is getting better.
text/Zheng Yang
has been the general manager of Jialibao Taiwan since 2008 and took office as the general manager of Jialibao Cosmetics (China) Co., Ltd. in 2012. Tai Nakamura's 10 years in China have witnessed the 10 years of great changes in China's economy.
He lamented the changes in Chinese consumers and the market, lamented the rapid response of Chinese cosmetics companies, and at the same time, he did not shy away from the shortcomings of Japanese companies in the Chinese market. What is even more commendable is that Yasushi Nakamura also made sincere suggestions on the craze for Chinese beauty companies to invest in Japan.
For Jialibao, setting the goal of "Asian cosmetics first" is not only to give Japanese makeup opportunities again at the moment, but also to implement the "China first".
▍General Manager of Jialibao Cosmetics (China) Co., Ltd., Tai Nakamura (left), co-founder of Qingyan Li Huihua (middle), author Zheng Yang (first from right)
Over the past 10 years, more focus on brand rejuvenation
2012 was the 30th year that Nakamura had entered Jialibao's work, and it was also the first year that he came to mainland China. At that time, Jialibao suffered serious losses in China, with as many as 12 brands operating in department store counters, with a large number of brands and complex situations.
Under this circumstance, Nakamura Tai defeated the brands that were not well-selling or were not suitable for the Chinese market. In response to the choices and preferences of young people today, only (freeplus), KATE, and AQUASPRINA were left. The younger generation of Jialibao in China also began at that time.
In Tai Nakamura's view, Jialibao's youthfulness has adapted to the changes in Chinese consumers over the past 10 years. This change is reflected in three aspects:
First, the structure of consumers has changed, and the post-80s and 90s have become the main force of consumption;
Second, young consumers are getting information and information through mobile phones faster and faster, and thus some new consumption habits and consumption behaviors have emerged. Even the development of the entire society has changed with the receiving mode of new information;
Third, the visual sensory changes. In the past, only BAs in cosmetics stores or department stores knew how to use makeup, but now there are more and more girls who know makeup and love makeup on the street, and consumers can choose the cosmetics they want more independently.
"On a global scale, China's information development speed can also be considered second to none." In Tai Nakamura's view, the convenience of information acquisition has made Chinese consumers more confident, so Jialibao also took this opportunity to timely increase its e-commerce channels and investment in online media, and started cooperation with platforms such as Tmall, , JD.com, and in 2013. In addition, for young consumers, Jialibao has also moved Japan's self (self-selected cabinet) model to China. In terms of channels, in addition to cooperating with cosmetics stores such as Watsons , the previous self-operated model of department stores has also changed to cooperate with local agents, and agents who are more familiar with the local market will develop department stores and promote other promotions.
"At present, first make the two younger brands, Fulifangsi and Kaiduo, the best, and then slowly expand them." After streamlining the brand, Tai Nakamura will focus more on the brand's youth. The one with the best overall sales situation is Fulifangsi, and Kaiduo also ranks high in Watsons' Shanghai makeup share.
The imperfect "perfect" made in Japan
Japanese makeup has exploded in the Chinese market, embedding its "quality" tag deeply in the consumer's perception, and also making "Made in Japan" widely concerned by the industry. Nakamura Yasu said that for Japanese makeup, the best way to promote is "reputation", which is also a reflection of his confidence in "Made in Japan".
is attracted by "Made in Japan", and some Chinese cosmetics companies also go to Japan to build factories. In response, Nakamura Yasuhi said that this is not as "perfect" as imagined.
On the one hand, in order to gain the favor of Japanese consumers, Chinese companies may face the problem of high cost for building factories independently in Japan. In comparison, choosing to cooperate with large local Japanese companies is more operational.
On the other hand, whether it is building a factory directly in Japan or cooperating with Japanese OEM companies, it will face the current situation of insufficient supply of raw materials, especially the serious shortage of cosmetic packaging materials.
According to Yasu Nakamura, due to the rapid growth of high-end cosmetics, Japanese manufacturers have "supply in short supply" state. The original production line is far from meeting the demand of the Chinese market, but after the production line is increased, the supply of supporting packaging materials cannot keep up with the speed of production demand.
Therefore, if Chinese companies can control the supply chain when building factories in Japan, they can have enough confidence to do this. He further stated that even Japanese local giants are currently facing the shortage of cosmetic containers. "So how to get the best raw materials is the most critical point."
On the other hand, "Made in China" has now formed a certain influence. Yasu Nakamura believes that the development speed of Chinese cosmetics companies cannot be underestimated, and Japanese cosmetics companies can no longer ignore "Made in China" and "Chinese brands". Taking the makeup brand Kaiduo as an example, the benchmark brands 10 years ago may have been Maybelline and Korean makeup brands, but today 10 years later, Chinese local makeup brands such as Marie Daijia are also the targets that must be paid attention to.
is mainly in China, and everything is preferred
How important is the Chinese market for Japanese companies?
Nakamura Yasu said that once all Japanese industries (except the automobile industry) that originally focused on the Japanese local market, once they have the goal of becoming the world's number one or second, they realize that the Chinese market must seize. "So only by seizing the Chinese market can we go to the forefront of the world."
In May 2018, Kao Group announced the formulation of a "new global portfolio strategy" for its cosmetics business, and will focus on promoting high-end brand SENSAI and mid-to-high-end brand KANEBO, and plans to introduce SENSAI, which focuses on the high-end market in Europe and the United States, into China in 2020, that is, two years later.
. For the current hot Chinese high-end beauty market, will it be too long for two years? Facing such a question, Nakamura Tai, who has been calm, was also excited, "I am more anxious than anyone else."
Nakamura Tai explained that due to the relevant policies on cosmetics imports and the communication process between Chinese companies and Japanese headquarters, the promotion speed and reaction speed cannot keep up with the changes in the market. He said helplessly that this is also his confusion over the years, and not only Jialibao, but almost all Japanese companies will encounter such a normal problem in the Chinese market - the market response is slow.
Fortunately, with the efforts of Nakamura Yasu, the Japanese headquarters has realized the importance of the timing of the Chinese market. Taking Fulifangsi as an example, in October 2017, Fulifangsi launched Tian Fuzhen, one of the idol group S.H.E, as the spokesperson for the mainland market brand. It only took two months from making this decision to signing a contract.
"If we follow the previous communication process, the spokesperson we discussed in October last year may not have been confirmed until October this year." Nakamura Yasui sighed so much.
On the other hand, through this spokesperson cooperation, Nakamura Tai hopes that the Japanese headquarters can also feel the importance and necessity of "localization" of spokespersons. "Overall, Jialibao has basically reached a consensus within that decisions, production, etc. based on China will be given priority." In Yasushi Nakamura's view, the most important thing in the next 10 years is still the acquisition of information. "For brands, we must timely understand the needs of consumers and better convey the products to consumers. For Jialibao, we must engrave the idea of "China first" in our minds, think and implement it."
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