Over 60,000 Attendees Gather at Qingdao K-Consumer Goods Promotion Event

In a notable event for the K-consumer goods sector, more than 60,000 attendees converged at the K-consumer goods promotion event held in Qingdao, a vital gateway to China's market. The event, organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), took place from August 14 to 16, 2023, during the Qingdao International Beer Festival.

This promotion, now in its third iteration, was jointly organized with Qingdao Lida Group, a major retailer in Shandong province that operates over 20 offline stores. This strategic timing alongside one of the world’s top beer festivals amplified the event's impact, attracting local companies and consumers keen on K-consumer products.

Over the past two years, KOTRA's Qingdao office has assisted approximately 90 domestic companies and over 400 products in entering Chinese promotional and distribution networks. This promotion showcased 210 products across 72 participating companies, covering various categories including food, cosmetics, daily necessities, fashion, and baby products.

Participants engaged in product exhibitions, direct sales, and consumer experiences, allowing them to gauge the purchase tendencies and market responses of Chinese consumers firsthand. Notable interactive content, such as rice prepared in Korean rice cookers and tasting sessions of seasoned seaweed, attracted considerable attention. Health products like ginseng and pet supplies caught the interest of family visitors, while cosmetics and fashion items were popular among younger consumers.

The event featured a Korean tourism promotion booth, screenings of Korean animation, and family experience programs, enhancing the promotion of both K-culture and products.

A representative from a domestic company producing sensitive skin care balms noted the heightened interest of Chinese consumers in product ingredients, safety, and usability during the event. The representative stated they plan to leverage insights on local consumer preferences to inform future marketing strategies.

Sun Bao-hua, the general manager of Lida Group, remarked on the favorable reception of Korean consumer goods due to their high quality and design competitiveness. He emphasized the need for continuous collaboration with local distribution channels to better understand consumer responses and enhance tailored marketing and experiential initiatives in the Chinese market.

Shandong province, home to over 100 million people, represents one of the closest Chinese consumer markets to Korea and plays a significant role as a gateway for Korean consumer goods exports. KOTRA aims to further broaden the base for Korean consumer companies entering the Chinese domestic market through partnerships with major local distribution networks.

According to Jang Sang-hae, head of KOTRA's China Regional Headquarters, exports of the five major K-consumer goods (cosmetics, food, fashion, daily necessities, and pharmaceuticals) to China reached $3.4 billion in the first half of this year, marking an 8.7% increase from the previous year. KOTRA plans to expand collaborations with leading Chinese distributors to facilitate direct interactions between Korean companies and local buyers and consumers, contributing to the growth of consumer goods exports.