But do remember that the Chinese care about the full experience and context: they like to be educated on how the food is served and enjoyed and want to be immersed in the correct atmosphere, for the ultimate relaxing moment.

Due to “the Great Firewall of China”, most of the Western social media platforms and services are banned – and can only be reached via VPN connection. Therefore, China has created a domestic ecosystem of its own, consisting of digital services that are well developed, innovative and more efficient compared to their Western counterparts. They are not only making the country the largest e-commerce market in the world but also the forerunner of digital services. Food, as a fundamental part of life, is always at the frontier of change.

The Chinese are truly embracing the opportunities of new technology. Great take-out food and different products are immediately available in a couple of clicks. Nordic people still don’t rely on the Internet when it comes to food but for the Chinese, online equals great variety and good quality. The competition is fierce, meaning that service producers are constantly forced to make improvements and to figure out innovative ways to provide added value to consumers. Transparency and guaranteed quality are ways to differentiate. Locals are quick to vote with their feet, or to be specific, with their fingertips.

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OPPORTUNITY: It might not be important or even useful for your product to be sold by big chains via bricks-and-mortar channels. The young Chinese middle class buys its food online – and even C2C. Find out where your target group can be reached.

Consumers in China and in the Nordics prefer homemade food since it is prepared with fresh ingredients and is perceived as healthier and safer. In particular, families with children are trying to cook and eat at home, while single people prefer eating out or ordering take-aways. In China, slow cooking is considered particularly healthy, and a proud housewife or grandmother will take the time to prepare nutritious slow-cooked broths to care for her family.

In the Nordics, people struggle to find the time to cook, and often they rely on ready-to-eat meals. The same phenomenon is growing in China. Due to the hectic pace of life, people don’t have time to cook at home as much as they would like to and are looking for tips for time-saving products that are easy to cook. Instant noodles and frozen dumplings have been available for decades but only in recent years has the convenience food category seen growth and a diversification of options. Moreover, take-away culture is strong as the Chinese are embracing convenient and affordable food services.

机会

OPPORTUNITY: Even when talking about convenience food, it is important to remember that Chinese cooking habits differ from ours. Many meals are prepared by steaming, even though microwaves and ovens are becoming more and more common. When introducing a novelty product, it is vital to make the preparation instructions understandable (not just the product). Do not take it for granted that the Chinese will intuitively know how to prepare an instant porridge in the microwave – or that they would even be willing to do so. Adapt your product to local habits rather than trying to change the way they prepare their food.

In China, having dinner is not only an important moment in the day but also a way of building social relations. And for the Chinese, it is essential to be a part of the community. Therefore, they take time for food and pay attention to the social setting around it. In the Nordics, the habit of communal eating has disappeared to some extent, and especially in everyday life, people struggle to find time for family dinners.

The Chinese value relationships, and business networks are built around the dinner table. Having business dinners and spending time with co-workers is an essential part of the local business culture that is firmly built on trust, also known as guanxi. Sharing is a ubiquitous theme in the Chinese dinner: you are not only sharing the moment but in addition, all the dishes are meant to be shared. This could be tough for Nordic people who are used to having their individual special diets and food restrictions, since they see food as a way of distinguishing themselves from others rather than connecting with them.

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OPPORTUNITY: Understanding the significance of having a communal dinner is crucial for achieving success in the market. When creating products for the Chinese, it’s important to keep in mind that they tend to share their food. Shareability is a vital feature for everything from snack products to meals, and the ritual of gift-giving is important. This should be considered in packaging.

In the Nordics, the traditional extended family has shrunk into nuclear or single-parent families, whereas in China the definition of family is much wider. Chinese mothers return to work soon after having a baby and instead of enrolling the baby in day care, it is common for grandparents to start taking care of their grandchildren. Young families live with (or close to) grandparents, so combining everyday lives is easy. This can also be seen in food consumption. One person – usually the grandmother – typically shops and cooks for the whole extended family. In every case, the decision maker and the cook are not the same person, so the needs and opinions of different generations need to be fitted together.

As long as they are able to, parents take care of their grown-up children but unlike in the Nordics, it works the other way around as well. It is common for the grown-up offspring to start saving a significant share of their income in order to care for their parents when they get older. In the Nordics, people rely on the welfare state to support those in need.

机会

OPPORTUNITY: The fact that many generations live together helps families put great emphasis on eating. One person can take time to cook for a big group of people. But needs must also be merged. Although the most important target group for imported foods are the young and educated, a brand must consider the children as well as their parents. How does the older generation respond to the brand? Will the grandparent understand how to cook the new product purchased by the parent? Are the health benefits relevant to different ages?

Nordic people have reached such a level of material comfort that they are searching for meaning elsewhere. People want to make a difference, and caring for nature as well as animal and human rights is increasingly meaningful. Unsustainable consumption habits and the exploitative use of environmental resources are causing anxiety, and matured markets are trying to follow people and fulfil their needs and wishes in other ways.

In China, the growing middle class has recently entered the world of material luxury after a history of poverty. Today, a commonly accepted ideal for life is built on individual success and material comfort. Being able to pay attention to environmental or societal matters are still considered a luxury few can afford. As attention is on other topics, awareness of consumption-related problems is quite low. Few people are aware of the risks that food production is creating to the environment, for example.

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OPPORTUNITY: Sustainability is not yet a value that will help you sell a product in China. That doesn’t mean that the clean Nordic nature shouldn’t be used in food branding. And we shouldn’t forget that the Chinese are taking huge leaps ahead, and sustainability will also be a topic of the future for them. So far, green marketing has focused mostly on the (health) benefits for the individual, but the next wave might involve opportunities to provide both: for the consumer and the environment. And even if the Chinese don’t take action themselves, green Nordic values will help to build the image of Nordic food as safe and pure.

Since it has become easy to fulfil basic needs, the Chinese want to make consumption choices that reflect their identities. Food has become a major tool for self-expression, since it is strongly present in all areas of everyday life and has such profound importance in Chinese culture.

Therefore, Chinese consumers are becoming more brand-sensitive and expect brands to reflect their values. Expectations grow and choices become more emotionally driven. Brands have growing importance and people don’t want to just buy in bulk.

However, even if the Chinese consumer strives to make more individual choices, they don’t want to be distinguished from society or the community. In the Nordics, individualism means independence from others, but in China, people are extremely sensitive to society’s norms. They make individual choices within generally accepted limits and look for constant validation for their choices in social media. That is why sharing experiences of brands and products is so important: all e-commerce sites have a social component and people can spend several hours a day discussing their consumption choices. It is a way for people to show and gain social capital.

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OPPORTUNITY: Imported food is a daily luxury, which is why many Chinese want to invest in buying into an aspirational lifestyle. Successful products have a story that you can become part of and want to share. Find out what it is in your brand and product that really touches the Chinese. And make it shareable.

In China, food is one of the most essential things in life, and people are extremely proud of their rich culinary culture. Knowledge and the symbolic significance of food are passed on from one generation to another.

China has several regional cuisines that are rich in flavours from sweet to sour, bitter to hot, while Nordic food might taste bland. The Chinese are emotionally attached to their food culture and many who have moved away from their hometown still prefer those familiar flavours. Some justify their preference for local over Western cuisine with their “Chinese taste buds” or “Chinese stomach”. In some cases, Eastern food has a reputation for being unhealthy fast food and people may find it challenging to adapt to foreign flavours. However, the Chinese are very open to trying new dishes and modern traditions emerge from influences of other cultures and imported foods. It has become common knowledge that oatmeal is a healthy breakfast. Dairy, beef and food supplements are now also perceived as healthy because of Western influence.

机会

OPPORTUNITY: Build understanding on how your product fits in with the Chinese food heritage. The Chinese might use your product in a different situation or serve it in an unexpected way. Oatmeal may be enjoyed with meat floss and cold drinks might be heated up. Understanding the context and associations will help you to package and communicate the product correctly.

Nordic people are becoming more and more interested in taking a holistic approach towards well-being, which has always been the way the Chinese think. They know it is better to prevent a disease with good food than cure it with medicine. For health problems, there are no quick fixes because the aim is not only to cure the disease; it is also to nurture the whole body and work on its unbalance. Treatments for this are specific foods and ways of eating – often for a period of several months – even though the symptom may be overcome in days or weeks.

While Nordic people separate the mental and physical, for the Chinese, happiness equals healthiness. One cannot eat bad food and feel good (but eating healthily is not the only tool for a healthy life). Eating ideally in accordance with your body type can even be knowingly compromised if it feels too demanding or is not easy to organise. Stressing about healthiness is not considered healthy.

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OPPORTUNITY: Avoid branding your healthy product with a problem-focused approach. Try to keep in mind that if a Chinese person has a sore throat, they will take care of the whole body, not just the body part in question, by using Chinese medicine with a bunch of natural herbs and food products. Also, the new products should nurture you in a holistic way – and not be a quick fix.

The Chinese worry about food safety above all. In recent years, China has faced a series of severe food safety scandals, creating a deep concern towards local food. Imported food is perceived as being safer, especially if it is made in developed countries, because of their strict food quality standards. For the Chinese, the link between the product and the origin is of utmost importance, and people connect certain foods with certain countries: milk with Australia, beef with New Zealand, cheese with Switzerland. But when people found out that the popular Danish butter cookies by Danisa were actually made in Indonesia, people were shocked and made them react.

Pollution is also a factor that is making the Chinese turn towards imported food. As China is one of the most polluted countries in the world, it is a tangible issue in their everyday lives that cannot be avoided. In the morning, people check the air quality using an app, like how Nordic people check to see what the weather is like. People are worried about the effects of pollution and chemicals, and are aware that traces of them will also end up in food. Chinese brands need to work twice as hard to be trustworthy, and therefore they will also end up raising the bar for imported brands.

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OPPORTUNITY: Apart from Denmark, the Chinese don’t know much about the Nordic countries or identify them with specific foods. The Nordic region as a whole is known, and it should be used as a basis for branding. Currently, the Nordic associations are limited to salmon and dairy, but there is potential for more. The Chinese also connect the Nordic countries with health, happiness, quality of life, good education and clean nature. These are wonderful and naturally highly appreciated associations for proper and pure food. Most of our food companies have such strict principles and high values that by increasing transparency and communication, we could build brands that are highly credible for the Chinese.

In China, it’s hard to know what is really clean and safe but it is better to be safe than sorry: the most concerned even boil and filter their bottled water. Since food safety is not a given, people rely on well-known brands. Brands are credible and trustworthy if they are big and have a long heritage. For example, Japanese dairy company Meiji is creating credibility by stating that it is the number one best seller in Japan. Good experiences with the brand accumulate when you try products and notice the brand’s presence. Having seen it on TV is a positive reference. Small-scale brands lack credibility and the Chinese question the safety of those products. But when sold through trustworthy channels like Sam’s Club or Tmall, people will not doubt the safety of the small challenger.

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OPPORTUNITY: If you have a big market share in Finland, it might be valuable to boldly state so in China. But if you are a small business you can build on long history, popularity, the top class of your production methods, or maybe on the long traditions of the ingredients you use. The Chinese want validation. Remember that small brands disappear in amongst the range offered by big retail chains: online might be the way to go.

With special thanks to

Fan Cuilu
Niina Hietalahti
Johanna Mäkelä
Ilja Riekki
Liu Xing

Dodge Jerome Photography
Business Finland