Cultural Primer: Why Your Site Must "Speak" Chinese (Part One of Two)

February 8, 2008

Identifying and serving new markets is what companies do. And connecting those companies with multi-lingual markets using website translation is what MotionPoint does.

These days, organizations searching for untapped -- and lucrative -- audiences must consider the Chinese-language market. From the growing numbers of well-educated, affluent Chinese Americans to the world's largest market in mainland China, companies can no longer ignore this audience on the Web.

MotionPoint occasionally releases in-depth analyses of U.S. and world markets to the public in an effort to educate its clients (and prospective clients), and to showcase the company's expertise in Website Language Management. This article outlines the size and buying power of the international and domestic Chinese-language market, illustrates the unique characteristics of translating Chinese for the Web, and educates prospective clients on MotionPoint's breakthrough WLM technology. MotionPoint not only handles Chinese translations with ease, but also allows companies to create localized Chinese-language content without the need to hire an in-house Chinese marketing team.

The "Need To Know" -- Mainland China
China boasts the world's fastest-growing major economy; it is the second-largest in the world, behind the United States. The World Bank confirmed that -- when using the purchasing power parity (PPP) measurement -- China's manufacturing output exceeded the United States' last year. China's output was valued at $2.717 trillion ... slightly higher than the U.S.' $2.7 trillion. China's exports exceeded America's for the first time ever last year, The Economist recently reported.

With more than 1.3 billion residents (more than three times the U.S. population), China represents 20 percent of the world's population.

While current internet usage among Chinese is just under 20%, this is climbing at an astounding rate. According to China's Internet Network Information Center, the total number of online users increased 53% in 2007, to 210 million users. The number of Chinese blogs reached 78.2 million that year. China is now five million users shy of surpassing the U.S. as the world's largest Internet market, according to The Wall Street Journal.

China is the planet's largest marketing opportunity, particularly for global companies. Last year, the Chinese advertising market increased by 15% to 200 billion yuan (the currency of mainland China), Morgan Stanley recently reported. This year, it will increase by 25% to 250 billion yuan, the group said.

The "Need To Know" -- Chinese Americans
The Chinese American community is also an untapped market, research suggests -- particularly since most Chinese Americans prefer to enjoy online content in their native language.

According to the U.S. Census, this community is the largest Asian ethnic group, comprising nearly a quarter of the Asian American population. After Spanish, Chinese is the most widely spoken non-English language in the country.

This market is affluent, and growing, the Census reported. In 2005, the median household income for single-race Asians was $61,000, the highest income among all race groups in the U.S. Further, the population of Asian Americans will increase by 213% between now and 2050 -- far above the 49% increase in the population as a whole over the same period of time.

But companies can't wait 40 years to connect with Chinese Americans, particularly online. Global Advertising Strategies, a multi-cultural marketing and advertising agency, recently conducted a survey of this audience's online preferences and consumer habits. The results provide a fascinating peek at the Chinese American consumer:

• 69% of Chinese Americans reported a post-graduate degree -- far greater than 30% overall average
• 95% percent of respondents possess credit cards -- again, higher than the 68% percent average
• More than 40% of respondents are frequent domestic travelers -- dispelling a popular myth that Chinese Americans visit Asia almost exclusively
• 46% plan to buy a car in 2010; 69% of these buyers will purchase new cars

This education and affluence are compelling reasons to market to Chinese Americans. More significant, Chinese American users are online-savvy -- more so than the national average. The Global Advertising Strategies report concluded that:

• One third of Chinese Americans spend more than 24 hours online each week; another 30% spend between seven and 24 hours online weekly (A separate study by Florida State University confirmed that Asian Americans spend more time online than any other ethnicity.)
• 70% of respondents preferred a Chinese-language website experience
• 61% said they rely on Chinese-language media for their information
• When Chinese Americans are online:
  • 88% read news
  • 76% research information
  • 55% shop

Please read Part Two in this series to learn how MotionPoint leverages its website translation techologies and help connect clients with these growing markets.