etailology

I’ve been in China for the last two weeks. It’s an excellent education in retail. From the lack of brands to the lack of consolidators, to the lack of distribution infrastructure, the Chinese retail market is like looking back in time.

Nearly all retail in China is local. Brands are virtually non-existent. Knowledge of foreign markets is limited — even today — to the average Chinese.

Being in China is instructive also from a usability standpoint. After two weeks, I know only two words (Hello and Thankyou) and can’t read a single character. The country is a mystery to me. But what did I do the most in China? SHOP. From store to store, the wares and offerings were clear — but in some cases stores offered only their name as a way to tell me their offerings. Obviously, that didn’t work for me… and it reminded me how important it was to MERCHANDISE in the front window of the store (the home page, if you will) to ensure that shoppers know storekeeper intentions.