With Google’s sudden announcement in January about the possibility of stopping its operations here to the time that it forwarded all of its China (.cn) domain traffic to its Hong Kong website in late March, it has definitely been a rollercoaster ride in terms trying to keep up with all of the intrigue and also to find out what the fall out might be from the exodus of such a major player in the Internet world.

China Polling’s tracking research on China search engine branding and usage has revealed some interesting reaction to Google’s move, all from a brand preference perspective but also in terms of brand satisfaction.

We have tracked the above with our search engine usage panel before the January 13th Google blog announcement by its chief legal consul to just before the transfer of its China traffic to Hong Kong. We then looked at the traffic to date and it seems that Google has a very solid following here with Chinese Internet users.

Powered by China Polling Real Time Stats, June 2010

We are seeing a dip in preference for Google, especially during the stormy days between the initial announcement and the eventual closing of its China (.cn) domain. This drop in preference can be attributed to the immense publicity that the Google event has generated here and it also shows that it’s not all positive. However, the preference level has come up a point right after the announcement to forward the Chinese domain which means that Chinese Internet users are still using Google and are forgetting about the whole incident.

The real gain that’s being made in this whole episode is of course Baidu with its favorability going up all the way, but actually taking shares away from the lesser known search engines here. This makes a lot of sense in that the free publicity generated from the Google event is helping to bring in more users for Baidu.

Powered by China Polling Real Time Stats, June 2010

One of the key matrixes that we have been tracking is the user satisfaction for each of the search engines. There is a surprise here with literally no change before, during or after the exodus for the Google devotees. However, we are seeing a very sharp drop in the user satisfaction for Baidu, this validates the fact that a lot more users are trying out the market leader but do not like the user experience, which we’ve already heard a lot of grumblings about.

The fact that Google user satisfaction has stayed the same is testament to the fact that Google users are still using Google and getting the type of results that they need from the Hong Kong site but also from Google.com which is still available in China.

Powered by China Polling Real Time Stats, June 2010

Note: Full survey results are available in .PDF by clicking on the following link: China Search Engine Brand Tracking

Number of Samples: 1515
Before Jan. 13th: 693
Jan. 13th – Mar. 23rd: 450
Mar. 24th – Present: 369
Data Capture Period: 2009.6.29 – 2010.6.11
China Polling conducts a series of Omnibus Surveys on an ongoing basis to provide continuous tracking of consumer trends in China. This tracking of consumer behavior allows for the most up to date information about what’s hot and what’s not here in China. The average 20 question survey for this Search Engine Omnibus answers some very basic questions for this very competitive market. All real-time datasets are available to purchase online. Additional questions can be added into the Omnibus Survey and fielded at any time. For more information please contact Allan Chou at allan@chinapollng.com.

For the past eight months (January to August 2009), the total volume for private car sales in China has increased 36.84% year on year (YOY). Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) also showed that over 6 million cars have been sold during this time period. Among all types of cars sold, sedan models are the most popular with sales growth at 32.67% YOY. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) surprisingly has exceeded Multipurpose Vehicles (MPV) in sales becoming the 2nd best selling models with a YOY growth of 25.08%.

As we can see from the sales trends, SUVs are becoming one of the most sought after models for car buyers here in China. Why do consumers prefer SUVs? What do consumers look for in an SUV? Why are they switching to SUVs? To provide a closer look at the SUV buyers’ behaviors, China Polling launched an SUV Omnibus to answer all of the above questions and more about SUV buying behavior.

Key Topics Covered

• 1st Time Buyers
• Previous Owned Cars
• SUV Buying Intentions
• Types of SUVs Preferred
• Purchase Timing
• Purpose of Buying an SUV
• Budget and Pricing
• Preferred Brands
• Features
• Important Factors When Buying an SUV
• Off-Road Experiences

Full standard demographic data are also included.

Real-Time Sample Size Collected (on a continuing bases):

“Bottom fishing” maybe the most used “Keyword” in describing what’s happening to businesses such as the stock market and real estate, or even for the travel industry globally.  Looking for business opportunities among discount travelers is especially important ever since the start of the global economic crisis.  However, stimulated by deep discounts and the continuously falling foreign currency exchange rate, many Chinese consumers are considering this year to be a good time to travel abroad.  So, it might be a good idea for the travel industry to go trolling for high end travelers rather than using drift nets to fish for schools of sardines.  According to a recent World Tourism Report (released at the Berlin Tourism Fair), China’s outbound tourism business is actually expected to grow in 2009.

China Polling has conducted a nationwide online International Travel survey to try to understand what Chinese consumer travel plans are and what the outbound tourism travel will be like this year.  The 133 panelists surveyed since last quarter of 2008, 28.2% said they have traveled once in the last year, another 28% traveled twice and 27% have traveled more than twice last year.  Among all, 29% have visited foreign countries before and an overwhelming 96.4% plan to travel abroad in the future.
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While current economic conditions are deteriorating around the world, consumer confidence is at a new low and hitting its lowest point in recent years for the once mighty economies such as U.S., Europe and Japan. China is now being regarded as having the least affected economy compare to the rest of the world. What about China consumers’ confidence level? Will consumer behaviors and life styles change because of the world-wide economic downturn? Is China the exception in this global economic downturn? What are the important influencing factors for Chinese consumers now when making major purchases and investments? Since consumer confidence is one of the leading factors to any economic recovery it’s important that we understand if consumers are continuing to spend and consume in China. What sectors will fare the best in this climate of uncertainty? China Polling has launched a national tracking survey to help marketers to gain a closer look at the consumer behaviors under the current stresses.

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2009, is the year of 3G in China.  With the issuance of official 3G licenses, three local telecom giants China Mobile (TD-SCDMA), China Unicom (WCDMA) and China Telecom (CDMA2000) are all now geared up to roll out the massive development plan for local 3G services.  The growing demand for 3G phones and rising competition are all main drivers for a promising future for 3G phones manufacturers.  However, the stability of signals, costs of using 3G services and which new 3G handset to buy are just some of the key concerns voiced by consumers.  What are consumers’ perceptions toward 3G?  What are the key factors that will most likely influence their purchase decisions?  And, what are their level of interest in buying a 3G phone?  China Polling has launched a national survey to help us to understand all of the above questions and much more.

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China is currently the world’s fifth largest consumer goods market and some projections say that by the middle of the next decade China will become the world’s second largest consumer market, ranked after the United States. We don’t think this development path will change even with the current world-wide economic crisis. With a massive RMB Four Trillion Yuan economic stimulus package announced at the end of 2008 the Chinese government is working actively to ensure the country’s economic expansion. There is also a major push to increase domestic consumption within the next two years, there’s no doubt that the Chinese consumer goods market is set for sustained growth. Therefore, it’s vital for businesses to gain in-depth understanding of current and future consumer behavior. The need to identify demographic differentiations across this vast country has become a key challenge for FMCG companies operating in China. This FMCG Omnibus Survey provides insights to Chinese consumer behavior and market opportunities for FMCG companies who are looking to do business here in China.

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China has showcased an excellent Olympics in 2008, but with the conclusion of the games many have concerns about the post-Olympic effect to China’s capital especially to its economy? China Polling recently launched another online national survey to find out how Chinese consumers will react to the post-Olympic period? This is the second installment of our watch on the Olympics, so it follows some of the questions which we’ve asked in our previous survey. Has Olympics changed their daily life styles? Most importantly, has consumer confidence level drop after the massive Olympics related advertising campaign left town?

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Chinese consumers increasingly turn to online search for high quality and useful health information to support their health care decisions. Consumers use the information they have searched to improve their health.

China Polling’s recent study revealed that almost 90% of Internet users search for health care information online. The top-search and most cared about medical information are Diet, Nutrition, Vitamins or Nutritional Supplements, followed by Exercises or Fitness related information. It’s obvious that people prefer information to improve or maintain their current health conditions more than solving any ailment or treatment for medical problems.

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Global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) business is moving and transferring to Asia and with an annual growth rate of 15 to 20%, China’s MICE economy is entering a period of rapid growth, this is according to the 2007-2008 MICE Economy Blue Paper released last year. Not only do foreign enterprise holding MICE here in China, the increasing rate of outflow business visitors or travelers to other countries have also provided tremendous opportunities for both local and international MICE industry players and the related business such as travel agencies. China Polling is now conducting a research to help MICE and travel companies/agencies to gain thorough understanding of the current market condition, who are their most active consumers and how often do they travel on business and personal trip (FIT – Free Independent Traveler), and what kind of service they are looking for?

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Being one of the most affordable leisure activities in a country of 1.3 billion people, online gaming (no the wager type) is one of the most popular forms of entertainment for young people in China. Stats from (Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI), a 3rd party monitoring service under the Internet Society of China) estimated the number of China’s online gamers is expected to surpass 59 million in 2008, and among them, around 4 million young Chinese are addicted to the online games. What are the hottest online games here in China? How much do people spend playing online games monthly? How about the future trend of the online gaming industry? Our Online Gaming Omnibus will try and answer the above questions and provide you with an in-depth view of online gamers’ behavior and consumption preferences. The national research also focused on discovering various new trends in the local gaming industry.

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What is the top concern of the Chinese people? The answer is health care issues, the rising cost of health care and insufficient medical insurance coverage all lead to rising concerns over health related issues in Middle Kingdom. Food safety, general diagnosis, finding the right medicine and comparison, more and more people are searching health care information online to learn or looking for answers to their healthcare issues. What sort of health care information do Chinese consumers look for online? Are there adequate amount of information available? Do they find the sources trustworthy? What are the opportunities within the healthcare business? Our Health Omnibus will try to answer the above questions and explore the potential market opportunities. This national survey will provide you with the most updated data of Chinese consumers’ behavior preferences when it comes to health care information.

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The watch and timepiece industry has always been regarded as one of the most important luxury-oriented consumer sectors world-wide. As a daily accessory this industry has also benefited from the tremendous growth here in China but is facing severe competition between the domestic and international brands. Which watch manufacturer has the market share in China? What are the potential niche segments here? And how do local consumers make their purchase decisions? Do their purchase behaviors differ from city to city? Are people collecting watches as a hobby? Our Watch Omnibus study will try and answer the above questions and provide you with an overview of the market conditions here in China. Another focus of our research is to find various trends in the local watch market.

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China has the world’s third largest cosmetic market with very strong growth in the coming years. Some forecast reports that China’s gross annual sales of cosmetics are projected to reach RMB 80 billion Yuan (Approximately USD 11.5 billion dollars) in 2008. With the growing consumerism among 1.3 billion people, this country will certainly have the largest number of potential cosmetic customers in the world. Not only are the urbanites buying more cosmetic products, consumers in the rural areas are also increasing their purchases. This Cosmetics Omnibus Survey will try to answer some of the most important questions regarding consumer preferences and purchase habits (both female and male). What will it take for international and domestic players to gain more market share here? What are some of the openings for marketing when it comes to introducing new products? Those are just some of the questions that our exclusive Omnibus study will try to answer for you. This research is collecting the most updated and comprehensive data about consumers who buy cosmetics here in China.

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China’s outbound tourism market has become the fastest growing and most active in the world. Statistics from the World Tourism Exhibition show that from year 2001 to 2006, the number of China’s outbound tourists almost tripled, growing from 12 million to over 34 million per year. According to their forecasts, the numbers will reach over 50 million by 2015. China has already surpassed Japan to become Asia’s largest exporter of tourist. With such strong and rapid growing trend in outbound tourism, the China market will certainly become one of the most lucrative tourism market in the world. As the Chinese tourists become more sophisticated, simply joining a tour group and sightseeing will no longer be they are looking for when traveling abroad. More personalized travel plan has become an increasingly popular choice for Chinese travelers. To help you study and better understand Chinese consumers’ behavior when it comes to traveling overseas, ChinaPolling conducted a national Omnibus survey that will provide you with in-depth data of Chinese consumers’ preferences when it comes to International travel.

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Ranked as number one in terms of having the largest mobile phone owners in the world, China’s mobile phone users have already exceeded 540 million. That is, approximately 38% of the nation’s population, average 1 out of 3 persons owns a mobile phone. And the number is continuing to grow, especially in the 3rd tier and rural areas. What are the Chinese consumers doing with their mobile phone? As the mobile telecommunications grow into a more matured market, how can your company attract and retain more mobile phone buyers? This exclusive Omnibus study will provide you with comprehensive consumer behavior analysis of the mobile phone market and its consumers in China.

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The youth of China represents 14.6% of the nation’s total population. The 2005 national census shows that China has 248 million young people aged between 15 and 24. The youth market clearly is the largest new consumer segment which adopts trends the fastest and increasingly sharing many same ideas as their Western counterparts. This is mainly due to the globalization brought on by availability of the Internet. They have become the most sought after consumer group in China because of their loyalty to branded products such as sporting goods and digital gadgets. They are the opinion leader in China and have resulted in influencing a great deal of the overall spending power in China. How to capture this huge consumer group has became the main business strategy for many global companies. This exclusive Omnibus study will provide you with comprehensive data of the youth market in China and track trend within various industry sectors.

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With the 2008 Olympic Games just around the corner, China is eagerly preparing for this historic event and enthusiastically promoting anything and everything that’s connected to the Beijing Olympic. According to recent announcement by BOCOG, the Olympic Game would generate approximately US$1.6 billion profit from licensing, sponsorships and ticket sales. What are the Chinese consumers’ reactions and perspectives toward the Olympics before, during and after the games? How can your company benefit from such economic boost in China? This exclusive study will provide you with consumer behavior analysis of this economic growth opportunity within various industry sectors. China Polling is proud to conduct this 10 months research (from February to October 2008) with www.cctv.com, the official licensee of the digital broadcast rights for the 2008 Beijing Olympics within China. We will be using our traditional sampling methods but will also have a huge presence on the official CCTV Olympic website http://2008.cctv.com.

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