During the 138th Canton Fair which concluded on Tuesday, the exhibiting company of Zhejiang Yiwei Care Supplies received a “picky” buyer from Chile, who not only asked about product ingredients and manufacturing processes but put on glasses to carefully examine an elderly diaper with leak-proof edges.
The buyer has been supplying nursing homes and communities in his home country for many years. “My clients care most about diapers’ nighttime leakage protection and comfort,” he said. After watching the product demonstration on leakage prevention, he placed a sample order with the company, and scheduled a visit to its factory after the fair’s conclusion.
Such scenes were not uncommon at this edition of Canton Fair. Based on the event, Chinese care product companies are leveraging their triple advantages of technology, certification and application scenarios to explore niche markets globally and achieve stable growth amid the wave of health consumption upgrading.
Compared with the last session held in the spring, there were more products for elderly people at the smart medical care zone during this session of Canton Fair.
Yiwei displayed six new patented products at the fair, focusing on two sectors: elderly care and women’s health. Li Zhibin, the company’s general manager, said that several years ago, the company had already foreseen market opportunities brought by global aging and continued to invest in research and development, delving into the “silver economy”.
Previously, customers were more concerned about prices, but now they place greater emphasis on products’ technology and their adaptability to different scenarios, according to Li.
The company has earned the certification from the Food and Drug Administration of the United States and signed the Declaration of Conformity, a mandatory document required by the European Union. It is making efforts to win more customers at Canton Fair through a service model integrating pre-fair targeted invitations, precise matchmaking during the fair, and post-fair factory visits.
“A European client we met at Canton Fair has become a stable partner, with annual orders of more than 1 million yuan ($140,430),” Li said.
During this session of Canton Fair, the company displayed its own brands such as Easekey and Sisyca, attracting buyers from emerging markets like the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The value of its intent orders is expected to surpass 700,000 yuan.
Hangzhou Byron Medical Technology also hopes to seize the development opportunity of “smart healthcare plus elderly care”.
Targeting problems such as the elderly’s susceptibility to falls, mobility difficulties and rehabilitation needs, the company has launched a series of home-use smart fall-prevention products, which can provide training through a series of interactive games, assist in rehabilitation and reduce accidents.
“Currently, our domestic market performance has maintained steady, doubling growth every year. This allows us to devote more efforts to overseas markets,” said Hu Qijun, general manager of the company.
“Participating in Canton Fair is a crucial step for our company to go global. We are not afraid of comparisons — compared to international products of similar quality, our products hold clear advantages in both price and performance,” Hu said.
Stepping into the exhibition booth of Nox Bellcow Cosmetics, visitors must be impressed by its “lab-like futuristic vibe”. The main exhibit there is the “Super Flash-Fill BFS Single-Use Essence”.
A European buyer showed great interest in a demonstration model of the blow-fill-seal (BFS) integrated technology. He picked up a single-use essence, held it up to the light to examine the translucent liquid inside, and asked: “The slogan says, ‘each one is a complete skincare script’. What does that mean?”
“Traditional large bottles of essence oxidize and lose efficacy when repeatedly opened, but the single-use essence is like providing a ‘customized meal’ for skin. Our technology ensures that every time consumers apply the essence, it is fresh and in peak condition,” the company’s representative said.
The representative added that the company has brought “flash charge”, a common word in the digital field, into the skincare sector, conveying the product concept of “rapid repair and high-efficiency skin revitalization”.
The European buyer has identified the underlying trends: sustainability and personalization. “It is not only a product upgrade, but a proposal for a new lifestyle” the European buyer said, adding that he will bring the product to his home country.
Source: China Foreign Trade Centre
